Commodore Announces UMMD 8010/F Netbook
September 2, 2008
This is definitely unexpected. Pocket-Lint is reporting that we have a new netbook from a familiar company (at least familiar to those of us who got our start with comptuers back in the 1980s). It’s Commodore (remember the Commodore 64 or the Amiga?) and they have just announced the Commodore UMMD 8010/F.
It joins the HP 2133 Mini-Note and the Everex CloudBook as one of the few VIA C7-M-based netbooks.
Specifications:
- VIA C7-M CPU
- Windows XP Home or Linux
- 10.2″ Display with Webcam
- 80GB HDD
- 1GB RAM
- 802.11b/g and optional Bluetooth
It comes in white, black, gray, and pink, and starts at £325 ($585 USD) and is supposed to be available later this month.
Read: Pocket-Lint
HP 2133 Mini-Note - Sequel with VIA Nano CPUs?
August 15, 2008
A week ago, we saw rumors of HP moving to the Intel Atom, with the addition of a 10.2″ panel to their 8.9-inch HP 2133 Mini-Note lineup.
DigiTimes is reporting that Hewlett-Packard has placed orders for VIA’s new Nano CPUs (which are currently shipping). Keep in mind that these are basically drop-in replacements for the C7-M, and are 64-bit and 65nm. They should require little to no effort on HP’s part to put these in new 2133 Mini-Notes.
DigiTimes mentions that they don’t know whether it’ll be netbooks or notebooks, only that VIA mentioned a “certain first-tier notebook vendor” and that whatever product(s) these end up in will be available by October of this year (which would put HP in line to roll out basically a second generation 2133 Mini-Note in time to compete with Lenovo and Dell).
They also mention that HP ordered 500,000 C7-M CPUs, which should put them on track to sell at least the same number of existing 2133 Mini-Notes.
On a related note, another DigiTimes story mentions that VIA is planning on launching a new form factor, what VIA is calling “Mobile-ITX” sometime later this year, or early next year, that will be half the size of Pico-ITX, but that will support full VIA Eden, C-7, and Nano platforms. Whether these will make it into some kind of sub-notebook is hard to say (perhaps a 5.6″ or 7″ device).
HP Planning on 2133 Mini-Note Sequel?
July 25, 2008
Is HP planning on a follow-up version of their 8.9-inch HP 2133 MiniNote? It certainly looks that way based on comments by HP, and that they are looking at the pricing of their current line and launching a cheaper netbook. Many people (myself included) think very highly of the 2133’s design, but the pricing of the 2133 (starting at $499, but getting near $750 for decent specifications) has been a sore point, given some of the performance issues.
Earlier this year, the VIA Nano CPUs were announced, and it was almost a given that HP would move to these at some point - better performance and a drop-in for the VIA C7 that currently powers the 2133 line, but that’s not what’s driving this lower-cost version.
APC has published comments from HP executives discussing the issue:
“From a retail perspective we’re looking at a similar device (to the 2133) but at a lower cost” said Jerel Chong, HP Australia’s Market Development Manager for Notebook PCs, at today’s launch of HP’s business mobility products for the second half of 2008. “It won’t be as durable but it will be cheaper”.
Chong also suggested the new model would however share some traits and components with the 2133. “What we like to do across all our products is share the technology”, he told APCmag.com.
Chong was unable to comment on speculation that the 2133, which currently uses a VIA C7-M processor, would soon transition to Intel’s Atom. The 2133 was designed and made its debut before the Atom was available, Chong explained, so at the time VIA’s C7-M was the only option.
Netbooks Cause Worry in PC Industry?
July 21, 2008
The New York Times has a two-page article by Matt Richtel covering the rise of netbooks and other smaller PCs and notebooks, and the dramatic impact they are starting to have on the PC industry.
In an article entitled “Smaller PCs Cause Worry for Industry”, he writes that they are a cause for concern among some of the larger manufacturers and retailers because of the smaller profit margins and the dominance by smaller manufacturers.
They mention that Dell, Acer, and HP, among some of the largest overall producers have plans or are in the process of carrying them out:
Read more
Intel Atom Shortage, VIA Sales, Nano Shipments
July 3, 2008
Couple of quick articles on Intel and VIA CPUs for the netbook market.
First off, DigiTimes mentions the impact the Intel Atom shortage is having on the netbook industry. They mention that because of the shortage, that LCD panel makers who handle the manufacturer of the 7″ to 10″ LCD panels for these devices are concerned about shipments of these devices (i.e. people waiting for specifically for an Intel Atom device). It’s not helped by the fact that there is a battery shortage (which might ease up this month - note the word “might“). The Intel Atom shortage on the other hand could last through the fall (into September).
DigiTimes mentions that for 8.9-inch displays, AU Optronics (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) are the primary suppliers. When it comes to the 10.2-inch displays, Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) and HannStar Display ship the majority of those. Kind of interesting little bit of information. Another company, Innolux Display, is ready to start producing panels for the low-cost / sub-notebook market.
HP 2133 Mini-Note in the Classroom
July 2, 2008
Might the HP 2133 Mini-Note gain additional popularity with students (a target audience that HP mentioned was important to the 2133’s success).
HP made an announcement yesterday at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) that the Fresno, California, United School District is working on deploying over 7,000 8.9-inch HP 2133 Mini-Note PCs to students in kindergarten all the way through the 12th grade.
The chief technology officer of the Fresno United School District said:
“The HP Mini-Note is a powerful laptop that is small enough to fit on students’ desks along with their textbooks and papers, allowing them access to the Internet and educational content from around the world without leaving their seats…”
While it’s great to see netbooks reaching a younger audience, kindergarten and up through the third or fourth grade, it seems like it would be more of a distraction than a tool. That’s just my opinion though. We’ll have to wait and see how it works out.
Read:
- HP Press Release
- HP’s K-12 Education Page
- Thanks to Susan G. for the link
