Hasta La Gadget!

The nettop might not be the most riveting piece of machinery out there, but ASRock‘s hoping to generate at least a small amount of buzz by outfitting its next trio with NVIDIA’s Ion graphics technology. Reportedly, the Ion 330HT, Ion 330Pro and Ion 330HT-BD will all ship with a dual-core 1.6GHz Atom 330 processor, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 7.1 channel audio, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI / VGA outputs, six USB 2.0 sockets and a powered eSATA port. The 330HT and 330HT-BD are both bundled with MCE remotes, while the latter also gets its DVD burner swapped out with a Blu-ray drive. There’s no mention of a price or release just yet, but we’re figuring that both of those points should be clarified shortly.

Filed under: Desktops

ASRock readying three Ion-powered nettops, one with a BD drive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re concerned about the future obsolescence of your miniscule Atom-based nettop, chances are its choice of optical storage is not what’s bothering you. But, if that’s what keeps you up at nights, Onkyo‘s P3 is your Ambien. Its ION platform sports the usual 1.6GHz Atom 230 proc, 2GB of memory, and 160GB hard drive. The DVD-ROM is a separate module that clips into a groove on the side and, while details are slim, that doesn’t look like a standard form-factor to us, so if a Blu-ray upgrade or the like ever surfaces don’t expect it to be cheap. The P3 itself (pictured again below with an LCD friend) isn’t exactly a bargain to start, with an estimated MSRP of ¥69,800 (about $770) when it ships in March of next year. That’s the price you pay for modular design.

[Via PC Watch]

Continue reading Onkyo’s tiny ION-based P3 nettop has an even tinier removable DVD-ROM

Filed under: Desktops

Onkyo’s tiny ION-based P3 nettop has an even tinier removable DVD-ROM originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s been on quite the rampage of late, pumping out more machines during this week before the Windows 7 launch than in the past few months combined. The latest rig to get the a-okay from the shipping department is the refreshed AspireRevo R3610-U9012, a machine which was originally outed back at IFA. This one ups the ante over the former with a 1.66GHz dual-core Atom 330 (as opposed to an Atom 230), Windows 7 Home Premium, NVIDIA Ion graphics, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB hard drive, six USB 2.0 sockets, an HDMI port, eSATA connector, VGA, multicard reader and gigabit Ethernet. There’s also WiFi, audio in / out and a bundled wireless keyboard and mouse, though all that oomph in such a small package will cost you $329.99 to bring home.

Filed under: Desktops

Acer’s Atom 330, Win7-packin’ AspireRevo now shipping to America originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the overdue passing of Windows XP into the next world comes the cheery note that Microsoft’s ceiling on netbook specs will also be no more — and the Mini 311 is among the first to get upgraded in time for the new king of Windowstan. The already competent performer will be getting the full (non-LE) ION treatment, max memory of 3GB, an 80GB SSD option or up to 320GB of the old school storage stuff, and a choice of Windows 7 flavors up to the Professional level. This info comes from the machine’s maintenance guide, so we can’t be certain of when the upgrades will be ready for consumption, but HP’s track record would suggest the answer to that is soon.

[Via Liliputing]

Filed under: Laptops

HP Mini 311 set for spec bump, Windows 7 Professional originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s taken longer than we thought for a honest-to-goodness NVIDIA ION-powered within arm’s reach, but sure enough the HP Mini 311 accomplishes just that. Laptop’s managed one of the first reviews, and much like what the site intimated with earlier benchmarks, you’re looking at a surprisingly capable and sleek $400 netbook with good battery life. In fact, the only major complaint seems to be a trackpad that’s a bit too rough for the reviewer’s tastes — probably a sacrifice worth making if you’re definitely in the market for a new ultraportable right now. Hit up the read link for the full review.

Filed under: Laptops

HP Mini 311 reviewed with earnest, ION-enhanced affection originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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