Intel chipset-based netbooks are everywhere to be found, but not so for the Nvidia Ion, despite its technical advantages. Luckily, those looking for a little more muscle in their netbooks will be able to get one this summer.
Netbook Italia revealed specs for the upcoming Samsung N510 netbook, which will have an 11.6-inch screen, Atom N280 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM and of course, the Nvidia Ion and GeForce 9400M chips. Everything else in the specs department looks like your usual netbook, but it’s the graphics part that really sets this apart.
Nvidia confirmed to CNet that Samsung will indeed be releasing a netbook with the above parts, though neither company has yet to issue an official press notice. Nvidia did confirm that the netbook would be shipping in July, which will put it ahead of the Lenovo S12’s release.
Interestingly, Nvidia admits that the Ion chipset grants the Atom such an expanded capability set that it could be considered more of a notebook than netbook.
"The Netbook term was created by Intel to define a segment offering a limited experience, but with Ion you don't have those same limitations," said Rene Haas, general manager of notebook products at Nvidia. "These systems can handle mainstream gaming, HD video, and new GPU-powered applications. You might as well call them notebooks, because that's what they are."
Update: Nvidia informed us that it has not confirmed any specifications or shipping dates to any of the media, including the outlets mentioned in the above story. Nvidia told us that it hasn't communicated any ETA for the product other than "coming soon."
