Ion netbooks head-to-head: Atom, overcharged?

From Engadget -

Engaget spent the past few weeks do a face-off on four of the new Ion netbooks launched in the last few months - ASUS Eee PC 1201N, Lenovo IdeaPad S12, HP Mini 311 and the Samsung N510. The HP was the choice for design and battery life; the Lenovo for the keyboard, touchpad and screen; and the Asus for graphics and HD performance and for overall performance, and logically, as the winner of the face-off.

However, results were generally a bit disappointing - even the Asus' graphics feel dated especially since Intel's Pine Trail Atom is now available in comparable ULV laptops for a just a few more dollars.

Samsung N510 pre-orders taken

From ubergizmo -

Several European stores have begun taking pre-orders for the Samsung N510, a NVIDIA ION powered netbook. Other specs include an 11.6" 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and Ethernet jacks and 3 USB ports, 5900mAh battery and Windows 7 Home Premium.

Price ranges between $575 and $583, or about $100 higher than the similar spec'd Asus Eee PC 1201N.

Samsung N510 unboxed

From Engadget -

Netbooknews.de has outboxing photos of Samsung's ION-powered N510 netbook, including side-by-side comparisons with the older NC10. Specs include:

- CPU Atom N270 1.6 Ghz
- HDD 160 GB
- RAM 1 GB
- WLAN 802.11 /G
- Bluetooth
- Webcam
- 3 x USB
- 1 x HDMI HDMI
- TFT 1366*768 display
- Battery 5200 mAh

Unfortunately, the ION-equipped N510's launch has been pushed back until after the Windows 7 launch.

American MSRPs confirm lofty Ion pricing

From Ars Technica -



The good news is the Samsung Ion-based N510 will be available in the USA starting September. The bad news is that at $599 it is considerable higher than its European pricing. Considering that it has only the Ion LE chipset (lite version), that would mean netbooks with the full-blown Ion chipset could be even more expensive.



Specs-wise, with HDMI, 1366 x 768 11.6" display, 6.5 to 7.5 hours battery life, the N510 is indeed appealing. But compared to alternatives, the premium in pricing is about $200 which is quite significant.

Samsung N510 coming to USA for $599

Liliputing also just got word from a Samsung rep that the company plans to begin offering the Samsung N510 11.6 inch laptop in the US in September, for an MSRP of $599: This laptop has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and NVIDIA ION graphics, which bundles an Atom CPU with an NVIDIA GPU.

Check out the details here.

Ion-Powered Samsung Netbook Spotted

From ubergizmo -

Above photo shows the 11.1" Samsung N510, most probably taken while NVIDIA was showing new designs behind closed doors. The N510 is notable in that it is powered by powered by the Nvidia Ion, a graphics-oriented chipset with an integrated GeForce 9400M. It is the same chipset in the new Macbook Pro.

Rumored specs include a 1366x768 11.1" display, an Atom N280 1.66Ghz, 1GB RAM, a 160GB HDD, WIFI-N, and a 6-Cell battery. Expect pricing around $600 in the USA.