Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12, arriving in August, will be the first Netbook with the Nvidia Ion processor. With power similar to the 9400M chipset already in Apple’s 13-inch MacBooks, IonNetbooks promise full-HD video output and actual gaming performance.
The Ion-packing S12 with a 12.1-inch, 1,280×800 screen and Atom N270 processor will cost $499. For 50 dollars less, an Ion-free S12 can also be yours. The Ion claims a 10x performance boost on existing Netbook integrated graphics with “nearly identical” power consumption. HD H264, VC-1 and MPEG-2 “won’t be a problem,” say Nvidia.
The S12 runs Windows XP Home, has a 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive, 1GB of RAM, a 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11 b/g wireless and a 1.3-megapixel webcam with Veriface face-recognition login security software. The 3.7-pound S12 has a six-cell battery, an Express Card slot, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a multitouch trackpad, HDMI port with the Ion model, a full-size keyboard, and Lenovo’s Quick Start, VeriFace, and OneKey Rescue System for making backups.
In other news, MSI is preparing to launch its Wind U115 in the US soon, reports Liliputing. With a 9 cell battery and the low power Intel Atom Z530 CPU, it may run up to 25 hours on batteries.
