• On MovieTome: The 10 worst movies of 2009 so far!
November 9, 2009 8:37 AM PST

New Atom Netbooks coming for CES?

by Scott Stein
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 5 comments
Share

Imagine the HP Mini 311 with a new Atom...

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

With CES coming in January and Windows 7 computers already everywhere to be found, a casual observer might assume that Vegas' annual consumer electronics extravaganza might not be as exciting for laptops. For Netbooks, at least, that seems to be completely untrue. Although Netbooks have seen an across-the-board upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 and, in some instances, boosts like HD-resolution screens, added RAM, and discrete Nvidia GPUs, Netbooks still tend to run variants of the same N270/280 Atom processor we've seen since 2008.

Intel has been readying its newer Atoms, including a dual-core D510, for a while, but a rumor of a leaked document suggests that Intel might be unveiling the new Atom N450 (the successor to the N270), and even new Netbooks and Nettops containing it, at CES. The report also suggests a possibly quick decommissioning of the old Atom N270s. Intel's new Atoms are supposed to provide better battery life as well as smoother video playback.

We've already found some great new Netbooks recently (check our 2009 Holiday Tech Guide for suggestions), and this should only drive the new wave of Netbooks ever forward.

We're excited about seeing some of these future Netbooks. As long as they stay affordable, that is.

(Via Engadget)

Scott Stein, a New York Jets fan and CNET senior associate editor, has written about tech, entertainment, video games, and viral culture for outlets including Laptop, Wired, Maxim, Esquire Online, Asylum, and Men's Journal. He also appears on the Digital City podcast. In his spare time, you might see him performing improv in New York City (when he's not being a dad).
Recent posts from Crave
The 404 Podcast 481: Where we finally get our hands on that Nook
Play the Nintendo 64 in portable form
Download BlackBerry themes in App World
Our top high-end retail laptop pick for Holiday 2009: the Sony Vaio FW560
CrunchPad reborn as JooJoo
Barnes & Noble's Nook: The hands-on review
Get a Sony Blu-ray player for $99.99 shipped
Five iPhone games to get you in the holiday spirit
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (5 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by Persico06 November 9, 2009 12:48 PM PST
Thanks for the heads up Scott, I've been shoppin around for a netbook and I was pretty firm on a ASUS Eee PC Seashell: Intel Atom V280 @ 1.66GHz, CPU FSB 667MHz L2 Cache 512KB, 2GB Memory, a 320 HDD, Chipset Mobile Intel 945GM Express, Graphics Intel GMA 950 intergrated with Windows 7 Home Premium for $479.99 on Newegg, but I was worried the CPU might be upgraded soon, now I'll wait, thanks.
Reply to this comment
by C433Z November 9, 2009 1:11 PM PST
HP 311 with dual core atom... sweeeet :)
by DMBoricua November 9, 2009 1:12 PM PST
I do hope netbooks get a little more performance boost. I use my mom's Acer aspire netbook-like laptop that has a screen of 11 inches, 2GB of RAM, everything slightly higher performing than a normal netbook and I STILL find the computer to be slow and freezes a bit at times just web browsing. If thats the case I can't imagine using a Netbook for ANYTHING. And it is an absolute brand new computer.
Reply to this comment
by jpmccloud01 November 9, 2009 5:39 PM PST
The Netbook is just a sub notebook without a dvd drive and sub par performance even the amd neo with its ati graphics is still just a low grade notebook. The fact that intel which has better performance is putting out new netbook atom cpu' s doesn't change the fact that netbooks only benefit is size. I'd rather be in a 12 to 13 inch laptop with a centrino core2 solo or AMD turon processor at just 4 to 5 hundred dollars. There faster better graphics still small and at least get a lot more ram, HD and a dvd burner of and up to 5 hrs battery life
Reply to this comment
by brieweb November 24, 2009 10:43 AM PST
I have a Dell Mini 9 with Ubuntu optimized for the Atom and it's already smokin' fast. I suppose that power consumption could be improved, but I wonder how much energy the new integrated CPU/GPU will save over the existing configuration.
Reply to this comment
(5 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement
advertisement

About Crave

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. If you would like to contact Crave with a tip or comment, please write to: crave@cnet.com

Add this feed to your online news reader

Crave topics

The yogurt makers of tech: Gadgets to avoid

Don't buy these one-trick ponies--unless you like gizmos that gather dust.

Google wants to unclog Net's DNS plumbing

The Net giant, ever eager for a faster Internet, debuts its Google Public DNS service. With it, Google could become even more central to the Net.