Acer has updated its AspireRevo nettop in the shape of the new AR3700 model, throwing in Intel’s latest dual-core Atom D525 processor that, as before, is paired with NVIDIA Ion graphics. There’s also 2GB of DDR3 memory and a 250GB drive, plus an HDMI port for outputting up to 1080p HD.
There’s also a copy of Windows 7, a multi-format memory card reader and six USB 2.0 ports, along with audio in/out, WiFi b/g/n and a wireless keyboard and mouse. As with its predecessor, the AspireRevo AR3700 can be VESA mounted to the back of an HDTV or monitor, making for a discrete HTPC or casual gaming PC.
The previous-gen AspireRevo was criticized for its underwhelming general performance which, in apps that didn’t take advantage of the reasonably potent GPU, was on a bar with basic netbooks. Hopefully the updated dual-core Atom will help this $349.99 nettop be a better all-rounder.
Press Release:
New Acer AspireRevo Nettop – A Svelte and Strong Performer
Popular for packing power and features in a small footprint, AspireRevo gets a new ID and dual-core processing
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 28, 2010 – Acer has made its popular, highly adaptable nettop and entertainment center for the home even more appealing. The AspireRevo AR3700 is sporting a new look and faster performance. Available today at leading technology retailers for $349.99, this sleek one-liter nettop now comes in a handsome dark blue chassis and a faster dual-core processor.
About the size of a book, AspireRevo can be mounted on a small foot stand or easily hidden from view by attaching it to the back of a television or LCD with a VESA mounting system. Although compact, the combination of an Intel® Atom™ D525 dual-core processor, Windows 7 Home Premium and discrete NVIDIA® ION™ graphics provides ample muscle for taking on casual games, playback of 1080p HD movies and digital photo editing.
It keeps a low profile not only through its small footprint, but quiet operation. The low power processor and optimized component placement reduce system noise, making this nettop ideally suited for the living room or bedroom.
“The AspireRevo AR3700 is an excellent pick for consumers desiring an affordable device for enjoying digital media that won’t take up much space and will integrate well with the home entertainment center,” said Steve Smith, senior business manager of consumer desktops for Acer America. “When you consider the flexibility in mounting options, quiet operation and performance for the price, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more practical secondary computer for the home.”
Outfitted with plenty of features, the AspireRevo boasts 2GB DDR3 SDRAM for efficient multitasking, high-definition audio support for dynamic sound quality and a 250GB SATA hard drive(1) for storing and organizing digital entertainment and productivity files. A multi-in-one media card reader quickly and easily transfers files from digital cameras, smartphones and other devices to the PC and an HDMI port provides connection to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors and digital TVs. The system also includes six USB 2.0 ports, microphone jacks, 802.11 b/g/n and a wireless keyboard and mouse.
Environmentally-conscious users will appreciate the screw-free design and small size that minimize system and packing materials. The ultra-low-consumption processor also saves power and enables the system to meet Energy Star® guidelines.
The Acer® AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 nettop is available in the U.S. via leading online technology retailers for $349.99.
Mini-ITX too chubby for you? Find yourself looking scornfully at ASUS’ Eee Box and other nettops, and thinking “I could do better than that”? Then head on over to Lanner, whose new VES-310 single board computer manages to squeeze a 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU, twin gigabit ethernet ports, four USB 2.0 ports, SODIMM slot and a CF slot onto a slice just 5.7 x 4.1 inches.
Somewhat incogruously, the VES-310 is listed as a “3.5-inch format” board, but it’s still smaller than the 6.7 x 6.7 inch Mini-ITX. Lanner make sure you get plenty of ports, too, including a 12VDC input, VGA and a Mini PCI Express slot as well as the options we’ve previously mentioned. Then there are the headers, offering LVDS, a further two USB 2.0, a parallel port and two serial ports (RS232 and RS422/485), audio and digital I/O (four in/four out).
It looks like the ideal place to start for a low-powered media streamer or embedded PC. No word on pricing, but it’s apparently available now.
MSI has unveiled the latest version of its WindBox nettop PC, the MSI WindBox III. Unlike Atom-based nettops, the WindBox III uses an Intel Core 2 Duo paired with the GS45 Express chipset, and is capable of up to 1080p HD video with an HDMI output. However it also manages to be fanless, and is still slender enough to be fixed behind your LCD display using the VESA mount.
Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth as standard, along with DVI-I, DVI-D, six USB 2.0 ports, two COM ports, and audio in/out. Inside there are two mini-PCIe slots and 4GB of RAM. No word on pricing or availability at this stage.
Asus has more nettops than you can shake a stick out along with one of the largest catalogs of netbooks on the market. The company generally crams the latest tech into a few of its models and a new version of its EeeBox has surfaced that sports new hardware.
The EeeBox EB1501P is the name of the little rig that looks like many of the other nettops from Asus on the outside. As mama always said, it’s what’s on the inside that counts though. The little nettop gets NVIDIA next-generation Ion graphics.
The Ion graphics are also often called Ion 2 and support HD media. Other features of the machine include an Atom dual core D525 CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and 250GB HDD. The machine also has HDMI out and 802.11n WiFi along with Bluetooth, eSATA, and USB connectivity.
Update:Electricpig say that ASUS UK has confirmed the EB1501P, which will apparently hit the UK in late Q3 or early Q4 priced at £379.99 ($602).
While ultra-compact nettops have been around for some time now, they’re still yet to revolutionize the HTPC market as we were initially promised. Hoping to change all that is Lenovo with their new IdeaCentre Q150, packing NVIDIA’s Ion 2 GPU paired with a low-power Intel Atom CPU. Lenovo say it’s good for 1080p HD; does the real-world experience live up to the spec sheet? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
The IdeaCentre Q150-40816AU bears the mark of Lenovo’s latest updates, throwing out the old single-core Atom chip of its predecessor and replacing it with an Intel D510 with twin 1.66GHz cores. That’s paired with 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 500GB hard-drive, NVIDIA Ion 2 DX10 graphics chipset (with 512MB of dedicated VRAM) and WiFi b/g/n. Ports, meanwhile, include HDMI, VGA, two USB 2.0, ethernet and audio in/out on the back, while there are another two USB 2.0 ports and an S/PDIF digital audio output on the front under a plastic flap. Lenovo supply a stand for propping the Q150 upright, or alternatively there’s a VESA mount on one side so you can hide it behind your HDTV or monitor.
In the box, Lenovo supply a power brick and a wired USB keyboard and mouse set; however, the company also sent us their N5901 wireless keyboard. A distinctive, chubby T-shape, the N5901 has a full QWERTY thumbboard across the top and a trackball underneath, and is primarily intended for those wishing to use the IdeaCentre Q150 as an HTPC.
Setup of the Q150 is straightforward, since it’s a regular Windows 7 Home Premium PC. Obviously there’s no optical drive, and Lenovo save around 30GB of the HDD as a service partition (for re-imaging the PC should you want a fresh install), but generally it’s a case of hooking up a monitor or other display and then getting to work. For HTPC use the front-mounted S/PDIF port seems ill-placed, seeing as it’s unlikely to be the sort of thing you’re regularly plugging in and unplugging, but most will likely use HDMI anyway, which carries both audio and video. We had no trouble connecting to a WiFi network to stream content both from the Q150 and from a standalone NAS.
Intel’s Atom D510 processor may be a step up from earlier iterations, but we still weren’t expecting dramatic performance from the low-power chip. We benchmarked the nettop using Geekbench, a synthetic test of processor and memory performance, and the IdeaCentre Q150 scored 1242. That’s only a few points higher than we were seeing from Atom 330 machines, and is unsurprisingly akin to what you’d see from a netbook.
In terms of real-world use, the Lenovo lived up to its multimedia billing. Previous machines using the Ion GPU were criticised for patchy performance, since things like Flash didn’t support hardware acceleration and, as such, relied solely on underpowered CPUs. With Flash 10.1, however, the Ion 2 in the Q150 is responsible for HD decoding, and it manages it with minimal fuss. Full-screen Hulu looked great, as did local content. Regular Windows apps, however, were less impressive; with the GPU out of the equation, the Atom CPU struggled with anything more than a little multitasking. Try to do more than surf with a couple of windows open while playing music in the background and the Q150 starts to get a little sluggish.
As for the Lenovo N5901 wireless keyboard, that uses a proprietary USB wireless dongle (which stows in a niche underneath) and is plug-and-play with Windows 7. As well as the QWERTY ‘board there are dedicated multimedia keys, and the whole thing sits nicely in the hand; we wish Lenovo had used the same soft-touch plastic on the front as they have on the back, though, since the glossy finish is a real fingerprint-magnet. The keys themselves are slightly convex, making for easier typing, and while you wouldn’t want to input anything of length, it’s certainly sufficient for searches, Twitter messages, brief emails and URLs. The trackball, meanwhile, is usable, though we wish Lenovo had opted for a gyroscopic navigation system instead. Still, that would add to the price, which at $59.99 is reasonable.
Overall, there’s a lot to like about the IdeaCentre Q150. Notable omissions are Bluetooth and any sort of memory card reader, though of course you could add either via USB. An integrated card reader would arguably be less than useful if your Q150 was mounted behind the TV, too. It’s a quiet-running system, and thanks to GPU acceleration is capable of stutter-free 1080p HD local and streaming video; 500GB is plenty of space for a nettop, too. Currently priced at $399 – $50 more than the single-core model with mere Intel GMA 3150 graphics and a 160GB HDD – it makes for a capable HTPC; throw in a cheap USB TV tuner and you could record TV too, since Windows 7 Home Premium natively supports media center functionality. This isn’t the machine for gaming or video editing, but then we doubt many would confuse it for such: instead it’s a great little media PC that serves up high definition content with minimal fuss.
Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Q150 takes its Q110 predecessor and brings it up to date with Intel’s latest nettop Atom processors, throwing out the old Atom 330 and replacing it with either the 1.6GHz single-core D410 or dual-core D510. They’re still paired with optional NVIDIA Ion graphics for up to 1080p Full HD via the HDMI output, in a form factor that measures just 0.82-inches wide.
As well as the included stand you can mount the nettop on the back of your flatscreen TV, thanks to a VESA mount, while other connectivity includes VGA, four USB 2.0 ports, ethernet and audio in/out. There’s also WiFi onboard too.
Lenovo are also offering an optional multimedia remote with an integrated trackball mouse and mini keyboard, intended to round out the HTPC potential of the Q150. No word on how much the remote costs, but the nettop itself will be priced from $249 when it arrives at the end of June 2010.
Press Release:
Lenovo’s Expanded Line of Consumer PCs Beg the Question: “What’s Your Idea of Fun?” Consumers Find their Perfect PC Match with Lenovo’s Latest Laptop, Desktop and All-in-One Offerings
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – May 11, 2010: Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (ADR: LNVGY) today expanded its lineup of consumer laptop, desktop, all-in-one (AIO) and nettop PCs with exciting new designs and technologies that make computing more enjoyable and affordable.
Lenovo’s latest IdeaPad and IdeaCentre PCs offer something for everyone, with clever features that inspire fun and creativity, and a complete range of form factors and designs that fit specific consumer needs. The new models include the IdeaPad Z series affordable multimedia notebooks – Z360, Z560 and Z565 – and the IdeaPad U series ultraportables – U160, U460 and U460s. Also announced are the IdeaCentre A700 stylish multimedia AIO, and the IdeaCentre B305 mainstream performance AIO. Alongside this expanded portfolio of all-in-ones come the IdeaCentre Q150 – an ultra-thin nettop PC, and the Lenovo H320 affordable slim tower desktop PC.
“In the less than three years since Lenovo launched its worldwide Idea brand of PCs, we have expanded our consumer footprint to more than 85 countries, firmly establishing our presence in the consumer PC market,” said Dion Weisler, vice president, Business Operations, Lenovo. “Lenovo’s consumer business recently achieved 89% year over year growth, outpacing the competition. The latest additions to the Idea portfolio demonstrate Lenovo’s commitment to leading the consumer market with stylish, feature-packed PCs that make computing more fun and enjoyable for all.”
Style and Entertainment To Go
Lenovo’s latest IdeaPad laptop PCs, the Z series and U series, are designed for consumers whose idea of fun is living life on the go and desire a laptop with features that can keep up with their exciting lifestyle.
The most recent addition to the IdeaPad family, the Z series, brings mobile multimedia to the masses through a rich, enjoyable entertainment experience at a competitive price point. Starting at just $649, the new Z series is an affordable laptop that comes across as a high-end luxury device, with its fashionable chiclet keyboard encased in a modern hairline, metallic effect cover panel. Users will enjoy watching their favorite movies on the new Z series with its high-definition (HD), 16:9 format widescreen (available in 13.3 and 15.6-inch models), optional Blu-ray Disc™ drive, and Dolby® Advanced Audio for a stunning audio experience. With OneKey™ Theater II, optimized audio-visual settings are enabled at the press of a button, making the Z series great for videos and multimedia content. The IdeaPad Z360 and Z560 are available with the all new 2010 Intel® Core™ processor family and NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics, while the IdeaPad Z565 is offered with up to AMD Phenom™ II processors and integrated ATI Mobility Radeon™ graphics.
Sleek and stylish, the IdeaPad U series caters to the fashionista in all of us. Each of the new models – the IdeaPad U160, U460 and U460s – offer ultra-portable, light designs and long battery life to allow travel-loving consumers to stay entertained and in touch no matter where life takes them. The clean and sophisticated appearance of the redesigned U series is made possible by its “U” shaped outline inspired by a closed book lying on its side, while its textured aluminum top cover adds a further touch of style and class to its elegant design. Measuring less than one inch thick and 3.8 pounds, the 14 inch U460 and U460s can be configured with up to an Intel® Core™ i7 processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology for impressive performance in a thin and light design. The U460 features a standard voltage processor, while the U460s and U160 come with ultra-low voltage processors for even longer battery life and lower power consumption. The U160 weighs in at a mere 2.9 pounds and 0.9 inches at its thinnest point. For staying connected to friends and family while on the move, the U series comes with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a range of user-care features including an Ambient Light Sensor, Active Protection System and data recovery tools.
Expanded All-in-One Portfolio
Lenovo’s latest A700 and B305 all-in-one PCs are perfect for individuals or families that enjoy the powerful performance of traditional desktop PCs but desire the fun features of an AIO design such as touch screen capabilities, HD monitor and a streamlined appearance.
The IdeaCentre A700 is a stylish, ultra-slim AIO PC that packs the latest processor and graphics into a curvaceous aluminum body measuring merely 0.8 inches at its thinnest point and only 2.5 inches at its thickest. The A700 includes just about every home entertainment feature you can think of, beginning with a 23 inch Full HD widescreen, up to Intel® Core™ i7 processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, HDMI in/out support for connecting to other HD devices such as a TV or gaming console, JBL designed speakers with Dolby® Home Theater™ and the latest DirectX® 11 graphics. The A700 also features a unique 3-in-1 mouse1 that functions as a standard mouse, air mouse/pointer and motion-drive games controller. For faster, more responsive application performance, the A700 can be configured with up to 8GB DDR3 memory and up to 2TB of storage so users don’t have to worry about running out of hard drive capacity when saving their favorite movies, music and games.
Those who are seeking high-performance gaming and family entertainment can turn to the IdeaCentre B305, which delivers compact performance with up to AMD Athlon™ II X4 Quad-Core Processor. Available in a 21.5 inch widescreen form factor, the B305 offers Full HD resolution video playback and optional DirectX 11 graphics. The B305 also features LED Panel Technology, providing a greater dynamic contrast ratio compared with standard LED-backlit screens, for clearer, sharper images and richer colors.
Lenovo is for the first time introducing touch screen capabilities on the IdeaCentre A series and B series all-in-one models, with select A700 and B305 configurations offering Lenovo NaturalTouch fingertip touch screen technology, and a suite of touch-enabled multimedia applications developed to enhance the touch screen experience. The A700 is the world’s first PC to utilize Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) touch screen technology, as used in certain medical applications, for the most reliable and responsive touch experience.
The IdeaCentre A700 and B305 feature the unique Lenovo Enhanced Experience certification that delivers an optimized boot and shutdown process, rich multimedia capabilities and easy system maintenance tools. Each of the new IdeaCentre A series and B series models include 5-in-1 media card readers and side and rear mounted USB ports. The new all-in-one models also include integrated high-speed 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Lenovo Rescue System software to quickly and easily recover data if a document is lost or becomes corrupt.
Ultra-Thin Nettop PC
If your idea of fun is tricking out your living room entertainment center, then the Lenovo IdeaCentre Q150 is the perfect solution. At just 0.82 inches wide and 6.7 inches high, the Q150 enhances the living room entertainment experience and can fit into just about any small space in the home. The Q150 is an affordable nettop PC that can be connected to a TV or monitor, or even mounted behind with the VESA bracket to create a virtual all-in-one. Featuring an optional NVIDIA® ION™ 512MB graphics processor, which delivers smooth Full HD (1080p) video via the onboard HDMI output, the IdeaCentre Q150 is a great way to enjoy internet video in your living room. The IdeaCentre Q150 also features an optional multimedia remote with an integrated trackball mouse and mini keyboard for convenient multi-tasking of e-mails, web browsing and video playback all on a single device.
An Essential PC for Work and Play
Lenovo today also updated its essential brand of affordable home computers with the introduction of Lenovo’s first slim tower desktop PC, the H320. Lenovo’s essential family of laptop and desktop PCs are intended for consumers who want the latest technology, including multimedia and security features, for use at the office or while relaxing at home.
The latest generation of Lenovo H series desktop PCs can meet the computing needs of just about any family member whether it is for work, play or education. The H320 presents a purposely slim and compact form factor, around half the size of standard desktop computer2. With the capabilities of a larger traditional desktop, the H320 boasts powerful performance with the all new 2010 Intel® Core™ processor family, and up to 8GB of memory on select models.
The H320 is equipped with user care features like Lenovo Eye Distance System3 which alerts you if you are too close to the screen, and Lenovo Dynamic Brightness3, which protects your eyes by automatically adjusting screen brightness based on surrounding light conditions. These features require a compatible Lenovo monitor such as the L2361p.
Pricing and Availability
All of the PCs will be available through www.lenovo.com. The IdeaPad Z360, Z560 and Z565 are available beginning in June. Manufacturer suggested retail pricing (MSRP) for the Z360, Z560 and Z565 will start at $649. The IdeaPad U160, U460 and U460s are available beginning in June and will start at $699. The IdeaCentre A700 will be available beginning at the end of June and will start at $999. The IdeaCentre B305 will be available beginning in June and start at $699. The IdeaCentre Q150 will be available beginning at the end of June and will start at $249. The Lenovo H320 will be available beginning at the end of June and start at $549.
Only yesterday were we gaping in slack-jawed amazement at the sight of an Amazon preorder page for the ASUS Eee Keyboard, and then today an unboxing video of one of the first review units – complete with final packaging, we’re told – shows up. Netbooknews are the lucky recipients, and they waste no time in whipping out the innovative nettop.
Video unboxing after the cut
Their particular model is the 16GB SSD version, with an MRSP of $549; the unit on Amazon, meanwhile, has a 32GB SSD and is $599. Both get Intel’s Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a Broadcom AV-VD905 video decoder for HD playback, together with WiFi b/g/n, gigabit ethernet, HDMI and VGA and a battery rated for up to 4hrs use.
Also in the box is an external WiFi/UWB antenna and an HDMI-toting receiver, which apparently allows you to use the Eee Keyboard with your HDTV from up to five meters away, streaming 720p HD video. Previous tips have suggested the Eee Keyboard will begin shipping on April 23rd.
Nettops and netbooks are everywhere today with the vast popularity of the machines on the market. Everyone is in the netbook market today it seems, even a lot of companies who have no interest in the computer market traditionally. One of those companies in Onkyo, more known in the home theater market.
Onkyo (PDF) has unveiled a couple new computers today including the DP312 and the DC213. The DP312 is the more interesting of the two, and fits with the companies offering in home theater more. The nettop is aimed at the HTPC crowd, runs Windows 7 Home Premium, and uses the older Atom N270 processor. It can be had with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 500GB of storage.
The DP312 supports 1080p video and features ION graphics. The DC213 runs Windows 7 Starter and uses an Atom N450 CPU. The machine has 1GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD along with a DVD player and a 10.1-inch screen. A DVD drive is uncommon in the 10.1-inch space.
Ah, the ASUS Eee Keyboard; so long delayed it’s almost become a techies’ urban myth, the day of nettop reckoning looks almost upon us. A listing for the Eee Keyboard – which packs a netbook’s components into a QWERTY keyboard form-factor, complete with a touchscreen display where the numeric keypad would be – has shown up on Amazon, accepting preorders for $599.
Video demo after the cut
That gets you an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD, along with that 5-inch WVGA multitouch touchscreen, WiFi b/g/n, gigabit ethernet and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Since the idea is that you hook the keyboard up to your big-screen TV for multimedia purposes, ASUS have also fitted an HDMI output and UWB dongle, along with the usual VGA and trio of USB 2.0 ports.
According to NetbookNews the video below is a demo of the final build of the Eee Keyboard, so hopefully this is what buyers will see when they hook it up to their HDTVs. They reckon the long-awaited nettop will begin shipping April 23rd, just a few days away.
You can’t really argue with the fact that a nettop – especially an all-in-one – is basically a deskbound netbook with a bigger screen, and Elitegroup obviously couldn’t even be bothered combining the ECS Morph-A’s display and base section into a single chunk. Still, they’ve obviously been busy with the orange go-faster stripes, perhaps a little incongruous given the Intel Atom D410 or D510 processors actually powering the machine.
There’s also up to 4GB of DDR3 memory and whatever storage you can squeeze into a 2.5-inch HDD bay. Happily Elitegroup have also squeezed in a DVD burner, so you can use the 21.5-inch Full HD 1080p display for media playback, though owners will probably want to plug in external speakers to the 5.1 surround sound connections, rather than rely on the stereo 2W integrated cones.
Otherwise there’s gigabit ethernet, six USB 2.0 ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, audio in/out and a slot for either a WiFi card or an optional 3G/WiMAX modem. No word on pricing or availability as yet, nor if Elitegroup will be offering a touchscreen option, but we suppose it’s slightly more distinctive – though with a bigger desk footprint too – than some of the other all-in-ones we’ve seen recently.
