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Buy a VIA ARTiGO Builder Kit anytime before October 10th and you could win a VIA C7-M processor based HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. The ARTiGO kit allows enthusiasts to construct their very own compact PC using the world's smallest x86 mainboard, the VIA EPIA PX10000EG Pico-ITX board. With its custom designed chassis, power supply and connector kit, the ARTiGO kit opens up new realms of 'compact computing', allowing all enthusiasts, from pro to entry-level, the opportunity to create a PC that's small enough to fit inside the drive bay of a regular desktop PC. All VIA ARTiGO purchases made before October 10th are eligible for the prize draw but you must register your entry to the competition in order to qualify. The competition page is here.
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With the hugely popular mini-note PC category stealing much of the limelight at Berlin's IFA 2008 exhibition, VIA attended the ShowStoppers press event held just prior to IFA, with a range of mini-notes for the European market. The 400 members of the press who filed through the event center over the 3 hours of the show were able to get their hands on a host of new mini-note designs including the Webbook, HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, Brunen IT One, VIA's own OpenBook Reference Design, along with a sneak preview of other systems yet to be launched. |
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Harald Welte, recipient of the prestigious Free Software Foundation's "2007 Award for the Advancement of Free Software," recently joined VIA as the company's Open Source Liaison to assist in the implementation of our Strategic Open Source Driver Development Initiative. In this role, Harald will be refining VIA's Open Source strategy to optimize support for Linux across all the components of its x86 processor platforms, including the highly-successful VIA C7® processor line and the new VIA Nano processor. He will also be assisting VIA to develop drivers that are in line with the standards and best practices of Linux kernel development, enhance the quality and public availability of VIA documentation, and improve interaction with the Open Source development community.
Check out the beta version of the VIA Linux Portal; Open Source developers are also free to contact Harald directly. |
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September 2008 |
VIA Nano Goes on the Road! In July, VIA offered leading publications around the globe their first chance to get their hands on the new and eagerly awaited VIA Nano™ processor. Offering an optimized computing experience without compromise on performance or features, the VIA Nano processor with its 64-bit, superscalar architecture looks set to make inroads into today's PC markets, so the media were keen to put it through its paces! Placed on a Mini-ITX form factor mainboard to emphasize its suitability for the small form factor, power efficient PC market, the VIA Nano processor was sent out for intensive benchmarking tests.
 Several publications stacked the VIA Nano reference board up against Intel's latest processor offering, the Atom. With most media considering the two processors as competitors, especially in the ultra mobile space, there was a great deal of interest in seeing just how they would fare in a head-to-head comparison. Check out the links below to see how the VIA Nano processor performed!
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Mini-notes Gaining Worldwide Momentum
Across Asia to Europe and the U.S. the mini-note revolution continues to build worldwide momentum. Industry insiders are predicting an estimated 5.2 million units will have been sold by the end of this year, rising to a staggering 50 million units by 2012. The unprecedented success of the HP 2133 has only added fuel to this fire and more and more OEMs are adding mini-notes to their product lines.
 Tsinghua Tongfang, one of China's leading computer manufacturers, recently launched their first entry in to the ultra mobile market, the S1 imini Mini-note Series. Introducing the imini, Mr. Li Jianhang, General Manager of Tongfang's Computer Group, said that in China, mini-notes represent much more than "just a computer". They are in vogue in a big way and have become a personality statement representing upward mobility and style. Here's a video from the Beijing launch of the S1 imini.
 Meanwhile in Japan, Everex has introduced their second generation of the Cloudbook mini laptops, the CE1220J and the CE1221J, sporting 8.9" screens, and in an exclusive back-to-school offer with Walmart, customers in the U.S. can purchase an Everex Cloudbook on-line for US$299.
 In Germany, Brunen IT recently released their second generation mini-note, the One A120, and in a 1980s' flashback Commodore Computers showed their UMMD8010/F Netbook at IFA in Berlin last month.
 And it isn't just computer manufacturers that are seeing the potential in mini-notes. One of the U.K.'s largest cell phone retailers, Carphone Warehouse is currently offering a free Webbook bundled with one of their two year broadband contracts. The VIA C7-M processor is so easily Wi-Fi-enabled and mini-notes so mobile and internet-ready the crossover in to the cell phone market is inevitable. Cell phone retailers and network operators have been quick to seize the opportunity and mini-notes are starting to appear bundled with network contracts worldwide.
With so many choices and new models coming on to the market it can only mean good news for consumers. Prices are getting lower and lower and more attention is being paid to screen and keyboard sizes. And let's not forget, mini-notes are high fashion, not only in China. Computers in all colors are hitting the shelves, so keep on eye out for eye catching clamshell motifs and designs. |
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VIA at the Heart of Robotics
Taipei recently hosted the Taipei International Robot Show, sponsored by ROBOAT, the Robotics Association of Taiwan with over 60 international exhibitors converging on the World Trade Center in Taipei. VIA's Robotics Initiative has placed the company at the center of robotic innovation and technological advancement.
 The ultra compact form factor of the VIA Pico-ITX boards makes them perfect for the extremely small space constraints of robotic designs. Combine this with the remarkable heat dissipation and low power consumption of these boards and it's no wonder that VIA's off-the-shelf EPIA boards are becoming an essential component for academic, hobbyist and commercial robot developers.
 At the VIA booth there were three entertainment robots provided by PlayRobot, a Taiwan-based robot developer. The company develops and designs educational, scientific and entertainment robots for government, academic and research institutes, as well as robot kits for enthusiasts. One, Lynxmotion's popular Johnny 5 robot, was fitted for the show with the very latest Pico-ITX board, the VIA EPIA P700.
VIA's focus on miniaturization, feature integration and the all-critical power efficiency factor is enabling increased versatility and mobility in the design and use of robots. Here's a video from the VIA press conference. |
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VIA VX800 Powers Latest EPIA Boards
 VIA has recently announced two new boards using the latest VIA VX800 media system processor, an all-in-one, highly integrated digital media IGP chipset. The VIA VX800 brings high quality graphics, video and memory performance to ultra compact x86 systems, including Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 3D graphics, high definition video and audio playback, as well as supporting up to 4GB of DDR2 system memory.
VIA EPIA M700 Mini-ITX
 VIA's latest Mini-ITX board, the VIA EPIA M700, leverages the power of the VIA VX800 media system processor to provide enhanced media playback and visual clarity across multiple displays in digital multimedia applications. With dual-DVI, or DVI plus HDMI configurations available in unique resolutions, pixel depths and refresh rates as well as two PCI-Express based Gigabit LAN ports for wideband data transfer, the VIA EPIA M700 is a full featured board capable of powering the very latest compact digital display systems.
VIA EPIA N700 Nano-ITX
 The VIA EPIA N700 is a superb choice for ultra compact x86 system builders. A 12 cm x 12 cm Nano-ITX board, powered by either a 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor or a 500MHz VIA Eden ULV processor and coupled with the VIA VX800 unified chipset, the full-featured VIA EPIA N700 combines digital brilliance with greater usability and includes onboard support for two S-ATA connectors, USB 2.0, COM and Gigabit LAN ports. |
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