Now that Intel's Atom is on top of the netbook processor market, while VIA and AMD are trying to compete somehow, it appears that a fourth chip maker is going to enter the netbook business and try to give Intel's Atom architecture a run for its money. ARM and Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, are co-operating to make Ubuntu Desktop operating system that will run well with ARM's ARMv7 processor architecture. This will enable new Linux netbooks and hybrid computers to enter the market.
"The release of a full Ubuntu desktop distribution supporting latest ARM technology will enable rapid growth, with internet everywhere, connected ultra portable devices," said Ian Drew, vice president of Marketing, ARM. "The always-on experience available with mobile devices is rapidly expanding to new device categories such as netbooks, laptops and other internet connected products. Working with Canonical will pave the way for the development of new features and innovations to all connected platforms."
This version of the Ubuntu Desktop operating system will handle the ARM Cortex-A8 and Cortex-A9 processor-based systems. The final Ubuntu ARM distribution will debut in April 2009. Now we only need volunteers to choose ARM and Linux for their netbooks.

VIA and NVIDIA have had a decent association going their way for some time now, with the latter offering to design platform core logic (chipset) embedding the GeForce Integrated graphics, which gives VIA's Nano processor, an edge over Intel's Atom platform using obsolete core logic technologies.

Sources at VIA tell DigiTimes, that the deal between the two companies, to work on an inexpensive netbook platform, may have been shelved. The two companies had earlier planned to pair VIA's Nano processor with NVIDIA's MCP79 IGP (which now seems to have a fair bit of success in its Intel Core 2 microprocessor-supportive avatar). Although cooperation on the platform is suspended, VIA said the two are still continuing to cooperate and will showcase co-developed desktop PC (read: nettop) products at CES 2009.

It didn't take HP too long to officially releases its new Mini 1000 netbook, HP's Mini Note 2133 little brother. Starting at $399 as of today, Mini 1000 features a sleek, ultra-portable design, less than 1-inch thickness and weight that is a little more than 2 pounds. HP offers the Mini 1000 in various configuration choices that include a 8.9-inch or 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display with flush glass and LED backlight (both displays have 1024x600 resolution) as well as the option to choose between a 8GB or 16GB SSD or 60GB 4200rpm mechanical hard-drive. Processor options will be limited to the Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz CPU for now, but new models might become accessible later on. Except these few hardware options, all Mini shells will have the standard package of peripherals that include a built-in webcam and microphone, an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Versions with 3G support are expected to be available in December. OS options include pre-installed Microsoft Windows XP Home or a Linux distribution.
In addition, HP is launching a special Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition with the same specs as the piano-black Mini, but painted in vibrant red with a peony-flower inspired design.

Dell today officially introduced the Inspiron Mini 12, a small, easy-to-carry Internet companion that you can fine tune to fit your specific needs and deeds. Like its counterpart the Inspiron Mini 9, the Mini 12 is ideal for surfing the Web, office work, videos, music and even some games. With a starting weight of only 2.72 lbs. and only 0.92 in. thick, current standard features on the Inspiron Mini 12 include a sharp 12.1-inch WXGA (1280x800 resolution) display, a 1.3GHz Atom Z520 or a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, 1GB of RAM and a choice of 60GB or 80GB hard drive. The Inspiron Mini 12 also comes with a built-in 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless connectivity, 3x USB ports, VGA out, and a 3-in-1 card reader. Initially the new netbook will be available in Japan through Bic Camera, Kojima and Sofmap stores and other retail outlets. It will launch online globally by late November with configurations starting under $600 (U.S.). Models with Ubuntu and Windows XP operating systems preinstalled will also be available before the end of the year.

NEC announced today its entry into the netbook market with the introduction of its first netbook - LaVie Light. I have to admit this is an odd name for a computer part although Eee is not a better one too, but people seem to like and buy them regardless of their strange model names. The NEC LaVie Light serves up the typical netbook specs - a 8.9-inch display with 1024x600 resolution, Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and last but not least a Windows XP Home Edition operating system. The LaVie Light weighs in 2.6 pounds and also includes a 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, three USB 2.0 ports, an SD card slot, and a built-in 1.3MP camera. The 8.9-inch NEC LaVie netbook will be released in Japan on November 6th this year. Exact price for the model wasn't announced, but its price is estimated to be around $650.

DigiTimes reporters have posted information that ASUS is working on a touch-screen equipped Eee PC. The new netbook will start appearing during the first or the second quarter of 2009, according to the report which claims to have the information from various panel makers. ASUS is also expected to ship the touch panel netbooks with Windows 7, Microsoft's latest OS. AU Optronics (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) will most likely supply the touch panels. They both plan to launch 11.6-inch and 12.1-inch touch panels in February next year, so if the calculations are right the new Eee PCs will be assembled with their panels. ASUSTeK is yet to decide what panel size to use.

ASUSTeK Computer released today its newest and most expensive Eee PC netbook, the Eee PC S101. Designed to attract users with its style and premium finish (available in three colors - brown, champagne or graphite), the S class Eee PC also offer the latest hardware that a netbook can integrate. Measuring 264 (W) x 180.5 (D) x 18 ~ 25 (H) mm, the Eee PC S101 will be available in 3 different models. The first one has a 16GB SSD + 16GB SD card (32GB total storage space), Windows XP OS and a retail price of around $699. The second version comes with a 32GB SSD, Linux OS and will retail for around $699 as well. Finally, there's the 64GB SSD model with Linux which will have a price tag of around $799. Feature-wise all three Eee PC S101 models have a 10.2-inch wide active matrix LED backlit screen (1024x600 resolution), 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, 10/100/1000 Mbps ethernet controller, WLAN support, Bluetooth, 4-in-1 MMC reader and a 0.3MB integrated webcam. For more information, please visit the Eee PC - Blog.

Another day and another computing brand announces it's entry into the netbook market. There are not many names left, but its Packard Bell this time making the entry with "dot", an 8.9-inch netbook that features a full installation of Windows XP. The "dot" is built around an Intel Atom processor with 160GB of hard disk space and 1GB DDR2 RAM. The netbook also accommodates 3x USB ports, 5-in-1 card reader and a built-in Wi-Fi (b/g). Additional extra's can include a 6-cell battery for extended battery life, a webcam and a 3G module. The Packard Bell "dot" will be available in European retail outlets from November, starting at an estimated street price of €399.

It looks like Samsung has finally decided to take the dip into the ULPC market with the announcement of a netbook slated for October. Pictures of this unnamed netbook have emerged that shows a milky-white, slightly Apple-ish chassis with a 10.2" screen. Only the most essential keys make it to the keyboard, omitting special multimedia keys.

This netbook is said to ship with the Windows XP operating system, it is driven by a Intel Atom N270 processor with 1 GB of memory. Storage configurations could have 80 or 120 GB HDD as standard. It comes with a 6-cell battery for a rated operation time of roughly 5 hours.

While Intel readies its dual-core Atom processor, a certain company called Raon Digital has already come up with a ULPC notebook (dubbed netbook) named EVERUN NOTE that uses a dual-core AMD Turion X2 processor that has low clock-speeds that reduce power consumption. The netbook comes with a 7" (1024 x 600 px) screen making it very compact, a 1.3 MP web-cam, 802.11b/g and Bluetooth connectivity and an electronic dictionary. It runs Windows XP, uses either a 12 GB SSD or 60 GB HDD storage. It tips the scales at a 742 g.

Lenovo this morning officially started selling its first netbook, the IdeaPad S10. The ultra-portable system will compete with the latest ASUS Eee PC and MSI Wind models, offering a 10-inch LED backlit LCD screen and Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor. Two configurations of the 2.4 pound S10 will be available initially, with 512MB RAM and 80GB HDD, and with 1GB RAM and 160GB of HDD space. Lenovo will sell the first one for $399 while the beefed-up version will sell for $449.99. Papers also indicate that both models will support 2GB of RAM, so upgrading the onboard memory won't be a problem. From the OS point of view, first S10 mini-laptops will be offered with Microsoft Windows XP preinstalled, but later on Lenovo will start offering Linpus Linux preloaded models too. View the full Lenovo S10 specs below the Read full story marker.

Intel Corporation unveiled a new design of the Intel-powered classmate PC today at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai. As announced in a keynote by Andrew Chien, Intel vice president, Corporate Technology Group and director of Intel Research, the second-generation Intel-powered classmate PC is an affordable, fully functional, rugged Internet-centric computer platform. These simple-to-use PCs have wireless capability, longer battery life, water resistant keyboards and are more shock resistant if dropped. Intel is calling this category of PCs "netbooks."