AMD chip bundle targets 'ultra-thin' notebooks

AMD has launched a chip bundle for 'ultra-thin' notebooks, by which it means laptops that are pricier and more powerful than netbooks, but cheaper than ultraportable models.

The platform, announced on Tuesday, combines AMD's new Athlon Neo processor with ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics. Computer makers also have the option of including ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics. The bundle was previously code-named 'Yukon', and AMD did not give it a new name in the announcement.

The Athlon Neo is the highest-specified CPU in AMD's range for ultra-thin notebooks. The company also has Sempron processors for that category of laptop. However, those CPUs are lower-powered and slower, at 1GHz and 1.5Ghz, with a smaller L2 cache size of 256KB as opposed to the Neo's 512KB. All AMD's ultra-thin-centric processors are manufactured using 65nm technology.

HP has already unveiled a notebook using the bundle, its Pavilion dv2. The dv2 comes with a 12.1-inch display and the 1.6GHz Neo MV-40 CPU, and has a base specification price of $699 (£480). Both Yukon and the dv2 made their debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

AMD is aiming its new platform at laptops that fall between 'netbook' and 'ultraportable'. Machines termed 'netbooks' by manufacturers tend to have screen sizes between seven and 10 inches. Ultraportables tend to have bigger displays and be pricier than netbooks. The dv2 has a 12.1-inch display, yet is cheaper than a typical ultraportable.

"Before today, there was a compromise associated with selecting a highly portable notebook, forcing consumers to choose either the full PC experience of an ultraportable at a high price or the limited PC experience of a mini-notebook at a low price," Chris Cloran, AMD's corporate vice president for its client division, said in a statement.

"In introducing the AMD ultra-thin notebook platform, AMD enables balanced PC performance, including the option of advanced graphics and video for true HD entertainment, all in an affordable, ultra-thin notebook."

According to AMD, the new platform allows true HD entertainment with 1,080-pixel high-definition playback, and its digital outputs include HDMI and DVI. It said the platform is also suitable for a "robust casual gaming experience".

HP's 'ultra-thin' Pavilion dv2 notebook is the first to use AMD's Athlon Neo silicon

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Sony launches P-series ultraportable PC

Sony has launched the Vaio P, a lightweight, ultraportable computer that the company says has the functionality of a PC running Vista in a system that weighs 638g.

The P-series has an eight-inch screen with a resolution of 1,600x768 pixels. Communications technologies in the computer include 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G wide-area network access and Bluetooth. GPS is available as an option. The battery will work for four hours, Sony says, or eight hours with the optional high-capacity cell.

Using a 1.3GHz Intel Atom processor, the P-series offers a choice between an 60GB hard drive and a 128GB Solid State Drive. The system uses Windows Vista, in addition to an instant-on, proprietary "fast-access XrossMediaBar" operating system — as used on the PSP portable gaming system and Sony's Bravia television sets — for those who would rather not boot up the full operating system. According to Sony, the P-series will cost from £849 and will be available in February.

In December, Nicolas Barendson, head of the UK Vaio business, hinted at a smaller device with PC features when ZDNet UK asked him if Sony was to launch a netbook. Despite the fact that the size and form factor of the Vaio P are similar to those of netbooks such as those in Asus's Eee PC range, Sony has avoided tagging the Vaio P with the term 'netbook'.

A netbook had weaknesses, Barendson said in the December interview, as it is "not small enough to be pocketable and it is not big enough to be a PC". The netbook would evolve, he said, into "different form factors".

Sony has avoided tagging the P Series Vaio as a 'netbook'

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