By this time next year, the line between netbooks, UMPCs, handhelds, palmtops, netblets, MIDs, and whichever other portable internet doodads you can think of might get all the more blurry with Intel’s 32-nanometer “Medfield” Atom chip. The current “Diamondville” chip is 45 nanometers, which is already pretty small.

The Medfield chip is thought to be aimed more at the handheld market than the netbook market. Intel will apparently be pairing Medfield CPUs with a graphics chipset called PowerVR, which is currently used for ARM-based devices and is specialized to consume minimal power. That’s not to say that this same setup won’t be found in future netbooks as well, but it does point at a potential move by Intel into smaller and smaller device categories.

[via Reg Hardware]

Australia, land of kangaroos and terrible actors, must be beaming today, what with the news that someone there was able to overclock an Intel Atom processor to 2.38GHz. That’s the fastest we’ve ever seen an Atom run, as a matter of fact.

Of course, getting the processor, found in an MSI Wind, to run that was quite the challenge, as it should be. Not since Frankenstein pieced together his monster did someone go to such lengths to accomplish anything.

What does running an Atom at 2.38GHz gain you, aside from bragging rights? Nothing, I would guess, which is about par for the course when it comes to overclocking. It’s the old Slashdot axiom, “Because you can.”

PC Pro got a chance to put Intel’s dual-core Atom 330 chip through the wringer and found some interesting results. It seems that the 330 indeed outperforms the single-core N270 processor from Intel as well as the C7-D from VIA in all key areas except one: Microsoft Office 2003 performance.

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There’s word that Acer may well release a nettop, sort of a headless netbook, without the Intel Atom processor early next year. It’s not that Acer is tired of the Atom or anything, but because sales of its Aspire series of netbooks are doing so well that the company doesn’t want to jeopardize the supply of Atom processors. So, it’s reportedly looking at using processors from the likes of AMD and VIA Technologies.

Or, if the supply turns out to be in tip-top shape, Acer might just continue with the Atom.

And maybe after that we’ll find out exactly who nettops are designed for!

These little netbooks that we hear about day in and day out are about to get a little zippier, thanks to Intel’s dual-core Atom chip – the 330 – shipping out to vendors. The September launch seems to coincide with what we’d heard earlier, so that’s good.

The 45-nanometer Atom 330 chip will feature the same 1.6GHz bus speed as the single core model, will have 1MB of level 2 cache, and will support DDR2 667 memory.

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Samsung is the latest runner in the Atom-powered netbook marathon. No word on any specific details just yet, but we do know that the sub-laptop is gong to sport a 10-inch screen, three USB ports, an audio in and out along with a VGA output. Expect the lil’ guy to hit the Korean market at the end of October for a yet to be announced price.

Little Atom-equipped touchscreen PCs are dropping from more and more companies with NEC being the latest. These two models come in either 12- or 15-inch sizes and are obviously powered by Intel’s Atom processor clocking in at 1.6GHz. The units can be configured with either 512MB or 1GB of ram and comes with a sizable 80GB hard drive. Users have to deal with Vista Business Embedded via the touchscreen though when this guy launches. Speaking of launching, no word on price or availability just yet, but more than likely these types of ‘puters are gong to be purchased by large corporations / hospitals so don’t you worry ’bout it. m’kay?

Today Panasonic introduced the U1, an Ultramobile ruggedized handheld Toughbook designed for on the go computing. Created for in-the-field professionals, the super durable notebook weighs in at just over 2 lbs. By using Intel’s Atom processor the U1 gets a full-blown processor, allowing for a full-featured OS.

Panasonic announced the new notebook onstage today at IDF, marking the point by throwing it at Anand Chandrasekher, GM of the Ultra Mobility Group at Intel. After letting an “Oh shit” escape, the audience heard a few examples of BP testing the Toughbook in the field.

By using GPS, workers could trace locations of needed supplies, whether it be in the field or in inventory. With easy-to-use buttons, the unit could be operated even with gloves on. Connecting to a wireless network, updates could be made real-time in the field, without needing to retreat to an internet-enabled device.

I got a chance to play around with the lightweight notebook, and the thing really does feel sturdy. Of course I wanted to drop it to make sure it could still work, but they wouldn’t let me. (Ok, I didn’t ask – maybe they would have.) Anyways, I can totally see this thing standing up to real world conditions – it’s pretty solid.

Specs after the jump.
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Intel’s got a dual-core Atom chip on the way, likely in September to dovetail with the release of a new motherboard that’s compatible with the CPU. The processor is called the 330 and, although the clock speed hasn’t yet been revealed, it does have a 533MHz frontside bus. The motherboard is called the D945GCLF2 and is a mini-ITX 945GC-based system with Intel’s integrated 950 graphics. The board is due in September, so it’d stand to reason that we’d see the new dual-core Atom then too.

[via Register Hardware]

Intel imagines a world with 15 Billion connected devices by 2015. As they see it, all that belongs to Atom, their mobile processor that already has over 700 design engagements. Stating that the “most profound technologies are the ones that disappear”, Pat Gelsinger Senior VP and GM of the Digital Enterprise Group for Intel set the tone for his IDF keynote speech with highlights from a future world of mobile computing.

Walking onto the stage through a mock front door, he demonstrated how embedded technology will integrate into our everyday lives. By demonstrating specific apps such as face recognition, a scene played out with the house welcoming him to the stage. In a humorous take on the ‘you got mail’ tagline, the ‘house’ offered that he had some two thousand audience members.

Further demonstrations highlighted how the Embedded Internet will eventually become ubiquitous. A BMW was on the stage to provide a demonstration of In-Vehicle Entertainment, with monitors installed in the head rests for back seat viewing. Using a 3D nav system from Planet 9 Studios, the audience was treated to a display showcasing how voice recognition could interact with the technology acting as a sort of virtual tour guide.

The next generation of Intel processors, Nehalem, features increased power management and improved virtualization. What they are calling Turbo Mode describes a process in which unused cores are detected and then turned off. Stemming from the simple concept of “shutting things off when they are not in use”, Turbo Mode distributes extra power to the cores that are in use. Calling the breakthrough “generational”, expect to see this utilized in future processors.

Intel is re-branding their Centrino Atom line, shortening the name to simply Atom. By making the brand name less confusing, Intel should be able to more specifically differentiate Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) from more traditional laptops that are associated with the Centrino name.

The Centrino Atom chip package was unveiled earlier this year. Formerly codenamed “Menlow”, the low-power processors are designed specifically for MIDs. The Centrino label will still be applied to laptops using all components of the chipset.

If you were a big fan of the U810 UMPC, then you will likely be a fan of Fujitsu’s update to it, the U820. Right now, the device is in the hands of the FCC, who is putting thought all kinds of tests to keep America safe. If it passes, we should be seeing this in stores soon, but at this time there is no official word on a release date.
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