Netbook Reviews

VIA have announced their new SurfBoard NetNote platform. They claim that the “NetNote” blends both the portability and affordability of netbook with the functionality and HD capabilities of notebooks.

It seems as if VIA wish to create a new category called a NetNote, while I would prefer sticking with the netbook name, as netbooks seem to be heading this way, with more powerful CPUs and graphics, such as the Ion.

The new VIA SurfBoard platform promises to bring 1080p playback to netbooks (NetNotes ?). It features the new VIA VX855 media processor and supports H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1 and WMV9 hardware decoding. VIA Surfboard NetNote Edition Platforms are available with choice of VIA C7-M ULV or VIA Nano processors.

The energy-efficient and feature rich “ready to build” systems will be aimed at providing long battery life, with HD capabilities and screen sizes of between 10.2 and 12.1-inches.

It will be interesting to see how many netbook / netnote manufactures take up this new platform. Via.com.tw