Archive for July, 2010
Norco’s BIS-6620
Norco might be better known for their server products and acessories, but they also have a line of miniature computers. The first NorcoBIS-6620 has an Intel Atom Z5xx processor, GMA 500 graphics, and VGA output. Then, second model upped the game with the addition of a DVI output and now the latest Norco BIS-6620 III (PDF link) has an HDMI port for HD video.
In the lateste BIS-6620, you still get an Intel Atom Z5xx Paulsboro based chip with integrated GMA 500 graphics that should be able to handle 720p and some 1080p HD video playback. There’s room for up tohe PC 1GB of RAM and has a 1.8″ hard drive bay. On the back are two legacy PS/2 ports for a mouse and keyboard, 5 USB ports, mic and line jacks, and an antenna for the optional WiFi.There are also CF and SD card slots.
Measuring just 4.7″ x 4.7″ x 1.6″, the BIS-6620 III weighs just 1.1 pound and the nettop is nearly silent with its fanless design.
No word on pricing yet, but we’re guessing it should come in somewhere between $200-300.
The Logitech’s Revue Google TVbox showed up at the FCC today thanks to Logitech’s OEM partner, Gigabyte. Gigabyte’s FCC filings show us some interesting internal photos that give us a good look at the Revue’s innards. There’s no surprise that the box is essentially a nettop.
The Revue’s motherboard is dominated by its processor, an Intel Atom 1.2GHz which is cooled by a large heatsink. There’s a (hopefully quiet) fan built into the lid of the nettop. The processor also provides hardware video acceleration for HD decoding and 3D graphics. You can’t see much of the Atom, however – it’s completely covered by a heat sink. A fan on the lid of the Revue vents hot air out the right side of the device. The Revue will sport 4GB of memory, which appears to be provided by eight Micron flash modules to the left of the processor. We also see what looks like Hynix SDRAM, to the right of the processor.
No word yet when we’ll see this on the street, or for what price, but we’re optimistic that this will bring the nettop, and the idea of the nettop, to the masses.
It’s not quite a nettop, but Brite-View’s CinemaTube may be enough to play your digital content. Launched today, the CinemaGo BV-5005HD Mini CG is mostly a revamped version of the CinemaTube BV-5005HD,haseSATA interface, USB 2.0 socket, WiFi built-in, a BitTorrent manager and access to MUZEE internet radio channels. The little box is built to handle 1080p output and a plenty of file formats including MOV, WMV, MKV, AVI, VOB, DIVX, FLV and RMVB, and content can be delivered via locally attached hard drives or a home network / web connection.
Perpahs best of all, the $149.99 MSRP is being trumped by a $109.99 pre-order price if you get in now, so really, you should probably get in now. However, if you want the capability to browse the web and pay video from sites like Hulu and Netflix, not the mention the versatility of a nettop, you may want to invest another $100 bucks or so on a fully fledged dual core nettop like the Zotac Zbox for $250 (barebones).
Check out the press release after the break.
