Asus’s new super-slim nettop is called teh Eee Box EB1031. Despite it’s slim exeterior, it packs the latest and fastest Atom chip so far, the 2.13 GHz Intel Atom D2700 Cedar Trail processor with support for 1080p HD video playback;  The motheboard hosts up to 4GB of RAM, and a 2.5″ hard drive bay with support for up to 500GB of storage.  The EB1031 also as USB 3.0 support, HDMI output, a D-sub port, flash card reader and built-in WiFi.

No word on pricing yet,  but it should be available in March.  Asus is marketing this particular model for business and point f sale use, but hopefully Asus will offer a consumer version of the nettop as well.

Either way, you can’t go wrong with any of these top 5 Christmas nettops for 2011.

1.)  Acer AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 – $289.99

2.)  Lenovo IdeaCentre Q150 – $309.99

3.)  AcerVeriton 2GB 320HD Linux – $218.38

4.)  Apple Mac Mini MC815LL/A – $564.99

5.)  Zotac Intel Atom D525 1.8 GHz Dual Core – $225.25

FXI Technology has introduced a tiny computer, running Android, that fits on a USB stick.  It’s a proper computer, with a processor, WiFi, Bluetooth, and HDMI output.  All it needs is  monitor, mouse, keyboard, or other accessory over Bluetooth and you’re ready to surf the web, watch videos, play games, or do just about anything else you can do with an Android device.

The FXI Cotton Candy is powered by a 1.2 GHz ARM Samsung Exynos Cortex-A9 processor with ARM Mali 400 MP graphics. It’s powered through the USB port. FXI is showing off the device with Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread — although it can also run Ubuntu Linux or other operating systems.  There’s also 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 1GB of RAM, and supports up to 64GB of storage with a microSD card slot.

All that comes in a package that weighs just 21 grams!

It’s possible to connect an external display via an HDMI port, but you can also connect the Cotton Candy into a computer’s USB port and launch an Android environment on a Mac or PC. This lets you run Android apps on a Windows or OS X computer, or transfer files between your Mac or PC and the USB stick by dragging and dropping.

FXI hopes to find partners to bring the Cotton Candy to market in late 2012 for less than $200.

via The Verge

About a year ago, Compulab first showed us the Fit-PC3, a nettop that features HD graphics capabilities and now it’s finally available for purchase.  The Fit-PC3 is unusual in that it uses anAMD embedded processor with Radeon HD graphics. The basic model uses 2GB of RAM, an AMD G-T44R 1.2 GHz single core, 9W processor and Radeon HD 6250 graphics for $345.  There are also other configurations with prices ranging from $328 to $698.

There is space for 2 sticks of DDR3 memory, a hard drive, and wireless modules. It has 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, DisplayPort, S/PDIF 7.1 channel audio, and Gigabit Ethernet as well as 2 eSATA ports and an RS232 serial port.

$698 gets you the  top of the line model with a 1.65 GHz AMD G-T56N dual core 18W processor and Radeon HD 6320 graphics. That model also has 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and runs Windows 7 Professional.

Chinese nettop maker Giada has introduced a new nettop powered by Intel’s latest Atom Cedar Trail N2800 processor with integrated GMA graphics. The Cedar Trail chips aren’t that much faster than earlier Atom processors in terms of overall performance but they do now support HD video playback.

T he new Giada F100 handles 1080p HD video using just the integrated Intel GMA graphics and is even able to decode Blu-ray 2.0 video.  All that, and it uses just 17W of power with support for up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. The computer has a 2.5 inch hard drive bay and can handle up to 1TB of storage.  There are also HDMI and VGA ports, 4 USB ports, a combo e-SATA/USB 2.0 port, a flash card reader, audio jacks, and 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth.

Measuring 7.6″ x 5.9″ x 1″ the Giada F100 looks like it’s designed for the living room rather than office. It also features a fanless design, which means it should be quiet enough to stick by your TV. There’s no word on how much the F100 will cost or if you’ll ever be able to find one in the US.

via Netbook News.de

Zotac has been packing fully capable pcs in tiny packages for years now, and this time they’ve outdone themselves  making VD01 series nettops.   This series ditches more well known solutions from Intel and AMD for one from chip maker VIA.   The exact chip is the Nano X2 U4025 CPU with its Chrome9 media processor.

Inside is room for a 2.5-inch HDD and a single DDR3 slot, but Zotac also makes a version that has pre-populated those slots  with a 320GB disk and 2GB RAM called the Plus model.   Connections on the case consist of USB 3.0, 2.0, eSATA, Ethernet and HDMI ports while inside are both Bluetooth 3.0 and 802.11n radios. There’s even an IR receiver and bundled remote to make this truly living room friendly.

You can check out the full PR after the break.

ZOTAC® Launches Affordable Palm-Sized ZBOX nano VD01 Series mini-PCs

New ZOTAC® ZBOX nano VD01 series deliver energy-efficiency in a palm-sized platform

HONG KONG – Oct. 6, 2011 – ZOTAC® International, a leading innovator and channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today launches the latest addition to the ZBOX nano product lineup with the new ZBOX nano VD01 series – an affordable palm-sized mini-PC powered by a VIA Nano™ X2 processor.
The ZOTAC® ZBOX nano VD01 series combines the latest VIA Nano™ X2 U4025 CPU and VX900H media system processor for outstanding energy-efficiency and performance. VIA Chrome9 graphics with ChromotionHD™ 2.0 processing enables the ZOTAC® ZBOX nano VD01 series to deliver silky-smooth playback of popular high-definition video formats, including Blu-ray, MPEG2, H.264, VC-1 and streaming Internet video.
“ZOTAC® is pleased to expand its mini-PC lineup with the addition of a VIA platform. The VIA Nano™ X2 with VX900H chipset enables us to deliver an affordable energy-efficient mini-PC that is ideal for digital media consumption and home server use with the ZOTAC® ZBOX nano VD01 series,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC® International.
“ZOTAC is an industry leader of innovative mini-PC solutions.” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “VIA is proud to partner with ZOTAC for the ZBOX nano VD01 series that highlights our energy efficient Nano X2 platform.”
The ZOTAC® ZBOX nano VD01 series packs plenty of expansion capabilities with space to accommodate a 2.5-inch SATA drive and DDR3 SO-DIMM module – ZBOX nano VD01 Plus models include a 320GB SATA hard drive and 2GB of DDR3 preinstalled – internally, while USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and eSATA ports are available for external expansion.
It’s time to play with the ZOTAC® ZBOX nano VD01 series.

General details
• ZOTAC® Launches Affordable Palm-Sized ZBOX nano VD01 series
• VIA Nano™ X2 U4025 CPU
o 1.2 GHz, dual-core
• VIA VX900H chipset
o VIA Chrome9 graphics processor
o VIA ChromotionHD™ technology
• ZBOX nano VD01
o 1 x DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM slot
o Support 1 x 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD/SSD
• ZBOX nano VD01 Plus
o 2GB DDR3
o 320GB 5400RPM HDD
• 2 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports
• HDMI & DisplayPort outputs
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Onboard 802.11n WiFi
• Onboard Bluetooth 3.0 technology
• Bundled MCE-compatible remote
• Integrated IR receiver
• Bundled USB IR receiver (for mounted installations)
• Bundled VESA75/100 mount

ZBOX Specifications:
Product Name ZBOX nano VD01 ZBOX nano VD01 Plus
SKU ZBOXNANO-VD01 ZBOXNANO-VD01-PLUS
Memory 1 x 204-pin DDR3-1066 SODIMM slot 2GB DDR3

Hard Disk 1 x 2.5-inch 320GB 5400RPM
CPU VIA Nano™ X2 U4025 (1.2 GHz, dual-core)
GPU VIA Chrome9
Video Memory Shared memory architecture
Display Options HDMI & DisplayPort
Memory Card Reader 6-in-1 (SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/MS Pro/xD)
SATA eSATA (rear)
Ethernet 10/100/1000Mbps
WiFi Onboard 802.11n WiFi & Bluetooth 3.0
USB Ports 2 USB 2.0 (rear)
2 USB 3.0 ports (rear)
Audio Onboard analog stereo high-definition audio
HDMI audio (PCM)
DirectX® Support DirectX® 9 with Shader Model 3
Other Features
HDCP: Yes
Software Features
Windows® 7 Capability Windows® 7 with Aero® user interface and DirectCompute compatible

About ZOTAC® International (MCO) Limited
ZOTAC® International is a part of PC Partner Ltd. Group. ZOTAC® is also one of the largest NVIDIA® graphics cards and motherboard manufacturer in the world with over 10 years of quality manufacturing experience. The ZOTAC® philosophy is to deliver the latest products at competitive prices without sacrificing quality.
For further information please visit www.zotac.com

Intel’s next-gen Cedar Trail processors  have finally arrived, but not exactly as expected. The Cedar Trail family is arriving in two waves, with Intel first rolling out the nettop-oriented Atom D2500 and D2700 models, while the N2600 and N2800 nettop chips are expected later on.

The new chips use a  32nm process technology (there are the first 32nm Atoms), the 1.86 GHz D2500 and 2.13 GHz D2700 feature two x86 cores, 4 threads, a built-in DDR3 memory controller, 1MB of L2 cache, DirectX 10.1-supporting integrated graphics, and a TDP of 10W. The Atom D2500 costs $42, while the Atom D2700 is priced at $52 (prices are for 1,000-unit tray quantities).

The Cedar Trail platform is capable of 1080p playback, and features Blu-ray 2.0 support, as well as the Intel Wireless Display, PC Synch and Fast Boot technologies.

Measuring in at just 127x127mm the ZBOX nano is tiny, it’s quite chubby at 45mm tall.  However, like its predecessor, the Nano is based on AMD’s Brazos platform, but this time Zotac includes tha latest E-450 APUs as an option, with a bit more GPU oomph than the original E-350.  Having said that, Zotac says the AMD E-350 will be the only choice for early adopters and the E-450 version will only show up later.

Despite it’s tiny size, the Nano has a full set of features including USB 3.0, eSATA, WLAN, and Bluetooth 3.0.  Internally there’s room for a single SO-DIMM and a 2.5-inch drive. A remote control is also bundled that works with Windows MCE and for some reason Zotac is also supplying an additional IR receiver that connects via USB.

In Japan it already retails for 27,500 Yen (S$433) and the Plus model which comes with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 320GB hard drive is even pricier at 35,000 Yen (S$550).  We still don’t know the US price, but we can guess the Nano will be a tad pricier than the AD-02.

More here.

AMD just recently introduced the new E-450 Fusion processor which has a fastr CPU and better graphics performance than last year’s E-350 chip and already PC maker MSI is already offering a new nettop in France featuring the new chip.

The new MSI Wind Box DC100 is currently available in France for 329 Euros and features the AMD Fusion E-450 1.65 GHz  processor, 6 USB 2.0 ports, VGA and HDMI output, 802.11b/g WiFi, an SD card reader, and Gigabit Ethernet. It features 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive.

via blogeee

Fudzilla reports that the AMD E-450 processor will bring more powerful graphics and a slightly higher CPU clock speed to the table, while keeping the same 18W TDP.  The E-350 is a 1.6 GHz dual core chip that uses Radeon HD 6310 graphics. The new AMD E-450 will be a 1.65 GHz dual core processor with faster Radeon HD 6320 graphics. Both chips are capable of handling DirectX 11 graphics and 1080p HD video playback.

The new chip will also feature Turbo Core technology which can overclock a single core while underclocking the other to improve performance on tasks that don’t really take advantage of multi-threading anyway without greatly sacrificing battery life. The GPU clock speed will also jump from 508 MHz to 600 MHz when Turbo Core kicks in.

The AMD E-series processors are designed to be energy efficient chips, offering decent battery life and low power consumption. So don’t expect to see these processors in bleeding edge computers anytime soon. Instead, the new chips will likely continue to show up in budget laptops with 11 to 15 inch displays.

There’s no word on the release date for the new AMD E-450.