Up until now, Intel Corp processor chips have dominated the Netbook market but that may all be about to change.
Via Technologies Inc, a Taiwanese company, are producing the Via Nano processor and according to initial reviews, it is certainly holding its own and could be a serious competitor for the Intel chip.
One of the first Netbooks sporting the Via Nano chip from Via Technologies is the Samsung Electronics NC20, a neat little Netbook with a 12.1 inch screen.
Now Intel’s Atom chip, according to Intel, won’t cope so well with screens larger than about 10 inches as it isn’t powerful enough, so the Via Nano gets off to a head start right away.
Not only that, the resolution on the NC20 LED wide screen display is 1280 x 800, which is what you would expect in a notebook, not a Netbook.
Yes, the larger screen size and resolution is easier to work with and enhances the viewing experience. This means that consumers get the look of the full blown laptop without the weight or the cost of one but with better performance than a standard Netbook.
Apparently the NC20 won’t be up to running Microsoft Windows 7 which is due to be released this Autumn, due to the fact that it uses up too much of the NC20’s 1 GB memory so it would need a memory upgrade first but that’s no big deal.
One down side is the battery life. Battery life is an important consideration when buying any Netbook, Notebook or Laptop as we want to use them when on the move but no one wants to be stranded without power away from a wall socket.
The battery life on the NC20 is reputedly only about three hours or so if using it for web browsing and video simultaneously, which would whiz by in no time at all leaving you high and dry.
All things considered though, the Via Nano chip looks pretty promising.
Another contender for an Intel competitor is Advanced Micro Devices Inc whose AMD chip is now starting to appear in Netbooks despite the fact that AMD have always said they are not interested in the Netbook market.
However, Netbooks have changed almost unrecognizably over recent months making other chips just as appropriate.
No longer do Netbooks have to have tiny screens and keyboards with no processing power or graphics to speak of, no, Netbooks have come a long way and Intel’s days as the dominant chip supplier for these low cost devices may be well and truly over.
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