Intel's Pinetrail Atom N550 CPU Ships In 12 Netbooks Today
It's something that we have been clamoring for, and it's something that
netbook users at large have been wanting for some time now, even if they
didn't know it. We're talking about faster Atom processors. Intel's Atom platform has been lagging somewhat in our eyes over the past couple
of years, but it has been hard to really knock the series due to the
lack of competition. AMD's Athlon Neo family competes somewhat, but it
gets so hot that many don't even consider it.
Today, a new dual-core Atom is shipping within new netbooks, as the Pinetrail 550 hits the scene. Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, Toshiba and a bunch of others are starting to ship their newest netbooks with the Intel Atom N550 within, with a grand total of 12 netbooks being available with it right now. It's a step up from the Pinetrail 450 we reviewed last December, but it remains to be seen how well the chip will do in practice. We suspect a few N550-powered netbooks will head to the labs soon, and we'll definitely put the chip through its paces. We aren't getting our hopes up too high for an Atom revolution just yet, but we're cautiously optimistic.
Today, a new dual-core Atom is shipping within new netbooks, as the Pinetrail 550 hits the scene. Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, Toshiba and a bunch of others are starting to ship their newest netbooks with the Intel Atom N550 within, with a grand total of 12 netbooks being available with it right now. It's a step up from the Pinetrail 450 we reviewed last December, but it remains to be seen how well the chip will do in practice. We suspect a few N550-powered netbooks will head to the labs soon, and we'll definitely put the chip through its paces. We aren't getting our hopes up too high for an Atom revolution just yet, but we're cautiously optimistic.
New Dual-Core Intel® Atom™ Processor-Based Netbooks Hit Shelves Today
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
* Sales from Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, Toshiba and others start today and through end of the year.
* Intel has shipped more than 70 million Intel® Atom™ netbook chips since its 2008 launch.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 23, 2010 – Intel Corporation announced today that a dozen of new netbooks based on its new mobile dual-core Intel® Atom™ processors are available in stores today. The netbooks – available now and through the end of the year from manufacturers including Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, and Toshiba – enable new levels of support for applications like games, as well as Adobe Flash* technology for access to a number of Web pages including online hotel booking systems and multimedia sites such as YouTube* and Hulu*.
"Acer strives to continually improve on our customers' total mobile experience, whether it is increased responsiveness or extended Internet interactivity through longer battery life," said David Lee, associate vice president of Acer's Mobile Computing Business Unit. "We are pleased to select dual-core Intel Atom processors for Acer netbooks, helping to empower netbook users achieve even more – both at work and at leisure."
With the dual-core Intel® Atom™ processor N550, consumers can enjoy Internet access on the go with a more responsive experience in the same compact form factor, DDR3 memory support and similar great battery life as the single-core Intel® Atom™ processor N450.
"In their short history, the netbook category has experienced impressive growth," said Erik Reid, director of marketing for mobile platforms at Intel. "Having shipped about 70 million Intel Atom chips for netbooks since our launch of the category in 2008, there is obviously a great market for these devices around the world."
New netbooks based on dual-core Intel Atom chips arrive in stores today and are available at a variety of consumer-friendly price points. For more information, visit www.intel.com/products/processor/atom.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
