You may or may not recall that a couple weeks ago, Acer’s ION-powered AspireRevo nettop showed up on Newegg.com for the low, low price of $199. While the machine featured some relatively-impressive specs (Atom N230 CPU, NVIDIA ION, XP Home, etc.), there’s now a new entrant to the AspireRevo line that bumps the CPU up to dual-core status, doubles the RAM, and adds Windows 7 Home Premium as well as a wireless connection.

Of course, the price has gone up too.

The Acer AspireRevo R3610-U9012 nettop features the following:

• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Intel Atom N330 dual-core CPU at 1.6GHz
• NVIDIA ION graphics
• 2GB of RAM
• 160GB hard drive
• Six USB ports
• HDMI/VGA outputs
• eSATA
• Card reader, B/G/N wireless, Gigabit Ethernet
• Wireless keyboard and mouse
• MSRP of $329.99

The press release states that the machine “is available in the U.S. via leading online technology retailers,” although seeing as how Windows 7 isn’t officially released until next Thursday, the term “available” is being used a bit loosely.

Still not a bad system for the price, though.

Yum. Here’s the ASUS EeeBox PC EB1501. It’s a tiny “ballerina-inspired design” that features a dual-core Atom CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, and — gasp!!! — an optical drive?

Yes, this could very easily make a dynamite HTPC that wouldn’t uglify your living room in the slightest.

Specs include the following:

• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Intel Atom N330 dual core CPU
• Two RAM slots for up to 4GB of memory
• 250GB SATA hard drive
• DVD burner
• NVIDIA ION graphics
• Gigabit Ethernet, b/g/n Wi-Fi
• HDMI and VGA out
• Weighs 2.65 pounds

Availability is slated for October 22nd in Europe for 399 Euro (about $580) — no word on whether or not we’ll see this thing in the US, but here’s hoping we do.

Product Page [ASUS via Gizmodo]

The machine features a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive (5400RPM), and NVIDIA’s ION graphics chip.

The inclusion of ION makes this little guy a good option as an inexpensive HTPC as it’ll be able to play back high definition video through the HDMI or VGA outputs.

Other specs include Windows XP Home, gigabit Ethernet, card reader, two front-mounted and four rear-mounted USB ports, one open RAM slot, and an open Mini PCI Express slot.

Built-in wireless would have been nice but other than that, this isn’t too bad for $200.

Acer AspireRevo [Newegg via SlashGear]

Acer’s birthed a $499 all-in-one nettop aimed at cubicle dwellers featuring an 18.5-inch screen and an Intel Atom CPU. The Veriton Z280G is, according to Acer, “perfect for reception areas, hotel lobbies, executive suites, cube environments and any office that requires an integrated, space-saving design.”

The screen has a 1366×768 resolution and there’s a 160GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM on board. The machine comes preloaded with Windows XP, although there’s a Windows Vista Business recovery CD included just in case you want to slow things down a bit.

Aside from that you get pretty standard netbook features with the exception of an included DVD burner and five USB ports. The whole setup is fanless, so you’ll easily be able to hear the girl seven cubicles over arguing with her boyfriend on the phone all day.

Available now(ish) from various business resellers.

Full press release:

Acer Delivers Veriton All-in-One Desktop PC to the U.S. Professional Market – High on Style, Low on Price

The Veriton Z280G, a Practical Blend of Style and Functionality for Just $499

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Acer, the world’s third largest vendor in the PC market,(1) today announced the new Acer Veriton Z280G-EA271CP all-in-one PC for the U.S. commercial market. It delivers energy-efficient performance in a picture-perfect design. It’s available via Acer’s authorized resellers with prices beginning at just $499.

Boasting a brilliant 18.5-inch widescreen LCD monitor and measuring just 19-inches (W) by 15-inches (H) by 2.14-inches (D), this sleek all-in-one is perfect for reception areas, hotel lobbies, executive suites, cube environments and any office that requires an integrated, space-saving design.

Featuring an Intel® Atom™ ultra-low-voltage processor and fan-less operation, the Veriton Z280G is cool, quiet and Energy Star® qualified. This practical platform easily manages basic office productivity and Internet-based applications.

“Generous with style, yet conservative with space and price, the Veriton Z280G is an asset to any home office or corporate setting,” said Leila Axelle Robert, Acer Commercial Systems Business Manager. “Users are sure to enjoy the brilliant display that showcases presentations, spreadsheets and Internet content in vivid clarity, while business owners and IT specialists will appreciate the system’s excellent value and energy savings.”

Easy Set-Up, Brilliant Viewing

The system is as easy on the eyes as it is to set up and use. The high-definition LCD display provides a superb viewing experience with its 16:9 aspect ratio, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 1366×768 resolution, making it ideal for viewing graphs, charts, videos and more in crisp detail and vibrant color.

The Veriton Z280G helps organize, create and share digital data. Using the Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, users can quickly transfer presentations and other documents from one PC to another. A 160GB hard drive is large enough to store a vast library of digital data. Conveniently located on the right side of the display, the Super Multi Double-Layer drive can quickly and easily load software, back-up critical data as well as read, playback and copy optical disks. Built-in 802.11b/g wireless allows for quick, cable-less connection to the Internet. The system also comes with Windows XP, integrated speakers and a matching keyboard and mouse.

Practical Management and Security Software

The sleek system boasts an excellent software package for protecting and managing important data. In addition to Adobe Reader and Cyberlink DVD, it offers Acer eRecovery Management for creating system back-ups, copying configurations and burning factory default images. This management software also restores user created HDD images or optical disks, original system configurations as well as reinstalls Acer applications and drivers. Acer Client Manager enables IT managers to deploy software and control user’s systems remotely, while Acer Security Suite keeps digital data safe.

Pricing, Availability and Specifications

The Acer Veriton Z280G-EA271CP all-in-one desktop PC is available in North America via Acer’s authorized resellers with prices beginning at just $499.

Acer Veriton Z280G-EA271CP All-in-One Desktop

• Windows® XP Professional, Recovery CD with Windows Vista® Business
• Intel® Atom™ N270 (1.60GHz, 512KB Cache, L2, 533MHz FSB)
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 2GB Memory
• 160GB Hard Drive(2)
• SuperMulti Drive
• Five USB 2.0 Ports
• Multi-in-One Card Reader
• 18.5-inch Widescreen LCD Display
• Gigabit LAN and WiFi 802.11 b/g WLAN
• One Year Limited Warranty

Display Specifications

• 1366 x 768 Native Resolution
• 16:9 Aspect Ratio
• 1000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
• 250 cd/m2 Brightness
• 5ms Response Time

Here’s what you get for the low, low price of $450:

• 20″ 16:9 display
• Atom 230 processor
• Intel 945GC chipset
• Integrated graphics (boo)
• 1-2 GB DDR2 667
• 1 2.5″ HDD slot
• “Tray in RAMBO (1 slot)” – not sure what to make of that
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Memory card reader
• Built-in speakers

Not a bad deal for five bills. It’s even pretty nice-looking. Although for a kitchen PC, a touchscreen might be nice. Or of course, you could put together your own barebones PC for under $150…

Intel’s next-generation Atom platform, code-named Pine Trail

From an architecture standpoint, there will be a shift to a 2-chip architecture which will enable four-layer PCB routing. This is versus the current 3-chip setup consisting of the CPU, chipset (graphics, RAM, etc.), and the I/O.

With Pine Trail, the CPU, graphics, and memory controller will now all be in the “north” complex, while I/O will be in the “south” complex. This new configuration allows for a move from a six-layer board to a four-layer board. That means slimmer designs, fanless (in nettops), lower costs, better battery, better performance, etc.

Reduced Power

• Energy-efficient Intel Atom microarchitecture
• Lower TDP – thinner form factors, fanless potential
• Average power reduction = improved battery life

Improved Performance

• Higher processor performance
• Increased graphics performance
• Memory controller integrated with processor

Update on Moblin

Optimized for Intel Atom processor-based devices, Moblin is an open-source Linux operating system featuring the following:

• Fast boot — dramatically reduced boot times. Alpha versions saw boot times as fast as five seconds. Finished version will be closer to ten seconds.
• Small Footprint — strip out unneeded fluff for low-memory devices.
• Battery life optimization

Mobile v2.0 Beta User Experience — now available at MoblinZone.com

• M-zone (My Zone) replaces the desktop; it’s the entry point to the netbook and nettop. Designed to get you to 90% of what you want to access within one click. Calendar/task/appointments, frequently used applications, recent documents and files, status and updates from social networks.
• Easy and personalized social networking — interaction via various APIs, don’t need to go to full web pages.
• Simplified internet and rich media consumption — Mozilla-based browser optimized for screen size, power, and performance. Media player features searching, finds all your files, etc.
• Customizable for OEMs and Service Providers
• Open source, designed from the ground-up.
• 15 Linux OSVs (open source vendors) already on board designing Moblin products.

The main goal of Moblin is to unify a Linux-based OS across Atom-based platforms. There are thousands of applications that will “just run” without porting and hundreds of apps optimized just for Moblin.

Questions

Q: Which OEMs are you working with on Moblin?

A: Can’t comment on future product offerings. Future plans may be announced at Computex by individual vendors.

Q: When will Pine Trail debut? Details on specs, clock speed, etc?

A: Shipping in Q4 from Intel, OEMs will introduce products on their own. No details on specs at this time.

Q: Why does Intel feel the need to push its own operating system?

A: We’ve been involved in open source for a while. These new category devices comprise a lot of different form factors and Moblin is an attempt to unify the Linux experience across all these devices while optimizing battery life, power, etc.

Q: Why would a customer favor Moblin over Microsoft and how might this affect your relationship with Microsoft? What about Ubuntu?

A: Moblin is not designed to be compared to Microsoft. A lot of our OEM vendors have requested both environments. It’s ultimately a platform of choice issue for OEMs. Ubuntu is aligned with the Moblin roadmap.

Q: How do you see the market segmenting between Windows and Moblin?

A: It’s about 20 to 25 percent Moblin right now and it’ll likely continue that way. Really depends on the usage experience that the OEM is trying to put into the market. Windows 7 will also be a good option.

Q: Does the graphics memory move onto the chip with Pine Trail?

A: Yes, it’s a monolithic die.

Q: Why optimize certain Linux apps if they supposedly “just run”?

A: Mostly due to screen size in lower-resolution devices — making sure all the buttons fit on the screen, etc. Many applications don’t need optimization, though. Mostly a UI choice. Some power consumption improvements.

Q: What about graphics — any specifics? Does NVIDIA bring anything to the netbook experience?

A: No graphics specifics right now, but more information will be presented at Computex. NVIDIA (Ion) will not be present within the Pine Trail platform, although OEMs are using Ion on their own.

Q: Will the Moblin V2 UI be available for current Menlow CPUs used in already-available mobile internet devices?

A: No plan for Moblin V2 in current Menlow devices, just future devices.

Dell is jumping into the world of tiny Intel Atom-powered desktops with the OptiPlex 160. There really isn’t anything fancy or special about this nettop. It lacks an optical drive but has the standard Atom CPU, Gigabit Ethernet, Wifi, and a trio of hard drive options including a 160GB HDD, 64GB SSD, or 20GB “Ultra Performance” drive. Prices start out $536 for the base model, which when compared to other similar spec’d nettops, indicate that you are clearing paying a Dell tax — or they are setting these up for a big ‘sale.’

The Achilles heal of Intel Atom powered netbooks/nettops is that the graphic power sucks. Hopefully, that will change with an on-motherboard GeForce GPU 9400M. That graphics chip is the same found in Apple’s latest MacBooks and should help improve the lackluster Intel Atom’s graphic performance.

The plans call for nettop integration first and, if all goes well, potentially expand into the netbook market later on; remember, the company is taking a wait-n-see approach on netbooks. All we know, along with most other geeks out there, is that netbooks/nettops could use a serious boost in graphics power if there are ever to be successful.

Anyway, HP has a nice little compact system going on here, with an Atom-based setup; however, your benefits from Atom are limited because you don’t have to worry about power consumption in a desktop. The new Acer over here actually looks smaller and sports a more serious processor, although it does cost twice as much (~$600 vs. the HP starting at $300). I’d go with Acer, but I’d take HP out for a drink.
[via Akihabara News and SlashGear]

Behold, the MSI Wind Neton. It’s a nettop, a new category of computer that can best be described as an all-in-one desktop version of a netbook. Think mini iMac. This here Neton, which was just shown off in China, comes in three sizes: 22 inches, 18.5 inches and 15.6 inches. (Those are monitor sizes, obviously.) All three models, named the M22, M19 and M16, respectively, use the Intel Atom processor, just like every other netbook and nettop.

MSI will release the M19 in January with prices starting at $500. The top-of-the-line M22 will see a March release for $800.

MSI v. Acer is the new Hogan v. Warrior.

There’s word that Acer may well release a nettop, sort of a headless netbook, without the Intel Atom processor early next year. It’s not that Acer is tired of the Atom or anything, but because sales of its Aspire series of netbooks are doing so well that the company doesn’t want to jeopardize the supply of Atom processors. So, it’s reportedly looking at using processors from the likes of AMD and VIA Technologies.

Or, if the supply turns out to be in tip-top shape, Acer might just continue with the Atom.

And maybe after that we’ll find out exactly who nettops are designed for!