We’ve emphasized previously that it is time for smartbooks to deliver, and it had looks as if our wish may be granted in the form of the Mobinova N910. Previews of the new platform, believed to be the first smartbook to formally reach the market, reflect a largely positive response.
PCWorld and UberGizmo late last week and their conclusions suggest the Intel Atom-based netbook market may well have something to worry about. Both sites agree the nVidia Tegra chipset inside the N910 offers far better graphics performance than any Intel chipsets to date, with 720p HD videos playing back smoothly. Mobinova had no problems with graphics-intensive websites, “where a base-line Atom machine would slowly chug”.
UberGizmo has some reservations over whether the Windows CE platform on the N910 will be popular (like ARM-based smartbooks, Windows’ PC operating systems do not support Tegra), but PC World was greatly enthused by the portability and potential 10-hour battery life, concluding it was in the “early stages of netbook gadget lust.”
Perhaps most interesting is that nVidia Mobile Internet Products general manger Bill Henry said the N910 could launch for somewhere near the $200 (£135) mark, which would make it substantially cheaper than any netbook to date and close to impulse-buy territory. That said, he did warn “the Mobinova people might try and ask for more.”
As a quick point of reference, the Mobinova N910 features an 8.9-in. screen, Wi-Fi, integrated 3G and webcam, and fanless operation. It also measures just 9.1 inches (232mm) x 7.3 inches (186 mm) x 0.8 inches (20.5 mm), and weighs a mere 1.84 lbs (836g). If Mobinova can keep to a circa $200 retail price, we’d have to agree with PC World: we’re in the early stages of gadget lust too.
Gordon
