14 DAY TRIAL // NEC has been working on a new netbook for a while, and said netbook has finally reared its head, revealing itself to be a LaVie Light model, the BL550/CS to be exact, based on the new Intel Atom N550 dual-core CPU.
The Intel Atom N550 central processing unit was officially introduced on the market in late August, when it practically became the strongest entry-level chip for the Pine Trail platform.
It is a dual-core unit with a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz, and this implies a significantly better performance compared to most other entry-level mobile PCs.
Already a number of new netbooks based on it have been revealed, and NEC has now joined the fray with the latest LaVie Light model.
Known as the BL550/CS, the newcomer is an apparently powerful machine, being equipped with components not exactly common for such electronics.
Besides the CPU, the configuration is equipped with 2GB of memory, and while the integrated graphics aren't all that uncommon, the screen is, to some extent, because it has a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels (HD).
The product also comes with a hard disk drive of 320 GB, instead of 160GB or 250GB on most other such laptops, as well as the full range of connectivity and I/O options one would expect.
The list includes three USB 2.0 ports, 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a card slot with SDXC support and even the WiMAX technology.
Like all other netbooks, the NEC LaVie Light has a screen size of 10.1 inches, though the operating system is the Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit, instead of the Windows 7 Starter that netbooks usually settle for.
Unfortunately, the price tag may prove to be rather steep, at a solid $1,010, according to reports. Shipments should start being carried out this very week.