NVIDIA Ion-Based Acer Hornet Specifications Leaked

As some of you probably already know, Acer is expected to introduce its first nettop system, which will also bring to the market the first computer system developed on NVIDIA's Ion. Simply dubbed Hornet, the nettop will reportedly be unveiled at the beginning of this month with a price tag that will settle at just US$299. In addition to the nettop itself, the Hornet will also provide users with a motion-sensing gaming controller, similar to that of Nintendo's highly successful Wii gaming console.

According to a recent report by Digitimes, the NVIDIA Ion-based Acer Hornet nettop will be unveiled in early April, becoming the first consumer product to be powered by NVIDIA's Ion platform. Price wise, the system should hit the market at about US$299, a price tag that could definitely draw the attention of the general public.

Aside from the details made available by Digitimes, the fellows over at engadget have just published a leaked slide of Acer's Hornet SKUs planning, providing us with some early technical details on the product. According to the slide, Acer will roll out 3 SKUs of the Hornet, namely the Standard, Deluxe and Media Center versions, all of which will be powered by Intel's Atom N230 processor and will ship with a Microsoft Windows Vista operating system.

The Standard SKU will be featured with 1GB of RAM memory and an 80GB drive and it will provide optional speakers, webcam and VESA mounting kit. The Deluxe model ups the ante a bit by offering 2GB of memory and a higher-capacity 160GB hard drive. Unlike the Standard version, the Deluxe model will have an option for Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as for webcam and VESA mounting kit. The high-end model is similar to the Deluxe version, only that it comes with a standard Wi-Fi connectivity solution and is the only model that will be shipped with a Game paddle.

In addition to the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, the Hornet will also be shipped with a “Boxshell” quickboot OS. Prices will range from US$149 to US$299, which can only sweeten the offer.