14 DAY TRIAL // If you have been eyeing the Internet, searching for some clues as to which PC vendor will be the first to develop an Ion-based system, search no more. As it turns out, the world’s leading netbook vendor, Acer, will be among the first to announce a nettop system that will boast the performance capabilities of NVIDIA’s Ion platform. A couple of leaked slides of the company’s high-end nettop, titled Hornet, have just made their way on the Internet confirming earlier reports that Acer was considering NVIDIA’s Ion for an upcoming product.
The slides have recently surfaced on the Turkish-language donanimhaber.com and, as it turns out, Acer will release the new product accompanied by its own Wiimote-like wireless controller. This will be used for both accessing the nettop’s features but also to plays some interactive games, much like you would be doing with your current Nintendo Wii gaming console. Aside from a couple of slides showing the Hornet in action, there are no specific technical details on the product, but the system could debut at CeBIT next week.
Acer’s Hornet will definitely pack HDMI connectivity and, thanks to NVIDIA’s Ion chipset, it will enable its users to take advantage of a true 1080p playback experience. No word on the flavor of the Atom processor that the Hornet has been equipped with, however the slides suggest that the system will provide a silent working environment. Thanks to a VESA mounting system, the Hornet will enable users to make their own all-in-one PC, by mounting the nettop at the back of their LCD monitor.
Unfortunately, as with all unreleased products, there are no direct details on the pricing of the new nettop, although the aforementioned slides suggest a price of just “a couple hundred dollars.” This would confirm NVIDIA’s early statements regarding the Ion-based systems, namely that they will come out as relatively affordable to most.
