14 DAY TRIAL // Not much time after Intel announced that it would be focusing more closely on the mobile computing market segment, the long awaited launch of the Atom Pineview processors actually came somewhat earlier than expected. It was only a few hours ago that Intel oficially introduced its next-generation mobile chips, the Atom N450 and the D410, and already hardware manufacturers have started revealing plans for Pine Trail products.
ASUS was the first company revealed to be making an Atom N450 laptop and ECS has also revealed its TIGT-I micro-ATX motherboard. MSI is not letting itself fall behind either and has now announced plans for releasing four new Wind Netbook models, namely the Wind U130, U135, U140 and U160. The devices are set to be ultrathin laptops and it is possible that their launch will be made in January.
The only thing known, so far, about the aforementioned netbooks is the fact that they will be built using the 1.66GHz Atom Pineview chip. Still, according to Netbook Choice, the U130 and U135 laptops will share, at least in part, the design of the U100 series. The only noted difference is the size of the touchpad, which is larger for the upcoming models. In addition, the U140 supposedly uses the same chassis as the U123. The U130, U135 and U140 are supposed to have 10-inch frames.
The U160 will likely be the most noteworthy when the products eventually come out, as it is supposedly very thin, suggesting a CULV processor, whether an ultrathin model or a fanless version of the Pineview. The actual size of this model is still unknown.
As already mentioned, there is no way of knowing if the netbooks really incorporate any of these features. This is also the case for the line's pricing and availability, although it is believed that the products will be launched at the Consumer Electronics Show.