AMD has unveiled a new mobile platform which it claims will fill a gap in the
laptop market between low-cost netbook models such as the
Asus
Eee PC and traditional ultraportable systems.
Announced today but due for official launch at
CES in Las
Vegas, the AMD Ultrathin Notebook Platform features a new mobile chip, the
Athlon Neo, and was jointly developed with HP, which has built its HP Pavilion
dv2 laptop around the platform.
AMD has identified what it believes is a gap in the market between mini
laptops, which are affordably priced but compromise on performance and
usability, and ultraportables, which offer a full PC experience but tend to
carry a high price tag.
"What we see is an opportunity for a new highly portable notebook category
that gives you the best of both worlds," said Bahr Mahony, director of product
marketing at AMD.
The Athlon Neo is based on the same core architecture as AMD's other Athlon
and Opteron chips, and is clocked at 1.6GHz. In the new platform, codenamed
Yukon, it is combined with an M690T chipset and an optional discrete ATI
graphics chip.
This enables laptops based on the platform to deliver the full graphics
experience under Windows Vista, according to Mahony, but to remain "amazingly
thin yet optimally sized".
What we see is an opportunity for a new highly portable notebook category that gives you the best of both worlds
Bahr Mahony AMD
The Ultrathin Notebook Platform will be followed in the second half of 2009
by another called Congo that will feature a dual-core processor, while the
Athlon Neo is single core only.
HP's Pavilion dv2 laptop is the first model based on the technology, but
other vendors have shown an interest, according to AMD. The dv2 has a 12in
display and is expected to cost between $699 (£456) and $899 (£586). "No vendor
is currently selling in this price band," said Mahony.
While the dv2 is aimed primarily at consumers, Mahony added that vendors have
also expressed interest in the platform for business-focused laptops.
Tony Lock, programme director at analyst firm
Freeform
Dynamics, believes that AMD could find success with the Ultrathin Notebook
Platform.
"I think there is certainly room for a very portable solution that offers
more processing capabilities than existing ultra portables and netbooks without
breaking the bank," he said.
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