Acer's Gateway division has announced a netbook that appears to be the first such device to use an AMD processor. The Gateway LT3013u (left) includes an 11.6-inch display, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard disk drive, and ATI Radeon X1270 graphics, according to the company.
Despite offering processors that have been used in low-end laptops for years, AMD has remained oddly aloof from the netbook fray, perhaps because arch-rival Intel has been promoting these mini-laptops so assiduously. Last year, the company's marketing chief, Nigel Desseau, said AMD would stand aside to see how the netbook market develops.
Raon Digital's Everun Note (Click image for further information)
Subsequently, Raon Digital released the Everun Note, a 7.87 x 4.64 x 1.08 inch device that, depending on how you look at it, is either a UMPC (ultra mobile PC) or, just possibly, one of the smallest netbooks on the market. The device uses AMD's Turion 64 X2 processor, a CPU originally designed for full-sized notebooks.
HP's Pavillion dv2 (Click image for further information)
In January, meanwhile, AMD unveiled its Yukon chipset for "tweener" notebooks -- smaller, lighter, and lower-cost than traditional devices, but not as little as netbooks. Deployed first in the HP Pavilion dv2 pictured at left, the chipset comprises a solderable AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 running at 1.6GHz, plus either a discrete ATI Radeon HD3410 graphics card or integrated RS690E-based graphics, says AMD.
Acer's Aspire One A075h (Click image for further information)
This time around, there's absolutely no doubt that an AMD processor has made it into a bonafide netbook. Not only does Gateway describe its new LT3013u by that moniker, but the device appears to be extremely similar to the Aspire One A0751h, a netbook announced by parent company Acer in May.
The LT3013u appears to have the same dimensions as the A0751h, the same styling, and the same 11.6-inch display with 1366 x 768 resolution. However, where the A0751h was announced with a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU and SCH US15W companion chip, the LT3013u is said to have an AMD Athlon L110 processor and integrated ATI graphics provided by an RS690E chipset. The L110 isn't described on AMD's own website, but, according to Gateway, is a single-core, 64-bit CPU that is clocked at 1.2GHz.
Gateway makes no claims as to how the system's performance and battery life might compare to its Atomic brethren. However, the company has provided the LT3013u with 2GB of standard DDR2 memory, and, as one vote of confidence, supplies the netbook with Windows Vista rather than Windows XP. The device also includes a 250GB hard disk drive, an SD/MMC/Memory Stick card reader, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g wireless networking, and three USB ports, according to the company.
The LT3013u is said to have a full-size keyboard, plus a multi-gesture touchpad. Unlike its Acer relatives, it is offered only in "nightsky black," according to Gateway.
Features and specifications listed by Gateway for the LT3013u include:
Processor -- Intel Atom Z520 clocked at 1.2GHz
Memory -- 2GB of DDR2 RAM
Display -- 11.6-inch screen, with 1364 x 768 pixel resolution
Camera -- 0.3 megapixel webcam
Storage -- 250GB SATA II hard disk drive
Networking:
LAN -- 10/100 Ethernet
WLAN -- 802.11b/g
Other I/O:
3 x USB
VGA output
Audio -- mic in, headphone/line out
Expansion:
Memory card reader (SD/MMC/Memory Card formats)
Battery -- Six-cell, 5200mAh
Dimensions -- 11.3 x 8 x 1.03 inches
Weight -- 3.04 pounds
This Gateway "ZA8" is apparently the same as the LT3013u Source: Netbooknews.com (click to play)
Further information
According to Gateway, the LT3013u will sell for approximately $400 through retailers such as Best Buy, though an on-sale date was not specified. Further information may be found on the company's website, here.
