On the 19th of last month, the tech website Engadget cited marketing materials revealing that CVS drug stores would soon begin selling a $100, Windows CE-based netbook, marketed under the (licensed) Sylvania name by New York-based Digital Gadgets. Since then, the device appeared in a CVS advertising circular on Sunday and has been "flying off the shelves," an article by Information Week reports.


The Sylvania seven-inch netbook
(Click left-hand image to enlarge)

Apart from the coloring of its case -- both silver (above left) and red (above right) versions are offered -- the Sylvania netbook appears to be the same device that was placed on sale last May as the ITA Smartbook 7. (That netbook was being sold from a website appropriately called 98dollarnetbook.com, which seems to be no longer online.)

CVS and Digital Gadgets list the same specs for the Sylvania netbook as ITA Computers did for the Smartbook 7 (right). Namely, the device is said to run Windows CE 6.0 on a 300MHz Via VT8500 processor (see later for background), come with 128MB of RAM and 2GB of flash storage, and have a seven-inch display with 800 x 480 pixels, according to the company.

The Sylvania netbook mimics more expensive netbooks with features such as three USB 2.0 ports, a SD slot, and audio I/O. Digital Gadgets cites 802.11b/g wireless networking, and adds that the device includes stereo speakers.

Like the Smartbook 7, which, we're confident, came from the same Shenzhen-based supplier, the Sylvania device is said to include an 1800mAh battery. ITA Computers cited a two-hour battery life, though neither Digital Gadgets nor CVS appears to be making any claims in this regard.

According to Information Week writer W. David Gardner, "reviews and comments on user chat rooms were generally favorable." His article cites one owner as saying, "This is better than I expected. I actually like this little mini-netbook. It's pretty fast and responsive."

In a 14-minute video review (embedded later in this story), YouTube user "gdavisFTA" counters that "the Sylvania boots really quickly, in about 30 seconds, but that's the only thing it does fast -- everything else is really slow."

As noted in the video review, the Sylvania netbook includes an Internet Explorer version that does not support Flash, but also offers a separate player for YouTube videos. The device is said to include additional software such as Windows Media Player and Wordpad.

Features and specifications listed by Sylvania for its seven-inch netbook include:

• Processor -- 300MHz Via VT8505
• Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 2GB of flash storage
• Display -- 7-inch screen with 800 x 400 resolution
• Expansion -- SD slot
• Networking:
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g
• Other I/O:
  • 3 x USB 2.0
  • Audio -- mic in and headphone out
• Battery -- two-cell, 1800mAh battery pack
• Dimensions -- n/s, but Smartbook 7 version was said to be 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Weight -- n/s, but Smartbook 7 was said to be 1.4 pounds
  
  

A video review of the Sylvania netbook
Source: gdavisFTA on YouTube
(click to play)
Via inside

The Sylvania netbook is said to use a 300MHz Via VT8505 CPU, similar to the VT8500 employed by other Windows CE netbooks. Though not well documented, these CPUs appear to be versions of the ARM9-based Prizm 8510, announced last year by Via subsidiary WonderMedia Technologies.

WonderMedia Technologies used 2009's Computex show in Taiwan to launch a ARM9-based system-on-chip (SoC) aimed at "smartbooks," digital picture frames, media players, and other devices. The Prizm 8510 (right) includes an ARM926EJ-S core, a programmable digital signal processor (DSP), gigabit Ethernet, and a wide variety of interfaces, according to the company.

As seen in the diagram below, the SoC is built around an ARM926EJ-S or ARM1176JZF core, and an MMX-enhanced, programmable "uDSP 2.0" digital signal processor (DSP). The Prizm also offers video decoders for MPEG 1/2/4, H.264, and JPEG, a video co-processor, and engines for 2D graphics and security acceleration, WonderMedia says.

Prizm 8510 architecture
(Click to enlarge)
The Prizm is equipped with a gigabit Ethernet MAC, as well as interfaces for WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, camera input, PATA/SATA, USB 2.0, Smart Card, and a DVB-ready MPEG-TS interface. For display output, it supports 656/DVO and TV/VGA/LVDS/LCD displays. Other I/O, including I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO, can be seen in the diagram above.

The SoC appears to support a wide variety of memory types, and WonderMedia touts the Prizm 8510's "low power consumption," though further details still haven't been offered. Meanwhile, the SoC's "broad operating system compatibility" is said to include Windows CE, Linux, and Android. "Strong BSP, SDK, and RDK support" is offered for both Windows CE 5.0/6.0 and MontaVista Linux Professional Edition 4.0/5.0, the company adds.

Subsequently other WonderMedia ARM CPUs -- the VT8430, VT8500, and VT8505 -- have cropped up in various products. WonderMedia has not provided any information on these processors, but according to NorhTec, which used the VT8500 in its MicroClient TC, they're similar to the Prizm 8510 but omit certain multimedia extras.

WonderMedia Technologies bills itself as a fully owned subsidiary of Via Technologies that is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, with teams in Shenzhen and Beijing, China, and Silicon Valley, Calif. The parent company is primarily known for its x86-based processors and chipsets for the mobile and embedded markets, including the Eden and Eden ULV, the C7-M ULV, and the 64-bit Via Nano, a 65nm design with an out-of-order execution unit.

In 2006, Via announced that it had expanded its licensing agreement with ARM to include the ARM926EJ-S and ARM968E-S processors, after previously having licensed ARM7 cores. At the time, Via said the processors were licensed to help Via and its subsidiaries improve products aimed at mobile phones, set-top boxes, telematics, and personal media players.

Further information

Engadget's August posting about the Sylvania netbook may be found here. Information Week's story citing brisk sales for the device may be found here.

Digital Gadgets' product page for the Sylvania netbook may be found here.

Have you invested in one of these cheap netbooks? If so, what do you think of it? Let us know by posting comments below!

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