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        Netbook has AMD power, 11.6-inch screen

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Jul 7, 2010 | Comments: 1


        Gateway announced a netbook featuring an 11.6-inch screen, a 1.7GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor, and a claimed 5.5 hours of battery life. The LT32 offers a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, a HDMI port, 2GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard disk drive, the company says.

        The newly announced LT32 should seem familiar to faithful readers, since it's essentially the same device as the Acer Aspire One 721, released last month by Gateway's parent company (see later in this story for background). However, Gateway offers additional specs and images of the system that Acer failed to provide in June.

        Gateway's LT32
        (Click to enlarge)

        Like its AO721 twin -- which has a list price that's $20 less, but may not be as subject to dealer discounts -- the $450 LT32 uses an Athlon II Neo K125 processor, announced by AMD earlier this year as part of its "2010 AMD ultra-thin platform." The K125 is a single-core CPU with a 1.7GHz clock speed, 1MB second-level cache, and a 12-Watt TDP, according to the chipmaker.

        The companion chipset is said to be AMD's M880G. According to AMD, DDR3 memory is supported, while the integral ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics circuitry supports DirectX 10.1 and 11 and delivers accelerated 1080p HD video playback via HDMI.

        Gateway's LT32 accordingly provides an HDMI port, so "customers can enjoy their digital entertainment on a large screen wherever they go." The device also offers a full-size keyboard and an 11.6-inch screen with 1388 x 768 pixels, the company says.

        The LT32 comes with 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard disk drive, and a 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, according to Gateway. The netbook has a "multi-gesture" trackpad and a memory card reader that supports SD, XD, MMC, and Memory Stick formats, the company adds.

        Other cited features are an "HD" (1280 x 1024 pixel) webcam, three USB 2.0 ports, and a VGA port. Gateway says the LT32 has stereo speakers, analog audio outputs, and an S/PDIF digital audio connector.

        Also included on the LT32 are 802.11b/g/n wireless networking and a gigabit Ethernet port. Gateway additionally touts a "social networks" key that "makes connecting to today's most popular sites a snap."


        Another view of Gateway's LT32
        (Click to enlarge)

        According to various reports, the higher-performance AMD chipset does not provide the battery life that Intel's Atom would have. However, Gateway says the LT32's six-cell, 4400mAh battery can power the device for up to 5.5 hours.

        Features and specifications listed by Gateway for the LT32 include:

        • Processor -- AMD Athlon II Neo K125 clocked at 1.7GHz
        • Chipset -- M880G
        • Memory -- 2GB of DDR3 RAM (apparently non-expandable)
        • Display -- 11.6-inch screen with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution
        • Webcam -- 1280 x 1024 pixels
        • Storage -- 250GB, 5400rpm hard disk drive
        • Expansion -- SD/XD/MMC/Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro card reader
        • Networking:
          • LAN -- gigabit Ethernet
          • WLAN -- 802.11b/g/n
        • Other I/O:
          • 3 x USB 2.0
          • 1 x HDMI
          • 1 x VGA
          • analog audio -- mic in, headphone/speaker/line out
          • digital audio -- S/PDIF
        • Battery -- six-cell lithium-ion battery (4400mAh) provides up to 5.5 hours of operation
        • Dimensions -- 11.22 x 8.03 x 1.14 inches
        • Weight -- 2.76 pounds
        Background

        As we've reported in the past, AMD remained aloof from the mushrooming netbook market for some time. However, the chipmaker is presumably now happy to have its CPUs featured in netbooks from Acer and Gateway.

        One of the first out-and-out netbooks to be AMD-powered was the LT3013u, released by Gateway in June 2009 with a single-core, "off-roadmap" Athlon L110 processor. In September of last year, Acer released the Ferrari One netbook, an 11.6-inch device sporting a dual-core AMD Athlon X2 L310 processor.

        A couple of months later, meanwhile, rival company Asus released the Eee PC 1201T a 12.1-inch netbook using a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon-MV40 CPU. At the time, Endpoint Technologies analyst Roger Kay was quoted as saying by eWEEK.com, "AMD may be slightly annoyed that something they've worked to position as an ultra-thin is being marketed as a netbook. In some sense, there are no real rules to this game. If an OEM chooses to call something a netbook, because it makes it more attractive, thats the way its going to go."

        Further information

        Gateway did not say when the LT32 will be available, but the device is now featured on the company's website, here.

        A mini-review of the LT32, noting that "HD video playback was great," may be found on the CNet site, here.

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