According to Portwell, its little WEBS-1010 is aimed at automotive, digital signage, gaming, healthcare, and kiosk applications. We're guessing that the device, housed in a fanless aluminum case, could be popular for media server applications too, since it includes both a "programmable consumer IR receiver" and an HDMI port, ready to connect to an HDTV.

The WEBS-1010 comes with either Intel's 1.6GHz Atom Z530 or the 1.1GHz Z510, along with the chipmaker's SCH US15W combination northbridge/southbridge. Unlike the 945GSE chipset that's typically combined with the Atom N270, the SCH US15W is claimed to be capable of decoding 1080p (1920 x 1080) video.

Portwell says that the WEBS-1010 uses only six Watts in normal operation, and seven Watts when playing 1080p H.264 video. "Absolutely silent" when employing only its miniSD slot for storage, the device can also accept a 2.5-inch, SATA hard disk drive internally, the company says.

Portwell's WEBS-1010
(Click either image to enlarge)

In addition to the miniSD slot, the WEBS-1010's front panel (above left) includes a power switch, the IR receiver, and two USB 2.0 ports. The rear panel (above right), meanwhile, includes an antenna connector, a gigabit Ethernet port, four more USB 2.0 ports, and an HDMI port.

Also on the rear of the WEBS-1010, there are 3.5mm jacks for a microphone input, line input, and line output. According to Portwell, the device has a Mini PCI Express slot internally, though the company didn't make clear whether this is free, or is already occupied by the system's 802.11b/g wireless LAN adapter.

The WEBS-1010 supports Windows XP Embedded, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Linux operating systems, says Portwell. The device's Phoenix BIOS allows it to be booted from a hard disk drive, USB thumb drive, USB-connected optical disk or hard disk drive, or over a LAN, the company adds.

Features and specifications listed by Portwell for the WEBS-1010 include the following:

• Processor -- Intel Atom Z530 clocked at 1.6GHz or Z510 clocked at 1.1GHz
• Memory -- 1GB of DDR2 RAM onboard (expandability not cited)
• Storage -- 2.5-inch bay for SATA hard disk drive, plus miniSD socket
• Display -- Supports displays up to 1920 x 1080 pixels via HDMI port
• Networking:
  • Gigabit Ethernet port
  • 802.11b/g wireless LAN adapter
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 6 x USB 2.0 (2 front, 4 rear)
  • Audio -- Mic in, line in, line out
• Expansion:
  • miniSD socket
  • Mini PCI Express socket
• Power requirement -- 12VDC input
• Operating temperature -- 32 to 158 deg. F (0 to 70 deg. C) with solid-state storage
• Dimensions -- 4.5 x 4 x 1.05 inches
• Weight -- 13 ounces including hard disk

The WEBS-1010 is available now, priced starting at approximately $460, says Portwell. Judging by a striking similarity in appearance and specifications, we believe this is the device that will be offered to those attending next month's ESC (Embedded Systems Conference) in Boston as part of the BYOES (build your own embedded system). For further information, see our earlier coverage, here.

More information on the WEBS-1010 may be found on the Portwell website, here.

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