Samsung notebook-not-netbook gets VIA Nano CPU

NC20 eschews Atom, C7-M

Samsung has become the first netbook maker to unveil a machine based on VIA's Nano processor - as predicted.

Samsung's NC20: VIA Nano on board

VIA has often said the Nano is aimed at full-size laptops, leaving the new chip's predecessor, the C7-M, for netbooks, and to be fair, the Samsung NC20 - follow-up to the popular NC10 - does come with a 12in display.

Notebook size, netbook spec

That gives it a notebook-not-netbook 1280 x 800 screen resolution. But beyond the 1.3GHz Nano U2250 processor, the NC20 has a typical netbook spec: 1GB DDR 2 of memory, 160GB hard drive, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 10/100Mb/s Ethernet, three USB ports, three-in-one memory card reader, Windows XP Home pre-installed.

Additionally, the NC20 has Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a 1.3Mp webcam.

6.5-hour battery life, Samsung claims

Samsung claimed the NC20's six-cell battery is good for six-and-a-half hours' runtime - not really any better than the Atom-powered NC10's battery life. The whole thing weighs 1.52kg and measures 292.4 x 217 x 30.7mm.

There's no specific word yet on NC20 pricing and availability, but we expect it to arrive any day now for around £400. ®

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