Intel may not have liked it when Nvidia pushed its Ion graphics chip (pictured) into the netbook space, but it has actually done the sector a great deal of good adding extra performance and HD capable video playback. So could smartbooks be next to benefit?
DigiTimes reports current netbook king Acer has already jumped on the ‘Ion 2′, Nvidia’s next generation chip which is claimed to double the performance of Ion without using any extra power. What does this have to do with smartbooks? Nvidia is widening its processor support. Officially, VIA Nano processors will now be supported by Ion 2, which means the Netnote netbook/smartbook hybrid will be able to benefit, and suggests ARM support may well be in Nvidia’s plans.
That said, whether smartbooks actually want Ion 2, 3 or any other version is a matter for some debate. Unlike netbooks, smartbooks have always stated their intention to have strong graphics capabilities, with 720p HD playback touted since day one. Given smartbooks’ target of running a full day and more from a single charge, it also may not be wise to bring larger netbook technology into this space.
Still, it would be nice to have the option…
Gordon
