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VIA announces major netbook design win from China vendor

Press release, September 3; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES Asia

VIA Technologies has announced that China-based PC OEM Tsinghua TongFang has adopted VIA's C7-M CPU and VX700 chipset to power its S1 imini netbook series. The S1 imini has a maximum power consumption of 15W, with a distinctive, lightweight design, highlighted VIA.

Powered by the 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor combined with the VIA VX700 chipset, and sporting a 10.2-inch screen, the S1 imini provides all the functionality of a standard notebook plus an array of special features, such as a business card manager, portable hard drive with battery pack, and digital photo frame or DVD playback functionality outside of the Vista environment, said VIA. Add wireless connectivity and optional GPS navigation, and the S1 imini looks set to bring the allure of truly mobile computing to the China market, according to VIA.

The S1 imini will be available in white, blue, pink, gold or black from PC stores in all major cities across China.

Tongfang S1 imini specifications

Item

Detail

Screen

10.2-inch panel with a resolution of 1024×600

CPU

1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor

Chipset

VIA VX700 Unified Digital Media IGP Chipset

OS

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, with Linux dual interface

Graphics

Integrated VIA UniChrome Pro II IGP with 3D/2D graphics and video acceleration

Memory

1GB DDR2 667 RAM

Storage

80GB hard disk drive

Webcam

1.3-megapixel camera

Wireless

802.11 b/g

Audio

HD audio with 2 ports for speaker and microphone

I/O Ports

USB x 3, Ethernet LAN, 4-in-1 card reader

Battery

6-cell or 3-cell

Dimensions

190(w)×249(d)×21-33.5(h)mm and 1.2kg (with 3-cell)

Color

white, blue, pink, gold or black

Price

3998 RMB (US$583)

Source: Company and VIA, compiled by Digitimes, September 2008

Tongfang S1 imini mini-note series features VIA mini-note platform

Tongfang S1 imini
Photo: Company and VIA