Nvidia is working with Microsoft to develop a £200
version of itsIonlaptop runningWindows Vista Home
Edition.
Mike Ybarra, general manager for the Windows division at
Microsoft, said, “What many people call a
‘
netbook’ today is really a small notebook, and users expect it
to perform like one. With
Nvidia’s Ion
platform combined with Windows Vista Home Premium, consumers
will get an affordable, Windows experience in a small notebook or
desktop PC.”
Although manufacturers originally aimed to sell netbooks as
low-cost, very limited mobile devices, primarily for web browsing
and e-mail, the machines have proved fully capable of running
business software and even some multimedia applications.
Linux has become the preferred operating system for netbooks
because it is free and can be trimmed down to work on low-powered
devices. This has led Microsoft to extend the life of Windows XP,
which requires less powerful hardware compared with Vista. Recent
developments in processing power and storage mean netbooks are now
able to run Windows Vista.
Microsoft has validated Nvidia Ion with certified Windows
Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) drivers for Windows Vista Home
Premium. Nvidia’s Ion-based PCs are expected to ship by the
summer.
Useful links:
Nvidia
Microsoft
Linux