Thinno, a name that sounds like it came from a school playground rather than a marketing department, have a couple of netbooks at IDF. They look a bit retro but nice and tidy. The larger screen version looking the best as usual when it comes to 7″ and 8.9″ variants of netbooks. There’s also a mystery device that looks remarkably like the HP2133 or the ECS G10. In other words, small and stylish.  (Pic, right)
Update: Engadget think it’s the MSI Wind. That makes sense.

The Register have reported this from ‘Day Zero’ at IDF in Shanghai so expect lots more to leak out through the other lucky hacks that managed to get over to Shanghai for the big Atom knees-up. Bitter? Me? Never!

More ‘deets’ and pics over at The Register.

Using the Intel Atom N270 which will also launch in June, the netbook platform will include flash storage, a screen less than 10″, the Intel 945GSE chipset (GMA950 graphics,) will support Linux or Windows XP Home (Vista is not mentioned) and will target a $250 system price point. [build price]

This information is taken from a presentation to be given at IDF over the next 2 days and it reveals a number of other things too. Firstly, that there are two model number ranges for Atom processors. The N270 is a 22mm2 processor that will be used for the Diamondville platform and will end up in Intel-based netbooks.

The Z500 and Z540 (or a range of processors, probably defining the varying clockrates that we expect to go from 800Mhz-1.8Ghz.) will be the Silverthorne CPU’s that will go into MIDs and UMPCs. Yes, UMPCs are still talked about at Intel as the slide segment on the right reveals. As I outlined in a previous article, UMPCs are a sub-segment of MIDs and will use high-end Silverthorne processors, be capable of running VIsta and be targeted at work on the go.

Intel expects the netbook market to grow to 50m by 2011 based on two opportunities. Firstly, the sale of the first PC to homes in developing countries. Secondly, the sale of the second PC to homes in developed countries. More details about the Netbook plaform can be found in the presentation BPCS002 on this IDF content page.

Based on the Diamondville platform that combines Atom with the 945 chipset and GMA950 graphics (a very similar silicon setup to the McCaslin setup we see in the HTC Shift and Q1 Ultra) the Nettop architecture aims to reduce the bill of materials (BOM) for the next generation of sub-$300 desktop PCs. (Click on image, right, for details.)

In the PDF presentation at the Intel IDF content catalogue though, you’ll find an interesting snippet of info relating to the Launch of Atom.

So the launch, as I suspected, has slipped a few months and we won’t see availability on the first MIDS until June, after Computex. Possibly later.

The PDF also shows three processor variants for Diamondville: Intel Atom, Intel Celeron 220 and Celeron 440. The latter two being Intel Core processors.

If you want to know more about nettops, take a look at the PDF. (BPCS001 on this page)

The Day Zero (press day) documents have been released on the Intel IDF website site and I’ve been walking through them to get an idea of the main themes. There’s nothing there about Menlow, Atom, Moblin or MIDs but there’s a lot of talk about what amounts to a vision for the wireless mobile future. That is, using the MID as the core, lightweight, accessory-free, personal processing unit and radios, made by intel of-course, to allow near-field discovery and connectivity with screens, keyboard, cameras and all the other deices that you usually connect to a PC with cables. The core user requirement of mobility is there of course and the ‘Carry Small, Live Large’ theme continues through most of the presentations. ‘Carry Small’ is the essential computing components that make a MID. ‘Live Large’ is the ability to wirelessly connect and use any accessory that comes into range.

Uday Keshavdas show’s off the devices that Intel packed in their kit-bag for IDF Shanghai.

There are two in there that I haven’t seen before. “…concepts with GPS…” The BenQ MID has also been re-designed and has a new user interface apparently. Will it be the ‘shake me’ design based on a new Midinux UI?

We’ll learn more about all the new devices in the next 36 hours.

Via the Intel mobility blog.

Its 0100 and I’m sick of the April fools jokes already! I was going to post about my in-bath UMPC holder (again) but I can’t bring myself to do it!

Be careful out there!