VIA-Equipped F88 Netbook Looks To Handle HD

For the most part, "netbook" and "HD capable" really don't go together. Particularly if it's a netbook equipped with the all too familiar Atom N270 + GMA 950 combo. But things look a bit different if the machine is loaded with innards from a different manufacturer...namely, VIA.

The unheard of Shenzhen Zaiben Technology Company, likely a low-rate Chinese OEM, has just introduced a new "clamshell PC" dubbed the F88, which looks to be one of the most multimedia-friendly netbooks to date. Boasting a 10" display with a common 1024x600 resolution, the machine also features a 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor, a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP, 1GB of memory, and a 1.3MP webcam.


The real kicker is the VIA VX855 chipset and VIA S3 Chrome9 HC graphics, which supposedly enables high-def support. Of course, the screen resolution will prevent HD video from playing back full-screen, but the included HDMI output means that you can pipe the HD material to a nearby HDTV. Other specs include a 4-in-1 card reader, optional Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, two speakers, a microphone input, ExpressCard slot, VGA output, a headphone port and a 6-cell battery. There's no mention of a price, but we wouldn't be surprised to see a name you've heard of buy this bad boy, slap its label on there and get it out to store shelves in short order.