DigiTimes says HP has recently placed orders for the new Nano processor from Via. That raises the intriguing question of whether HP plans to use those CPUs in a follow-up to the excellent Mini-Note 2133 or just intends to stuff them into cheap desktops and the like.
DigiTimes doesn't know, but it does note that HP has already ordered 500,000 Via C7-M processors, which indicates they're planning to sell half a million Mini-Notes by the end of the year. That sort of success might spur further consideration of Via CPUs, although the rumblings I've heard are not so optimistic. Intel has snagged a long string of design wins for its Atom processors in "netbook" systems from nearly every contender of note.
However, we found that the Nano can be quite a bit faster than the Atom, and it might be better suited to a more full-featured netbook-type system as a result. The Nano is also purportedly a drop-in, pin-compatible replacement for the C7, so making the change should be a snap for HP, too. We shall see....
