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Intel's Atom processor has been a huge success in the netbook market. The diminutive processor virtually sips power, it doesn't put off much heat, and it's relatively inexpensive as well. All of these attributes make Atom a perfect candidate for a highly mobile, affordable, ultra small form factor PC. There are a couple of common gripes with regard to Atom, however. The first is that the processor is underpowered in light of the current generation of mobile CPUs. And the second is the Intel 945G chipset. The 945G chipset Atom is usually paired with is based on aging technology, it consumes more power than the CPU itself, and its integrated graphics controller leaves much to be desired.

Well aware of the 945G chipset's shortcomings as they relate to Atom, NVIDIA has been promoting its Ion platform for months. Ion pairs the Intel Atom processor with a single-chip core logic chipset complete with a DX10 capable graphics core. Pairing Atom to the NVIDIA Ion chipset doesn't change the Atom processor's performance per say, but it does change the performance of the entire platform and also enables new features and functionality, not possible with the Atom / 945G combination. With Ion, fluid full resolution HD video playback is possible. And so is casual gaming. Ion doesn't offer the kind of 3D performance to churn though today's hottest gaming titles--partly due to the performance limitations of the Atom processor--but the GPU is capable of running virtually game out there, whereas the 945G cannot. Being equipped with a CUDA-capable GPU also gives Ion the ability to run GPU accelerated applications like vReveal, Nero Move It, Cyberlink Power Director and many others.

To date, NVIDIA's few officially announced Ion design wins have been relegated to a mini-ITX motherboard from Zotac and a small form factor nettop PC from Acer, the Aspire Revo. By the time you read this though, news of a new Lenovo netbook platform, the S12, will have it. The S12 will feature NVIDIA's Ion platform in a 12.1" netbook form factor. When it arrives, the Ion-equipped Lenovo S12 (there are Intel and VIA based versions coming as well) will have a leg up on competing offerings outfitted with inferior graphics processors and could prove to be the next "hot" netbook to hit the market.

Pricing of the S12, which will likely be around $600, might make the machine less attractive to some consumers who may prefer to go with a full-powered notebook in that price range. Whatever happens though, I hope more manufacturers follow Lenovo's lead. The Atom processor is simply being held back by the 945G chipset and Ion helps to alleviate that problem.