Intel's tiny Atom processor made a huge splash when it first started arriving in netbooks over two years ago. The Atom represented a lower-power alternative to the Celeron-M processors that had been used in the original ASUS Eee PC netbooks.
Since its introduction, Intel has sold over 70 million of the processors and sees no end in sight. Today, the company is looking to expand its Atom range even further with the availability of the dual-core N550 model.
The Atom N550 operates at 1.5GHz and supports DDR3 memory. According to Intel, netbooks using the new Atom N550 will be available from Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, and Toshiba.
ZDNET reports that one of the first netbooks to use the processor will be the Acer Aspire One D255 which sports a 10.1" screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 250GB HDD and a six-cell battery. Engadget notes that the ASUS Eee PC 1015PN, although other reports suggest that the netbook will come equipped with the Aton N475.
"Acer strives to continually improve on our customers' total mobile experience, whether it is increased responsiveness or extended Internet interactivity through longer battery life," said Acer's Mobile Computing Business Unit associate VP, David Lee. "We are pleased to select dual-core Intel Atom processors for Acer netbooks, helping to empower netbook users achieve even more – both at work and at leisure."
Just last week, it was reported that ASUS was lowering its forecast for netbook shipments due to the increased popularity of Apple's iPad.
Source: DailyTech