HP Mini 311 Netbook

Ships with CUDA-accelerated Video Upscaling Application SimHD

NVIDIA and HP shook up the PC market today with the introduction of a new 11.6-inch netbook that delivers many of the capabilities of a full-sized notebook. The HP Mini 311 takes advantage of NVIDIA ION graphics to deliver a big visual experience with HD video, accelerated video editing, and support for casual gaming in a small, sleek package.

NVIDIA ION is a small but powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) that works together with a low-power CPU to generate exceptional performance for compact, energy-efficient systems. By processing data-intensive applications in parallel with the CPU, ION-based netbooks offer many of the same capabilities of full-sized notebooks including support for all versions of Microsoft Windows. ION’s highly-integrated, energy-saving design delivers the extended battery life mobile customers demand.

Tim Bajarin, principal analyst at Creative Strategies, Inc. said, “Our research shows that most people who buy a netbook expect it to behave like a full-sized notebook, but that has not been the case. With ION-based netbooks like this one from HP, consumers can expect a well-rounded experience and the ability to handle nearly all of their everyday computing needs.”

“This is another example how good graphics can transform an entire category of products,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of the GPU business unit at NVIDIA. “Where last month netbooks were considered inadequate, this month HP delivers an amazing product with support for HD movies, games, video editing, and more. Why couldn’t netbooks do this before? They lacked good graphics.”

The Mini 311 ships with Windows XP and features an 11.6-inch diagonal LED display available in high-definition 1366 x 768 resolution. It includes HDMI and VGA video connectors to output video up to 1080p onto a larger screen like an HDTV. The Mini also includes ArcSoft SimHD, which instantly converts most standard-definition video to near high-definition quality. SimHD uses the NVIDIA CUDA™ parallel computing architecture present on NVIDIA GPUs to perform this upscaling faster than on a CPU.

In addition to the HP Mini 311, more than 50 other ION-based products are scheduled for release this year. ION graphics deliver a premium experience in small, low-powered PCs with support for:

• All versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7
• Outstanding HD video including 1080p
• Battery life that is comparable with other netbooks
• Stunning HD video through an external monitor via HDMI
• Mainstream games including Spore, Ice Age, and Wall-E
• Hardware acceleration for NVIDIA() CUDA™-based applications such as vReveal, Badaboom, SimHD plug-in for Total Media Theater, and Super LoiLoScope
• 24-bit 8-channel LPCM uncompressed audio through HDMI

Pricing and availability
The HP Mini 311 starts at $399 and is expected to be available with Windows XP on Sept. 23 and with Windows 7 Premium on Oct. 18.