Microsoft has yet to confirm details via its official channels, but the company is reportedly cooking a major hardware update for its line-up of Zune digital media players. Reports indicate that a Zune HD is in the making, and that the device will be unveiled in the fall of 2009, with the next generation of Microsoft’s digital media players. Images from a marketing campaign the Redmond company is preparing for the end of 2009 have been leaked in the wild, featuring a new device that moves away from previous releases, and references to HD capabilities (via Engadget).

There are no specifications associated with the leaked Zune HD information, but the images indicate that Microsoft has opted for an entirely touch-based user interface when it comes down to the next generation of Zune devices. By replacing the ‘click-flick’ hybrid interface that current Zunes feature, Microsoft is making yet another step further embracing Natural User Interfaces, and also making sure that iPod touch has a direct competitor on the market.

(PhysOrg.com) — It looks like Microsoft’s Zune HD player will be a strong competition for Apple’s iPod Touch. Uunconfirmed technical specifications of Microsoft’s Zune HD player have now emerged and the new portable media player looks like a good contender with Apple’s Touch.

The Zune HD will feature a multitouch OLED screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and an HDMI TV output port. The Zune HD will be available in a 16 and 32 GB version. Both versions will have wireless support that will allow you to sync the device with a computer. There’s also some speculation that the Zune HD may use the Nvidia’s Tegra chipset that would support 3D xbox games.

There will also be a Web browser incorporated into the player but no word yet as to what browser will be used. There’s also speculation that the Zune HD may be running on Windows Mobile 6.5 which is expected to be released Q4, same as the player.

Well, ladies and gents, the revolution has started: the first Ion-based netbook has appeared, it comes from Lenovo and frankly it has some pretty sweet specs. Make sure you don’t miss out on all the juicy details and keep on reading.

I can’t remember when was the last time I was really excited about a netbook, so I won’t try to. I will only say that this is the first one that I’m really looking forward to seeing: the IdeaPad S12. It is built around the Ion platform from NVIDIA, has a full-sized keyboard, is said to allow full 1080p video playback, weighs a little under 3 pounds, features a 1280 x 800 LED-backlit panel, a size of 12.1 inches and starts at about 449 USD.

Although the S12 is still the most important piece of news regarding Lenovos products, the company seems to have a few more aces left up its long sleeve. Thus, it has also announced the release of two new laptops and an all-in-one, all three very budget-friendly and trying to fit all user needs and pockets.

And since we’re talking budget, we’re definitely talking the “Idea” line of computers. First in line is the IdeaPad U350, a device that has a 13.3-inch LED backlit display with a resolution of up to 1.366 x 768, HDMI output, ambient light sensor and a range of processors – Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 (1.4GHz), SU2700 or the Celeron 723 (1.2GHz).

As for storage, it can be outfitted with a 500GB hard drive. It has a 1.3 MP camera, GMA 4500M or 4500MHD graphics adapter, as well as up to 8GB DDR3. Other features include a multi-touch trackpad, optional 8 cell battery and a choice of Windows Vista Home Basic or Premium.

As we reported yesterday, Lenovo has become the first system vendor to announce a netbook that is powered by NVIDIA’s low-power Ion platform, which couples an Intel Atom processor with a GeForce 9400M chipset. The first Ion-based netbook has been designed with a 12-inch display, which makes it a bit of a hybrid between a low-power, ultraportable PC and a small-sized netbook. However, the 12-inch form factor also exceeds the guidelines imposed by both Intel and Microsoft, which have set a number of limitations for their small notebook PC products.   The netbook form factor has been largely
discussed since the release of the first such device. At first, Intel released a guideline of what the netbook form factor should be, a measure that was meant to restrict netbooks from cannibalizing the notebook sales. However, those “limitations” were quickly ignored by various system vendors, which launched Atom-based netbooks with different form factors. In a recent turn of events and according to a leaked document, supposedly coming from Microsoft, the Redmond, Washington-based software giant has also pointed a couple of restrictions for its upcoming Windows 7 operating system. As some of you already know,
this OS has been specifically designed to work on both mainstream and low-end systems, unlike the company’s current Windows Vista operating system, which requires higher resources from the user’s PC. The company has listed a series of limitations for the Windows 7 SKU for small notebook PCs, limitations that are currently exceeded by Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12 Ion netbook. According to the document, small notebook PCs, or netbooks, shouldn’t be higher than 10.2 inches and have more than 1GB of RAM. The systems must be equipped with either a high-capacity 250GB HDD or a high-performance 64GB SSD. The processors must not exceed 2GHz and the CPU thermal design must be less or equal to 15W. Fortunately, there are no limitations in the graphics department and the thermal specifications for CPU exclude the graphics and chipset.
However, Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12 has a 12-inch display and can support a higher memory capacity, thanks to NVIDIA’s Ion chipset.   The guidelines set by Intel and Microsoft are part of a strategy to prevent netbook systems from taking too much of the other computer segments. Time will tell if these hardware limitations will ultimately affect the growing netbook segment.

Following earlier reports today, Lenovo has officially announced the introduction of the world’s first netbook system to adopt NVIDIA’s Ion platform. Following the release of Acer’s highly anticipated AspireRevo nettop, Lenovo has become the second major computer system vendor to adopt NVIDIA Ion platform, which combines a low-power Atom processor from Intel with an NVIDIA chipset featuring integrated graphics. Sporting a 12-inch display and a full-sized keyboard, the IdeaPad S12 is at the border between the netbook and ultraportable notebook segments. “We’ve heard from consumers loud and clear about the need for affordable and extremely portable computing devices, and we’ve responded by introducing our third netbook with a completely new form factor, making mini-computing more usable and redefining value in today’s market,” said Dion Weisler, vice president, Business Operations, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. “We are pioneering new territory in the developing netbook arena by being the first vendor to give customers high quality video and entertainment capabilities in a netbook with optional NVIDIA ION graphics.”   With the release of the IdeaPad S12, netbooks reach a whole new level, while the fine line between netbooks and notebooks gets thinner and thinner. However, the IdeaPad S12 promises to provide users with an ultraportable PC that can also handle HD graphics and provide support for Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system. Spec-wise, the netbook is equipped with an Intel Atom N270 processor, running at 1.6GHz, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a choice of 160, 250 or 320GB of storage space, an optional 6-cell battery pack, WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, 3 USB 2.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and the VGA/HDMI outputs.   This is pretty much what you’d expect from a netbook, especially since the entire system will run Microsoft’s Windows XP OS. However, what you wouldn’t expect from a netbook is a 12-inch WXGA (1,280 x 800) display, a full-sized keyboard and the powerful NVIDIA Ion chipset. Fortunately, these “enhancements” don’t come at a considerably higher cost, as the IdeaPad S12 is expected to become available next month for a starting price of US$449.