Engadget - Here in the US of A, most netbooks come stocked with a predictable array of hardware: a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 80GB HDD, 1GB of RAM and a price tag ranging from $399 to $699. Elsewhere on the planet, things are a bit different, and if VIA has anything to say about it, it will be the name people think of when hearing "netbook" in Asia and beyond. Said outfit has just cranked up a Global Mobility Bazaar program to "drive [global] mobile computing adoption," and it has already managed to pull 15 companies (including Microsoft, for a little thing called WinXP) onboard. In essence, the program will enable second-tier vendors to get in the netbook game and offer products with shorter life cycles and lower prices -- both of which are mighty useful in emerging markets. In somewhat related news, we're also hearing a sketchy report that HP has chosen the Intel route for its future netbooks, and considering that the Vivienne Tam Digital Clutch has already selected Intel, we suppose the forthcoming Mini 1000 will likely be the real confirmation / denial.
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