New AMD ultrathin platform debuts in HP laptop

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 6 Jan 2009 at 12:55

AMD has introduced its "Yukon" mobile platform in a svelte HP laptop to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The 12.1in HP Pavilion dv2 is the first laptop to sport the now snappily titled "platform for ultrathin notebooks", which comprises the new Neo MV-40 processor and the discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 graphics.

The ultraportable laptop elevates itself out of netbook territory with 64-bit Vista Home Premium, up to 4GB of RAM and an 8x DVD-rewriter, which can be upgraded to an external Blu-ray drive. Whether anyone would be able to tell the difference between a standard DVD and Blu-ray movie on a 12.in screen is debatable, however.

The dv2 includes other luxurious touches, such as a light magnesium-alloy casing with choice of internal finish, a profile of less than 1in and hard drive options all the way up to 500GB.

The dv2 also sports the same keyboard as HP's new business-oriented netbook, which the company claims is 92% the size of a standard QWERTY keyboard.

Premium models of the dv2 will start from $899 in March, with base models kicking off at $699. UK pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed.