Lenovo IdeaPad 330 Gemini Lake Laptops Sell for $250 and Up

We’ve previously seen companies unveil Gemini Lake laptops but at price points ($400 to $600) that did not seem right, considering Gemini Lake (GLK) processors should cost about the same as the ones from the previous generation (Apollo Lake). Lenovo has now introduced IdeaPad 330 laptops based on Intel GLK processors with pricing more in line with expectation, as the device will sell for as low as $250 with an Intel Celeron N4000 dual core processor. I won’t list all detailed Lenovo IdeaPad 330 specifications, since it’s actual a family of laptop with a long list of different models with Intel Celeron N4000/Pentium N5000 Gemini Lake processors, but also more powerful Core i3/i5/i7 processors. The company still provided some key features for the laptop, as they will comes in three anti-glare screen display sizes at 14, 15 and 17″ respectively in HD, HD+ and full HD resolution options. Let’s pick […]

GalliumOS is a Linux Distribution for (Intel) Chromebooks & Chromeboxes

When I wrote about Crostini VM to run Linux apps on Chromebooks last week, I was informed about GalliumOS, described as a fast and lightweight Linux distro for ChromeOS devices – meaning Chromebooks and Chromeboxes – that is based on Xubuntu. Compared to ChromeOS, GalliumOS – and other Linux distributions – provides the ability to run more programs and more flexibility, and GalliumOS is said to deliver improved performance, longer battery life, better touchscreen support, etc.. compared to competing Linux distributions. You can go over the Download page to retrieve an image for your Chromebook or Chromebox, and either replace ChromeOS or go for a dual boot setup. The distribution does not support any Arm Chromebooks for now, and only works with some Intel devices with or without caveats depending on the model used. Check out the hardware compatibility matrix for details. The source code can be found on Github. […]

AAEON GENE-APL7 3.5″ Intel Apollo Lake Board Features Up to 12 COM Ports and 10 USB Slots

If you have an application requiring a relatively powerful – yet low power – and compact platform, and plenty of USB and/or serial ports (COM ports), AAEON GENE-APL7 might just be ideal. The 3.5″ subcompact board is powered by an Intel Pentium N4200 or Celeron N3350 processor with a SO-DIMM slots, some video/display outputs, two USB 2.0 ports, eight USB 2.0 interfaces, and up to 12 COM ports. AAEON GENE-APL7 board specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Pentium N4200 quad core Apollo Lake processor  @ with Intel HD Graphics; 6W TDP Intel Celeron N3350 Apollo Lake processor with Intel HD Graphics; 6W TDP System Memory – 1x DDR3L-1866MHz SODIMM up to 8GB Storage – SATA 3.0 interface, 1x mSATA slot (full size) for SSD Video Output / Display I/F VGA, 2-ch 24-bit LVDS1, optional LVDS2/eDP 12V/2A backlight inverter supply Audio – High Definition Audio Interface, optional 2W Amplified Connectivity […]

KODLIX Mini PC Comes with Celeron N4000/N4100 or Pentium Silver N5000 Gemini Lake Processor, Supports Up to 16GB RAM

Gemini Lake mini PC announcement keep on coming, with the latest from Plater Electronics which showcased their KODLIX Gemini Lake mini PC at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2018. What makes this model interesting is that beside the usual Celeron N4000/N4100 dual/quad core processor, it also offers the most powerful yet less common Pentium Silver N5000, and support for up to 16GB RAM via two SO-DIMM slots despite competitors and motherboards manufacturers claiming a maximum of 8GB on their Gemini Lake hardware, even two memory slots are available. Specifications: SoC Intel Celeron N4000 dual core processor @ 1.10/2.60 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 6W TDP Intel Celeron N4100 quad core processor @  1.10/2.40 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 6W TDP Intel Pentium Silver N5000 quad core processor @ 1.10/2.70 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 605; 6W TDP System Memory – 2x DDR4 or LPDDR4 SO-DIMM slots up to […]

Acer Swift 1 Laptop Gets an Upgrade to Intel Pentium Silver N5000 Gemini Lake Processor

Acer Swift 1 laptop was introduced last year with an Intel Pentium N4200 “Apollo Lake” processor and a 13.3″ display, and it appears the laptop is getting an upgrade to the latest Intel Pentium Silver N5000 Gemini Lake processor and a large 14″ display based on product pages (here and there) recently updated on Acer Germany website. Acer Swift 1 (2018) specifications: SoC – Intel Pentium Silver N5000 quad core processor @ 1.1 GHz  / 2.7 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 605; 6W TDP System Memory – 4GB DDR4 Storage – 256GB SSD, SD card reader Display – 14″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display Video Output – HDMI Connectivity – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi Audio – Built-in microphone, stereo speakers Camera – 1280 x 720 webcam USB – 2x USB 3.0 , 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C Input device – TouchPad, keyboard Battery – 3-Cell […]

Intel Tremont Will Succeed Goldmont Plus Microarchitecture

Goldmont Plus is the microarchitecture found in Gemini Lake processors, and products are just starting to get to market as we’ve seen with our recent Intel June Canyon NUC mini PC review. But we already know the successor of the microarchitecture thanks to a programming document entitled “Intel Architecture Instruction Set Extensions and Future Features Programming Reference” which references “Future Tremont and later” micro-architecture. Here the full list of new instructions listed in the document: CLWB – Force cache line write-back without flush GFNI – Galois Field New Instructions ENCLV – SGX oversubscription instructions Split Lock Detection – detection and cause an exception for split locks CLDEMOTE – Cache line demote instruction Direct store – MOVDIRI and MOVDIR64B User wait – TPAUSE, UMONITOR, UMWAIT That does not give much clue, but Wikichip found a patch submitted to the Linux Kernel mailing list on March 1st, that reveals a bit more: […]

IBASE AGS100/AGS102 Smart IoT Gateway Targets Industrial Control and Factory Automation

IBASE has introduced AGS100 and AGS102 intelligent IoT gateways powered by an Intel Apollo Lake processor, and specifically geared towards industrial control and factory automation applications. AGS100 can be powered by Intel Atom processor E3950/ E3930 with extended operating temperature (-40°C to 70°C), Intel Pentium N4200, and Celeron N3350 processors (-20°C to 60°C), while AGS102 adds support for two RS232 ports and more GPIOs. Specifications: SoC – Intel Atom E3950/E3930 or Pentium N4200/ Celeron N3350 processor System Memory – 1x 4GB DDR3L-1866 SO-DIMM, up to  8GB Storage – 1x mSATA socket (Mini-PCI-E), 1x 2242 M.2 B-Key socket for mSATA SSD Rear Panel External I/O 1x DVI-I + 1x DisplayPort connector 4x USB 3.0 ports 2x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port 3x LED indicators (HDD, WLAN, WWAN) 1x power button with green LED 1x 3-pins DC-in terminal block type for 9-36V DC input 1x Antenna hole for WLAN module AGS102 only – […]

ASRock J5005-ITX Pentium J5005 Motherboard Coming Soon for around $120 and Up

Several products based on Gemini Lake processors have already been announced, and some are already available through pre-orders, but so far, I’ve not seen many retail hardware based on Intel Pentium J5005, the most powerful processor of the family, except for one Intel NUC. ASRock J5005-ITX motherboard brings another option, and while it had been expected for a while, the company has now setup a proper product page, and the motherboard can be seen as “coming soon” for about $120 and up (excluding VAT) on some websites like Alzashop (in Europe) or Kakaku (in Japan). ASRock J5005-ITX motherboard specifications: SoC –  Intel Pentium J5005 quad core processor @ 1.50/2.8 GHz with 18EU Intel UHD Graphics 605 up to 800 MHz; 10W TDP System Memory – 2x DDR4-2400/2133 SO-DIMM slots up to 8GB (2GB per module not supported) Storage 2x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug 2x […]

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