NVIDIA ION platform

NVIDIA says the first computers based on the company’s ION platform should begin shipping in the second quarter of 2009. For anyone who’s keeping track, Q2 started yesterday.

The ION platform bundles an Intel Atom processor with an NVIDIA graphics processor to enable higher quality graphics and video performance. ION powered systems can playback 1080p video or let you play newer video games including Spore and Call of Duty 4. NVIDIA even claims that ION graphics processors will help Photoshop run smoothly on netbooks and nettops. As a general rule, Photoshop is one of those apps that most people will tell you not to bother running on a netbook.

It’s likely that we’re going to see nettop (tiny desktop) computers like the Acer Hornet first, followed by netbooks (tiny laptops) down the road.

via Engadget