ViewSonic takes on Acer with Revo beater

Launches the pc mini VOT132 with dual core Atom, Nvidia ION

23 July 2009 17:04 GMT / By Lars-Göran Nilsson

Despite ViewSonic’s inability to come up with a catchy name, we’re sure that the pc mini VOT132 has a good chance of popularity, as it is what a lot of people were hoping that the Acer Aspire Revo was going to be. The design might not be quite as eye catching, but ViewSonic has at least one unique selling feature up its sleeve that we’ll get to in a minute.

The pc mini VOT132 not only features the Nvidia ION chipset that has at least gained a lot of hype lately and which is featured in the Acer Aspire Revo, but it also has the dual core Atom 330 processor. The processor alone is likely to make this a popular system, as the Acer Aspire Revo only comes with the single core version.

ViewSonic actually launched two models, as there’s a more affordable SKU called the VOT130 that drops the Nvidia ION chipset and goes for the mobile Atom N270 processor over the dual core Atom 330. However, we can’t see most people opting for the cheaper model, as it lacks some of the functionality that makes the VOT132, despite its lower price point.

The VOT132 comes with 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, built in Wi-Fi, six USB 2.0 ports and a memory card reader. More importantly it has both DVI and HDMI as well as optical digital audio in and out, which makes this an ideal home theatre pc, taking its diminutive size into account. The VOT130 only comes with 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive and Wi-Fi. It also lacks the HDMI port, but retains the rest of the connectivity options.

Both models measure 24 x 190 x 135mm, but the optional DVD drive will increase the width of the system, as ViewSonic has come up with a clever solution which attaches the external USB 2.0 DVD drive to the main system unit with magnets. This makes the system look similar to a Nintendo Wii when placed vertically in the supplied stand.

Price wise you’re looking at about £200 for the VOT130, while the VOT132 will set you back £310. It’s quite a steep price difference, but you also get a lot more features for your money and a much faster system. At this moment in time we don’t know if both models will launch in Europe, but we would expect to see the VOT132 launching before the end of the year in both the UK and the rest of Europe.