Acer has just launched an upgraded version, the R3610-U9012, of the popular ion-based AspireRevo series for consumers in the U.S.

The AspireRevo R3610-U9012 is an extremely compact, one-liter tiny PC powered by a dual-core Intel Atom 330 processor (as opposed to an Atom 230 in the older version). This is an energy-efficient compact PC packs enough power to serve as an entertainment center and you can attach it to a TV or LCD for additional space savings.  

Connectivity features of the AspireRevo R3610-U9012 include Gigabyte Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n wireless as well as an HDMI port, eSATA port, VGA port, and multi-in-1 digital media card reader. It also comes with HD audio support, a 160GB SATA hard drive and 2GB DDR2 memory.

The Acer AspireRevo R3610-U9012 Nettop is available for a MSRP of $329.99.
 
(source: http://hothardware.com/News/Acer-Unveils-AspireRevo-Nettop/)

NVIDIA's Ion 2 may be available in Q4

According to www.slashgear.com, NVDIA will unveil its Ion 2 chipset before the year's end. The second-generation platform is said to feature much faster graphics, over twice the shaders, a smaller die, and support the Intel-compatible processors such as Atom, together with the VIA Nano.

NVIDIA have confirmed that they plan to launch their second-generation Ion 2 chipset sometime in 2009. The  confirmation is said came from NVIDIA’s head of chipsets.

So it is good news for those who wanted to have a faster Ion-based PC.  

(source: http://www.slashgear.com/nvidia-ion-2-confirmed-for-2009-launch-0959788/)

Lenovo's IdeaCentre Q Series Mini PCs/nettops

 (source: http://shop.lenovo.com/)

Meet the Q Series from Lenovo! If you are tight on space and on a tight budget, why not consider a mini PC? There are 3 models on sale now on Lenovo's website, all are based on the same Atom-ION platform.

Q100. Basic mini PC
The size of a book and just right for email, internet, music and more. They're quiet and consume less energy than standard PCs.

Q110. Premium Full-HD mini PC
As tiny as Q100 with upgraded graphics, more storage and Full hi-def support. Pair with your HD TV for an affordable media PC.

Q700. Compact home theater
Designed to double as your PC, home theater and sound room in a décor-friendly tower about the size of a DVD player.

Akoya Mini E2076D world’s smallest Ion-based HTPC

Acer Aspire Revo has been the world's smallest Atom-ION platform but it will be replaced by the new Akoya Mini E2076D which only measures 173mm high  x 20mm thick. The Akoya is the product of Medion, a German company. According to the source, it will come with 2 GB Ram, 320GB hard drive and bundled with wireless mouse and keyboard. It will be available in September. Due to its ability of HD playback, you may consider this new gadget for your htpc setup. (source: http://www.sunrainet.com/)

eTop-ET2002T as Media PC control panel

(source: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=DPWRF5hdLVP5bqsQ)

If I remember correctly few years back Microsoft actually included a Windows Media Center in the Windows OS for those who wanted to set up their media pc in the living room. The concept was link your pc to your big screen tv and watch your video collection on your tv. At that time, Microsoft advised that a small pc monitor was still needed as a 'control panel' side by side with your big screen tv. However, the concept was not really accepted by the average users as setting up such a system was quite challenging during that time and imagine those pieces of hardware scattered here and there, e.g. pc lcd monitor, cpu chassis, wired keyboard and mouse, cabling etc. And, 'touchscreen' was still considered as something luxury few years back, even MS did not support it.

But what if you have an 'all-in-one' pc with the touchscreen display, cpu and all the necessary components built into a small flat panel which you could call it as a multimedia control panel rather than a pc? Don't you think it would be a good idea for a Windows Media Center setup?

The Asus Eee Top ET2002T is ideal for a Windows Media Center setup. It features a built-in 20-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1,600 x 900 and comes with a Dual Core Atom 330 processor on Ion platform, and of course, it also includes a wireless keyboard and mouse. I don't have to talk much about the Ion platform as I presume you already know it well and its capability of HD content playback.

More ion-based htpc available

More and more PC vendors rush into ION-based platform market. Previously we have Asrock, Acer and Asus, and now iChill N330 ION. It all depends on what you want, Aser's AspireRevo is cute but it does not have a DVD/BD drive, it comes with a 4-in-1 card reader instead. ASRock Ion is nice too but it lacks of an eSATA for your external hard disks. And mind you, most of these ion-based bared-bone platforms do not have the complete components inside, for example, RAMs and Hard Disk may not be included in the package.  

(pic of Asrock black is taken from http://www.hkepc.com/)

On another hand some vendors would just release plain boards for the consumer market, e.g. ASUS AT3N7A-I and INNO 3D iChill N330 ION, both provide eSATA for faster excess to your external hard disk storage.