This tiny notebook, measuring a mere 26.5 x 22 x 2.1cm looks quite ordinary on the outside, yet comes with quite an interesting processor inside. The Valeo CP10 is not powered by Intel or AMD, nor even Transmeta, but instead has one of the first VIA Antaur CPUs we've come across.

This notebook CPU, running at 1GHz in the Valeo CP10, is VIA's answer to the Intel Centrino. The Antaur is a low-power .13 micron processor, designed to maximise performance while keeping its power consumption down and therefore extending battery life. Like Intel and AMD CPUs, the Antaur comes with program optimisations (StepAhead), low power consumption (CoolStream) and extended battery life (PowerSaver 2.0). One interesting aspect of the CPU is that it has the first on-die random number generator (RNG) for use in encryption and security (PadLock).

So how does this CPU perform? Unfortunately, we were unable after many trials to coax a SYSmark2002 score from the Valeo. Whether this is due to the new architecture or the vagaries of SYSmark202 itself, we're not sure, but we were able to get a very mediocre 3Dmark2001 SE score from it, which puts the Valeo in its place: it's a notebook for work, not leisure.

This is further hammered home by the Valeo's awesome BatteryMark score of four hours and 16 minutes. This was tested with a second battery installed (an optional $275 extra), which although it adds a little thickness to the unit it also stacks on some extra time.
The Valeo CP10 comes with a 12.1in TFT and 40GB HD, but no optical drive. A DVD/CD-RW Combo drive is available from QDI for a further $245, and we'd certainly recommend this option if you're buying. Aside from this, the notebook comes with the basics you'd need on the road (two USB 2.0 ports, a single FireWire port, 10/100 Ethernet and built-in 802.11g wireless connectivity). It's a small, unassuming model but it comes at quite an attractive price point. However we'd recommend springing for the second battery and the DVD/CD-RW Combo drive.