So, you wanted a cheap notebook?

[Don McKenzie]

I don't think a new UMPC gets much cheaper than this:
http://www.alibaba.com/sellinglead-gs/206540398/Sell_Super_Deal_UMPC_computer.html
MOQ 100, Linux, and 128Mb ram, but still very useful, yes?

Cheers Don...


--
Don McKenzie

Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap
E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/email

Intelligent 2.83" AMOLED with touch screen for micros:
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/product.php?productid=16699

 

[David L. Jones]

I don't think a new UMPC gets much cheaper than this:http://www.alibaba.com/sellinglead-gs/206540398/Sell_Super_Deal_UMPC_...
MOQ 100, Linux, and 128Mb ram, but still very useful, yes?

Yikes, that's cheap.
And how many recharges will the battery last before going tits-up I
wonder?

Dave.

 

[[email protected]]

I don't think a new UMPC gets much cheaper than this:http://www.alibaba.com/sellinglead-gs/206540398/Sell_Super_Deal_UMPC_...
MOQ 100, Linux, and 128Mb ram, but still very useful, yes?

For the more risk-averse, the EeePC now has close to 6 months of
marketplace exposure under its belt,
and while twice the price, is substantially faster and with more
memory.

And yes, you actually can type on one normally after about a week of
ownership.

I would expect we'll be seeing many more machines in this size
category over the next year - now that the technology is there, a
functional subnotebook that's cheap enough not to worry too much about
just makes too much sense not to happen.

And yes, it works great with a USB-serial adapter for maintaining
equipment.

 

[larwe]

For the more risk-averse, the EeePC now has close to 6 months of
marketplace exposure under its belt,

What I find amusing is that the UMPC Don linked to is sold, retail,
with a brand name on it at EXACTLY THE SAME PRICE ($400) as the EEE
4G

 

[larwe]

I am looking at my Asus Eee right now and it doesn't have the same
mousepad, keyboard layout, indicator lights, hinge, or screen.

I did not say the Asus EEE is the UMPC to which Don linked. I said the
400MHz XBurst UMPC - same hardware - is sold, or at least offered, at
$400. It was mentioned in one of the "also with the same tag" links on
Engadget quite recently. It has a higher memory configuration but it's
the same machine.

 

[larwe]

Only if by "amusing" you mean "not true."

.... and here is the exact link: <http://blog.laptopmag.com/3k-
razorbook-400-mini-notebook-pc-just-a-knock-off>

Buy 100pcs at $150 from alibaba, or 1pc at $399

 

[[email protected]]

... and here is the exact link: <http://blog.laptopmag.com/3k-
razorbook-400-mini-notebook-pc-just-a-knock-off>

Notice the comments on the end where someone speculates that it's an
ARM processor, and then another says its MIPS. At any rate,
apparently not an x86. Which is not the end of the road, but it is
somewhat nice that regular Debian binary packages will often run on
the EeePC, though customizing them is sometimes an improvement.

 

[larwe]

Note to self: next time, smoke the crack *after* posting...

In the drug binge of life, some of us are the mirrors, some of us
are the razor blades...

 

[The Real Andy]

What I find amusing is that the UMPC Don linked to is sold, retail,
with a brand name on it at EXACTLY THE SAME PRICE ($400) as the EEE
4G

I have seen laptops for sale recently that cost just AUD100 more than
the Eee. Acer with 2g celeron, 1g ram 80g HDD, vista home basic ->
$499 AU. Shits over the Eee.

 

[larwe]

I have seen laptops for sale recently that cost just AUD100 more than
the Eee. Acer with 2g celeron, 1g ram 80g HDD, vista home basic ->
$499 AU. Shits over the Eee.

But does not fit in a large pocket, which is the point of the Eee.
They're not in the same marketplace as a basic laptop - they are
ultraportable.

 

[Don McKenzie]

Is the follow-up model with the decent sized (active) screen area available yet?

Yes, been available for some time:
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewforum.php?id=50

now that I have 3 of the smaller ones, and they suit my needs fine, I
don't see me upgrading.

Cheers Don...



--
Don McKenzie

Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap
E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/email

Intelligent 2.83" AMOLED with touch screen for micros:
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/product.php?productid=16699

 

[Joerg]

What I find amusing is that the UMPC Don linked to is sold, retail,
with a brand name on it at EXACTLY THE SAME PRICE ($400) as the EEE
4G

And for $399 you can often get a real laptop at Dell when they are on
sale. The battery lifetime of those micro laptops doesn't convince me
either because it still does not even come close to what Compaq
engineers achieved in the early 90's. Over 5hrs on ordinary old-tech
NiCd was not a problem back then. Real progress isn't always happening :-(

Anyhow, I believe the EeePC or whatever will only become a success if
they show up at Walmart at a decent price, decent meaning substantially
lower than the cheapest Dell laptop. Else people will just keep buying
Dell laptops.

 

[larwe]

Anyhow, I believe the EeePC or whatever will only become a success if
they show up at Walmart at a decent price, decent meaning substantially

You talk about it like it's something that might happen - well, it
already has happened.

The Eee does not compete with budget laptops, it is in the
ultraportable niche. Its only real overlap with mainstream laptops is
with ultrasmall offerings like the MacBook Air, ThinkPad X series,
Sony ultra-small Vaio, etc. Those machines are typically in the >$1500
price bracket. Certainly you will not find one for under 2x the Eee's
price.

Simply the large number of essentially identical competing products
coming on the market (keep reading engadget.com and you'll see a new
one announced every few weeks) indicates that this niche is already
something of a success.

 

[Joerg]

You talk about it like it's something that might happen - well, it
already has happened.

Well, not out here. The mobile computing platforms I see are 90%+ Dell,
then some Sony, Toshiba, IBM/Lenovo or the occasional ruggedized laptop
such as my Durabook (but those are very rare).

The Eee does not compete with budget laptops, it is in the
ultraportable niche. Its only real overlap with mainstream laptops is
with ultrasmall offerings like the MacBook Air, ThinkPad X series,
Sony ultra-small Vaio, etc. Those machines are typically in the >$1500
price bracket. Certainly you will not find one for under 2x the Eee's
price.

That high price is why they aren't more popular. Hopefully the Eee will
make a dent here but it would have to be available at local stores. And
the popular apps must run on it. For some people that would be stuff
like TurboTax, for me it's CAD.

Simply the large number of essentially identical competing products
coming on the market (keep reading engadget.com and you'll see a new
one announced every few weeks) indicates that this niche is already
something of a success.

I never had a doubt that ultra-portable has a market. Remember the
Contura Aero? It was a success but could have been a much bigger one if
marketed right. To me (and a lot of others) one key is battery runtime.
The usual 2-4hrs simply don't cut it. If they can't get there anymore
(the engineers in the 980's could ...) then the only alternative is to
use standard rechargeables and that would be AA.

 

[[email protected]]

That high price is why they aren't more popular. Hopefully the Eee will
make a dent here but it would have to be available at local stores. And
the popular apps must run on it. For some people that would be stuff
like TurboTax, for me it's CAD.

On a 7" screen you want to run CAD?

That's not the kind of application this machine is intended for.

Think of it as an ultraportable _terminal_ that happens to be able to
browse the web in a pinch, edit and compile code, read newsgroups,
etc.

In actuality, I use mine as my main machine outside of work hours.
But I do have a desktop available at home, I just rarely bother to
turn it on.

 

[[email protected]]

But it's needed for that. After the Compaq Aero was discontinued there
came a huge void.

There are subnotebooks with better resolution and more computing
horsepower on the market, they just cost $2k and up.

EeePC costs $399. It's not intended to do the job of the more
expensive ultraportables. But it's great for people like me who
want a computer they can carry and can afford to carry, but don't have
the "I must have a full engineering workstation on my knee"
justification to buy one of those pricey toys from Dynamism.

Nor is it intended to do the job of a dirt-cheap 6lb notebook. I'm
actually thinking of buying one of those for the times I want
a bigger screen and an optical drive. But most of the time, what I
want is something tiny enough that I'll have it with me when
I unexpectedly need it.

 

[Joerg]

There are subnotebooks with better resolution and more computing
horsepower on the market, they just cost $2k and up.

As long as they slurp up a battery in under 5hrs those ain't worth $2k+
for me.

EeePC costs $399. It's not intended to do the job of the more
expensive ultraportables. But it's great for people like me who
want a computer they can carry and can afford to carry, but don't have
the "I must have a full engineering workstation on my knee"
justification to buy one of those pricey toys from Dynamism.

However, in the early 90's we had exactly that. The Compaq Contura Aero
was ultraportable, could do the usual EE software back then, had an
incredible battery runtime and was lower in cost than a full laptop. But
3-1/2" disks were the only storage media and it needed a separate drive
for that, people like me would trust hard drive for good reason (lost
three), and that's IMHO what kept it from becoming a huge success.

Nor is it intended to do the job of a dirt-cheap 6lb notebook. I'm
actually thinking of buying one of those for the times I want
a bigger screen and an optical drive. But most of the time, what I
want is something tiny enough that I'll have it with me when
I unexpectedly need it.

It only would have to run simple CAD such as schematic entry, simple
mechanical, LTSpice or suites such as IAR or Keil. And nobody would
expect it to be a rocket there, more like a Leatherman tool.

 

[Martin Griffith]

And for $399 you can often get a real laptop at Dell when they are on
sale. The battery lifetime of those micro laptops doesn't convince me
either because it still does not even come close to what Compaq
engineers achieved in the early 90's. Over 5hrs on ordinary old-tech
NiCd was not a problem back then. Real progress isn't always happening :-(

Anyhow, I believe the EeePC or whatever will only become a success if
they show up at Walmart at a decent price, decent meaning substantially
lower than the cheapest Dell laptop. Else people will just keep buying
Dell laptops.

A bit OT, but this is funny

martin

 

[Joerg]

A bit OT, but this is funny

Can't watch it. What are you guys using for viewing that is safe (no
malware etc.)? Tried VLC but that won't work with Youtube. Got to get
some speakers for this office PC, too.

 

[Ian]

Can't watch it. What are you guys using for viewing that is safe (no
malware etc.)? Tried VLC but that won't work with Youtube. Got to get
some speakers for this office PC, too.

I download first with clive: http://home.gna.org/clive/
Then VLC or mplayer...


Ian