Netbooks: Asus EEE, Acer Aspire, Dell Inspiron 9, MSI Wind etc

[FridgeMagnet]

It's certainly not a PDA replacement - for a start, it's got no PIM software. (Well, it does, but it doesn't push it in the basic mode; there's all sorts of software that isn't listed in the big-button menus.) And anything that takes a minute to boot really isn't even trying to compete.

On the other hand, I was editing source code and committing it with SVN this evening, in between doing mindmaps on FreeMind, looking things up on the net etc. One can actually do proper work on it in a way that you really couldn't with a PDA, or at least it would be a pain. I wouldn't want to do that sort of thing on my TX, and with this, you have all the Linux apps to pick from too.

It's only a replacement for a PDA if you spend most of your time typing on it and wishing you had a laptop that was small enough and could boot that quickly. In that case you'd do well with it. But if you mostly manage contacts and to-dos and stuff and only occasionally do other things, it won't solve your problems.

It's a fantastic gadget mind you either way, and I can't think of a better alternative if I wanted to carry something around that I could just pull out and do a bit of writing on any time I felt like it. I shall certainly be carrying it around, because that's the sort of thing I _do_ want.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Does it have decent suspend and wake? A minute from cold is not too shabby, but what's it like if you're just closing and opening the lid?

It's fairly instant if you're just waking it. Takes about five seconds to restore the desktop, a bit more to rejoin a wifi network (15, 20 or so).

 

[FridgeMagnet]

What's it like from hibernation?

There's no straight "hibernation" mode as such, but you can put it on "standby" which is just like closing the lid, as above.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

There's no straight "hibernation" mode as such, but you can put it on "standby" which is just like closing the lid, as above.

Sorry, that's what I meant.

 

[editor]

The Foleo rip off has been reviewed here:
http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13665

Here's how it works. You're using your smartphone to, for example, check your email. A message comes in with a large Excel spreadsheet attached, and you quickly find that scrolling around all the columns and rows is frustrating on a 2.8-inch, QVGA display. So you open up the Redfly Mobile Companion and plug your smartphone in. In a couple of seconds, the spreadsheet is displayed on the larger device's 8-inch, WVGA (800 by 480 pixel) screen. There's no synchronizing or re-downloading the message; you are exactly where you were on the smartphone.

It offers a very similar functionality to the Foleo (even the name is similar: Celio!), instant on, full integration between mobile/laptop, trackpad, USB 2.0, video out and a claimed, not-to-be-sniffed at 8 hours battery life.

The bad news is that it's priced at $500, WM only, has no speakers and it's a fair bit bulkier than the Foleo.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

It looks more like basically an external screen and an external keyboard for the smartphone than the Foleo did (which iirc had a fair amount of its own software). Which is not a bad idea. I mean, a smartphone can do quite a bit with an external keyboard, why not give it an external screen too?

That $500 is going to put people off though. I can't see that the business market is really going to go for that. There's the argument from TCO of smartphone + Celio vs laptop in that review, but the thing is, every company that equips people with mobile devices to go on the road with has to give them laptops _anyway_.

Until smartphones basically become powerful enough to be little "base computer" units, that you can plug into a docking station of whatever size you like - your desktop, something like this etc - and I think that will happen - I don't think this sort of thing is going to take off outside of the hardcore gadget market. At the moment they're best used for connectivity rather than as actual processors.

For that matter I don't think the Eee is going to take off in the business market either - for freelancers and so on it's great, not for corporations - but they're not concentrating on that, which is sensible of them. Apparently it's being pushed heavily in education.

 

[editor]

I can see the attraction in the corporate world for Foleo-type devices running a limited range of business-focussed programs with little chance of being hit with viruses or people installing dodgy, machine-wobbling programs.

If I was running a business that involved people being sent out on the road (like that's going to happen!), I really could see the appeal of equipping reps with cheap, reliable, simple phone companion laptops with long-life batteries loaded with just the software for the job.

But $500 is way too much, even if the support and training costs would be massively lower than a 'proper' laptop.

 

[jæd]

On the other hand, I was editing source code and committing it with SVN this evening, in between doing mindmaps on FreeMind, looking things up on the net etc. One can actually do proper work on it in a way that you really couldn't with a PDA, or at least it would be a pain. I wouldn't want to do that sort of thing on my TX, and with this, you have all the Linux apps to pick from too.

You can install Ubuntu onto a Sony TX... I looked into a while back and it seemed fairly do-able...

 

[editor]

He means his Palm TX.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Wasn't the Foleo $500?

 

[Crispy]

$600, without the mailin rebate. http://treo.about.com/od/treomodels/a/mobilecomputing_4.htm

 

[editor]

Wasn't the Foleo $500?

After the rebate, yes, and I think that it was over priced too, although it seems a more polished effort than the Celio.

If that had converted to £250, then I might have been tempted a few months ago, but after the Eee, £200-£220 would be my limit for such a 'companion' device.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

That's the thing - whether or not you want one, it's still been "game-changing", in that every ultraportable or similar device is going to be compared to it. From now on, people are going to be saying "so what does your gadget offer me over an Eee?"

There's been this weird situation whereby the smaller the laptop, the greater the price, even if there was clearly a market for something based on the size which didn't need some sort of 1600x1280 7" screen and full-scale processor. "Compact" doesn't have to mean "overpowered and stupidly priced".

I might draw a comparison to the iPhone. I have no intention of getting one, but it was a kick up the arse for phone manufacturers in terms of UI, which they definitely needed. Probably they still need a few more kicks now, admittedly.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Good post FM, pretty much agree with all of that. Have noticed PC World have started selling pretty cheap but small laptops now too. Speaks volumes if you ask me...

 

[editor]

Oh hold on: that Celio thing hasn't got wi-fi! Rubbish!

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Oh hold on: that Celio thing hasn't got wi-fi! Rubbish!

That's bit of a stupid move...

 

[editor]

That's bit of a stupid move...

I'm researching it now for an article and it gets worse: there's no built in memory/memory slot, there's no speakers, and it's a totally dumb terminal that can't run any apps on its own.

The only thing you get is what's on your phone - so if you play a movie it appears in a tiny square on the screen and the only way to get a decent speed is to use a USB cable.

Fuck me, the Foelo was like a power machine compared to this thing!

 

[Jonti]

... back to the Asus, when I ordered one before Xmas the delivery date was notified as 11th Jan. Then, on the 13th Jan I got an email telling me the new delivery date would be 4th Feb.

I wonder, what did they do with the stock that was scheduled to be available a few days back?

 

[rhod]

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Sell it to me apparently

I got the 2 gig one. I understand that there's a bit of a run on the 4 gig ones, if that's what you ordered. There were plenty of 2Gs on ebuyer - there was one 4G, which went by the time I'd sorted out my credit card address.

 

[untethered]

Sell it to me apparently

I got the 2 gig one. I understand that there's a bit of a run on the 4 gig ones, if that's what you ordered. There were plenty of 2Gs on ebuyer - there was one 4G, which went by the time I'd sorted out my credit card address.

Does anyone know when the 8GB ones will be available in the UK? I know you can use SDHC cards but it'd be nice to have a bit more space on the internal SSD.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I'm researching it now for an article and it gets worse: there's no built in memory/memory slot, there's no speakers, and it's a totally dumb terminal that can't run any apps on its own.

The only thing you get is what's on your phone - so if you play a movie it appears in a tiny square on the screen and the only way to get a decent speed is to use a USB cable.

Fuck me, the Foelo was like a power machine compared to this thing!

Yes, it's just a plugin screen and keyboard really. Could just get an external keyboard, and a Fresnel lens like the ones they had in Brazil.

 

[Crispy]

Bring on the roll-up e-ink displays.

 

[untethered]

Bring on the roll-up e-ink displays.

I like the e-ink storage meter on these USB flash drives:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132057

A very simple idea but a very convenient one.

 

[Crispy]

neat

Want! (but a bit bigger?)

 

[Kid_Eternity]

advert removed

http://www.apple.com/

 

[Crispy]

Don't take the piss. Smells like spam at this range.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Oh, I'd just like to point out something that the Eee is damn good as - a portable games machine.

No, really. You can play all of the old DOS, ST, Amiga etc games that you simply can't play on a DS or other portable device because there's no keyboard, and installing DOSBox and downloading the games is incredibly easy ("sudo apt-get install dosbox", www.the-underdogs.info ). I was up until 3 this morning playing Dungeon Master on DOSBox, for instance - well, I never finished it the first time round. Plus, it will run fairly undemanding games quite well natively. I have heard of people playing Counterstrike with it for instance (and when I showed it to my friend in the pub this evening, she spent about an hour playing FrozenBubble).

 

[editor]

I think I'm going to wait for the next round of Eees with the bigger screen and see what similar products come out from their competitors in the next few months.

I'm feeling the love for the concept though - it's the nearest I'll get to my Foleo, goddamit!

 

[Firky]

ebuyer has them for £179... tempted.