Everex targets Eee PC with higher spec mini laptop at same price
Mini PC launched too
CES Everex, the US-based PC selling division of Taiwan's First International Computer (FIC), this week took the fight to Asus' popular Eee PC sub-notebook. It also launched a desktop-oriented mini PC.
Dubbed the CloudBook CE1200V, the compact laptop will be instantly familiar to anyone who's seen Packard Bell's EasyNote XS20 or Belinea's s.book. All three are based on a referenced design developed by chip maker VIA to promote its low-power C7-M processor.
Everex's CloudBook: aka Packard Bell EasyNote XS20, aka Belinea s.book
Everex's release has a 1.2GHz C7-M, 512MB of 533MHz DDR 2 memory and a 30GB hard drive. The CloudBook has the same 7in, 800 x 480 display as the other VIA machines and, indeed, the Eee PC.
Like the Eee, the CloudBook runs a Linux-based operating system, this one called gOS, in its version 2.0 'Rocket' release.
gOS also forms the basis for the Everex's gPC mini, but this tiny 172 x 226 x 42mm desktop is based on Intel chippery: a 1.86GHz Pentium Dual-Core T2130 and the 945GM chipset. It has 512MB of 667MHz DDR 2 and a 120GB hard drive on board. Unlike the CloudBook, the gPC mini has an optical drive, a DVD writer.
Everex's gPC mini
The CloudBook is due to go on sale in the US on 25 January for $399 – the same price most retailers are asking for the Eee PC with just 4GB of storage. With the CloudBook's faster processor and bigger storage capacity, that's going to put pressure on Asus to up its specification. The CloudBook will be sold by Walmart.com.
This week, Asus said it plans to increase the Eee's screen size - hopefully, it'll increase the processor, memory and storage capacity too.
There's no word yet on gPC mini availability.
COMMENTS
UMPC : The Return of the Psion 5MX
It struck me that all these three meachines look very familiar. And that is becuase I still [still!!] use my Psion 5X. A month of a pair of Double A's, touch screen, expandable memory port, infrared.
Ok, so it is pretty poor at doing 'on line stuff', but as far as I can see, that is about the only draw back of this amazing device.
All four devices [the three UMPC's and the 5MX] can synch with email clients, al synch with calendar clients, all play games, they all open MS Docs [although the MX does not supoort ODF : Ten years too early i sorry to say !!].
The 5MX is still the best PDA I know. UMPC's are, after all, just PDA's surely............?
P.
it doesn't matter
If the rumors are true, Jobs is going to reduce them both to irrelevancy at the upcoming Mac Expo with their new UMPC - half a mm thin, touch screen, 10ghz core 2 duo... i do love the rumors.
@Tim Parker
Wow, that'll learn me to research before making that sort of comment.
The dream roadwarrior machine has finally arrived
What most reviewers are missing is that the Laptop has hardware AES accelaration. As a result it can deliver 50Mbit plus AES with virtually 0 CPU load. It is the dream road warrior machine for any shop with a good VPN setup.
Battery?
It's Eee uselessness all over again.
If it wants to be a pick up and go mobile device, it needs to have lots of battery life (at least 6 hours, preferably 10).
If, on the other hand, if it's a cheap laptop, the screen resolution is *far* too small. Absolute minimum of 600 vertical pixels, please.
