Friday, July 04, 2008 Ng: Cool netbooks By Wilson Ng Wired Desktop
I HAVE been playing around with two cool netbooks —a new category of notebooks that promises to be lighter and cheaper.
Based on feedback, netbooks have not only revolutionize the way we play, they have also attracted a whole new batch of enthusiastic users, thereby increasing the market significantly and broadening ownership.
The first is the second version of the Asus Eee PC, which was one of the first bestsellers that launched it all. The Asus Eee PC 900 is a new version that still promises to be less than one kilogram. It is of the same size as the earlier version, but is slightly more expensive and has more features.
It also has upgraded specs. Instead of the 512 MB RAM, the Eee PC 900 has 1 GB (gigabyte). It also has a 8.9 inch screen (the earlier version was only 7.9 inches), and a higher resolution (1.3 megapixels) webcam.
Due to the bigger screen, the Eee PC 900’s resolution can be 1024x600 (from the previous 800x400).
Most welcome change is the bigger storage–the Linux xandros version has a 20 gigabyte solid state hard disk, and the Windows XP version has a 12 gigabyte hard disk. Both versions are sold at the same price, which is roughly about P22,500 to P24,000 in most stores.
I was able to get the Linux version, which still has the same interface and mostly the same software as the earlier Asus Eee PC, but I prefer to run Windows because of some applications. Moreover, I wanted to install the PLDT WeRoam HSDPA software so that I can surf anywhere. I still could not make heads or tails on how to install it and some other programs in the Linux version.
Since the Windows version has a smaller hard disk, one can buy the Linux version and install Windows XP on your own. This is what I did, and it was easy and simple.
The other netbook is the HP 2133 Mini-Note. While Eee PC is always thought to be lightweight and also great in value, the HP 2133 Mini-Note is a utility notebook.
If you want something cool and slick, that’s the Mini-Note. It has an all aluminum case and is surprisingly light. It has the same screen size as the Asus EEE PC 900 (8.9 inches), but it has higher resolution of 1280x768. The weight is approximately about 1.2 kilograms, and with its slightly larger size, it has an almost full-size QWERTY keyboard. It is powered by a Via C7-M processor.
There are three models that I know of (the cheapest runs SuSe Linux, and is cheaper–about P24,950). The other two models run Windows Vista and are more expensive not only because of the OS, but because they have faster processors, bigger memory and bigger hard disks.
I like the HP because it obviously does not look cheap and the full size keyboard is really for heavy typists. The higher resolution screen is also a lot better.
A new development that I recently observed in Notebook computers is a ExpressCard/54 slot. It’s a great notebook at a low price and yet nothing on the computer looks or feels cheap. The only thing I am not so sure about is the use of the Via Processor, which is new. However, from the reviews I read, it is 100 percent compatible and will run all applications.
Moreover, benchmark shows that the speed is acceptable, although not blazingly fast and comparable to most processors at that clockspeed.
It looks like the public agrees. For weeks now, I have been bombarded with calls from people who want to reserve or take a look at it. You will see it at the Comddap 2008 expo, which started yesterday and will run until Saturday at the SM Cebu City Trade Hall.
