*Part 2 - Asustek’s and it’s deadly incarnations*

Was at Sim Lim square, a popular hardware mall in singapore, when i saw those cheap UMPCs sprouting out from those shops.

Part of me was shock(i think it’s too long since i have the time to go out), as i only remembered the highly popular Asus Eee laptop being this cheap. Anyway being kind of curious i went to do some search on this genre of PCs.

First up is of course the Asus Eee PC.
The first ever version release was only a 7″ one, kinda small, but fits the purposes of the 3 Es, Esay to Learn, Easy to Work, Easy to Play.(kinda catchy slogan). See the SPECIFICATIONS of the Eee PCs here.(just scroll down)

Under the Asus Eee concept, the latest and most interesting PCs to come out is the Asus Eee PC 900 which “features a larger 8.9-inch screen with 1024×600 resolution, 1GB RAM and up to 12GB storage. Other than this, and a larger touchpad”. Videos of a comparison below.

Next up is Norhtec Gecko.

It features “a Via C7M ULV CPU clocked at 1Ghz, the Gecko is said to include an optional PATA hard disk and integrated media acceleration. The Gecko has a full keyboard and appears to have a 7-inch display”.

We have MSI Wind laptop next, dubbed to be an Eee Killer.

It “feature an 8- or 10-inch, 1024 x 768 display, utilize Intel’s Atom CPU, will make 2.5-inch hard drive and SSD options available for storage, and will come with 1GB of RAM standard. The mini-laptops are set to range in price from £299 to £699 depending on configuration, feature 1GHz or 1.6GHz CPUs, and should first be available with a Linux build installed”. I think this is more worth the bucks, though it is still in pre-production stage.

The Sungjut TangoX has to be one of the better looking ones.

It differentiate from the others by offering “Integrated, Detachable Skype Phone“, which i think is the future of communication apart from our present telecoms controlled networks.
It features “a VIA CPU C7-M ULV at 1.2GHz, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 40 or 80GB of HDD, HD Audio, a 7” WVGA (800×480) touch screen, a 4 in 1 Card reader, Ethernet Port and Wifi ABG, USB 2.0 (2 port), DVI… And internal Skype/VoIP phone that can be removed anytime from the computer’s body”.

Kojinsha E8 is yet another Asus Eee competitor. Let’s see if it matches up to the Eee.

It features “Windows XP, has an AMD Geode LX800 CPU under the hood along with a 40GB hard drive, and its seven inch screen has 1024 x 600-pixel resolution. It’s also got stereo speakers, a single USB port, memory card slot (we don’t know what sort) and apparently 3.5 hours of battery life”. available on February 29th for USD$600.

This is the one i am most interested in getting. The HP UMPC 2133.

The “Wi-Fi-enabled HP Compaq 2133 supposedly comes with an 8.9-inch 1,366 x 766 “scratch-resistant” display, ExpressCard/54 slot, integrated webcam, optional solid state flash drive and two-buttons-apart trackpad”. And it weighs about 2.5 pounds. Hopefully more news on it will be out soon. Sadly, still a Pre-Production device.

This one isn’t that interesting, but will be featured anyway. Pioneer Dreambook Light IL1.
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It costs USD$446. It has 3 versions, with one touchscreen version, Dreambook Light CE26, which feature “a 7-inch touchscreen display, 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor, maximum 1GB memory and storage capacities similar to the IL1. The base model will be priced at $699″.

This recent new model has VERY good specs, but too small a screen though. The Gigabyte M700.

It does looks like it has a sliding keyboard. The specs are good, check out the link and be awed.

HTC Advantage X7510. BIG memory space. This looks more like a PDA though, using Windows Mobile and only a 5″ screen. However, it is interesting enough to be featured.

This laptop next is probably not for your use, but aimed at developing countries where computers are rare commodities. But not with this new PC, OLPC XO-1, which costs only USD$100. It is developed by One Laptop Per Child, a non-profit organization. It is such organization that makes our earth a better place to live in.

Please though, if u have spare money and is willing to give, do support their donation programme.

Before we end, This is an interesting one, the smallest PC in the world, Mtube.(see the picture, it’s stunning).

Processor: VIA C7-M @ 1.0 GHz
Storage: 8 GB Flash
Display: 2.8″ LCD
Resolution: 640 x 480
Dimensions: 8.5 cm x 8.5 cm x 2 cm
Weight: 150 g
Battery Life: 4 hours
Connectivity: WiMAX & WiFi
Video Codecs: H.264, WMV, RMVB, MOV, FLV, DIVX
REALLY interesting. probably a new kind of gadget in the future when everything gets smaller but better?

Longest post to date, but will be a reference for me when i get’s a laptop.(which i prefer a cheap one) Do share with us if you find out any laptops in such a genre, drop us a comment.

What’s your choice if u were to buy such a laptop?