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By Rich Brown, ZDNet UK on 06 August 2008 02:34 PM
1 2 I haven't seen this machine but your reviewer is puzzled as to why these tiny PCs are attractive. Could I suggest a possible solution, and that's portability.
As a second machine they appear to provide an excellent product to bridge that gap between desktop work environment and out on the road.
Lugging a standard laptop is not always possible, and is getting harder on flights where cabin baggage limits are being tightened.
As a journalist the ability to pack something the size of a novel and take it on the road to me seems great. Basic text, audio and video processing, internet browsing and some connectivity, is all that I need.
Too often the standard laptop packs more than is ever required.
Maybe the tiny PC makers are finally realising there's a demand for computers that fit people's needs and small, simple and easily portable works for me.
I can't wait for the tini PC that also works on standard shop-bought rechargable/disposable batteries so I can stray farther than a power-point to do anything more than coupld of hours work.
This is a silly review, the author completely misses the point of these small PCs, comparing it to a full desktop and a laptop, instead of against its' peers. It's like reviewing a small car against a station wagon, and bashing it for not having enough room.
Also, there are several inaccuracies. 1Gb Atom processor? Perhaps you mean the 1.6GHz Atom processor.
And ExpressGate is not a "pre-Windows" operating system. It's a Linux desktop environment, in development long after bloated old Windows XP has been around, which includes network connectivity and a web browser, and which boots in seconds.
These are appearing on all Asus motherboards as a feature called "SplashTop".
Traditionally, small low-power systems such as this have been difficult to purchase, and have had underpowered CPUs and limited to zero upgrade options. As a tiny PC, the Eee Box is an excellent example, which solves many issues evident in its' predecessors. It's powerful, upgradeable, well-supported, and available at a very reasonable price from many retailers.
The good: Small enough to mount on the back of a monitor, or stash in an unobtrusive place. Almost silent. Powerful enough to run Linux and Windows desktop environments. Upgradeable RAM and hard drive.
The bad: Lack of optical drive. Unable to do 720p video.
Reviewer lacks foresight, I am running a home server on one of these and the silence is golden. Just upgrade to 2Gb Ram and this thing flies.
The good: Green PC, does everything that I wanted it to, also I am enjoying my reclaimed real estate without a huge server that wastes power.
The bad: None
Maybe the reviewer has not considered the possibilities here for a in-car PC?? Mount this in the boot and hook up GPS, blutooth etc through the USB, load mp3's, movies etc via wireless in your garage and watch via touchscreen monitor in the dash with slaves in headrests etc. Why spend $500 on a GPS unit when you can have a PC that does all that and more. You can even hook up a 3G card and browse the net, get Google maps etc in the car using a small wireless keyboard.
The good: Brings the PC to car
The bad: I'll let you know when I've finished doing the above.
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This is clearly in a very niche market segment, which is not oriented towards performance. I would expect to see this mounted to the back of an LCD monitor, where it would provide a good screen size "alternative" to the eeePC in the home or office.
For this reason, I would like to see the comparison charts include an eeePC as well.
The good: Tiny size, great for space restricted locations, office or home.
The bad: Low power means choose carefully soo that you won't be disappointed.