Our brethren over at
Engadget Chinese just went hands-on with the
Via NanoBook at Computex. Better yet, they seem to have unearthed the other, US-bound OEM:
FIC (First International Computer) as it's known in Taiwan, or
Everex as we know 'em Stateside. Makes sense given Everex's penchant for VIA C7-M procs in their
StepNote series of laptops. The FIC CE260 they played with even had a prototype Skype-phone module in place of that oddball world clock insert
seen previously. Also new is a date: they were told to expect the unit to show up in China and Europe (presumably under the Packard Bell branding) sometime in August. Engadget Chinese has tons of pics and first-hand impressions so be sure to click the "read" link below for a quick trip across the Pacific.
posted Jun 7th 2007 8:33AM
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I think they'll sell a tone of these in places like Target and Wal-Mart if priced around $400 with Vista basic.
I'd buy a few myself... The Skype phone inclusion is a great idea!
When will you people learn? Nobody, and I mean _nobody_ uses Skype. Anyone who gets a call from "123-456-7890" will _most certainly_ not answer.
This device is useless, go get a full on cheap laptop.
Like the Chinese article implied, the trackpad looks worthless. I'm not terribly opposed to hauling a Bluetooth mouse with me, mind you, but I pity the day I just want to do something fast on it without hauling out a mouse. It happens with my current laptop sometimes, and it's not really a barrel of fun even with a reasonable trackpad. Get a nub in there, guys!
Of course, it also has a touchscreen, which makes up for some of that.
And, yeah, the phone kicks ass. There are a lot of nice little modules they could make for that thing - hell, maybe they'll sell the notebook cheap, and try to increase the margin on the modules. I could go for that. Vista SideShow module with 1gb of ReadyBoost onboard, anyone?
I dig the modules!
Skype phone? Hell yeah!
I thought one of them looked like a wireless weather receiver of some kind, which would also be awesome if you're into that stuff which I am.
Be smart and let folks create their own modules for custom apps and you might have something there.
I know Everex through their XT5000T laptop which is a great value and all, but other than that I don't know if they can catch the general consumer's eye
[quote]When will you people learn? Nobody, and I mean _nobody_ uses Skype. Anyone who gets a call from "123-456-7890" will _most certainly_ not answer.[/quote]
When you mean nobody, do you mean the thousands of people all around the world? In Asia alone there are thousands of people who are using Skype. Please verify your sources before spouting nonsense. I would love to have a UMPC with built in Skype phone. I travel a lot and almost every hotel these days has Wifi access. Great to phone home instead of using my expensive mobile.
I like this design. I hope they make a module
keypad that we can plug in for number crunching.