Everex's Cloudbook coming to Wal-Mart by month's end
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Jan 9th 2008 11:30AM
posted Jan 9th 2008 11:30AM
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Ok, Jan 25th has come and gone. Still can't find any mention on Walmart.com and sales personnel at Walmart have no clue.
If Win2K drivers are available (highly unlikely), consider it sold.
(But even with it's stock debian linux it's gonna be mighty hard to say no...)
I think I'm sold. I was holding out for the updated eee pc but I like these better.
I agree. My birthday is around that time too so I might treat myself to this. Just the larger HDD and the batt life is enough for me :). I also am tired of carrying my very heavy PowerBook 15" around.
The only thing is that I don't know how I will like/hate the screen. I want to definitely put a digitizer on it :)
JAmerican
uhh where's the mouse/trackpad?
something on the right side of the screen tells me thats the track ball.
anyways, how big is the screen size.
and why the hell do we need 30 gig for? do they expect us to download porn using this laptop?
If you look at the cousin of this thing that Engadget linked to you can see a tiny tiny touchpad. Really, the round zoom touchpad on my Wacom Bamboo seems to be bigger. Ouch.
It is about a half inch by 3/4 inch and is on the top right of the keyboard. The buttons are on the top left of the keyboard.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/01/08/look-out-eee-a-399-tiny-laptop-from-everex-is-afoot/
I believe it's that glowy reddish circle-thingum.
Still better than this (http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/01/08/the-tale-of-the-tiniest-touchpad-by-everex/), methinks.
If you look above the keyboard, you'll see that there are two buttons on the left hand size (right and left click), and there's a tiny pad on the right hand side.
The trackpad and buttons requires two handed operation.
Here's a link to the engadget gallery that shows the trackpad and mouse buttons:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/hands-on-with-the-packard-bell-easynote-xs-nanobook/
Ah, my bad. Should have read around more... yeah, it's on the top right hand corner. Usage screenshots here (http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1030), videos here (http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1063).
Incidentally, it (the video) also answers Flashpoint's question, albeit indirectly.
My Eee PC is whimpering in the portable DVD player case I tote it around in. While none of the brands connected to this notebook scream quality to me, I will be watching the release of this one closely.
- Kiteless
But why not just buy a regular ASUS laptop for just a hundred dollars more?
Well. People that are looking at a device like this don't need a 'full size laptop' as much as they need something smaller and more convenient. Capability is a secondary priority, they just need a truely portable computer.
What's the model number of that five hundred dollar Asus laptop again?
What's the model number of that five hundred dollar Asus laptop again?
Battery life?
everex still did not manage to name the power consumption of the gPC - there's still no docu within the support section.
Do not expect any real numbers from everex - and I'm afraid that you should not expect any support as well.
I expect with VIA, battery life is what they'll be counting on.
Wow, it's ugly..
looks can be deceptive.
Ugly is subjective; I'll take "ugly" but easily moddable/customisable over stylish but not mod-friendly.
Quick question: What's inside this thing (other than the stuff we already know)? How many RAM slots? Mini PCI-E? How does this compare to the Eee in terms of moddability?
Too much. If they could get the price down to under $300 then it might be interesting.
hope they dont use the old style mouse "the nipple" although compact it was annoying to use.
is the 30gb a SSD? otherwise theres no point to it.
i want ASUS' updated model more now i hate the current bevel/surrounding round the screen atm
tho a VS match when theyre both out would be helpful... hey engadget sort it out later in the year please ;)
Many prefer the "old" trackpoint/nub/eraserhead to the trackpad. I'm not one of them, but still.
I bet its a 1.8in Hard drive. There's no way it'd be a SSD at that price.
true ssd is just to pricey but i want 5 sec boot! :P
Yeah $300 would be nice, but we live in a real world.
Please release these in Britain. £200 + VAT I wouldn't mind paying!
There are already in Britain mate.
Downloaded the gPC VMware image a couple of days ago. I must say; wow they did a lousy job on it! It feels like they created it in a couple of hours.. Such a shame, I really liked the idea behind it.
Am I missing something? What is the draw with this PC and the Asus EeePC? Why would I want this limited little thing, when I can I can a full blown laptop for just $100 more?
Seems to me this would only be appealing if it was around $250
A lot of people don't want to carry around a tank of a notebook, which is what you get for 100 bucks more.
You're missing the size and weight benefits. For some of us, those make a huge difference.
*sigh*
Why is it every time there is an EEE post or something similar we have to have the same "for $100 more you could get a REAL laptop" or "why wouldn't you just buy a regular laptop?" comments?
Nothing new here, at least in the design. Check this out - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/133791
That's not the same machine. That's the prototype that we saw sitting next to the Cloudbook at CES yesterday.
Confused? I thought they were the same machine?
Scroll down the page here:
http://jkontherun.blogs.com/
You'll see both models.
You'll notice that the one you linked to includes a Skype phone, Windows, and a trackpad under the keyboard.
Would a usb modem (Sprint EVDO) work with this? I thought I read somewhere that the Eee PC doesn't support usb modems...
The eee does support USB EVDO modems - but its default OS may not. That may also be true of the cloudbook but ubuntu by default should be hackable into a working evdo modem.
If the 4gb/512mb Eee PC drops to $299 shortly after the 8gb/1gb releases, then I'll go with the 4gb Eee. No reason to NEED the 30gb of storage when there isn't even a disc drive with which to rip/install things IMO. I'll grab the 4gb Eee, a 16gb USB stick, and maybe an external burner.
This might actually be worth it but I'd throw on Ubuntu 7.10 and a USB wireless mouse
According to the link to the press release on hardocp this laptop gets 5 hours of battery life.
5 HOURS!!
That is a significant improvement over the 3.5 quoted for the $400 Eee pc.
It's not nearly as gorgeous as the Eee pc, but the battery life may be a clincher. A night class is 3 hours long usually, and not being able to make it through that is an issue for the Eee :/
I'm guessing they get that sort of life with the backlight off, the HD running at 2000 RPMs (or not at all), and the processor idling.
Everex claimed 2 Watt for the gPC : http://www.everex.com/products/gpc/gpc.htm
"Green
Imagine a computer with a CPU that averages just 2 Watts of power and operates at a whisper quiet 28dB..."
... which is ridiculous since that's the amount of the idle processor - and only the cpu, but not the board or computer.
But taking those numbers, a pc would have to run twenty times as long when you have a 2 W CPU instead of a 40 W CPU.
There's display to add, memory, externals etc. - but 5 hours is not that impressive, considering the claim of a low power device.
Everex claimed 2 Watt for the gPC : http://www.everex.com/products/gpc/gpc.htm
"Green
Imagine a computer with a CPU that averages just 2 Watts of power and operates at a whisper quiet 28dB..."
... which is ridiculous since that's the amount of the idle processor - and only the cpu, but not the board or computer.
But taking those numbers, a pc would have to run twenty times as long when you have a 2 W CPU instead of a 40 W CPU.
There's display to add, memory, externals etc. - but 5 hours is not that impressive, considering the claim of a low power device.
real life battery is 3 hours..
review of it with XP:
http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1063
Good find JKK.
That's a huge difference from the claimed battery life.
Why is there a Facebook icon on there?
Facebook is part of gOS and the enlighten window manager. Lots of on-line icons in gOS - blogs, meebo, Google office stuff, and gOS 2.0 has Google gears for off-line work.
John
In the bottom/right part of the page it says:
"For the masses
You don't have to imagine anymore. Your new CloudBook will be available ***January 20*** at fine reallers throughout North America..."
uh?
Yup, Walmart. When I think fine retailers, that's what I think of.
But it's already out the one I linked to.
Not in the US, and it's not the same machine.
Do you think it would be possible to purchase one from America to ship to the UK?
I don't know if WalMart ships to the UK. Kinda doubt it, but there's always ebay.
I believe that the British version of this machine is a Packard Bell, and is out already. You should be able to find the Cloudbook in the UK, but called the Packard Bell EasyNote XS.
Sure just send me the money and I'll ship it to you.
Lol how do I know you won't rip me off.
The 30GB and the DVI output are certainly compelling.
Off-center screen, clit mouse, and a ton of bundled Google crap? Not to mention, when Facebook goes the way of Friendster & MySpace a few months from now, that icon will be useless.
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick with my EEE & Windows XP.
I have an Eee as well, but I may pick one of these up for comparison. Maybe I'll give it to my wife.
I do find it hard to believe that this thing could possibly be better than the Eee, though.
Id be more worried about the Via CPU
They tend to make gutless cellertrons look good
Who's got OSX86 on this thing?
3-5hr battery and 30gb hd for $400?
Yes please. I'm deleteing the Eee from my wish list and picking up one of these on release day.
Who cares if the HD is solid state? All I care about is the battery life and weight. Screen just needs to be usable. Its an ultra portable and fills that void nicely.
I wont buy one until I see it displayed on a hanger.
gOS is the worst operating system I've ever used, period, and that includes Windows98 (which was horrendously bad). Luckily it should be easy to switch to a respectable lightweight OS like Xubuntu or something similar.
i wanna trackpad
Let's first forget the power and storage. This thing is on stilts and looks unappealing to the average consumer. The eee pc might be underpowered compared to this but the consumer draw factor of the eee pc is intense. I don't think, this will catch up with the eee. The mere fact that it looks strange and the track ball is not located in a familiar position, adds more sales effort in convincing the average joe or jill.
Note on this sales pitch "My screen might be on stilts but I sure have more storage space and a better processor".
The world as we know it. It's like being initially attracted to a physically sexy bodacious "girl/guy" and asking "her/him" for a date. Honestly, you would think twice of dating somebody with all their "teeth missing" and having an extra arm no matter how many menza iq points she, he or it has.
I think I will stick with my 17 inch screen and full size keyboard. Really...is it THAT tasking to carry around a 6-10 lb laptop that is ridiculously more capable?
My question to every other entry-level laptop manufacturer is, if Everex can throw DVI-I onto a $400 laptop, why can't you? Death to the VGA Opression!
As scary as the Everex name is, the specs on this thing do really make the Eee look weak in comparison...my only question is, how does the Via CPU hold up to the Eee's? The clock speed may be higher, but that really doesnt mean anything...
For all of those interested in the CloudBook (or plan to purchase one in the future), there's an online community and message board forming here: CloudBook Lounge (http://www.cloudbooklounge.com/). It looks like it will also have product reviews and a mods & hacks section when the product is released. Good looking site, I just registered on their forum...