First impressions of the Cloudbook: rough around the edges

The folks over at Laptop already hooked us up with some unboxing pics of Everex's Cloudbook, and now they've posted up some quickie first impressions of the would-be Eee killer -- and it looks like Everex could use that extra delay time to polish things up. The Cloudbook's gOS build was found to be reasonably speedy and the minuscule trackpad designed for thumb usage actually grew on the reviewers, but what really killed the machine was a host of video glitches Everex says are the result of the wrong OS version being installed on the machine. Still, we're not ready to give up on this little guy yet -- we'll wait to see what the formal reviews say before crowing the Eee the winner of this round.

[MarkZ @ Feb 16th 2008 10:49AM]

I really don't mean to be negative, but is anyone else still at a loss as to why people buy these things or EEE PCs?

All the manufacturers seem to be in a scramble to produce these cheap 800x480 laptops. But relatively speaking, the price difference between them and an entry-level Dell is negligable.

The small niche that they may fill is so offset by what they lack, that their price is much too high in my eyes.

Sure, it's a goldmine for the manufacturers since they are using very commoditized parts and foregoing the need to buy a Windows license, but I think the benefit to the consumer is quite small.

It might be a good idea, but the price war and the feature additions have really not begun yet.

[Zadillo @ Feb 16th 2008 10:54AM]

Again, it's the size. I've already encountered a few people who have bought them and they love them for being so small; yes, they could have gotten a $599 Vostro 1500, but those are much heavier and larger, and not really as easy to carry around with them everywhere.

The appeal of these is the same as the appeal of something like the TZ; many people buy super small laptops like the TZ because they want the small size, but they only use them for word processing/etc. so they don't need a lot of the benefits (full hard drive, optical drive, faster CPU, etc.); machines like the Eee PC give people a nice option who want a small machine but don't want to spend $2000-3000 (which used to be the only way to really get a laptop in this small form factor).

[Snipermonky @ Feb 16th 2008 11:00AM]

When Im looking at buying a laptop portability comes to mind. After all its a laptop. I dont need all the fancy gadgets the big boys get, I want basic web browsing and typing when I'm traveling around campus. The EEE is great for this, and at $500 out does anything else trying to compete in size and price.

[Ricardo @ Feb 16th 2008 12:55PM]

They buy it for the same reason people buy $800+ phones (that includes me): they do a heck of a lot for their size.

Sure, with $800 you can buy a 15.4" laptop with a nice dual core processor and lots of memory. But it will also be tens of times larger and heavier than any phone.

But thinking about it, you probably don't have a laptop, because desktops are much more powerful for the same price.

And you don't drive a car either, because you can fit so much more on a truck.

Laptops (and also UMPCs and phones) basically form a triangle: performance, portability and price. When you improve one, you have to sacrifice the others.

[o29 @ Feb 16th 2008 2:13PM]

While it's not exactly ultraportable, I bought a laptop about 2 years ago for $600 that came with 1GB RAM, a mediocre 1.7GHz Pentium M processor, Windows XP, 17" screen with a 1280x800 resolution, DVDRW, etc. It's actually a pretty solid laptop, and it was only $600. And this was 2 years ago.

If you really need an ultraportable, then I can justify buying one, but if you just want the convenience, you're paying a premium for it.

[Nate @ Feb 16th 2008 4:06PM]

You paid 600 dollars for it.

I paid 350 for my Eee.

Where I come from, that's a 250 dollar price difference.

How can you say that I'm the one that paid the premium?

[o29 @ Feb 16th 2008 4:17PM]

I was comparing it more to the 8GB model.

[Nate @ Feb 16th 2008 5:03PM]

It's still a hundred dollars cheaper, and it's not a boat anchor.

[Tachion @ Feb 16th 2008 5:05PM]

I got an eeePC for two reasons: One, it was $400. And two, it's so ridiculously tiny, yet retains the functionality of a full computer, meaning I can throw it in my backpack every morning and use it to take notes in class.

Short reason? It's cheap and small, yet functional.

[o29 @ Feb 16th 2008 5:58PM]

I'm not hating on the EEE or people who buy it, I'm just saying you sacrifice a lot for the size and weight of it. My laptop is 2 years old, so we can't argue its price then to the EEE's price now. Also, I didn't only mean paying a strictly monetary premium. I also was referring to the sacrifices in functionality that had to be made to get the hardware in that form factor.

[DespoticWolf @ Feb 16th 2008 5:58PM]

Aren you confident Tachion

[Nate @ Feb 16th 2008 6:29PM]

@o29

You're the one that started comparing prices. I'm just working with what you gave me. You can't have it both ways.

I don't think you're hating. I just think you don't get it, and like a lot of people who post here, you start making stupid comparisons to machines that these computers shouldn't be compared to.

[mex @ Feb 21st 2008 2:35PM]

only reason I returned mine was the keyboard sucked a*s and the lack of hdd expandability did not justify the price, it was just not practical at that size. sure its small and hip looking- but I'm not a barbie doll that can't lift a > 2lbs laptop with descent specs. Grow some balls and buy a real laptop or do some push ups - if you really to weak to carry a decent sized laptop and you can justify the price, buy it. end of story. most of you all trying to prancy around a paris hilton accessory to be all cool looking why your fingers cramp up and prepare for arthritis - ITS NOT PRACTICAL FOR PROPER WORK! Its ok if you want to be a poser at a cafe to attract attention. LOOK AT ME EVERYONE - I can run an full OS on this tiny machine and have my face stuck to the screen because its the only way to read anything from it... oooo..aaaaa....wowwww.... LAME!

[Jason @ Feb 18th 2008 5:42AM]

I don't know about you but I'm feeling very comfortable using Xandros. The Eee PC can do FAR MORE than its GUI shows while consuming far less resources than Win XP or Vista. That's why you DON'T NEED all that extra powerful hardwares. Read the forums at http://www.eeeuser.com/ and you'd be surprised at what this Linux-based UMPC is capable of. Unless of course, you're one of those users who don't know anything other than Windows...

Also, one thing you neglect to mention - battery consumption. Not only is the Eee PC much smaller, lighter than an entry level Dell, but also holds much longer battery. What good does it do if an all mighty notebook dies out in less than 2 hours? Honestly, the hardware specs on an entry level Dell is barely enough to run XP. I can assure you that booting up, going online, running Firefox/IM/Skype/Office, then shutting down can be done within a MUCH SHORTER time frame than Dell. This is very critical for mobile computing - tasks need to be done quickly and efficiently. Try doing a series of tasks on both an Eee PC and entry level Dell, then compare the speed performance and you'll understand why people are buying these cheap under-powered UMPC.

[mrmimis06 @ Feb 26th 2008 2:28PM]

Well, there is a market for UMPC's and at a price of $800 for most of those, I'd say these are fairly reasonably priced. I believe there is a demographic out there that are interested in cheap low cost devices that give you internet access. NOT EVERYBODY needs a top of the line DELL pc.

[monstertech3000 @ Feb 16th 2008 10:50AM]

"wrong os version being installed" ... I have a feeling a standard install of Ubuntu with the right graphics driver would do the trick.

I can has cloudbook now?

[peshue @ Feb 16th 2008 10:57AM]

Even if it runs alright the thing still looks like one of those v-tech "laptops" you get at the toy store.

[Longhorn @ Feb 16th 2008 11:19AM]

How big of a market do these minuscule pseudo-laptops have, really?

I've tried the Eee PC at J&R and I couldn't think of a reason why someone would buy one of those. I mean I get the whole OLPC thing, yeah, but in a developed market where people shed out 2 grand for a second laptop, who's really interested in Cloudbook and Eee PC and whatnot?

I mean with big name laptops getting cheaper by the day, I don't see how this would be any easier to use than a good ol' XP lappy, even for a grandma.

[Alex @ Feb 16th 2008 11:34AM]

Best use I've seen....my buddy at school got a EEpc or whatever they're called. Being a student he (we) don't have much money, he had a desktop from freshman year to do the heavy lifting, but needed to do some word processing at school and some other odds and ends and then easily bring it home, and something portable...it set him back $300 and he got Windows XP to put on it plus office 2003 (all he needs, who needs the latest and greatest???) for free from our school computer software distribution department, so its perfect for him, for 300 bucks now he can compute on the go while still doing heavy lifting back at home. and he can just carry it around everywhere due to its size. Really good student solution.

[Linh @ Feb 16th 2008 12:04PM]

simple fact: it's far smaller than the cheapo "big names" (I'd argue Asus is pretty big, just not well known).

That is the main draw for this. Find me another 2LB ultra portable for $400. The only thing that I can think of if maybe a nokia n810. Even then, it's a bit of a different market, and still >$400.

If they can keep the exact form factor and squeeze in a slightly large screen (so we can have 1024x600), I'd be game for it.

[Jason @ Feb 18th 2008 6:24AM]

Yes, it's true there are people spending $1000-2000+ for UMPC in developed markets. However, there are even MORE people who's NOT willing to shell out $1000-2000+ for an UMPC. For example, a high school or college student who wants a UMPC but doesn't need extra weight added to his/her huge pile of books may be one of them. That little girlfriend of yours who prefers a notebook that can fit in her purse may also be one of them. The Fresno Unified School District in California that ordered 1,000 Eee PC's is among them as well...

Fresno schools buy 1,000 Eee PCs
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/14/fresno-schools-buy-1-000-eee-pcs-asus-rolls-out-2g-surf-model/

The fact is, there are tons of people out there who likes the mobility, efficiency, and price of these low end UMPC. $399 is just the beginning and it opened the door for a whole new market. It won't be long until a huge line up of competing models, bundled with even more power at lesser price, come to market.

[Rocky @ Mar 8th 2008 12:55PM]

$2k for a 2nd laptop?
Most budget 1/2 that for the 1st one now.
The EEE now marks the low end & that leaves a gap in price and screen size from $1000 to $500.
What is there inthe 10"-11"/ $1000-$500 size range?
I am looking at the 10"" EEE just announced for weekends/travel.

[Rocky @ Sep 15th 2008 11:23AM]

$2k for a 2nd laptop?
Most budget 1/2 that for the 1st one now.
The EEE now marks the low end & that leaves a gap in price and screen size from $1000 to $500.
What is there inthe 10"-11"/ $1000-$500 size range?
I am looking at the 10"" EEE just announced for weekends/travel.

[Raheem @ Feb 16th 2008 11:41AM]

I got an Asus EeePC because I can carry it to work without even knowing it's in my bag. I use it for web and word processing and it only cost me £179 (4GB) thanks to a PCWorld pricing error before they even knew they had it in stock. In the words of the Store Manager, "What's that, a laptop!? I didn't know we had those!"

[Raheem @ Feb 16th 2008 11:42AM]

Oh and yes I can do the 'heavy lifting' at home with my Dell Inspiron 9400. Just so people don't think that's my ONLY laptop. Coz that'd be sad, right? RIGHT? :$

[Nate @ Feb 16th 2008 4:10PM]

At this point, my Eee is my only laptop.

I had a high powered laptop. After two months of using my Eee, I found that I wasn't using my high end machine at all.

So, see ya later XPS. My Eee does everything I need a portable computer to do.

[Chebwa @ Feb 16th 2008 11:50AM]

THE WRONG OS VERSION?! That is wrong no matter how you spin it, because either...

1) They are lying.
2) They are running one of the most worthless operations ever in that they can't even install the correct OS on their most highly anticipated produc\ct.

Both are sad.

[skulldriveshaft @ Feb 17th 2008 3:45AM]

it's a press version - sometimes between end game development and shipping there are errors - when retail boxes get opened up and reviewed we should know how Everex is running the show - hopefully not with string puppets.

when you get your hands on one, give some feedback.

right now for myself, I would like to see my local Wal-Mart stock these just for the sake of seeing a small laptop at a reasonable price.

It's definitely not a bad thing.

[Chebwa @ Feb 17th 2008 12:08PM]

Shipping one bad copy to the press is worse than shipping 200 bad copies to consumers.

[dramamoose @ Feb 17th 2008 7:51PM]

But the reviewers knew it was the wrong OS. So it's not a huge deal. Especially because this is pre-retail, and it's not a final revision.

[Syke @ Feb 16th 2008 11:58AM]

I have a laptop and a desktop and a palm. The palm is pretty much useless at this point due to glitches with the software. I considered getting a palm pc, because I write scripts on my palm tx and I just can't lug a 10 lb laptop around with me. I got the laptop for performance, not to carry around with me on a daily basis. I want a small UMPC that doesn't cost more than $500. This is as close as I'm going to get.

[Wwhat @ Feb 16th 2008 12:02PM]

WiFI didn't work with WEP initially but only open but then later it worked secured they say, but what has WEP to do with secured I wonder, we all know by now that WEP is useless, this isn't the 80's.

[Wwhat @ Feb 16th 2008 12:06PM]

Friendly reminder to the article on how to add an avatar to your posts (profile)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/10/commenters-learn-how-to-change-your-engadget-password-edit-you/

[Ricardo @ Feb 16th 2008 1:08PM]

"Slow boot up time. The system (...) took about 1 minute and 30 seconds to start up, versus about 30 seconds for the Eee PC."

I was starting to reconsider the Eee, which I'm willing to buy, but that line made my decision a whole lot easier.

This would make a lot more sense if it had a SSD + HDD combo.

[ManekiNeko @ Feb 16th 2008 5:31PM]

You can always buy an external hard drive if you think it's necessary. For me, it hasn't been... once you install a slimmed down version of Windows XP on the EEE, you'll have nearly three gigabytes left for your favorite programs. That's more than enough if you have reasonable expectations for the system.

I don't think computer users have the same understanding of the portable experience as video game fans. We've known for nearly twenty years that handhelds offer a different experience than technology intended for home use... worse in some respects, better in others, and entirely different.

Computer users, on the other hand, still expect every machine they buy to be on the bleeding edge of technology, regardless of its size. Sorry, guys, but it just doesn't work that way! The smaller you make a computer, the more limited it becomes, forcing you to adjust your expectations accordingly. When you finally realize this, you'll understand the appeal of a machine like the EEE.

[Ricardo @ Feb 16th 2008 8:18PM]

ManekiNeko,

I was actually talking about the Cloudbook, not the Eee.

What I meant is that a SSD + HDD would be so much better than just a HDD for the Cloudbook.

But I still prefer a much smaller SSD than a slow HDD.

Eee is just fine, you can always add more memory with SD cards.

[EpicWinrar @ Feb 16th 2008 2:16PM]

My big reason for getting one was the school/campus thing. I had an old HP that weighed roughly 15 pounds, and I have back problems. So at the end of the day i would have a knot the size of a fist in the middle of my back from commuting around campus on foot all day. This thing web browses and does basic office utilities, and it only weighs about a pound. That's exactly what I needed, and with a 399 price tag it's really hard to say no. On top of that, you get the stares from the kids in your lecture wondering if you brought a big Nintendo DS with you or something. =P

[gadjitfreek @ Feb 16th 2008 5:11PM]

I have been an aficionado of the untraportable form factor since I got the PIC-1000 Palmbook in 1993. I followed it up with the HP200LX, IBM 510Cs, HP Omnibook 800CT, Omnibook 500, Toshiba Libretto, Fujitsu P1120, Fujitsu P1510, and now my ultimate machine, the OQO Model 02. Why? Because they go anywhere and are always on me. When you can have a notebook small enough to pack next to a camcorder in a Podzilla camera bag, it does not get any better than that.

[ManekiNeko @ Feb 16th 2008 5:41PM]

Damn straight! Now here's a guy who gets it. I love ultraportable technology... I've had pocket computers since the late 1980's, when they were little more than calculators with built-in BASIC. Out of all the miniature computers I've tried in the past twenty years, none have offered the balance of power and size of the Asus EEE. It's a huge improvement over my NEC Mobilepro 770, which was limited to the very basics of computing (rudimentary office applications, a scheduler, and that was pretty much it).

[dos @ Feb 16th 2008 6:37PM]

According to Engadget all small laptops are out to go against the EEE and having more than one product with the same form factor on the market is a bad thing so we need to "crown a winner" instead of reporting on the things and leaving it up to the consumers to decide what they want to get for themselves.

More of these out there is a GOOD thing no matter how you look at it. Wouldn't it be boring if there was only one to choose from? Every single article about this thing has been unreasonably negative and it doesn't make sense. I agree that it doesn't seem like a great machine either but have some integrity guys, the snarky BS is getting old, leave that to the people commenting.

[George$ @ Feb 16th 2008 7:00PM]

I hope the rough edges are software, as software is easily replaceable. If the HD is a PATA 1.8", imagine replacing it with a pair of 266x CF cards ( a 266x + a larger capacity, slower CF card. PATA CF adapters are < $5....

[wabguard-email @ Feb 16th 2008 7:29PM]

Im still waiting for a 100-200 dollar subnotebook like eepc with wifi and decent resolution. I can live with linux and be fine, just give me a small subnotebook with wifi and decent screen at 200 dollars and it will sell out quick.

[teslasnp @ Feb 16th 2008 8:44PM]

priced at 400 they've already sold out...

[Wodheila @ Feb 17th 2008 7:51AM]

"Im still waiting for a 100-200 dollar subnotebook like eepc with wifi and decent resolution."

Exactly! A computer today should should be like a pen or anything else that if you lose it or break it, you go get a new one. This just isn't as hard as they make it out to be.

[Montusama @ Feb 16th 2008 10:39PM]

Why Do I want a Cloudbook or an Eee PC? Easy, to brag....well Asus because its Asus, but I dont' really have a need for a laptop, but it would just be a giant small toy.....

[hn333 @ Feb 17th 2008 1:43PM]

block head

[anarchyintheak @ Feb 21st 2008 7:03AM]

All this talk about "why" someone would want it:

I got an eeePC because I'm a pedestrian freelance journalist with back problems who works primarily out of bars.

Why in the world would I a) Want to lug a heavy computer around when this does everything I need and b) want to shell out more than $350 for something I regularly work on in a rowdy dive in Alaska?!

I've been watching ultra portables for a while, but was hesitant to shell out so much money for something I would be putting into risky situations on a daily basis. The same could go for anyone who travels a lot in places where things are often stolen/lost/mishandled, or works in the field, et cetera.

These computers definitely fill an important niche in these ways, and I am thrilled.