Fukato's Eee-ish Datacask enters your life in May

Like the Eee? If you're enthusiastically shaking your head in the affirmative, perhaps you'll want to check out Fukato's low-cost Datacask (cheery, right?). Like the Jisus before it, the computer-maker hopes to garner some of that cheapo laptop market with this black and white number, which sports an 8-inch, 800 x 480 display, a 500MHz AMD Geode CPU, a 20GB 60GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, and a (surprise!) Linux-based OS. The little dude will be hitting European shelves sometime in May for €279 (or about $440).

[Via Liliputing]

[wizzard1 @ Apr 13th 2008 5:06PM]

Looks nice, those LX processors arent supposed to be too shabby. Glad to see all 3 uP winners going head-to-head in the UMPC processor wars.

Also, FIRST POST. Hopefully.

[gad get @ Apr 13th 2008 7:09PM]

Hopefully? What in the world does that mean?

[Tony Rayo @ Apr 13th 2008 7:58PM]

You don't know if someone is posting at the same time you are. Thus if someone hit "Add Your Comments" and it was received via "teh pipes" a fraction of a second before, he would not be first. I still don't get the why people would care what place they come in.

I also wish these kind of laptops existed when I was 5 - 6 years old. I always got in trouble for writing and saving BASIC games/animation/math programs/etc files on our elementary school's library computers (I think the head librarian was just burned because whenever a PC/printer/etc went on the fritz, I was called out of class to fix it, as I'm sure many fellow readers did too... we should have charged them x.x).

[PJK @ Apr 14th 2008 3:36AM]

Why did you have to go ruin a perfectly acceptable post by adding "First Post" and making yourself look like a tool. Is there some kind of thrill gotten from being pointless and irritating?

[Conor Maher @ Apr 13th 2008 5:06PM]

I thought it said "Datacaek" :(

I would have bought one...

[kyle allen @ Apr 13th 2008 9:03PM]

i thought it said dreamcast

i still need to buy one

[StomperGames @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:56AM]

haha well neverless it looks so sick

- http://www.stompergames.com

[Scott Juffe @ Apr 13th 2008 5:19PM]

A linux based OS with a windows key?!? LOL

[Sam @ Apr 13th 2008 6:36PM]

In ubuntu that key is called "super" and has many useful shortcut functions due to its lack of a standalone function in linux

[Zach @ Apr 13th 2008 6:50PM]

If you plug an Apple keyboard into Ubuntu, then the Apple key is called "Super", so it all balances out to a brand-neutral key in the end.

[bradwjensen @ Apr 13th 2008 7:45PM]

They should have put the "Tux" penguin on the super key.. :P

[Juice Daddy @ Apr 13th 2008 11:29PM]

has anyone realized that all of these "umpc's" come from the same oem manufacturer...

kind of like dell using compal for it's base laptop designs...


I believe acer is actually one of the oem manufacturers for these little things...


could be wrong.. idk...

[Tech^Cellfish @ Apr 14th 2008 8:55AM]

I agree, they should have done as Lenovo (IBM) and gone with a 'logo' key with no particular symbol instead.

[Aguiluz @ Apr 13th 2008 5:25PM]

Is it me, or is it the EEE is nothing more than a rebranded some laptop?

[kyle allen @ Apr 13th 2008 9:04PM]

its u

[MrCayne @ Apr 13th 2008 5:29PM]

They already updated their offer; now the datacask has 60 GB of HDD memory.

see http://www.datacask.com/pageID_5680961.html

[Nick @ Apr 14th 2008 6:33AM]

If they throw in a 1024x600 screen as well I might just pick one up.

[Deputy Doffoos @ Apr 13th 2008 7:22PM]

If they throw in a better screen, better hard disk, more RAM, and definitely a not SO crappy processor as well, THEN I might just pick one up.

[Ivan @ Apr 13th 2008 7:43PM]

or if they make it cost 100-200 dollars

[gr8whtd0pe @ Apr 13th 2008 5:46PM]

I understand the point behind the "cheap" laptop market, but for that price pay an extra 100$ and get a low to mid end laptop with bigger screen, hd, ram, video card, etc...

Now if it was 350 or less, we can talk.

[bot @ Apr 13th 2008 6:18PM]

These knockoffs might be 'cheaptops' but the whole point of these low powered, small laptops is not the price (though that is a great selling point). It's the portability. I don't know how many more times I can post that before I say screw it, go buy your +$100 dollar laptops that are 8lbs and 15".

[Superevil @ Apr 13th 2008 7:48PM]

Christ, we're like 10 months into the Uber-Portable laptop market and people are still making this statement?

[substance90 @ Apr 13th 2008 5:52PM]

Sounds price, huh? (This is to the US-citizens in this site)
The Eee is even pricier in Europe, around 470$ ;)
So I`m guessing this will be pretty successful in the EU.

[Fusion @ Apr 13th 2008 6:29PM]

shame about the slow 500mz processor

[Aguiluz @ Apr 13th 2008 7:25PM]

But for it's intended use, 500 MHz is enough.

[Lance @ Apr 13th 2008 6:43PM]

It'll be cheaper in the U.S.
The price shown is a direct conversion (which it never is) Expect it to be $400 or less

[Matt Keller @ Apr 13th 2008 6:47PM]

500mhz processor? Eee w!

[andres @ Apr 13th 2008 8:13PM]

i see what you did there

[Chris @ Apr 13th 2008 7:06PM]

I think the Razr 2's processor is 500mhz! Thats just making this look lazy.

[gad get @ Apr 13th 2008 7:25PM]

No kidding! This thing is a glorified MID, and a rip-off. We got an Acer desktop with an Athlon 64 X2 4000+, 2 GB of RAM, 320 GB of HDD, DVD Multi Recorder (plays and records CD, DVD) Vista Home Premium, and a 20-inch Acer monitor with 1680x1050 res., 2500:1 contrast ratio, and 5ms response. All for $599.99. Granted, it's not the most portable thing around... But I've seen some Acer (they're good at the cheap stuff) 15" laptops with half the hard drive, a gig of RAM, and a decent processor for $500 dollars. That's plenty portable, and infinitely more useful than the "Data-casket."
BTW, I wonder if the hard drive dies frequently in that thing? ;/

[BatteryAcid @ Apr 13th 2008 7:29PM]

wtf man?

[BatteryAcid @ Apr 13th 2008 7:30PM]

Look at that beautiful bezel!

[LarryLarryLarry @ Apr 14th 2008 2:25AM]

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The UMPC Society Of Debezelizers (USOD) (pronounced "you sod") is now established.

To become a member, simply post "USOD" in the comments for any UMPC with an overdone screen bezel.

[Saad @ Apr 13th 2008 7:36PM]

It's they like set an EEE PC in front of the designers and said "Here, make it look like this".

[darkstar @ Apr 13th 2008 8:14PM]

true that.
absolutely no talent.

[computer.dude.28 @ Apr 13th 2008 8:14PM]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll remember not to go to that site.

[N30 G30 @ Apr 13th 2008 8:49PM]

I like how this thrend of cheap computers is turning out. Nearly 90% of the world's computer users will only use it for surfing, downloading media, chating, and emailing. No one really needs something like a Core 2 Duo for basic needs.

[Valgas @ Apr 13th 2008 8:50PM]

Don't know about this one man. It's like the designers were going to call it what it was - a "Data Casket", meaning it will friggin die and trap all your data inside it, but then they changed their minds and just called it Datacask.

Screw that Im waiting for the dell machine.

[sotec_productions @ Apr 13th 2008 8:55PM]

Screw the cheaptop market. Yea, I said it. What of it bitches?!

I bought an:

Acer Extensa
1.86ghz dualcore AMD
2GB DDR2 RAM
ATI vid card - 128mb
160GB hdd
Vista (whatever, the daughter likes it. It's hers anyway)

for $500.
let me say that again....
FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR$

I bet this dachschund of a laptop doesn't go for less than that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it has it's applications. If it didn't, people wouldn't be buying these types of laptops, and they wouldn't continue to be manufactured, but in a technology age where everything is biggerbetterfaster, I just can't seem to wrap my mind around slowersmallerjustasexpensive. Portability is not a reason to buy into a market that is giving you LESS and making you pay just as much or more. Period. It's theivery. It's a 10'' barbed dildo. And any consumer that succumbs to this theivery is the dry asshole. Sorry, but I just don't see the point. And I won't be woo'd into euphoric technolust about lackluster 'innovation'.

It reeks of 'innovation for the sake of difference'. Like Amazon's Kindle. That was quite an amusing offering I might add.

Pointlessness, next to Techno-Demigodliness.

[Taylor @ Apr 13th 2008 9:54PM]

The Extensa has a 15" screen right?

[OddManOut @ Apr 13th 2008 11:35PM]

"Portability is not a reason to buy into a market that is giving you LESS and making you pay just as much or more. Period. It's theivery."

Can I assume then that in place of wristwatch you have a clock radio strapped to your arm ? It tells time just as well, plays music in addition, and they give them away for free at banks for opeing up a savings account or for opening up charge accounts in department stores. Given that, who would be stupid enough to pay $25 - $100 for a wristwatch ???

Heehee, just a little good natured ribbing. Seriously though, I have a 15" Aspire which I used as a desktop replacement while I was studying abroad. I'm back in the US now (for a while anyway dangit...) but when I travel I don't want to lug around a 15" laptop everywhere I go when I travel. So I picked up a used Fujitsu Lifebook P1120 last year for $425. It plays divx rips, surfs the web, plays music, sends e-mail, and Skypes no better than the Aspire but guess what ? It also has a 6 hour battery, sits comfortably on an airline tray, and fits in the messenger bag I carry when I go traveling/exploring, and weighs about 1/4 what the Aspire weighs. Given that I bought the Fujitsu over a year after the Aspire, I probably could have simply gotten another Aspire of the same mode/spec level on clearance or refurb for about the same price, but it wouldn't do any of those extra things.

But whateva...to each their own...

[kyle allen @ Apr 13th 2008 9:08PM]

is it me or is that pic 16bit color? i cant stand any less than 24bit

[gilliu00_ @ Apr 14th 2008 12:36AM]

Too bad the EEEPC 900 is out in taiwan =)
yep, all 8.9inches of it ;)

[Atanas Boev @ Apr 14th 2008 3:21AM]

I would not buy from a company, which has slogan like "your data save and mobile" (sic) :)

[skulldriveshaft @ Apr 15th 2008 12:08AM]

DataCasket :p

[Saad @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:15PM]

It's like set an EEE PC in front of the designers and said "Here, make it look like this".