Keepin' it real fake, part CXVII: Kira 100 rides the Eee PC wave (a bit too closely)

It's one thing to bust out your own Eee PC wannabe knowing full well it isn't apt to catch on, but the Airis Kira 100 isn't even different enough to warrant such a label. No, this copycat smells, looks and likely feels just like Asus' darling, packing a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, a 1GHz Via C7 processor, gigabit Ethernet / modem jacks, integrated multicard reader, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, 802.11b/g WiFi, built-in webcam and a battery good for "four hours." Oh please, don't tell us you're seriously considering this €299 ($476) imposter just because of the loud paint jobs. Wait, are you?

[Via GadgetoBlog]

[Nate @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:15PM]

Good God, is that thing ugly.

[brian @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:31PM]

not only does it cost more, it's slower using a via c-7

[Surfrat @ Jun 27th 2008 1:11PM]

But the Airis has got 40gb mem and the asus only 4gb....... at least the ones they sell here in Spain for 329/299 euros

[Ben @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:16PM]

Nope

HAHA

[Flashpoint @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:16PM]

The race to the bottom just got colorful.

[Matthew @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:18PM]

but will it play doom?

[MeatyPi @ Apr 22nd 2008 6:37PM]

but will your mom stop calling to dome me?

[Chad @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:23PM]

OMG! It's Romper Room here. Both of you put your noses in oposite corners and don't move until you can be civil.

[Craig B. @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:25PM]

My question is: can Chinese companies bring suit against this Spanish company for infringements on their infringements?

[ShadowMaker @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:27PM]

Isn't Asus a well known OEM manufacturer? Why should this be any different than the Everex Cloudbook that appears all over the world in dozens of different guises?

[Steve Paine @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:13PM]

Its based on the netbook. As is cloudbook, s.book, pb easynotexs20 and many others. You're right!
The nanoboook is prior-art i do believe!

[RD. @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:34PM]

I really don't give a damn which low-budget, underpowered, low resolution, small-screened, under-spec'd, ugly, laptop copied which low-budget, underpowered, low resolution, small-screened, under-spec'd, ugly, laptop. Just show me the one that comes in at the originally promised $299 price point.

[kristiandhd @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:38PM]

Excatly what i was thinking

[FRZ @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:40PM]

Yeah, I was wondering why is the copy more money than the original.

[Patriks7 @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:41PM]

well it is 299 for us europeans :>

[Nate @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:47PM]

You can get a 2G Eee for 299.

[Reader @ Apr 22nd 2008 8:52PM]

The original price was supposed to be 200, no? That's what I was expecting at least...

[LOLWHUT @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:46PM]

So where is the L 100?

[Majorshake @ Apr 23rd 2008 1:51PM]

nice death note ref!!!

[digitallysick @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:51PM]

Ok now give me this with a bigger screen for $400.00 without the ugly colors

[Abuzar @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:05PM]

Bigger screen? You can get a Core 2 Duo Machine with 1 Gig(kinda low) of Ram and 120GB harddrive and a 15.4 inch screen for 450 at Circuit City.

[BigD145 @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:54PM]

How many remoldings from the Eee are we going to get here?

[dos @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:55PM]

How is this a copy it's just another small form laptop. It's not using the same processor, the case and colors are obviously different, it's not being marketed with a similar name.

Why is it a bad thing that there are more options to choose from in the small laptop field?

The price is somewhat out there though, although you can't be sure with the complexities of converting Euro->USD

[Pfanne @ Apr 22nd 2008 6:08PM]

why cant there be atleast one thats not ugly and acutally usefull at the same time!?

[Fara @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:00PM]

... That doesn't look like the EEE, other than the general 7" shape. Many of the specs are the same, because those are the limit of the formfactor, It is a competitor to the EEE, not a copier.

[Elaine @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:03PM]

Wow, I'm going crazy. I swear, I saw "ASUS" under the screen when I looked at the picture really fast..

[Hoos @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:38PM]

I must buy this knockoff of the Eee.

If the boot up screen looks like the ones in the photo, who could resist? The suggestively restrained yellow butt cheeks plumping out at you from 7" of pure blissitude!

w00t. w8t. Un w00t. Fail.

[John Sullivan @ Apr 22nd 2008 11:31PM]

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who saw the black Kira (KIRFa?) getting mooned by the other three...

[Laughing Man @ Apr 22nd 2008 8:32PM]

I actually like the the colors, but everything else is sorely lacking. For the same price I can get the 9 inch EEE PC that just came out.

[niclet @ Apr 22nd 2008 8:42PM]

Well, it looks like a nice pair of boobs on screen!

[DESTOS @ Apr 22nd 2008 10:19PM]

Boobs? What the hell?

Looks a lot more like Bart Simpson's ass,

[niclet @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:40AM]

Hahaha! You're damn right!!

[BigTeebo @ Apr 22nd 2008 8:40PM]

There's something really wrong with these models though: They include a 56K modem. Why do makers insist on STILL including these things? It took long enough to phase out the space-hogging parallel & serial ports. It's 2008 already.

[Adam @ Apr 22nd 2008 8:58PM]

DONT BE FOOLED BY WANNAB-EEE'S!

[Sam @ Apr 22nd 2008 9:47PM]

Got the same bezel

[Chrisvanren @ Apr 23rd 2008 1:44AM]

I'm only going to get one of the mobile piece of craps when they are 100 clams or under

[Valgas @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:20AM]

That yellow one looks cool. If it was red i..... wouldn't buy it. What did I comment for?

[KrustyOrama @ Apr 23rd 2008 4:23AM]

but will it steal identity by placing into an ATM?

[EvlSd @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:20AM]

Airis is a well known spanish pc manufacturer/importer, and has brought good computers for a good price. This thing is NOT more expensive than eeepc (eeepc 700 299€ in spain, the SAME as airis kira) and comes with a NOT underclocked cpu (1Ghz vs 600Ghz). Just because you don't know it don't say this is not good because right now in spain is probably a BETTER choice than eeepc. We have received OLD eeepc several months later than the rest of the world and whit a price tag of 300€ (which are not 300$!!). Ok Asus, try next time! And by the way this little thing is manufactured by a Korean company (someting like Nortec i don't know what else) and imported and rebranded by Airis (which honestly, I don't know is better or not than being manufactured by Airis itself).

"I want a 200€ eeepc"

[Gustavo @ Jun 18th 2008 9:53PM]

Oh please, stop being such a close mind guy. Competition is GREAT ! Kira 100 stays cool all the time and i got 4h of full screen divx playback on batery on my Positivo Mobo(the Brazilian brand). When using google videos on full screen it eats battery as hell, but i had the same problem with a 15" laptop.
The processor is not so good as in the eee, but i don't find it necessarily bad considering what it's sold for... I only tryed cartoons divx, but the image is not bad at all, i can say that its better than the SIS Mirage on my HP Pavilion. I can say the same about the sound when my Mobo(Kira) is on the same speakers that came with my desktop.

PROS: Kira is cooler, the battery last a little longer, the webcam is better
CONS: Its seems that even being better than my SIS Mirage, the VIA video card it's not as good as the one in eee. VIA processor is slow on superpi(>8min).

For me as a Brazilian owner of a MOBO it's better becouse all eee here are on linux and lets face it, linux its not the pattern and except for some geeks most people will prefer a windows umpc.