Yinlips ultraportable mashes the Eee with a TI-99

It looks like ultraportable laptops are the new generic PMPs, and we couldn't be happier about it -- especially if we keep seeing units like the Yinlips Micro PC YDP-G77 here. While the spec list is pretty average -- 7-inch screen, 400MHz CPU (we don't know what kind), WiFi, Linux, 500MB or 1GB flash drive -- what's really getting us is the old-school TI-99 looks. All we need now is a speech synthesizer module and we'll be all set.

[Via MP4 Nation]

[A.C.E.R. @ May 7th 2008 12:31AM]

Yawn.

[Ignatius @ May 7th 2008 12:37AM]

I don't see why they try and compete with the Eee PC when ASUS offers better specs for less price.

[antiver @ May 7th 2008 1:20AM]

A) You dont know how much it costs
B) Competition drives innovation

[Ignatius @ May 7th 2008 1:54AM]

Have you seen the other dozen or so Eee competitors that cost more, but have less to offer?

I'm referring to that trend.

[ntw1103 @ May 7th 2008 12:39AM]

my zaurus has a 400mhz. cpu. 12gb flash storage....
and my jasjar has 520mhz. I agree: yawn.

[JohnTitor @ May 7th 2008 1:00AM]

you'd be quite silly to assume that ARM based CPUs are Mhz to Mhz comparable to a PC CPU

[ntw1103 @ May 7th 2008 1:20AM]

first. in the post it does say that they don't know what kind of cpu it might have. it could very well have an ARM cpu. second I know that they don't compare completely, but if you have well written software, and ARM cpu and handle anything the same MHz. pc cpu could handle. it is in the graphics card area where the mobile devices fall behind.

[ethana2 @ May 7th 2008 2:04AM]

I'll bet an ARM chip could do it in 2/3 the transistor count, too.

[glowpulg @ May 7th 2008 12:42AM]

I saw a video review of all these cheap UMPCs on Youtube. Guy made a video of them at a Hong Kong Trade Show.
Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgsNjXm8Mgg
He has a video of this very UMPC at the end.

[andres @ May 7th 2008 1:17AM]

huh, i was expecting a rick roll.

[Juice @ May 7th 2008 10:17AM]

Looks good and small. I like the smaller bezel size.

[eric cumbee @ May 7th 2008 1:16AM]

TI-99 anyone else feel a Texas Instruments lawsuit coming on?

[cmonkey @ May 7th 2008 1:21AM]

No, because aside from it being silver with a black keyboard, it looks nothing like a TI-99.

[0megapart!cle @ May 7th 2008 1:54AM]

Engadget is calling this a TI-99, the actual name is Yinlips Micro PC YDP-G77. Reading comprehension FTL.

[thethirdmoose @ May 7th 2008 2:53PM]

Reading comprehension FTL indeed...

[eric cumbee @ May 7th 2008 1:27AM]

the name alone is enough since it is a device capable of performing mathematical computations, it could confuse the consumer.

people have been sued for less, apple suing anyone that uses the word pod for example.

[0megapart!cle @ May 7th 2008 1:54AM]

Engadget is calling this a TI-99, the actual name is Yinlips Micro PC YDP-G77. Reading comprehension FTL.

[rodan32 @ May 7th 2008 1:03PM]

Um - to the dingus who keeps trying to call Engadget that they got the wrong name, they're comparing the styling to the awesome retro Ti-99 computers of the early 80s.

You, sir, have lost any geek cred. Now go play on MySpace with your emo friends.

[Ed @ May 7th 2008 1:35AM]

Ha! I had a TI-994A....LOL! And my trusty 300 baud modem cartridge. I was flying on the BBSs! :D

[Aaron @ May 7th 2008 10:03AM]

Don't hate the TI-99/4a! Many of us, myself included, started out on them.

I started out with a modem that was switchable between 110bps and 300bps! Whoo hoo!

16-bit PCs FTW (in 1981)!

[rbolt @ May 7th 2008 1:45AM]

Can still play DOOM under windows right?

[andres @ May 7th 2008 1:48AM]

yes, for everyone but you

[ethana2 @ May 7th 2008 2:05AM]

windows? pshh.
No guarantees it'll even run on that thing, they haven't said what ISA it is.

[eric cumbee @ May 7th 2008 1:59AM]

wow i guess that is what sleep deprivation will do to you. Finals week what can i say. it looks more like a HP TC1xxx tablet pc to me. sans the tablet pc part.

[Windzilla @ May 7th 2008 2:02AM]

Doom? Doom? who freaking cares


Give me a little black joystick with a big orange button and let me play Parsec!

seriously if this came with parsec it might just convince me to buy it.

[Dani @ May 7th 2008 2:05AM]

Will it play Parsec and Alpiner?

[Dani @ May 7th 2008 2:06AM]

Heh, don't you hate making "hilarious" comments then noticing someone already beat you to the same comment...

D'oh!

[TeddyLikesComputahs! @ May 7th 2008 2:33AM]

how YOU doin'?

[Windzilla @ May 7th 2008 2:45AM]

Yea but you had Alpiner, so you have me beat.

[rodney.reid @ May 7th 2008 3:02AM]

Why wait? Run it with the TI-99/4A emulator:

http://www.mrousseau.org/programs/ti99sim/

[johnmc @ May 7th 2008 3:54AM]

What about the company name? "Hold on while I pull out my Yinlips" doesn't sound like something you'd want to say in polite conversation.

[w00t @ May 7th 2008 4:58AM]

I'd rather you didn't whip out your Yinlips, thank you very much :)

[tekdroid @ May 7th 2008 7:35AM]

YangLips make a superior model.

[PeriWink @ May 11th 2008 7:40AM]

Niether the cpu type,nor the distro are specified but if you looked around for the most favored five distros in China, chances are that it will be one of those. It is a Chinese company and thus a Chinese system. I would not be surprised if it runs some application suites that are almost (or completly) unknown to the Western world.. That 400MHz is more than likely far more than enough to do what it does. Even if it runs PDA specs, it is not a PDA, it is not designed to be one of those BS 'multimedia' or 'gaming' notebooks. It fills the niche of being ultra portable with an almost-decent screen size and almost-usable keyboard. What sets it apart from the Asus ultraportables is its battery life. Anyone seen the miserable battery life of the EEE? 2.6hours? My Thinkpad 360x lasted longer than that.. 12 years ago? Probably its biggest point to bost is that it doesn't use a flippen Celeron!