Emtec's gdium EM-PC laptop does not look like the Eee

Here's what we can tell you about the Emtec gdium EM-PC mini-laptop;

• It does not resemble the ASUS Eee PC at all.
• It does contain an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 display, flash-based storage (though no word on capacity), a Linux-based OS, and a webcam.
  
• The company is touting its "GKey," which is a removable dongle that manages the security and authentication for the laptop.
  
• It will be available in July in Australia for AUD $449, or about US $420.
  
• It looks nothing like the Eee.

[Thanks, KC]

[MeatyPi @ May 21st 2008 10:58AM]

Does this look like the Eee to anyone?

[Mike @ May 21st 2008 11:02AM]

Now that you mention it ...

[Tim Brown @ May 21st 2008 11:24AM]

It must be a trick of the light

[Ayman @ May 21st 2008 11:25AM]

It looks a lot like the Macbook Air (1 USB PORT AND WHITE) :D

[Metkis @ May 21st 2008 12:55PM]

@Ayman: You made my day, good person.

[waterwagen @ May 21st 2008 11:00AM]

Do we need yet ANOTHER Eee post????

Wait, Emtec?

[coffee @ May 21st 2008 11:00AM]

"The gdium EM-PC range also provides users access to gayaplex, an educational portal devised by educationists for school age children."


Well, who the hell else would devise an educational portal EXCEPT an educationist?

[Stingly @ May 21st 2008 11:17AM]

"Gayaplex" ????

[nerdtalker @ May 21st 2008 12:55PM]

Does anybody else thing "gayaplex" was a terrible choice for a name? I can see the misconstrusion now...

First time I glanced over it I thought I must have misread it.

[LarryLarryLarry @ May 21st 2008 6:42PM]

Heck, I'm still wondering what an "educationist" is? Do they mean "educator"? Or is it "education advocate"?

I'll have to visit the gayaplex and ask around.

[Patrick @ May 21st 2008 11:00AM]

So it DOES look like the Eee?

[Rob @ May 21st 2008 1:40PM]

Not particularly. Most subnotebooks look similar. Contrary to popular belief, the Eee wasn't the first, just the first affordable one.

[telepheedian @ May 21st 2008 11:01AM]

This is what ASUS needs to come out with, a 9-inch version of the eee, for just a little bit more than the 7 inch, no other spec bumps. Bluetooth, maybe, but no $650 monster.

[OneLove @ May 21st 2008 11:05AM]

They only had room for 1 product picture and they chose the side?

[mattydread @ May 21st 2008 12:46PM]

for real. It wouldn't be so bad if the article didn't make smart comments about its appearance too.

[Blaine Oliver @ May 21st 2008 11:09AM]

So this is definatley not not an EEE then?

(clever people will understand the joke in this.)

[Fara @ May 21st 2008 11:19AM]

Ionno. It is white.

[darkstar @ May 21st 2008 11:18AM]

msi wind for me!

[Hellios @ May 21st 2008 11:18AM]

Awesome, yet another subnotebook!

[MarkMichael @ May 21st 2008 11:27AM]

Looks like they'll use the USB memory as the hard drive. Some sick ploy to sell USB drives? It intrigues me, not $400 intrigue... maybe $200 intrigue.

[sinai @ May 21st 2008 11:40AM]

can you imagine the things you can get for the price of an iphone these days?

sheesh!

[Superevil @ May 21st 2008 11:51AM]

Still no word on the G10IL huh? Oh and no word on storage or RAM = No Sale.

[Jason @ May 21st 2008 11:57AM]

Damn, I would have actually considered this one, if it had looked more like the Eee. Oh well.

[hencharge @ May 21st 2008 12:09PM]

Strange that it doesn't look like the touchpad has a button on it?

Imagine the father's face....what's that you're on son...

"Gayaplex"

*feint*

[Brian @ May 21st 2008 1:32PM]

Is there any way we can low rank the Author? I mean, baring no processor and storage listed, that thing looks pretty enticing, and it's got a pretty good price point. But the title just invites the comments to begin with...

[John Sullivan @ May 21st 2008 2:10PM]

And what exactly is this Eee of which you speak?

[Patrick @ May 21st 2008 2:26PM]

The GDIUM will come in the first place with a 10" screen (not an 8,9", which will come later). The G-Key, a bootable flash based USB key of 8GB (standard), will host the Linux Mandriva OS and the user's data. The computer is based on a MIPS processor from ST Microelectronics. 3 USB ports, 1.1 Kg, 4 hours autonomy. Availible for back to school, i.e. late August. Price is less than 400 Euros.

[LarryLarryLarry @ May 21st 2008 6:45PM]

That's $800 USD.

NEXT!

[cf292007 @ May 21st 2008 8:37PM]

Of course this piece of crap looks like an Eee. You would be stupid not to notice.

[Owen @ May 21st 2008 11:35PM]

More subnotebooks = more competition.

This one actually looks like it's properly aimed at children, though. Using the USB key storage/authentication model so kids don't have to try remember passwords, WITHOUT having no passwords and making the security functions of Linux null and void.

I can forsee problems with document incompatibility though -- well, unless the new Office 2007 service pack with ODF support comes out before July.

[linuxamp @ May 21st 2008 11:50PM]

That Gkey sounds something like a TPM chip.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Platform_Module

Wonder if they will provide drivers for the Gkey on other OSs (XP).

[taco @ May 22nd 2008 2:49AM]

As a note - the only eeePC available at retail in Australia is the 4G Surf for $499 AUD, so this new mini-laptop is cheaper than the existing 7 inch eee

[Oinquer @ May 23rd 2008 10:03AM]

you forgot one thing!!
EM-PC --- >420 dollars
EEE PC --->650 dollars

Equal someone???????

[Abi @ Jun 5th 2008 9:09AM]

Actually they have a website : http://www.gdium.com/
The product seems different, thinner than on this picture. Looks OK to me.
And a 10" screen and 4 hours autonomy are quite appealing

[agy @ Jul 14th 2008 11:34PM]

have u checked online? it's designed by a chinese product designer, kind of famouse~so unexpected. And its accesories! but the article is in chinese:
http://www.lineoid.com/viewnews-7933.html
someone pls translate~

[alex @ Aug 3rd 2008 6:10AM]

agy, to get http://www.lineoid.com/viewnews-7933.html translated into other languages, you could try google "Langugage tools".

[kmitra @ Jul 21st 2008 12:17AM]

Here is the Mandriva website for Gdium-
http://club.mandriva.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/GDiumInfo

It seems that it has a MIPS processor from ST Microelectronics which is nothing but a Chinese 'Loongson processor'. It is interesting to note that somebody else make processors other than Intel, AMD and VIA.

For me the processor matters little, as long as I can surf from 'Googleplex' to 'Gayaplex'. The only problem with Gdium is ... from processor to keyboard.. "It does not resemble the ASUS Eee PC at all".