NEC LaVie Light hits netbook scene with a whimper

We're so very over this spec sheet: 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 LCD, 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, SD slot, 1.3 megapixel webcam, XP Home. We could recite that song of the netbook in our sleep, and the Japan-bound LaVie Light doesn't stray a note. NEC even did us the special honor of placing the mouse buttons on either side of the trackpad, placing it in the upper echelon of lazybooks, and seems to have fended off any industrial designers that might be lurking around the company with great success. Akihabara News says the price is "really similar to all Netbook already put on the market," which is probably the least surprising statement we've heard all week.

[Via Akihabara]

[Simon @ Oct 16th 2008 9:53AM]

OMG! NEC have released the iBrick!

[Saad Rabia @ Oct 16th 2008 9:55AM]

Well, this looks neat. Not too bad.

[TMM @ Oct 16th 2008 9:59AM]

Yeah. For something you get with your Happy Meal.

And I guess that's where this "market" is heading for ... ;)

[happy_penguin @ Oct 16th 2008 5:11PM]

I agree with you, Saad. It looks clean and simple. Decent hard disk and RAM. If the price is right it should be quite desirable.

[lex @ Oct 16th 2008 9:58AM]

So that's the new Compaq Armada netbook, huh?

[Boarderwoot @ Oct 16th 2008 10:08AM]

This is the TMZ story equvalent of Robert Downey Jr. breaking wind. Come on Engadget! Where's the enthusiasim? Or atleast go out and find some stories that make you go OMG!!!!11!! ANOTHER iPHONE 3G DOCK!!!1122!! to wake your creative writing up a little bit this morning.

[Precurse @ Oct 16th 2008 10:09AM]

I wonder when some of these netbooks will start being a lot more innovative. From the looks of if, they all come with the 1.6ghz Intel Atom, 512mb OR 1gb ram (MAX), either 8gb or 120/160GB HD, and wireless b,g and webcam. Most are missing Bluetooth, gigabit ethernet (besides the $900 Asus 'gaming' one), better chipset than the shitty Intel GMA950, LED screen, touch screen (other than the Gigabyte ones), etc.. I don't necessarily mean ALL of these since well, they gotta keep the prices down, but a few of these (or others) wouldn't hurt.

I'll be yawning until something much more unique comes to market.

[KilgoreTrout @ Oct 16th 2008 10:54AM]

Well not really, my MSI wind clone does have bluetooth, and 2 GB DDR2, beside a/b/g WiFi, atom cpu, 120gbHd, and the faulty Wind's trackpad has been substituted with an excellent one made by "Haptics".
The shape has been rounded up and smarted up and some colour added; and including a good carring bag and 3 years full factory guarantee costed 350 euros.
So I feel confident to say that my Medion miniAkoya (that's my wind clone's moniker) is similar but definitely better than any other netbook on the market except for the Sony Vaio TT which costs about 5 times as much.
Netbooks are similar but by no means "all the same" .
For exemple this NEC is definitely a looser compared to nearly all its competition because even if it would have the same specs as my Wind's clone (which it does'nt) its angular shape would make it annoying if not downright painful, to carry around (a very important minus for such a machine), moreover the huge bezel is ...well, huge, and frankly since you are going to carry this thing around with you, you would like it to be a bit less ugly than this.

So my all important verdict is:

Not all netbooks are created equals
and Thou shall get a Sony Vaio TT, if you got money to burn.
or an Asus Eee 1001, if for Thee form is more important than function
or an MSI Wind (or even better one of its better spec'd clones) if you got any sense left.
But if you happen to be a plain, garden variety jerk the options abound and someone will surely buy even the aforementioned NEC made turd.
Last but not least, if you belong to the worringly growing bracket of the brain dead, head straight towards Cupertino , because El Jobo has just ordered a new mega yacht and has got something to sell you.

[OddManOut @ Oct 16th 2008 12:04PM]

I seriously doubt things will change much until the Via Nano, AMD Bobcat, dual core Atom's, and a lot more WIMAX rollouts hit the scene. For what you can expect from notebooks of this size and in this price range, the all too standard rig just works too well (price/performance) for the OEMs to vary it much.

That of course is barring some quantum leap in either battery or LCD technology in the next few months.

As far as this particular specimen goes, I rather like the stark angular design. It's not really a surprise through, considering it's basically the same as most other LaVie models...

[digitallysick @ Oct 16th 2008 10:27AM]

I like NEC and all, but it looks like a square block with white keys but as long as it works and its cheap then good

[Benson @ Oct 16th 2008 2:19PM]

Looks like square block: Good.
Has white keyboard: Not so good.

If only the keyboard matched, I'd actually consider it the most attractive netbook I've seen yet.

[LarryLarryLarry @ Oct 17th 2008 7:39AM]

This thing would probably look amazing with a few lights under the keyboard. At least in dim ambient light. If I was a modder that would be my first project for this machine.

[Sean @ Oct 16th 2008 10:32AM]

At least it sounds like it would make a good night light :/

[dodo @ Oct 16th 2008 10:37AM]

looks like my dads first notebook he brought home 1993, just with "new" hardware inside...

[Mario @ Oct 16th 2008 11:11AM]

In the dog-eat-dog world of netbooks, this is merely a chew-toy.

However, if they'd put a 10 inch screen in it, and spent a bit more time on the design, it could have been a contender.

I hate seeing opportunities lost.

[alldayparty @ Oct 16th 2008 11:13AM]

The price is very similar to other netbook being sold in Japan like Del, the price start from 64,800 Yen, if interest here is the link
http://www.necdirect.jp/psp/PA121/DIRECT1K/ENTPND/h/?tab=N1K_Z_NPC_CAT_0810_LLIGHT&catalogid=N1K_Z_NPC_CAT_0810_LLIGHT

[Troels C @ Oct 16th 2008 11:25AM]

I like the idea of white keys... could be easier to see at night.

[liv @ Oct 16th 2008 4:15PM]

of course... for your outdoor nightly Internet surfing :|

C'mon man this thing looks like an oversized DS...

[Samboini @ Oct 16th 2008 11:42AM]

Truly hideous.

[ottovelo.com @ Oct 16th 2008 11:49AM]

Hey! I have almost the same computer somewhere on my attic. A HP from the early 90's.

Think the designer was just a bit lazy. I can make this in like 5 minutes on sketchup.

[BigD145 @ Oct 16th 2008 12:06PM]

I wouldn't take it on a date, but otherwise it looks functional.

[BOGRASH @ Oct 16th 2008 12:09PM]

hideous

[michas_pi @ Oct 16th 2008 12:17PM]

It kinda looks like an HP MiniNote with sharper edges.

Eh.

[Ashvala @ Oct 16th 2008 12:20PM]

This is a Brick

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 16th 2008 12:21PM]

I'd hit it.

I wouldn't brag about it afterward or anything, but I'd hit it.

[FRZ @ Oct 16th 2008 12:31PM]

Damn effing polluters making junk by the load. This should be illegal.

[bebop @ Oct 16th 2008 1:42PM]

Adding other stuff will either reduce battery life or increase the cost, while only appealing to a small fraction of the target audience. The basic hardware gets the job done, that's all most people need to know.

Style, size, weight, battery life and keyboard are what really matter. I've played with all the major netbooks on the market, I'm not completely talking out of my ass here. I own an Aspire One because it's the only one of its size class with a fully useable keyboard, and I don't mind the side-mounted buttons because in practice I never use them, I can just tap on the trackpad instead.

Am I the only one to think this NEC isn't all that bad looking? The more I look at it the more the minimalist, industrial vibe works for me.

[ScooterDe @ Oct 16th 2008 3:19PM]

"About 1.17kg" (2.5lb)

[Nova @ Oct 16th 2008 8:37PM]

Obviously... ugly.

[brie @ Oct 16th 2008 11:21PM]

$198.........I'm in!

[John @ Oct 18th 2008 5:20PM]

Flashback from the mid-90's anyone?


Ps. don't have a comparison photo to go along with it, but i own a 90s laptop that looks just like that.

[mklp @ Oct 19th 2008 2:59PM]

Flashback to my LEGO days!

That's the only suprising thing about this netbook: it looks like it's design by a 4 year old LEGO engineer :)

Sold by IKEA?

[mklp @ Oct 19th 2008 5:51PM]

What do you think of the design of the NEC LaVie Light? Masterpiece or LEGO?

Poll goes here:

http://www.netbookusers.com/smf/index.php?topic=118.0