http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/ Engadget Comments for Coby's sub-$200 netbooks handled at CES http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 9:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 1:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 9:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 9:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 9:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
Common engadget, is that how you report the specs of something. You're frigging in front of it can't you be a bit more specific on you know RAM and HDD. For 200$ and having an atom inside is a big deal if the rest of the specs don't include a 4gb SSD and some lousy 512mb RAM.]]>Jan 8th 2009 9:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
For sub-$200, an Atom with 4GB SSD and a lousy 512MB RAM _IS_ a big deal.

Have you seen the other options you have at under $200?... Well, in short, you only have one: The Alpha 400.

It has an extremely lousy 1GB SSD and an even more lousy 128MB RAM, and a yet more lousy Ingenic MIPS processor, and a worse-than-lousy locked down and severely outdated Linux-based OS.

How does the 4GB/512MB at $200 offer sound now?]]>Jan 8th 2009 10:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
Who is coby going to sell this to, the pentagon?]]>Jan 9th 2009 12:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/#comments]]>Jan 11th 2009 1:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 4:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 9:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 10:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 10:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
My Dell E4200 (12") laptop costs about 20 times as much, and only has 2. Shafted ;-/]]>Jan 8th 2009 11:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
If they can get this with 1GB RAM (or more), and an SSD bigger than 4GB (or even use a small HDD) with a base price under $200, I think these might sell, and force the bigger companies to look even more to getting netbooks cheaper. It's quite possible for them to make this a reality, they just need to actually make it.]]>Jan 8th 2009 10:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 10:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 10:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 8th 2009 10:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 2:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
HI-OH ! ! !]]>Jan 9th 2009 12:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 12:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
I know Coby still makes extremely low-quality stuff (their current MP3 players are very very low-end for example), but hey, if the company feels like breaking the sub-$200 barrier for netbooks, let them. Depending on their sales figures (no doubt some people at CVS/Best Buy would be willing to drop $189.99 or so on them) this could very well force ASUS and Acer to reduce the prices of their flagship models to somewhere closer to the $250 mark in about a year or so.]]>Jan 9th 2009 10:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 12:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 1:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
WTF do you want from a laptop for under $200? Sorry it doesn't have a foldout secondary monitor for ya...

Unless the thing fell apart right there in your hands, punch yourself. At that price these things are practically disposable laptops. ;p]]>Jan 9th 2009 4:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 4:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
Perhaps it's the same hardware, but branded (and marketed) differently

Anyway, for reading emails on the coffe store should be great......]]>Jan 9th 2009 10:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
I picked up one of those, it's... ok. Barely has grunt enough to run a browser, but the price was right, and the screen is great for its size. The trackpad and keyboard both work acceptably well, too.

What it really needs is a better Linux distro, I found a user forum for it once where people were working on it, but have not had any luck finding that site again.]]>Jan 9th 2009 10:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 11:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
I would definitely buy the small-bezel version in black (red and yellow are maybe best left to Ferraris), as long as they don't ruin the exterior with a cheap-looking glossy finish like HP has on a couple of its models.]]>Jan 9th 2009 11:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 11:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
1. RAM Expansion: Apparently the Asus EEEs are easy to upgrade, while the HP Mini Notes are not. Hopefully Coby understands that a lot more people would buy a 512MB/1GB standard version if they knew that they could swap in a 2GB chip relatively easily.
2. Weight: For the sake of comparison, the 8.9" Acer Aspire One is 2.2lbs (3-cell batt) while the 10.2" Samsung NC-10 is 2.91lbs. I'd guess that the small-bezel Coby is 8.9", so they should really be striving to hit the 2.2-2.5lb mark. I mention this specifically because the side profile shot of the laptop does make it look a bit bulkier than the Acer. I'm willing to accept this if it allows for easier expansion.
3. SD expandability: how far is SDHC capacity likely to go, now that SDx or whatever is likely to roll out soon? 64GB? 128GB?]]>Jan 9th 2009 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 12:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 12:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://china-400-mini-laptops.blogspot.com/ .

This low end is where the action is for years to come.

Trust Coby to find a combination that will sell. And trust this to bring down prices on ALL laptops / notebooks / netbooks.]]>Jan 9th 2009 6:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 10:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 9th 2009 11:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 10th 2009 12:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 10th 2009 1:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
The NBPC892 is Coby's entry into the netbook space. The computer features an 8.9-inch screen, an Intel Atom N270 processor, and a surprisingly roomy 160-500GB hard drive. The netbook runs either XP or Linux, features 1GB to 2GB of RAM, and has a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera.

All in all, I'd wait for a review before rushing out and picking one up at your neighborhood 7-11. "

http://www.gearlog.com/2009/01/ces_2009_coby_intros_netbook.php]]>Jan 10th 2009 9:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
By the way, in defense of the article's author, this is perfectly credible journalism, imo. A) It's clearly a followup on a previous report and B) the reps seem to say nothing is set in stone, so giving numbers ( 512K, etc.) would wind up being inaccuarte by the time the thing gets into production. The article was based on the somewhat limited information available. As an update, it's a fine report.

(Yes, I'm a journalist... on staff at a "small" newspaper and I get "attacked" plenty; sometimes by readers, and more often by my editor!)]]>Jan 11th 2009 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 11th 2009 12:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 11th 2009 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 11th 2009 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/
Still, it's good to see some attempt in retail to reach out to the less wealthy end of the spectrum. Too bad it took a recession to get it started.....

I wonder when a car company based somewhere other than India might catch on to the idea that 10 low end sales trump no high end sales? ]]>Jan 11th 2009 2:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Jan 11th 2009 4:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/Feb 7th 2009 12:32PM