Augen's $99 GenBook smartbook preview
By Joanna Stern 
posted July 27th 2010 5:22PM
posted July 27th 2010 5:22PM
- Look and feel - Upon tearing the GenBook's box open, we realized we'd looked this little laptop in the face before. It looks strikingly similar to CherryPal's $99 netbook, which we saw back in April, and we actually assume both Augen and CherryPal are using the same ODM. Regardless of where it comes from, it's insanely miniscule and light. And well, those are pretty much the GenBook's only redeeming qualities in terms of design, since the plastic gadget feels more like a Playskool toy than a legitimate computer. Actually, in terms of make, it feels more like $85 than $100. To its credit, it's surrounded by three USB ports, an SD card reader as well as Ethernet, headphone and microphone jacks.
- Keyboard and touchpad - The 7-inch device is a huge throwback to the early days of netbooks. The keyboard is incredibly tiny, and we almost forgot how much we had to cramp up our fingers to type back in the day of the Eee PC 701. It would have been nice to see some dedicated Android shortcut buttons, but the left arrow key does double as a Home button. The touchpad is flanked vertically by right and left mouse buttons. The pad itself has a mind of its own and randomly decides to make selections at times, but you can always attach a USB mouse! Yep, it works.
- Android experience, apps - The smartbook comes preloaded with Android 1.6, and the home screen has a unique dock with shortcuts to the browser, Google Maps, email, etc. The experience is nothing new to any Android user, but getting applications is easier said than done. Even though it comes with two app stores -- one dubbed Apps Store and the official Market -- we couldn't get either of them to install apps correctly. We're still working on it, so hold tight for an update soon. Still, the machine comes preloaded with Gmail, DocumentsToGo, iReader, a video player, etc. Yeah, we got excited about the YouTube app on the homescreen, but it's definitely not the official app and the videos refused to play.
- Performance - It will probably come as no surprise that the GenBook, which is powered by a 400MHz CPU and 128MB of RAM, is slow. No, like really slow. It takes about a minute and a half to boot up and toggling through menus is downright laggy. We didn't have to wait all that long for webpages to load over WiFi, but the machine starts quitting programs when it's asked to do too much at the same time. We were fine sending an email in Gmail and listening to an MP3 in the background, but that's about the extent of it. Oh, and playing an MP4 video was a terribly choppy experience.
Jim Anchower is in heaven -- finally a laptop he can afford.
Feels like $85 rather than $100? Is it really possible to make that distinction??
Anywho, the 400mhz processor makes me worry a little about their tablet. Is it really an 800mhz processor, or are they fudging by adding the CPU & GPU together, as many of the other cheapo tablet manufacturers are doing?
The problem with the market is the same problem that plagues all of the cheaper slates running 1.6. One solution that tends to work for most people is to go to the market and "download" an app you want. Then you must cancel the download then go to
Settings>Manage Applications>Google Apps--"Delete Data"
Return back to the market and download again, it should work.
Oh ok. Android should not allow anyone to see this in public. This clearly isn't ready for prime time.
I thought only phones could have the market.
Guys I found a review of the augen gentouch tablet on youtube, this is no BS. Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfha5r6law0
Oh my that is the epitome of sexy! I will now throw away my name brand computers, and trash my iPod touches cause this is just wow!! I am feeling funny in the bathing suit area just seeing that black plastic! :P
Ah well, i guess you get what you pay for :)
But 400 MHz and 128 MB RAM? That's just terrible.
The tablet is probably just going to be the same hardware without a keyboard and with a touchscreen
At least the ASUS 701 could actually work as a (low end) computer...this, not so much.
I have the 533Mz WinCE based Augen.
Word of advice to anyone buying anything from these tools, Don't.
The WinCE based "DumbBook" is severely crippled due to not actually owning a distribution rights. You can't install dick on it and tells you the .cab files aren't recognized. I found IF, and that's a big if, you can add the folders and files by hand then you can run some, and that some means very few programs.
No Flash, no shit.
My assumption is this little "gem" is crippled as well by the sounds of you not being able to install.
Customer support is a joke as well.
Final line:
"Danger Will Robinson!!! DANGER!!!"
I'd say smartbooks have great potential once froyo becomes the norm... I'd get one for my mom
For what it's worth, this is not the only Augen netbook you'll find at Kmart. The one in Branson, Missouri reports having a $150 Augen, clearance priced at $120, that has a 248 MHz ARM, 64 megs of RAM, and Windows CE. (Why does a netbook with half the stats cost 50%-marked-down-to-20% MORE? Beats me.)
Interestingly enough, that WinCE (wince, wince) "smartbook" can be ordered from NewEgg for $78 including shipping. But the question is, why would you want to do that when for a little less than twice as much you could get a $130 refurbed Eee from Geeks.com which is at least four times as good:
http://www.teleread.com/2010/07/31/99-augen-netbook-not-a-good-deal-compared-to-geeks-coms-130-eee-refurbs/