Comparing paths of mobile computing
July 27th, 2007 | Published in Apple, Blog, Business, Design, Gadgets, Travel, Web | 1 Comment
Something big is coming, in the form of something very small. But it’s not small tech, it’s small price. This fall, the first ULTRA cheap laptops will start to appear on retail shelves, and they could seriously shake things up. Take a look at a few of the best cellphone/computer handsets today, and we’ll compare them to one of the upcoming hypercheap laptops.
HTC Kaiser - $800
Quadmode GSM, Dual mode 3G
Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, thumboard, 2.8″320×240LCD, MicroSD, 3MP AF camera
RSS reader, web browser, Skype, VoIP, Flickr integration, blogging tools, maps
Battery life : {browsing and music playing} - 5-8hour {guess!}
Nokia N95 - $900
Quadmode GSM, single mode 3G
Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, 2.8″320×240LCD, MicroSD, 3MP AF camera
RSS reader, web browser, VoIP, Flickr integration, blogging tools, maps
Battery life : {browsing and music playing} - 4 hours
Apple iPhone - $700
Quadmode GSM, NO 3G
Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3.5″480×320LCD, MicroSD, 2MP noAF camera {no video capture}
RSS reader, web browser, mp3 and video player, maps
Battery life : {browsing and music playing} - 6-8 hours
Asus Eee PC $199
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFLJJw6WRqM[/youtube]
The Asus Eee PC will cost $200 US when it hits shelves this fall. Here’s a few more relevant facts:
- NO hard drive - 4, 8 or 16GB flash memory
- 4 USB 2.0 ports {easily add external drives…}
- 7 in TFT LCD @ 800×480 {there will be a slightly more expensive 10″LCD version with a resolution of 1280×768 pixels}
- VGA web camera
- 10/100 Mbit Ethernet, 56k modem, 802.11b/g wireless LAN
- MMC/SD/MS card reader, {add an up to an extra 32GB with an SD card}
- microphone and headphone
- 22.5cm x 16.5cm x 2.1-3.5cm thick {8.9″×6.5″×0.9″~1.4″}
- Weight - 890 grams! {2pounds}
- Linux and loads of software preinstalled
I’m sure lots of people will still prefer the uber phones above. They’re a lot smaller and lighter than the Eee PC, and the phone and GPS features do add a lot. But the Eee PC is perfect for people who have a phone, but want a device that delivers a desktop web experience, plus offers movies ad videos, office apps, and even games.
It’s small, durable and cheap. I want one. 
July 27th, 2007 at 11:37 am (#)
that is pretty cool. asus is slowly creeping into the mainstream as a viable option for laptops. i considered an asus when i was buying my new laptop, but they’re not yet that widely available, so i didn’t buy one.
ultraportables are becoming the talk of the town lately, as people are finally becoming aware of them. and the price will certainly help.