MobileViews Blog

Category: Netbook

Netbook (was the now defunct Ultra Mobile Personal Computer)

  • Feeling Retro: PC World Disassembles the Awesome TRS-80 Model 100 Ultraportable

    There was a time that mere mortals (people who couldn’t solder or code in assembly language) had two basic choices for a personal computer: The Apple II or the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1. Somehow, in these ancient days, there emerged an device that was a great ultraportable before the term ultraportable was even coined: The TRS-80 Model 100. It also has the distinction of being the last product that Microsoft’s Bill Gates worked on in depth. PC World disassembled this 25 year old masterpiece in design and presents the photos at…

    Inside a Classic: The TRS-80 Model 100

    I definitely want to go find mine this weekend, throw 4 AA batteries in it and see if it powers up. Will post the video on YouTube if I find it and it powers up for a demo.

  • Excellent Detailed Asus Eee PC 900 Reivew at EeeUser.com

    EeeUser.com has an excellent detailed (really detailed) review of the Asus Eee PC 900 at…

    EeePC 900 in-depth review

    It is scheduled for release in the US on May 12 (next week Monday). After watching the Eee PC 4G, Eee PC 8G, and HP Mini-note released, I think I am ready to make a purchase of some kind of low-priced ultraportable. I hope this thing actually ships in quantities that doesn’t cause an order backlog.

  • The HTC Shift: So Close and Yet So Far

    HTC Shift

    My old friend and fellow Mobile Devices MVP Arne Hess (the::unwired) brought an HTC Shift ultramobile running both Windows Vista and Windows Mobile to the MVP Summit this past week. You can see it above sitting beside my Dash smartphone and on top of my Apple MacBook. The Shift’s unique design using both Windows Vista and Windows Mobile OSes in a compact package has generated a lot of buzz. However, my issue with it has always been its price point – US$1499. Like most UMPC’s, it is just a bit too high for me to think of it as a mass market item. At best, it is a upper-mid-tier gadget (below the MacBook air) for gadget hounds with cash to spare. Its 3 to 5 minute boot time (as Arne described it) seems a bit on a the slow side too. I’m guessing that HP Mini-note I’m considering may start getting into that boot time range as it accumulates the usual Windows boot cruft (anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc.).

    Still, this is the kind of device I’m hoping to see more of – hopefully in the under $800 range in the near future.

  • Dell Says it Will Join the Sub-notebook Fray (Bring Back Windows 98SE!)

    Looks like Dell is playing the me-too catch-up game (from Information Week)…

    Dell Gears Up To Enter Mini-Notebook Market

    The first question is what price will the Dell entry be set at and what features will be available. Asus gambled and took the early mind-share. HP seems to have raised the bar (feature-wise) — although some claim the $749 version is priced too high. The second question is whether or not June is too late to enter the sub-notebook game. The third question is whether Apple and Lenovo (who currently own the high-end sub-notebook mindshare with the Macbook Air and X300, respectively) will enter the low-priced sub-notebook market.

    Finally, Microsoft has got to do something to create an OS for the sub-notebook market. Windows Vista is just to gigantic to squeeze into the flash-storage-no-hard-drive boxes. Keeping Windows XP would just an admission of defeat for them. I hope Microsoft comes to their senses and bring back the Windows CE (Windows Mobile) Handheld PC concept updated for the 21st century. Failing in that, they should Open Source Windows 98 Second Edition and let hordes of talented programmers tighten it up and bring it up to date for the sub-notebook market. My old IBM Thinkpad 240 ran Windows 98SE like a champ in a mere 128MB RAM. It would probably take up less space than the Linux distro Asus currently uses in the Eee PC.

  • More HP 2133 Mini-Note Reviews: Brighthand and PC World

    I’m still debating whether to buy the Asus Eee PC 900 (unreleased) or the soon-to-be-available HP 2133 Mini-Note. Here are two more good reviews for anyone else considering the HP Mini-Note. Brighthand’s review…
    HP 2133 Mini-Note Review

    …includes some interesting benchmarks against other sub-notebooks as well as a video comparing an Asus Eee PC running Windows XP booting up side-by-side with an HP Mini-Note running Windows Vista. The Mini-Note takes twice as long to get to a usable screen – about 90 seconds.

    The PC World video review…

    HP’s New Mini-Laptop Versus a Tiny Asus Eee

    …also compares the Asus Eee PC with the HP Mini-Note, but not in the benchmark sense that Brighthand does. PC World focuses more on the physical aspects such as the keyboard (HP’s is better) and the more solid HP casing.

    I wonder if it might make more sense for me to buy the HP Mini-Note model running SUSE Linux instead of Windows XP or Vista. Linux should screen on a box with the specs the HP Mini-Note has. Hmm.

  • jkOnTheRun has a Detailed Hands-On Review of the HP 2133 Mini-Note Eee PC Competitior

    I’m still trying to figure out which mini-notebook to buy. The Everex Cloudbook was eliminated a while back based on initial negative reviews. The FlipStart looked interesting. But, it looks like its firesale price was because it is discontinued. I actually bought an OLPC XO. But, while it probably meets the needs for which it was intended (education in developing nations), it is not suitable for my needs (or my daughter’s as it turns out). The thing that started this whole low-end ultraportable trend, the Asus Eee PC, is still my most likely purchase. I’m currently waiting for the new Eee PC 900 to hit the market before buying anything. In the meantime, HP announced the HP 2122 Mini-Note that looks like a contender. jkOnTheRun has an excellent review with lots of photos of this ultraportable at…

    jkOnTheRun review- hands on with the HP Mini-Note UMPC

    It looks like it will start shipping next week. Debating whether I should buy the HP or the Asus Eee now. Hmm… I wonder if the HP Mini-Note can boot from any USB connected CD/DVD drive if I ever need to re-install Linux or Vista on it?
    I should also note that the official Asus Eee PC site is nearly useless for information about their own products. If you want more up-to-date Eee PC news and information, this is the blog/site I head to for Eee info.

    EeeUser.com