Super Tiny Espresso PC

OscarMeier writes "ArsTechnica has posted an article about the Espresso PC. 0.5kg light, it is a fully featured i810e Celeron or PIII system including everything and the kitchen sink (VGA out, NTSC out, USB, PS/2, 12 GB Hard Drive, up to 256 MB RAM, docking 24X CD w/ floppy). " must... resist... temptation... if only it had a battery.Check out the manufacturer's site for more information.

Comments

Ethernet

[dew]

How do you wire this puppy to the Net? There are very cheap USB Ethernet interfaces. Here's one at Buy.com. $36 to hook this baby up to the Net is not too bad methinks. =)

HELL-OOO portable server! =) Just plug 'er into the wall and the 'Net and you're good to go. If something goes wrong, plug it into the TV and pop the keyboard on. (Wiggling with excitement) AWESOME!

David E. Weekly

Re:Best feature

[kevin lyda]

actually i think you're getting more if you're not getting windows, but yes, you're correct. :)

Re:laptop without screen and battery - bright idea

[Syberghost]

No no no, don't think portable screen:

Think headset.

And one-handed chording keyboard in the pocket.

You'll look like a perv, with your hand moving in there, but you can live with it.

But does it run Linux?

[Syberghost]

Does it run Linux? FreeBSD? InsertYourReligionHere?

To find out, I started here: the manufacturer's website

What I expected was to spend a few minutes digging around, finding what chipsets it used for various components, comparing with the hardware compatibility lists for my particular sect of Penguin Worship

What I did not expect to find was, in big bold purple letters, "Run Windows 2000/98/NT, Linux".

Not once, but twice. (Although not so big and purple the second time.)

It's also got an S-Video port, which purports to support both NTSC and PAL, and comes with an adapter for composite video output.

And 3D sound.

And 4mb of video memory, support 1280x1024x16.7M and 1600x1200x256.

Yikes. This thing is damn near perfect, considering it's not a Transmeta processor.

Hell, it's more powerful than my server. In fact, I ran an ISP once on far less box than this, serving thousands of customers.

Best feature

[FascDot Killed My Pr]

Here's the coolest feature (from the "config and order" page):

Choice #3 for "Operating System" is: None - pre-formatted HD only (-$83)

Yep, people are starting to get it. Not only do I want to be able to buy a "blank" computer, but I want to PAY less when I GET less.
--

I submitted this to ArsTechnica instead of /. ...

[figa]

because /. has been so lame lately. That AskJeeves thing has been around for days.

You know where I found the Espresso? I found it in an ad in this month's Computer Shopper.

ArsTechnica has posted three out of the last four things I've sent them. /. hasn't posted any of my story suggestions, and given their preference for reruns, I didn't even bother.

Rack up the hits, ArsTechnica. You've earned them!

This is not a troll, it's a genuine complaint. /.'s overall quality has sucked hard lately.

You heard it second at /.!

other components

[adrien]

does anyone know of other small stuff to go with this thing?

Palm bought a foldable keyboard design from a company called Think Outside which, if it could be hooked up, would be the perfect companion from something like this.

A portable display??? Anyone? Teeny LCD?

OK, then Sony makes these goggle things - but they seem really expensive...

And then, outside of lugging around a car battery, anyone know of any nice power supply solution that might work with this thing?
VST makes a firewire RAID that can run off powerbook batteries (or maybe just as a backup source???) So something might be hackable by a skilled and brave geek with a soldering iron...

Break the 1 box tyranny of laptops! Think modular. break it up into seperately usable parts. I wish that my powerbook screen was detachable and could be used with my linux box, for instance. Why have two screens on my desk?

this type of thing is definately the future. why make things big???


adrien cater
boring.ch

It's the best Mp3 car player

[Segador]

I think that's its better use. You have AC, have mic, have sound... (I think in a voice controled mp3 player i saw in freshmeat..) And when you wan to load it, just take it with you to home and plug it thru USB or parallel to your linux box. PERFECT!!!
Other use (almost here in spain with expensive connections) is take it to work and download anything to it using the FAST T1 connection...!!
Pretty gooood.


==
That's the time harvesters,that's the time to be care
get back all this people, so ostentatious and arrogant.

Are you REALLY getting less?

[nels_tomlinson]

I had a professor tell me once that "an empty bowl is more useful than a full one.". His reasoning was that you can put something into the empty one (and thus render it less useful...). By that logic, the blank harddrive option should cost at least as much as the full. (Now I have to say something bad about Microsoft.... hmmm) The manufacturers who subtract nothing for not loading windows are deducting the value of windows, not the cost.

Seriously, I agree with you; it's great to see the option, and great to see it priced where it ought to be. Now if they would just make a non-intel, non-apple version with a G4 cpu! That's another sort of choice I'd like to see more of.

Linux is an option

[Dhericean]

According to the Product information on the Manufacturer's Website Linux is already an option as the operating system. It is just iBuyPower who do not seem to be offereing all the options (There is also a DVD).

company web site with more info

[divide_by_0]

the company's web site with all kinds of stats and pictures of this cute little machine is at

http://www.saintsong.com.t w/it/english/prod/espresso.htm

the site also has links to their .pdf files