ASUS Barebones: Multimedia Even Sans Hard Drive

technomegalomaniac writes "This new stylish barebones combo from ASUS (case+motherboard) is going to outdo Apple in 'the way it looks matters' department. Customizable to your heart content, no OS included (obviously, since you need to buy your own hard drive). Comes with 'Instant On' software that lets you play CDs, DVDs and MP3s without entering the primary OS thus bypassing the long boot process. Definitely a living room toy." Doesn't beat Apple hardware in my eyes, but still looks like a nifty box.

Comments

I can't be the only one....

[SparksMcGee]

who looks at that and thinks "damn that's fugly"

Re:I can't be the only one....

[jandrese]

I'm pretty sure that lump is there on purpose to make sure people don't stack stuff on top of this guy. It probably vents from the top and can't handle having stuff stacked on it.

That lump is butt ugly though.

Re:I can't be the only one....

[isdnip]

The DigiMatrix you point to does, indeed, look a lot more appropriate for a home entertainment system.

Alas, only it has a built-in SiS video system, which is rather limited in 3D performance, though apparently adequate for SDTV. And while it says it take a Socket 478 Northwood CPU, I'm bewildered as to how you can fit much of a heat sink into that low profile box! Much as I dislike overly-fat boxes (and I think the base-note's system-cube-with-handle is indeed inappropriate for an entertainment system), I can't help thinking that DigiMatrix could use a little extra headroom, for a slot or two if not just cooling.

Outdoing Apple??

[ValiantSoul]

How do the looks of this thing outdo Apple's?
This thing is just a black box with a handle and a color LCD display. Compare that to the current and previous iMacs.

Re:Outdoing Apple??

[FlipmodePlaya]

Well, if you'd like to simplify this device into a 'box with a handle and a color LCD', you could do just the same for the iMac... Obviously, looks are subjective; it doesn't matter what the submiter thinks so you, nor what you think to him.

Re:Outdoing Apple??

[JanneM]

Well, the blodless semi-transparent white is getting a bit long in the tooth to be honest. The benefit of basic black is that it never really gets old.

Gaming system?

[rhennigan]

From the article:
The S1-P112 is a pure gaming system tailored for those who enjoy playing the latest 3D titles.

I hope this thing packs a decent power supply, unlike most barebone systems if its going to be running a recent video card. That has been the only thing so far that has kept me off of these things. I find one I like and realize that the 240w PS just isn't gonna cut it with my Geforce 6800.

Hmm

[Turn-X Alphonse]

Is it me or does that look strikingly similar to a gamecube?

Not the worst, but cmon...

[clf8]

But really, what's up with that handle? And, if you're going to make a system made for the living room, why not make something with the appropriate dimensions. And without a handle sticking out the top, making it harder to fit into a space or stack something on it.

What I don't like....

[qualico]

220w power supply? enough to power the front display.
Intel integration.
Graphics shared memory.

Its a step in the right direction, but that's not going to be a conversation piece to brag about.
Dam ugly.

Now if you want to compete with Apple, make the case transparent.

Anyone have prices of this yet?
Its not in the Canadian channels yet.

My DVD player does this now without a HDD

[aardwolf204]

Am I the only one that thinks the form factor should look more like a component cd player, or receiver. This doesnt mesh with my current stack o hardware in my living room.

Come to think of it, my DVD player plays DVDs, MP3, and CDs and has no hard drive. Throw in a network card and we're really cooking.

And I'm not so sure this thing would give apple a run for its money in the aesthetics department. The U2 ipod looks more pleasing.

This on the Frontpage...?

[loyukfai]

How do they call it? Slashadvertisement? Slashvertisement? Slashdotadvertsiisfjlasjflasjflas...

I remember several notebooks have such functions long before (Maybe not DVD playing...)... It's a nice product but does it deserve a frontpage slot?

Come on

[Anonymous Coward]

"going to outdo Apple in 'the way it looks matters' department."

No way does this look better than a Apple computer. Open your eyes!

Re:Come on

[Anonymous Coward]

No doubt however that if this product were from Apple then a select group of people would be singing its praises and declaring it the best industrial engineering in the history of computing.

That same group would pay a premium to get it so they could brag to their friends about owning into the mystique of Apple while drinking their Starbucks coffee and listening to their top-of-the-line Bose speakers.

What the...?

[aero2600-5]

Am I the only person that hears 'barebones combo' and pictures a full/mid-tower with motherboard and power supply? (Looks something like this )

Aero

This is why I don't get Apple

[Anonymous Coward]

Hi! I'm a musician and interested in G5 PowerMac, but won't get it. Check out the number at the bottom. This is why I won't get Apple for my recording studio.

Summary

Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512MB
250GB Serial ATA
DVD-R/CD-RW
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT DDL 256MB, 2xDVI
Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
Apple Cinema Display (20" LCD)+Belkin ADC to DVI Adapter
Apple Keyboard & Mouse
Mac OS X
One FireWire 800 port
Two FireWire 400 ports
Three USB 2.0 ports
Price: Eur 5.907,58
VAT: Eur 1.299,67
Subtotal: Eur 7.207,25

Holy cow! Let that amount speak fot itself! That's something like 8000$!!

Re:This is old stuff

[dr.badass]

why does it always take so long for good stuff to reach the United States?

In the asian market, companies are much more willing to put out products that won't be huge sellers. If they estimate the demand for Widget X to be (say) 1,000 units, they'll make it, where in the US, things don't get made until the demand is (say) 10,000 units. I'll leave it to more informed to explain why this is the case.

Re:? You know the target for this thing right?

[Chess_the_cat]

As such, I think it looks quite similar to every other hi-fi device I won - black, with a colored LED-ish LCD panel.

And cubical? How in Hell's name am I supposed to fit that thing in my entertainment rack? It's twice as high as my DVD player. It looks absolutely ridiculous. Then again, since it doesn't have to even be in the same room as my entertainment system I guess it doesn't matter. But then why try to make it look like a "hi-fi" device? It's so confusing. Is it a bad looking computer or an entertainment device with a non-standard form factor?

OOH, someone else is trying to kill Apple.

[Stick_Fig]

Why is it that everyone's obsessed with outdoing Apple? The reason why what they're doing works is because they're NOT concerned about competing with everyone else. They let a good idea come to them and run with it.

If I see another post on Slashdot about an "Apple Killer", I'm going to throw my hands up in the air, and cry like a little baby, because I'm pathetic like that.