In Search of the Cheap Linux Laptop

mr_mischief writes "According to Hot Hardware's recent review, Asus is getting ready to unleash a $199 compact notebook running Linux. This is entirely different from this recent $150 Linux laptop story which many Slashdot readers believed to be a scam. There's a dual-mode menu which offers a simple system for novice computer users, and a slightly more advanced version for others. It's not aimed squarely at the same market as the One Laptop Per Child project's XO, and is expected to be sold to end users worldwide. It's targeted at new users who don't own a computer or at people who want a cheap, small laptop for basic tasks. The reviewed version has a 7" screen and a cramped keyboard to match, but a 10" version is available for $100 more. It offers built-in wired and wireless networking, four USB 2.0 ports, and a three-hour battery life. The storage options are a bit cramped, as you only get 4 GB of on-board storage (8 GB on the $299 model) and no optical drive. As the review says, though, USB 2.0 can make up for that if you like, and the lack of moving drive parts makes the machine run dead quiet."

Comments

An NT$10 coin

[croddy]

The author shows a photo with the laptop next to a Taiwan $10 coin, adding that it is about the same size as a US half-dollar. Since this won't help most folks in the US (for whom receiving a half-dollar coin in change is a rare occurrence), it may help to know that the NT$10 coin is not quite 2mm larger than a U.S. quarter.

Re:An NT$10 coin

[arth1]

What the heck is .07874 inches? Real Americans would say 5/64".

Worth springing for the 10" screen

[Kadin2048]

From the photos, it looks like the 7" and 10" models use the same case/chassis. The smaller screen just has a giant black bezel around it, taking up the space where the larger screen would go. Although this brings up interesting upgrade possibilities, I think it's fairly obnoxious; I wouldn't mind a 7"-screen laptop if the entire thing were only 7" diagonal (example, something like the Psion Series 7), but a 7" screen in a case that's built for 10" would just annoy me.

The Specs, summarized

[keithjr]

900MHz Intel Dothan based Pentium M CPU

512MB of DDR2 memory

802.11g wireless capability

flash-based hard drive ($199 for 4GB, $299 for 8GB)

weight: .89 kilograms, just around 2 pounds

Ports:
  four USB 2.0
  VGA output
  10/100 Ethernet
  56K phone modem

Battery:
  4-cell, estimated 3 hours life

The lack of an optical drive and the low nonvolatile storage space is a bummer, but flash hard drives are faster and stabler. And as the article states, you can always hook up an external.

Re:The Specs, summarized

[ukatoton]

It's running a derivative of xandros:

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS4576754329.html

Re:Could have been cheaper

[harrkev]

When optimizing for cost (purely), the device would be both larger and have a spinning HD.

Nope. A USB storage device is just a chip. Small, cheap. In fact, you can get a $4GB USB drive for around $30 *retail.* If you are buying raw chips for incorporating into your own product, expect a smaller price tag.

A spinning hard drive, on the other hand, requires mounting hardware, connectors, cables, and the hard drive itself has a lot of moving mechanical parts. Keep in mind that these things are made by the thousands, or more. Buying out the clearance of last-year's model is not really an option.

Re:32GB USB stick

[Marxist Hacker 42]

They do, but the format is SD (there's a standard SD slot) and the maximum I've seen an SD card so far is 8GB.

Still, I've seen 8GB cards for under $80, so aside from screen size, you could EASILY upgrade the $199 version to the same internal capabilities as the $299 version for under $80.

For those interested in the Medison saga

[suv4x4]

Since it was mentioned in the summary, there's a new blog following the whole fiasco at http://medisonscam.blogspot.com/

Some interesting highlights from the last few days:

The old product pictures has been replaced on Medisons site. According to Comon.dk Medison have foretold that they were replaced by "real" pictures to get more trustworthy. They say that they have hired a professional photographer to take the pictures. The question however, is why a professional photographer would use a Canon Digital IXUS 60 digital camera at 10 in the evening (See the Exif-tags in the pictures). That is for those who don't know a small compact consumer camera... Yes we know that this doesn't "prove" anything, it's just another "fun fact" in this story.

A poster on SweClockers posted the following answer that is supposed to be from the manufacturer: "they got one pcs sample from our customer and not paid". Hmm, interesting, isn't it?

According to the Danish site Comon.dk, Medison will have a press conference on Wednesday to clear things out. They have also spoken with several people in the computer industry that claims, just like all other experts, that the price is "impossible".

The Asus Eee offer however is great I'm looking forward to their machine. You shouldn't look at this laptop from the perspective of using it as full blown desktop Machine. Consider all the stuff you get at mere $200, for a nice mobile computer with full-sized keyboard and rich internet abilities. It makes for far better browsing/mail checking than what you can do on your $600 iPhone.

Re:Could have been cheaper

[networkBoy]

you can get 2 gigs on a single die, you can stack that die with a block storage controller in a single chip.
In 10K unit quantities those sell for about $12-20
so since this is ASUS and Intel, I'm betting the price is closer to the $12 range and is a single TSOP48 chip, or the board may have 4 lands on it for 4 2gig chips and a separate controller, thus "modders" will be able to upgrade the machine for under $50 as a single 2Gig in a TSOP48 can now be had in the $8.00 range.
-nB