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The $45 Windows Laptop
YokimaSun writes "The search for a cheap laptop has brought us news from India of a $10 laptop (which later turned out to be a hundred dollars). Today PC Gaming News has details of a laptop which is selling for a measly 45 dollars, what do you get for that, you get a netbook running windows embedded compact 7, 128 megs of ram, a via8505 processor and a 7 inch screen capable of 800x480 pixels resolution." I'm still waiting for my under $50 Macbook.
"I'm still waiting for my under $50 Macbook."
What is the point of this kind of trolling in article summaries, really?
The VIA8505 SoC is a AWFUL chip. I have a tablet based one of these running Android and it SUCKS.
This is an eBay sale of a discontinued netbook.
As somebody pointed out, if you wanted a $50 netbook, they can look on Craigslist or eBay themselves.
Nothing new or interesting here,
myke
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
I think you're just trolling. Why would you need more than 128MB to connect to a VM, that'd be a simple dumb terminal... I'm pretty sure dumb terminals at that resolution can run just fine with those specs.
... but isn't Windows 7 Embedded Compact the new name for what used to be called (much more appropriately) WinCE?
In other words, this is an almost-useless piece of junk that runs a nearly dead operating system that is being dropped by MS in its next version.
I bought something very similar in the UK for about £30 a couple of years ago. It was useless then, it'll be useless now.
I've got a "laptop" that's about 2 1/2 x 4 inches or so, runs Android, and doubles as a phone... Wait... It *IS* a phone!
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Interesting, and inbelievably cheap - not just becasue of the Windows license fee; no idea how much they pay for that. It's Windows CE so linking to the normal Win7 retail prices doesn't make sense.
OS: Windows CE. Never worked with that, no idea on the interface. Should include a browser, assume IE. But what version for WinCE?
Storage: not mentioned. Is this a "true" netbook as in can only do web browsing and web apps? Price could imply no local storage indeed, other than for the embedded OS. The ebay listing has no details at all. They are selling, shipping US only.
Install other OS? Well if no external storage, good luck with that.
Install applications? No mention about this. No external storage could be an issue there.
Form factor looks like the EEEPC 701 series, that's not too bad. It has a higher screen resolution. I like the overall idea. I'm still regularly using that EEEPC, almost exclusively for web browsing. It's sitting on the dining table, quick to grab, small enough to not be in the way too much, light enough to move around with one hand.
Not only did they get the company wrong, it's not even x86 architecture. VIA 8505 is ARM-based. This isn't even including the fact that it runs Windows CE (aka Windows Embedded Compact), so standard Win32 programs wouldn't run on it, even if compiled for ARM.
I saw this same (or very similar) model on sale at the local CVS. One reason it's so cheap is that it doesn't run "Windows" in any meaningful sense. It runs an embedded-system OS that is called Windows, but isn't compatible with any existing Windows software. (Look for much more of this kind of confusion with the upcoming WinRT for ARM.) Furthermore, since this netbook doesn't have an x86 processor, it can't run the real version of Windows.
Why would you need more than 128MB to connect to a VM, that'd be a simple dumb terminal... I'm pretty sure dumb terminals at that resolution can run just fine with those specs.
Once Corporate IT gets ahold of it, it'll need 4GB and a couple of cores just to keep up with Symantec Endpoint Protection.
:wq
We need a moderation option for "+1 Sad Reality"
and utter crap. ARM class CPU is locked to windows CE. the specs if I recall are a 350mhz cpu, 128 mb of ram, 4-8 Gb storage, USB 1.1, and a useless 800x480 display. Utterly worthless. I tried researching instructions for installing linux, not easy. All for trash grade hardware. If you did want a slick arm based netbook try: https://www.genesi-usa.com/
I don't frankly care if something is 2 inches or 2.5 inches thick. Nor wether it has 800 resolution which I won't be using anyway. What I do care about is a floppy disk drive, plenty of serial ports and an a dial-up modem so I don't have to rely on shit dongles when in an office or at home.
Oh , but it doesn't have that.
Laptops in general are nothing more than vanity machines for people with more money than sense.
Mod me down fanboys, I care not and I have karma to burn.
For what I need, I'm probably going to install Unix (FreeBSD or Linux) on it and be paying an extra $1000 or so primarily for a better trackpad and an easier to connect/disconnect power supply chord - and that is worth it to me.
I've just got to say, holy fuck!
I usually have a computer for 3 to 5 years; let's say four years on average. That's less than 70 cents a day. I use it for a fair bit of time every day, and I immediately appreciate a better trackpad (and regularly appreciate slot loading as opposed to tray loading DVD; forgot that annoyance point). I also am more likely to move to a better spot (more ergonomically wise) if there's no hassle with the power supply cord, and I'm less likely to get the machine damaged or trip from the power supply cord with the better connection.
All in all, it's worth 70 cents a day to me. If I was extremely money constrained in general, it might not be - but I have a comfortable income and having the computer I spend a lot of time on be comfortable to me is worth it.
Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.