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Comprehensive list of low-cost ultraportables

liliputing.com — Over the past six months or so, Asus, Everex, and HP have managed to bring low-cost ultraportable notebooks to market. But dozens of other computer makers have promised to bring out their own mini-notebooks. Some will run Linux, while others will be preloaded with Windows XP or Vista. Some will have flash memory, while others will have hard dri....

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  • roninmagik1, on 04/26/2008, -14/+3This rocks!
  • aethelberga, on 04/26/2008, -2/+34I've got a Eee PC and I love it.
    • Gabberwok, on 04/26/2008, -1/+10How's the keyboard? (Be honest...) Really tempted to get a 900... :-)
      • TacticalPenguin, on 04/26/2008, -1/+2Took me a couple hours of IMing to get used to it from my "regular sized" vaio's keyboard
      • bigteebo, on 04/26/2008, -11/+4A little bit of practice typing, and you get used to it. It's like riding a bike. I have an EEE as well, and actually enjoy using Linux, liking it better than Ubuntu. It's helped me get up to speed using Linux instead of getting frustrated with it.
      • kentifer, on 04/26/2008, -1/+19lolol.
        "Actually enjoy usingLinux, liking it better than Ubuntu."
        So much wrong in that little sentence fragment.
    • tehknotte, on 04/26/2008, -7/+3Why don't you use your EEEEEEEE pc?
    • contradictator, on 04/26/2008, -0/+2The EEE is also one of the easier products to find outside the US. Finding any of these others in Canada is a pain by comparison.
  • thoatt, on 04/26/2008, -20/+0Oh *****. I lost the game.
    • beankitty, on 04/26/2008, -4/+1Thanks for making ME lose the game...
  • Lane, on 04/26/2008, -2/+6id love to see some real world benchmarks, hearing the name via so many times makes me extremely paranoid.
    • Istrancis, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1Explain? What did Via do, is it something to do with the Nanobook?
      • TacticalPenguin, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3Via's processors are known for not being near as performance-per-mhz as intel processors.
  • FapCommander, on 04/26/2008, -4/+3some of those look sexy
  • digjam, on 04/26/2008, -14/+3you forgot the PS3 LAPTOP!
    • digjam, on 04/26/2008, -15/+2oh btw! NONE OF THESE ARE AVAILABLE IN USA.. EXCEPT I THINK 2!
  • slightlygifted, on 04/26/2008, -14/+5who actually uses these "ultra portables"?
    • sk11, on 04/26/2008, -1/+10People who want a notebook that does all the basic - medium stuff and doesn't weigh you down.
    • TacticalPenguin, on 04/26/2008, -0/+4Over a million people as Asus' EEE PC sales figures show.
  • digitallysick, on 04/26/2008, -3/+3I want the msi wind, i hope its $500.00 or less, if not, i will cry =(
  • TacticalPenguin, on 04/26/2008, -6/+8Typing this from an Asus EEE PC 701 4G.
    Honestly, most of these are either blank news "we have plans to make a small laptop" or have no brand name behind them or simply cannot compete with the standard that is being established. The cloudbook got left behind, the HP Mininote isn't receiving the same amazing welcome as the eee, and not many people are greatly anticipating any of the upcoming subnotebooks except the EEE PC 900 series.
    • sk11, on 04/26/2008, -1/+3People are finding it hard to compete with a decent looking ultraportable, which is very cheap, partly due to using linux. Most companies would have to work hard to just match it, let alone improve on it.
      • danomagnum, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1I agree, I think the price is the biggest factor.
  • wontstoptalking, on 04/26/2008, -1/+5Wait..... there is a laptop called the "Jisus?" Wow, some company is good at making names. I'm not kidding, CTRL-F it. It's there.
    • smacksaw, on 04/26/2008, -0/+7There's an Atari ST emulator called "Cry" for it. When you're running it, it's the Jisus Cry ST
    • TheBigSquid, on 04/26/2008, -2/+1Habib it.
  • eclipse6248, on 04/26/2008, -5/+6The one thing that doesn't sell the eeepc to me is the lack of either a firewire port or express card slot. I work a lot in video production, so a cheap ultra portable that can transfer or preview video on set would be amazing. Thus, I'm heavily considering the HP mini-note because of the express card slot - tons of expandability!
    • Atomic1fire, on 04/26/2008, -3/+5Except ultraportables are not made for video production
      granted somebody probably will create a UPPC for that but most of the cheep computers are probably used for generic stuff like email, net browsing, and maybe some music and video for the entertainment folk that have some form of extra memory to put everything on so that they can keep the computer relatively cheap.
      but I doubt that you can go ahead and turn an e3pc into a videoediting machine unless somebody does some massive hacking
    • Skod, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3I actually like your concept. I'm used to hearing people bitch about not being able to have hardware for full out editing and production on these little guys, but I think using it as a preview device/storage medium would be extremely handy!
    • smacksaw, on 04/26/2008, -0/+2I wholeheartedly agree with you on that one. Expresscard is crucial for adding more GB of flash storage. That's the one thing that makes these "not ready for primetime" for me. The other is that they have VGA out when in reality they should have HDMI out. DVI is too bulky, but HDMI is not and most decent screens these days have an HDMI port.

      But you're dead-on. Using one of these to clean up raw video or do mobile editing would be amazing, and not just for professional news production but for people who are vlogging and doing independent news. I have no idea why people are Digging you down. It's like saying you need a gigantic, 30lb camera with 3 CCDs and a medium-duty truck with a full editing suite to do news reporting. No, we don't.

      I'm sure these people all love their giant VHS video cameras while we have small, 2-3lb handheld camcorders with HD/DVDR storage.
      • Skod, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3With such a low resolution and not a lot of video processing power, there really is no need for a digital output from the machine. The people who are vlogging don't need such high quality anyways, and with HDMI comes the issues of possible DRM as well as the amount of extra power simply required for the output. VGA is perfect for such a device.
    • eclipse6248, on 04/26/2008, -2/+2For those digging me down, I said before - I would use the small, underpowered laptop would only be used for previewing/transferring/capturing video. Editing is not really important since this is what I have my workstation back at home for. A small underpowered notebook (finally an actual notebook sized) laptop that can easily be carried around is the perfect capturing/viewing device
  • cl2yp71c, on 04/26/2008, -2/+4How coincidental, I was searching for a list comparing low-cost/small lappy today.
    College's starting soon and I don't want to haul a huge 19in screen laptop on my motorcycle.
    These are all so similar in comparison, I still can't manage to choose one!
    • onefix, on 04/26/2008, -0/+4The HP Mini looks good, but it's crippled by the Via processor. I would wait for the Intel Atom based laptops to show up since that's likely to be the preferred processor in the future. By the July time frame, the offerings from MSI, Dell, Acer, and GigaByte should all be defined to the point that you will know if they are worth waiting for.
      • cl2yp71c, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1I'm eyeing the ECS G10IL, it's fully featured including an Atom processor and priced at around 500$, looks like a sure bet on paper.
  • lookitsbeige, on 04/26/2008, -7/+1OLPC anyone?
  • ahuxley, on 04/26/2008, -1/+2Good to see 2 have DVI out.
  • Kevin108, on 04/26/2008, -0/+12Another Eee owner here. I have a 701B. At this point, I would say for anyone in the market to wait for the 900 as the larger screen will be a fantastic upgrade over current models and the additional storage space is nothing to laugh at either. They take some getting used to and some customization. I'm running nLited XP SP3 on the stock system, plus an 8 GB SDHC card.

    I've been back and forth with it but at this point it sees daily use. Basically I have a laptop the size of a hard back book that lets me run Firefox and Mozilla flawlessly, and after some work lets me make full use of Netflix Watch Instantly as well as TiVo Desktop and the movies I own on DVD that I've ripped down to 1 GB DIVX AVIs.

    It's small enough to take anywhere easily and so I do. I previously owned a 15.4" HP that I just left on the desk. It was too big, too expensive, and to fraglie-feeling for me to cram in a bag and carry around. Not so with the sturdy solid-state Eee.

    They're not for everybody, but almost anybody will enjoy owning one.
    • cnldelta, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3I wouldn't wait.. the EEE 700 series is useful enough for pure internet apps. Although the 900 could be a tad more useful for openoffice stuff.
      • grexeo, on 04/26/2008, -0/+10701: 800x
        900: 1024x
        90% of the internet: 1024x
        • Kevin108, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Resolution was one factor about the Eee that I was concerned about prior to purchasing but believe it or not, you're not missing much in those 224 pixels. Of course, that's the numerical difference. In real life, most web pages render somewhere between the two resolutions.
    • kashmir, on 04/26/2008, -2/+4"the movies I own on DVD that I've ripped down to 1 GB DIVX AVIs"
      riiight...
  • onefix, on 04/26/2008, -0/+6From the looks of it, it you don't already own one of these, it might be best to wait until July to make a final purchase. I'm sure that many of the June announcements look to be related to the release of the Intel Atom CPU (the Dell is rumored to be Atom based too).

    Besides that, the one manufacture that I would hope to see in this list is missing (Lenovo). This may change in the months to come, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
    • engmar, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1"Besides that, the one manufacture that I would hope to see in this list is missing (Lenovo). This may change in the months to come, but I wouldn't hold my breath."
      Here you go:
      http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/deskt ...
      • onefix, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1The U110 looks nice, but at ~$2000 it's not exactly in the same class as the netbooks described here. The U110 is in the same class as many of the Fujitsu sub-notes.

        Which isn't bad, but the argument I have seen when comparing the HP Mini to one of the more recent Fujitsu convertible tablets goes here as well...I can buy 3 of these for the same cost as one of the U110s.

        These machines are not pushing the envelope as far as technology goes, they are in that "good enough" sweet spot at the low end of the market. For a $2000-$3000 notebook, you really have to keep the thing for about 4-5 years to get your moneys worth. I'm in that very position right now. My current notebook is about 5 years old now and it has a 1.6GHz Pentium M, 60GB HDD, and 1GB of RAM. When I bought it, it was a mid to high end model. And now there are quite a few of these low cost machines that have double the ram, double the drive space, and bluetooth to boot.

        For the cost of these, you can afford to replace the unit every 2-3 years. You can also afford to forget the warranty since these aren't worth fixing unless it's a bad harddisk or ram.
  • TheWriteGuy, on 04/26/2008, -1/+7As a proud owner of an Eee PC 701 (2GB version), I had no idea there are so many of these ultra-mobile notebooks on the horizon. It also looks like that the future of Linux isn't the desktop PC, but the ultra-mobile PC.
    • danomagnum, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2It's a really good place to start, If linux can corner the market, it has a good chance of breaking out into the larger market.
  • Deviant_Tech, on 04/26/2008, -2/+5For some of those prices, you might as well spend $50-100 more to get a real laptop.
    • noodle469, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3somewhat true but then you lose a lot of the portability. power isnt everything
    • Sawta, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1It's really tough because, I can understand where you are coming from. Heck, I ended up buying a "real" laptop as a result of this same mentality very recently, but I think that this kind of device is meant to be geared towards someone who already owns a normal sized laptop and needs something that they can throw into a backpack and take places they wouldn't normally take their laptop. It really been giving me this feeling of an over sized Blackberry.
      I can tell you this though; if the screen on the Eee/HP weren't so small, and the battery wasn't such crap, I would have already shelled out the cash for one of the one's that can run Windows.
  • sleepbox, on 04/26/2008, -0/+2Nice list. I picked up an Everex 5300XT which isn't listed here and it's no longer available at Newegg, but let's just say, I got what I paid for.
  • RdHrd138, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3I've had my eye on the Asus EEE PC 900 for a number of weeks now. I for one, welcome the bigger screen and increased storage.
  • kashmir, on 04/26/2008, -1/+4I'm going to get one, but I'll wait until a) prices drop and b) battery life goes up.
  • raklos, on 04/26/2008, -1/+6Asus Eee PC 900 - I don't need one, but I want one.
  • anonymous4, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3It's depressing that the only laptop to match the $200 price point originall touted by the Eee is the Elonex One, which at 128 MB of RAM and 1 gig of storage has practically worthless specs. Why is it so hard to make an inexpensive mid-range laptop?
  • HydrogenOxide, on 04/26/2008, -1/+2I understand the purpose of an "Ultraportable", but I'm not really interested in a computer with less memory than my PSP.
  • ladbroke, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1Why is it that so many small manufacturers are getting into the ultraportable game? Everex, MSI, 3k, ACi, & Fukato aren't exactly household names when mom and pop go to Best Buy to get a PC. Granted that they may be big names in their respective countries, is there anything about the ultraportable market that makes it especially easy to enter compared to the mainstream PC market?
    • yetAnotherCroc, on 04/26/2008, -0/+4It's not saturated yet. They see their chance of getting in before the big names and maybe establish a name for themselves.
    • onefix, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2There's a theory that the "big names" are concerned that if they make a cheap ultra portable, they won't be able to sell their $2000 notebooks anymore. The same theory suggests that some of them are keeping away from the low-cost ultra-portable market because they are afraid that the inevitable lower quality of them would hurt their brand name.
  • SuperRoach, on 04/26/2008, -0/+3@Ladbroke - because the big names have their heads so far up their butts that they can't turn around to make a portable device, esp one without the microsoft tax.
  • Armor1901, on 04/26/2008, -4/+1It's cool that companies are making these to market to poorer people and those that can't put down 1k on a notebook, but I could never use one of these to replace a full sized notebook. I don't really think that's what the designers had in mind, either.
  • valleyvideo, on 04/26/2008, -0/+2We bought a XO Laptop (One Laptop Per Child) for our son. Not only does he love it and is learning far beyond my expectations, I use it regularly and love it. Not a speedy laptop by any measure, but fully functional and way better than I expected.
  • ejderha, on 04/26/2008, -0/+0Nice to see so many low cost ultra portables aimed for the general public.
  • joltjake, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1"low-cost"
  •  

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