China's HiVision MiniNote $98 netbook

[greggh]

http://mobile.slashdot.org/mobile/08/09 ... 2225.shtml

http://techvideoblog.com/ifa/98-linux-l ... n-mininote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKQbN6tpYXw

This is the future. And it's going to be a very grim future at that for Dell, Intel, and most of the established computer industry players.

How many people like your parents or relatives that needed just a basic machine have you just said, "just get the cheapest Dell notebook"? Well the cheapest notebooks are going to get lots cheaper, with the margins smaller and smaller, as China gets more into the game pumping out millions of these and similar devices. Combine this with the move to cloud computing and eventual near perfect efficiency in using networked cpu cycles and Intel's future looks bleak as well.

[allix]

This is a niche product, dell and intel make chips for different markets, i cannot yet see them collapsing. The news of that x86 compatible chip however is very interesting to watch..

[greggh]

This is a niche product, dell and intel make chips for different markets, i cannot yet see them collapsing. The news of that x86 compatible chip however is very interesting to watch..

Lot's of products start out as niche products that don't stay niche products.

[eddie]

Unless the major distros start supporting it, It might become an antique real quick. Besides it's battery life is still to be tested.

[ken_fallon]

Unless the major distros start supporting it, It might become an antique real quick. Besides it's battery life is still to be tested.

.

Your boat load of wrong has arrived. If the battery life is a problem I'll just pick up another one because I can afford 13 of them for the price of my work laptop but this isn't meant as your laptop replacement. It's a replacement for everything else. Instead of a fisherprice laptop, or instead of in car dvd players, or instead of gameboys. At this price I'd even buy one and put photos of the grandchildren on it and just mail it to my parents.

Asus had the right idea with the eeepc but lost the plot when it increased the price. There is a massive market for cheap PC's, not necessarily for people who ever used a pc before.

[edit hit the submit key too early]
It doesn't matter about distro support because it comes with an OS that will do the job. Just like 99.99% of phones come with a OS that does the job. The fact that this thing is running Linux is because at this price the special XP cut down lisence would still be over 60% of the cost.

[eddie]

Your suggestion of hardware redundancy is definitely good computing. My point is It may be a fine product, but It has not been tested yet and its future software support path is unknown. I keep this attitude with all computer systems. The price is certainly admirable for the time being. I have picked up several legacy laptops for free or dirt cheap. I can always keep them updated with linux for at least a while. I would as soon as just use them than to spend one hundred dollars on an unknown quantity. And for a country that sold toys with lead, i reserve the right to be a bit choosy. If I did have one of the chinese laptops and it went kablooie I would try to fix it or hack it for something else instead of throwing it away. I picked up another old dell gx110 for free from the local pc user group that someone thought was worthless. After some upgrading with a few spare parts, it now is a mythtv box backend for my daughter. Let's see now ten times one hundred is a thousand dollars. For that money you could pick up a real laptop with a lot more horsepower, spare batteries, and one heck of an extended no fault warranty. You seem to want to discard so much, that I will be happy to take any of your broken equipment off your hands and put the items back to work. Last of all, I have nothing against the Chinese, My better half is Cantonese. Recycling works. Forgive me, but I am just a dumb Texan.
Ciao

[LinuxMint-4]

$98 Linux laptop makes Netbooks look pricey

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10038054-1.html


Move aside OLPCs and Intel Classmate PCs, there's a new cheapo notebook in town. For a mere $98, Chinese manufacturer HiVision is offering a Linux-based laptop, the NB0700, which makes even Netbook buyers look like big spenders.

There is a catch, though. The 400MHz processor is based on the MIPS architecture, meaning it's unlikely to be able to run Windows or any x86 programs. But if it's based on the Loongson chip, there is a chance it might simulate the x86 environment. However, this would mean a serious performance hit as well.

But for those comfortable with the Linux operating system, the HiVision machine offers a feature set competent enough to handle most productivity needs. The NB0700 comes with 64MB RAM, Wi-Fi radio, Ethernet, three USB ports, 1GB flash storage, and even an SDHC card slot.

The 7-inch screen is nothing to shout about, though for this price,that's what we kind of expect. The unit should be in available in Mainland China starting in October, though it remains to be seen if it will be launched elsewhere in the world.

HiVision is also readying a larger version, the NB0800, which has a 1.6GHz Via processor and bigger 8.9-inch display. However, this unit cost $299 which, though cheap, is not as groundbreaking as its smaller sibling.