Is The New Lowcost Tablet PC Market Heating Up?

Could this be the face of the next low cost PC generation? This, according to Gizmodo's site, is the latest low cost tablet PC from NEC.

The low cost term comes solely from the specs, which rival anything in the low cost laptop market (Asus Eee, Acer, Intel, etc.)

For those in this market searching for a good deal, would this perk your interest, or make you drown your sorrows with a hackintosh?

MID vs. UMPC vs. Lowcost Laptops

My current search to find the difference between Mobile Internet Devices (MID's), Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) and Low cost Laptops has lead me to one simple conclusion:

They are all the same, depending on how much you want to spend.

For those out there wondering how this is, given the wide variances in the acronyms, allow me to justify my claim.

What do all 3 of these competitors have in common?

• They can get you to the Internet, typically via Wi-Fi.
• They are fairly low cost, low end hardware.
• They tend to be smaller form factors.

While some run a variant of Linux, typically Ubuntu, most can be purchased or upgraded to run Windows XP. The hardware is designed to run at lower voltages to increase battery performance. The packaging is designed to be small, easily transported yet usable.

What makes them different from one another, however, is the marketing plunge that can spell success or failure.

• MID's tend to look more like over sized Blackberry's - photo.
• UMPC's can look like a cross between a PDA Phone and a Tablet PC.
• Lowcost laptops, or subnotebooks, look like smaller, lighter laptops.

In the end, to me anyways, the classification of the device you are purchasing has less to do with the abilities and capabilities it has as much as it does whether or not it will fit into a coat pocket or does it need a notebook bag.

Acer - Aspire One Laptop on Sale At Best Buy

I saw this add in the weekend Best Buy adds. It is the Acer Aspire One Notebook, a competitor with the Asus Eee and such. The price tag alone had me very interested as it runs around $100 to $150 less than the comparable Eee.

The specs are very nice for the price, if you would desire an Intel Atom over a Centrino or C& processor.

Product Features
Intel® Atom™ processor N270Features a 533MHz frontside bus, 512KB cache and 1.6GHz processor speed.
1GB PC5300 DDR2 memory For multitasking power, expandable to 2GB.
Note: Optical drive not included Optional external DVD-ROM drive available (not included).
8.9" WSVGA widescreen display with Acer CrystalBrite technology and 1024 x 600 resolution Showcases movies, games and other images.
160GB SATA hard drive (5400 rpm)Offers spacious storage options and fast read/write times.
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950for lush images. High-definition audio support with 2 built-in stereo speakers.
Built-in 0.3-megapixel Acer Crystal Eye webcam Makes it easy to chat with and send video mail to family and friends.
Digital media reader Supports Secure Digital, reduced size Multi Media Card, Multi Media Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card.
3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Built-in high-speed InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity Lets you wirelessly connect to the Internet.
Weighs 2.2 lbs. and measures 1.1" thinFor lightweight portability.
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system preinstalled With Acer eRecovery Management, Acer Launch Manager and Adobe Reader software.

Here is the link I found on the website.

Everun: The Latest UMPC Challenger

This little UMPC is causing quite a stir on the low cost, low performing laptop market. Although the price is not yet out for this laptop, if it can stay in the low $300 to $400 range, I think we will see a change in direction from the current trends, including small scale, low energy processors.

The specs below are from Gizmodo:

• CPU: AMD Turion 64x2 Dual Core 1.2GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

• Graphic: ATI RS690E +64MB DDR2 Side port Memory, Full DirectX 9.0 support

• Memory: 1GB DDR2

• OS: Microsoft Window XP Home

• Display: 7-inch

• Dual monitor: supporting external display up to 1920x1200

• Storage: 60GB 1.8 inch HDD/UDMA100

• Wireless Connectivity: 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR

• Camera: 1.3M pixel CMOS

• Media Card: SD/MMC Slot

• Audio: ALC262 HD Audio

• Expansion Slot: 2xUSB host, 1 x USB mini, 1x mini PCIExpress Slot, USIM card slot

• Battery life: 2.5 Hours for web-surfing

• Size: 7.87 x 4.65 x 1.08 inches

Lenovo's Ideapad S10 Ultra-Portable Notebook PC Gets Official, Due in September

Looks like Lenovo is fully getting into the UMPC low cost laptop market.

The specs on this forthcoming machine are on par with what we have seen before: "...Windows XP pre-installed, measure 9.8 x 7.2 inches, weigh just 2.4-pounds in its lightest configuration, and pack in a LED back-lit 10-inch screen. Powered by Intel Atom N270 and 945 GSE express chipset..." [Gizmodo]

It's nice to see all the competition and such for Asus, but when will someone be able to compete price wise with them (i.e., a model that is decent, yet under $250.) Around $300 is still the bench mark. That, I believe, is still too high for most PC users. Again, I can add $100 to it and get a real PC or low end laptop.

Asus Eee 1000H On Sale!

We knew it would eventually happen. The inevitable fall of Asus prices for their over priced laptops.

According to Gizmodo, Newegg has dropped the price of the Eee 1000H by $100. That's not too bad, but still not as good as a brand new Compaq or Dell.

Asus Eee 901 Now Available

The Asus Eee 901 is now shipping, according to Gizmodos' website. The specs are as follows:

Atom processor

1GB of RAM

12GB of SSD

Linux Distro (Have yet to see a XP version.)

This will cost you $599.99. Hmm...That seems kinda steep for such a small spec'd laptop. If you go to Amazons' website, you can find the same model minus the Linux distro, plus XP Home for the same price.

You can also get the 900 20G for $549 and the MSI Wind
MSI Wind 10" Mini Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, XP Home, 3 Cell Battery) Black for $499.

I am not saying just because it has better specs and is cheaper that it is better...I am just saying shop around!

Asus Prices the Eee PC Out Of Its Own Market

I had a feeling this was going to happen given the trend of Asus's pricing on newer models.

According to Gizmodo's site, the new Asus Eee PC is gonna run you about $600 for XP or Linux models. That's the start of the price mark, going up to around $650 for the 1000H model.

At this price, why not buy a nice HP or Compaq or shoot, even Dell laptop? I am not sure what Asus's game plan is, but I think it's mildly ignorant of what the original 2G Surf was designed for.

Maybe it's just me. What do you think?

AMD Jumps Into Ultraportables With Low-Cost and High Performance Models

According to Gizmodo's site, AMD will be jumping into the low cost UMPC market with a model of their own.

The specs are as stated on the Giz site "These versions include a white 8.9-inch version with an AMD CPU, ATI's RS690 chipset, 1GB RAM and the Linux operating system along with a 7-inch black XP version featuring a 1280 x 600 display (possibly touchscreen) a 60GB or 80GB hard drive, and 1GB of RAM. Details are still sketchy at the moment, but more should be revealed in the next few days." [Gizmodo]

This market is getting pretty exciting pretty fast. I expect Intel to make a new formal announcement in the near future. Can't be outdone by AMD now can we!