MSI Wind still here… OSX, Crunchbang, & Windows 7
Filed under: Hardware, Projects, Software, Two Thumbs Up
SO… I did not take back the MSI Wind. My friend Jed and my wife talked me out of it. Jed’s argument was “Why?”. Then my wife said, “It’s only 350 bux”.
I decided to play with it some more and install some OS’s on it….. Read more
MSI Wind gets returned and my issues with “netbooks”
I picked up an MSI Wind yesterday. These are one of those sub $500 “netbooks”. It’s going back this morning. I just don’t think these devices are ready for my regular use. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great little device. I can see where for some people that it will be useful.
Let me start by talking about what I want a “netbook” or a smaller form factor portable computer. My main computer is a Macbook Pro 17″ and while for the size of it, it’s fairly light and quick to turn on and set up, at times, I don’t like pulling out such a beast for quick and dirty things I want to do. I am looking for a device that I can take with me almost anywhere, be fairly non-obtrusive, and be my quick window to the net. The MSI Wind was to be this device for me, NOT!
Again, spec wise it’s fair, I would go so far to say even better than fair. However, for me, it’s missing two key elements, touch screen capabilities and at least 1280×720 (or 800) resolution. For the technology we have today, these two elements MUST be in a small form factor PC or “netbook” for me.
The MSI Wind has a decent screen with 1024×600 resolution. I thought I could deal with this. With so many laptops with 1280×800+ screen resolutions, I do not believe GUI designers have set things up to accommodate the 600 pixel high space. It gets really frustrating when you can’t hit a dialog in something you are trying to do quickly. (remember, one of the purposes of having the machine)
The second thing is touch screen. It lacks one. It should have one. All “netbooks” should have some sort of touch capability on the screen. Again, for speed and ease of use. If there are kits showing up on e-bay for touch screen kits for these devices from $50 to $150, it should not be difficult to include one in the manufacturing process.
Sure, I know I can tweak the device to work with the resolution and add a touch screen. My point is, we have the technology and the ability to make devices at low cost that we don’t have to settle for. With my myriad of life projects going on and other hobbies, I don’t have time to mess with a machine to get these things in it. I want to buy an off the shelf product and just go. (well, maybe some minor mods, like putting OSX on it LOL)
The deal breaker on the Wind and most “netbooks” for me at the moment is the screen resolution. If this thing just had 1280×720/800 minimum, I’d be all over it.
Where oh where can I get one of these: Gigabyte M912V
Sony VAIO P Series Quick Preview
Today, Trazoc and I went into a Sony Style store at Ceasar’s Palace to get a quick preview of the P series netbook from Sony. This is a straight upload of the quick video I took. (Was not sure if it was ok to shoot in the store LOL)
It was a bit larger than I expected. However, it still is a pretty insane device. I played around a bit with the “instant on” feature that brought up the PSP/PS3 like media bar, it was not “instant” but it was fast. It’s definitely running a version of Linux in this mode. When I brought up the web, it had the good ol’ x-windows X and then clearly an X version of FireFox. One other note about the media bar, the interface was not as clean aesthetically and font wise as I have come to expect from Sony products.
It seemed slightly sluggish with Vista running on it. I did not get the full specs of the one I was playing with. It did not feel like it was running with the SSD drive.
All in all, it was a nice machine. I am not sure now if I am going to RUSH out and get one, we’ll have to see what the final product is like when it’s released. It might be something worth waiting until the second generation for.
It’s thicker than a Macbook Air. Just FYI.
SONY UNVEILS WORLD’S LIGHTEST 8-INCH NOTEBOOK
WOW! This gave me a CHUBBY!
I have not been huge on this whole “netbook” craze. But, I have to admit this device looks insane!
The highlights:
- 1600 x 768, LED backlit 8-inch ultra-wide display (diagonal)
- weighs just 1.4 pounds and is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket
- built-in wireless WAN 3G Mobile Broadband, 802.11n wi-fi and Bluetooth
- real-time GPS functionality
- pricing starts at about $900
- available in February
Some of the Technical Specifications:
- Intel Processor @ 1.33 Ghz
- 2GB RAM
- 128 GB SSD
- 8″ XBRITE-ECO Display @ 1600×768
- Mobile Intel GMA500 Graphics
- 2 USB, 1 Memory Stick Duo, 1 SD
- Windows Vista Home Premium
It’s OS is Vista. Not a big fan, but for the functionality, we can forgive them if it works well. The screen resolution alone on this thing is incredible. Read more