Computer Question -- Anyone Have One of These?

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:05 pm

Title says it all...

I'd like to know if anyone has one, if they work well, and as described. If so, I need to get one for my business and run it simply as the "workstation."
What the hell I'm talking about

Thanks.
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mordrene · Post by **mordrene** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:25 pm

juct curious but why do u want this instead of a typical pc?

CKDad · Post by **CKDad** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:30 pm

I don't know anyone with that particular kind of machine, but do know several people with "netbook" class machines - both Dells, come to think of it. One is a definite alpha-geek techie, while the other is my rather technically-challenged brother-in-law. They are both pretty happy with them.
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:30 pm

Because I think its neat that it runs off less power than a light bulb and it makes a killer tax write-off...

Also, its like a word processor, but you can attach nearly any PC device to it, like an external USB drive. So, basically, its designed for one single purpose, which is to produce documents and the like. That makes it ideal for a business whose sole purpose is to print things like roleplaying books.
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SoulCatcher78 · Post by **SoulCatcher78** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:16 pm

I think the big draw for these things (other than being more green than most PCs) is that everything in it is open source. The downside for the non-enthusiast is that everything is open source.

If you're willing to put up with the learning curve, they should be solid and easily maintained machines but it's not something you buy for your mom unless you like lots of those "now how do I do this..." phone calls.

Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:51 pm

Well, it's interesting. Gadgety/hobbyish, but that's what I like, although methinks the price is way too high.

I looked at a Mac cube a few years ago - ridiculously high priced, even for used ones.

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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:56 pm

For the specs, yes, I agree it is priced high -- however, it is also fun to around with little toys. I'd definitely look for a cheaper one, but the website is best to at least give an idea what it is.
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mordrene · Post by **mordrene** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:36 pm

a gentleman i work with bought a mini, pocket laptop. the solid state drive is nice. I was asking for the reason is now a basic dell pc is app 279. yeah its a cool toy but if its just a word processor, then i dont know. now if you want it as a toy, go for it.

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:12 am

Well, technically, it is more than "just a word processor" but that does appear to be the major thing it is designed for, and I think it would make an interest toy as well. An expensive one, though.
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:08 am

that

is

AWESOME.

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:55 pm

Is it cool? YES

Would I want one? YES

Would I pay the price they are asking? NO

It's a great concept and it's more than just a toy. You can get online with it and do typical computer stuff. Forget about using it for gaming. The VESA hookup to attach this on the back of an LCD is great... until you come to a point where you want to transfer a file to (or from) a USB drive. However, for this kind of thing, it's a bit overpriced when you compare it to even the first Asus Eee PC models that hit the market a just over a year ago and but these are technically notebooks. However, I expect that part of the cost might be do to smaller production runs compared to the other companies doing 'mini' notebooks.

What I would hope is that this trend catches on which will help in lowering costs across the board for something like this.

M
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 1:32 am

Good lord. That's small. I have a one of those tiny 9" netbook laptops, but that's not too nutty. That, sir, is some craziness. And a little overpriced, IMHO.
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Grendel T. Troll · Post by **Grendel T. Troll** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:40 am

The price is a little high......especially because it uses a linux kernel.

Ubuntu offers its kernel (and full OS package) for free. I guess the price is for the hardware.

What I want to know is what's in the box. Maybe the lofty price is because the components in the box are custom-made by the company. That's the only think I can think of why.

Considering that a couple companies are offering both Windows and Linux- mini-PC's with their own mini-monitors for around $400 American ($300 American for the Linux version), this product isn't too impressive for me.....
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:54 am

First -- the size is irrelevant. I'm not interested in i because it is little... well, only partially. I do think its a neat concept, though.

Second -- a normal PC will use about 60 - 250 watts / hour (in hibernation it might use around 6, but then you're not using it so it doesn't really matter). So, let's assume we leave the computer on all the time, without hibernation for 24/7 anytime you want it access -- that means, assuming an average of 155 watts / hour you're paying to operate the computer alone... [(155 x 365 x 24) / 1000] x whatever your kW electricity charge is (let's assume $0.15) yields an annual cost of $203.67 to keep the computer powered.

OK, not a whole lot, really. But, compare that to this...

[(8 x 365 x 24) / 1000)] x .15 = $10.51. So, yeah, it is more costly to get the 'puter, but you will actually save money overall -- though, it might take 2 years to balance out due to the higher initial purchase price. If the computer were $200 cheaper, then I would probably be all over it.

If that was something you were interested in.

Me, I just like fiddling with stuff.
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mordrene · Post by **mordrene** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:31 am

maybe you need this?
http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/ ... nic-screen

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:33 pm

mordrene wrote:
maybe you need this?
http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/ ... nic-screen

I could use the money it costs, more than the actual product itself.
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Coleston the Cavalier · Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:52 pm

I do all my rpg publishing from a netbook. I hook it up to a full keyboard, mouse, screen & portable hardrive when doing so. The rest of the time, I just carry it around itself for surfing and email. On in less than 20 seconds, re-charges in about 10 minutes and then lasts hours.

Sure, I can't play the latest games on it, but I don't play any computer games. For economically-challenged folk like me, it does the trick.
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:09 pm

mordrene wrote:
maybe you need this?
http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/ ... nic-screen

No, that doesn't use a normal keyboard. And, it looks like a freaking phone, and I am sick of those.
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