Report by Anand ParthasarathyThe Hindu, 3 February 2008, p.11.
Bangalore: Great minds think alike, we used to say. They also think small, very small — it would seem. Almost simultaneous launches throughout January saw leading manufacturers add to the growing roster of ultra small personal computers or UMPCs being offered in India.
Last week we reviewed two models from HCL’s MiLeap series. Since then the Taiwan-based Asus has brought out the EeePC, a Linux-based, camera-backed UMPC with a 7-inch screen, an all-solid state 4GB storage and just adequate 512 MB of memory. Weighing just 920 gm, the machine like the competitors in this emerging category, leaves out an optical, that is CD/DVD, drive, which might challenge buyers if install new applications. One will have to invest in an external DVD drive if one wants to load new CD or DVD-based software. Targeting children
Priced at Rs. 18,000, the EeePC (the Es stand for Easy to learn, Excellent Internet and Excellent Mobile experience) comes with WiFi capability and has built-in stereo speakers and a microphone. It is clearly aimed at families and children — which is why Darsheel Safary, child star of the Aamir Khan film, Taare Zameen Par, was around at the launch to receive the first piece.
A low-key launch has also seen another compellingly priced offering in the ultra mobile category. The Mumbai- based Allied Computers International (a respected brand in the U.K. for budget PCs) has launched the ACi Ethos in India. This 7-inch screen machine is fuelled by a 1 GHz processor from Via, sports 512 MB of memory. Like the EeePC it dispenses with an optical drive — but unlike the EeePC, it goes for a miniature hard drive which means 40 GB of standard storage.
The default operating system is a Linux version but the machine is sufficiently powered to run Windows XP. The keyboard is fully functional and the PC is WiFi and ethernet-enabled.
Weighing just 950 gm and priced at Rs. 14,999, the Ethos is just Rs. 1,000 costlier than the HCL MiLeap X we tested last week — but that machine did not come with a hard drive and its ruggedisation features added nearly half kg to the weight.Higher specification
ACi will also offer a higher specification model with a 120 GB hard disk, a better Intel processor, and touch screen-tablet features, running Windows Vista, that is expected to retail at Rs. 24,999.
HCL’s MyLeap Y is similarly featured but costs some Rs. 5,000 more — while the Asus EeePC is priced somewhere between the cost of the entry level machines and the tablet UMPCs.
Adding to the surfeit of computing goodies being unleashed in India, Fujitsu has launched half a dozen models including the “smallest PC in the world,” the Lifebook U1010 which uses a 5.6-inch touch screen and weighs just 6,300 gm. Such miniaturisation comes at a price — Rs. 75,00
Last week we reviewed two models from HCL’s MiLeap series. Since then the Taiwan-based Asus has brought out the EeePC, a Linux-based, camera-backed UMPC with a 7-inch screen, an all-solid state 4GB storage and just adequate 512 MB of memory. Weighing just 920 gm, the machine like the competitors in this emerging category, leaves out an optical, that is CD/DVD, drive, which might challenge buyers if install new applications. One will have to invest in an external DVD drive if one wants to load new CD or DVD-based software. Targeting children
Priced at Rs. 18,000, the EeePC (the Es stand for Easy to learn, Excellent Internet and Excellent Mobile experience) comes with WiFi capability and has built-in stereo speakers and a microphone. It is clearly aimed at families and children — which is why Darsheel Safary, child star of the Aamir Khan film, Taare Zameen Par, was around at the launch to receive the first piece.
A low-key launch has also seen another compellingly priced offering in the ultra mobile category. The Mumbai- based Allied Computers International (a respected brand in the U.K. for budget PCs) has launched the ACi Ethos in India. This 7-inch screen machine is fuelled by a 1 GHz processor from Via, sports 512 MB of memory. Like the EeePC it dispenses with an optical drive — but unlike the EeePC, it goes for a miniature hard drive which means 40 GB of standard storage.
The default operating system is a Linux version but the machine is sufficiently powered to run Windows XP. The keyboard is fully functional and the PC is WiFi and ethernet-enabled.
Weighing just 950 gm and priced at Rs. 14,999, the Ethos is just Rs. 1,000 costlier than the HCL MiLeap X we tested last week — but that machine did not come with a hard drive and its ruggedisation features added nearly half kg to the weight.Higher specification
ACi will also offer a higher specification model with a 120 GB hard disk, a better Intel processor, and touch screen-tablet features, running Windows Vista, that is expected to retail at Rs. 24,999.
HCL’s MyLeap Y is similarly featured but costs some Rs. 5,000 more — while the Asus EeePC is priced somewhere between the cost of the entry level machines and the tablet UMPCs.
Adding to the surfeit of computing goodies being unleashed in India, Fujitsu has launched half a dozen models including the “smallest PC in the world,” the Lifebook U1010 which uses a 5.6-inch touch screen and weighs just 6,300 gm. Such miniaturisation comes at a price — Rs. 75,00
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