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Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
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Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 19, 2008 19:50 UTC (Tue) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
> Elonex has declined to release hardware specifications for the device. Probably says enough. Ridiculous small screen (7 inch) and no battery life, what a joke. How long until someone dares to make an ARM based tiny laptop with a decent screen and 8+ hours battery life?
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 19, 2008 20:45 UTC (Tue) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link]
Not everybody needs a battery. It actually makes sense to save on the battery if the computers are going to be used in places with reliable power. Just think how many toxic chemicals are used to make batteries, yet many laptops are connected to the mains most of the time.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 19, 2008 23:22 UTC (Tue) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
Then use a lithium iron phosphate battery. Imagine a classroom full of laptops connected to the mains, that's a big mess. Then again, if going for wires anyway, it's a pity power over ethernet isn't widely deployed, or only one wire would be needed.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 5:12 UTC (Wed) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]
Well it doesn't really matter in a classroom if you have a battery or not. You have to have a power supply. If you had a 8 hour battery life and used it every single day in day out then it will not be a 8 hour battery for very long.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 17:24 UTC (Wed) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
Depends on the battery system used. Lithium based batteries don't care about how often they're recharged (if it isn't too extreme, like all the time of every hour), and will lose capacity over time, depending on their charge level and temperature.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 20:11 UTC (Wed) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]
Every laptop sold in the last half dozen years or so (or even more) have used lithium batteries and all of them wear out in a fairly predictable rate. So unless you want the to have the combined joy of forcing the school/tax payers/students to buy brand new batteries every year AND having people's laptops run out of juice half way through a school day and having zero ability to recharge them... they ya having computers in a classroom definitely means that your going to have to have a way to actually provide them with electricity. And that means wires to the desks. It's not even a question worth considering.. Unless you like the mental image of classrooms of people mysteriously grouped within 3 feet of every wall outlet and students carrying around powerstrips with their books in their backpacks.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 7:52 UTC (Wed) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link]
Imagine a classroom full of laptops connected to the mains, that's a big mess.I've seen a classroom full of desktops connected to the mains and a wired network, and it wasn't a mess.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 17:21 UTC (Wed) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
Probably because the wiring was done properly and not ad hoc as will happen with laptops all over the place (all with their own kind of power adaptor). Even easier if the desktops are below the desk.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 19, 2008 21:43 UTC (Tue) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]
How long until someone dares to make an ARM based tiny laptop with a decent screen and 8+ hours battery life?You mean like a Nokia N800? Wonderful little machine if you ask me. The screen is very good too, though not what you probably consider as "decent". Now that the N880 is out (~ $400), for $250 it's a gift.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 19, 2008 22:46 UTC (Tue) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
Something like that, but bigger keyboard and screen so that it's more comfortable to use for longer periods of time. Those Nokia things have nice, high resolution screens, only too small for serious usage.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 8:55 UTC (Wed) by hitmark (guest, #34609) [Link]
just bump the font size a bit and grab a bluetooth keyboard...
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 7:35 UTC (Wed) by tao (guest, #17563) [Link]
You mean N810, right?
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 8:28 UTC (Wed) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]
Yep, sorry.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 8:58 UTC (Wed) by hitmark (guest, #34609) [Link]
the problem is that no matter if you go arm or x86 these days, the cpu is far from the biggest drain on battery. more likely its the display that drawing the most, even with led based light system. after that its storage.
Storage ?
Posted Feb 20, 2008 9:45 UTC (Wed) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]
Last time I've checked flash only needed power to alter state, not not keep it so it's up to the programmers...
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 15:55 UTC (Wed) by mattdm (subscriber, #18) [Link]
I'm happy with a 7" screen as long as it's high enough resolution. My Vaio U101 is very usable with its 7.1" 1024×768 display — full screen, that makes a terminal window larger than I usually have 'em on my desktop system, with a lot higher ppi so the text is really nice. I'm gonna pass on this current crop of 800×480 devices, though.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 16:07 UTC (Wed) by mattdm (subscriber, #18) [Link]
And speaking of which, oooooh, shiny.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 17:27 UTC (Wed) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
Indeed, though I wonder what they dare to ask for it. Probably 2K or so. :-(
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 20:49 UTC (Wed) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]
By a EEE PC or Everex Cloudbook for 400 dollars and get the same formfactor.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 21:01 UTC (Wed) by i3839 (subscriber, #31386) [Link]
But the screen isn't comparable...
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 23:33 UTC (Wed) by endecotp (guest, #36428) [Link]
The 1300x768 resolution looks too good to be true, so it probably is. This is all based on rumours.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 23:42 UTC (Wed) by dkite (guest, #4577) [Link]
Probably another 6-8 months. The Eeepc has shown there is a market for this type of machine. A big market, seemingly limited only by how many you can crank out. Amazing what happens when you loosen the manufacturers from the grip of Microsoft. Derek
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 2:13 UTC (Wed) by mbottrell (guest, #43008) [Link]
Actually it's not hard to work out the specs. Hardware CPU: Aday5F-300 MHz X86 Memory: 128/256 MB DDR2 SDRAM 4 MB Flash ROM Storage: 1 GB/2GB NAND FLASH Display: 800x480 7" TFT LCD Network interface: Ethernet 10/100 Mbps Wi-Fi 802.11b/g (optional) Bluetooth (optional) Webcam: 2.0M pixels (optional) USB sockets: USB 2.0/1.1 port X 2 Audio jack: 3.5mm in/out Battery: 3 cells, 2200mAH/cell Weight: 950g(with keyboard) Dimension(WxLxH): 230 mm x 146 mm x 33 mm(with keyboard) Software Operating System: LINOS 2.6.21 Applications: Picture Viewer(bmp, jpg, gif) Picture Express Music Player(mp3, wav) Video Player(mp1,mp4,shockwave) Web Browser Internet Messenger(Pidgin) WI-FI AP(optional) Bluetooth(optional) It's basically a re-badge of: http://ec.fontastic.com.tw/clients/showproducts_A91603337... I actually blogged it the other day: http://matt.bottrell.com.au/item/168/
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 20, 2008 21:01 UTC (Wed) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]
Ugh, that is ugly. Makes the eee look nice. And, isn't 300 MHz a little bit underpowered? I mean, I'm quite happy with my 365 MHz decTOP, but I use it as a (semi-)silent server; as a desktop machine it feels certainly sluggish.
Elonex launches Linux laptop (vnunet)
Posted Feb 21, 2008 15:23 UTC (Thu) by lysse (subscriber, #3190) [Link]
> isn't 300 MHz a little bit underpowered? Not for console apps. The battery life might be a bit short, but if it has fbdev support, a PC I can fit in my pocket and use links, jed and dosemu on is exactly what I want. Hmm. I wonder if gbax.com can source them...? (Unless they're too busy with the Pandora, of course... now there's another oh-so-tempting gadget.)