EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

[Posted January 8, 2009 by cook]

From:		Kati Furseth <kfurseth-AT-sspr.com>
To:		<lwn-AT-lwn.net>
Subject:		New Netbook announcement, 2009 trend?
Date:		Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:07:45 -0700
Message-ID:		<C58A67B1.3730%kfurseth@sspr.com>


EMTEC  just released the Gdium netbook computer.  The Gdium boasts a
compact size and light weight, while still offering full resolution and 10
inch screen size with a full keyboard.

The software application  included with Gdium is based entirely on Open
Source Software and includes an  impressive variety of programs:  FireFox,
Thunderbird e-mail client,  Instant Messaging, VoIP, Blog editor,
audio/video players, and security  utilities, as well as a complete Open
Office suite of application for word  processing, spreadsheets, and
presentations.

What makes Gdium unique is  the G-Key, a bootable USB key on which the Linux
operating system,  applications, and personal data are stored.  The G-Key
allows each user  to store their personal info and preference securely,
without leaving a trace  on the computer.

The Gdium will retail for under $400, and comes in 3  colors- White, Black,
and Pink. http://www.gdium.com

-- 
Kati Furseth
kfurseth@sspr.com
SS|PR

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 8, 2009 22:55 UTC (Thu) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link]

Interesting reference to the 64th element :-)

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 8, 2009 23:11 UTC (Thu) by daney (guest, #24551) [Link] (2 responses)

MIPS64 processor. And they said the MIPS architecture was dead.

I may have to get one of these...

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 2:21 UTC (Fri) by jengelh (guest, #33263) [Link] (1 responses)

Mh 900 MHz in a MIPS. I fear this could be as slow as the Transmeta TM5800.

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 17:09 UTC (Fri) by ajross (guest, #4563) [Link]

Interestingly, this is actually the Loongson/Godson/Dragon chip -- the first home-grown chinese CPU to reach a mass market. It's a compatible implementation of the MIPS ISA, but not technically a "MIPS" chip, as the design was unlicensed.

Early versions were way behind what Intel was producing in terms of process technology and performance. But Wikipedia tells me that this thing is now a 900 MHz chip on a 65nm process, which is only about a year and a half behind. There's no information on power consumption vs. Atom (no doubt higher, as Atom is a 45nm part), but it seems reasonably competitive to me. I wonder if it would scale down to compete with ARM11 or XScale in the embedded space...

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 0:19 UTC (Fri) by jwb (guest, #15467) [Link] (7 responses)

Cute, but the buttons on the side of the trackpad are a complete non-starter. How is a right-handed person ever supposed to be able to hit the right button? With the left hand? Nah.

More people should adopt the trackpoint, which appears in Sony's new wider-than-wide netbook.

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 1:13 UTC (Fri) by frazier (guest, #3060) [Link] (4 responses)

That Sony is sweet, other than the OS and price ("Starting at $899"):
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Catego...

That's pretty much the form factor I want for the next Netbook I get.

On the other end, here's the cheapest Netbook I've seen, a 32-bit MIPS with 802.11b wireless and an 800x480 screen:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ALPHA-400&cat...

-Brock

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 12:05 UTC (Fri) by Janne (guest, #40891) [Link] (3 responses)

"That Sony is sweet, other than the OS and price ("Starting at $899"):"

IS it REALLY that expensive when compared to other netbooks? By looking at the raw cash it night seem like that. But if you look at the device itself, the price doesn't seem to be outrageous.

Compared to typical netbooks, the Sony gives you:

Smaller size (compare to EEEpc: http://www.engadget.com/photos/vaio-p-vs-eee-pc-fight/127...)

About half the weight

2x to 4x the RAM the RAM

Insane screen-resolution (1600x768 as opposed to 1024x600)

Superior design (the new Sony is one of the few netbooks that doesn't look like a toy).

Yes, $899 might be a lot of money. But is it a lot of money for a machine like this? The screen alone covers most of the "extra" money you have to pay, and engineering a laptop to be this small and light takes time and money.

It always astounds me when people expect devices like this to cost maybe 50 bucks more than other vaguely similar devices, and if it costs more, they start complaining that it's "overpriced"...

Small/light laptops are not netbooks

Posted Jan 9, 2009 13:06 UTC (Fri) by Cato (guest, #7643) [Link] (1 responses)

The point of netbooks is to provide something that at the higher end may be of similar size/weight to an ultra-portable laptop, but provides "just enough" to get the job done for most people, at a MUCH lower cost - this means a slower single-core CPU, less RAM, less screen resolution, and often a much smaller screen. Part of this is enabled by dumping Windows XP for Linux, though the vendors are re-introducing this as they improve the specs. Another part is the rise of web applications and Software as a Service (SaaS) - as someone said, a netbook is a "life support system for a web browser" though of course it can run local apps too (even 3D games in some cases).

A portable system costing $899 with the specs mentioned simply isn't a netbook - it's a very nice laptop if that's what you need, but it's filling a different niche. Given that ultraportable laptops have always been expensive and slow sellers compared to netbooks, it's fair to say that the netbook is addressing a much larger market.

Small/light laptops are not netbooks

Posted Jan 9, 2009 13:36 UTC (Fri) by Janne (guest, #40891) [Link]

"The point of netbooks is to provide something that at the higher end may be of similar size/weight to an ultra-portable laptop, but provides "just enough" to get the job done for most people, at a MUCH lower cost "

So, because this machine does not fit the definition of "netbook" 100% it either should not exist, or it should be sold at a lower price (which would probably mean selling it as a loss?

Well, as it happens: Sony insist that this is not a netbook.

"A portable system costing $899 with the specs mentioned simply isn't a netbook"

Which is what Sony is saying....

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 19:04 UTC (Fri) by frazier (guest, #3060) [Link]

IS it REALLY that expensive when compared to other netbooks?

Yes. It is two to three times more expensive. You get more resolution (something I'd appreciate... ...I've brought my 20 inch 1600x1200 Sony LCD monitor to MBA classes a couple times) and the trackpoint is sweet. Sure there's more RAM but compared to an XP Netbook, but Vista is munching up much of that advantage.

As to size, that EEE in the pictures is the much larger 10 inch model. The sizes would be much closer if compared to a 900-series EEE.

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 1:40 UTC (Fri) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link] (1 responses)

It shouldn't be a problem as long as there is at least one finger to the right of the index finger. I used to have a Thinkpad, but I could not use its trackpoint at all. Actually, I'm left-handed and not a heavy user of pointing devices, so maybe I just don't understand the pains of the right-handed mouse addicts.

EMTEC releases the Gdium netbook computer

Posted Jan 9, 2009 6:38 UTC (Fri) by Richard_J_Neill (subscriber, #23093) [Link]

> I used to have a Thinkpad, but I could not use its trackpoint at all.

Trackpoints are great - but only after the first hour of practice! The key points are to increase the sensitivity to a level that you like (personally, I like a very light touch, max "gain", and no mouse-acceleration), and to remember to take your finger *off* the stick when you aren't doing anything; this lets it re-calibrate and prevents drift.

Also, work out which fingers you will use (I'm right-handed, and use RH-thumb on all buttons, but some people prefer to use RH-thumb on the right button; LH-thumb on the left button). You'll probably also want to have EmulateWheel enabled, so that a middle-drag gives horiz/vert scrolling, without losing the ability to have middle-click.

The other great advantage of the trackpoint is that the mouse can be used while keeping the hands in typing position - so it's much faster to "context-switch" than with a regular mouse, or even a touchpad. I find this sufficiently compelling that I bought an Ultranav keyboard for my desktop.

Huh?

Posted Jan 9, 2009 5:27 UTC (Fri) by BrucePerens (guest, #2510) [Link] (5 responses)

I must be missing something. What is compelling about this offering?

Huh?

Posted Jan 9, 2009 7:06 UTC (Fri) by tajyrink (subscriber, #2750) [Link] (1 responses)

"Yet another netbook with a few twists". MIPS sounds interesting, if it's not being used in some x86 compatibility mode. I could by a netbook solely for the reason it would not be the oh-so-boring x86 (waiting for the ARM ones). 10" screen is larger than in most competitors, and keyboard is also probably pretty good compared to eg. Eee PC:s. Mandriva ought to be a lot better out-of-the-box experience than Xandros or Linpus.

Interesting that they don't promise more battery usage time, since eg. the video card is straight from the mobile/embedded world, I think, with no 3D acceleration.

Huh?

Posted Jan 9, 2009 10:04 UTC (Fri) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link]

MIPS sounds interesting, if it's not being used in some x86 compatibility mode.

It does not have one. It is a quite pure RISC. One project I'm involved with uses a 64-bit MIPS architecture processor in an embedded system. The Gdium notebook might actually be a usable stand-in for the expensive real boards for some testing (faster weeding-out of x86-isms that sometimes creep in).

Huh?

Posted Jan 9, 2009 10:51 UTC (Fri) by Zack (guest, #37335) [Link] (2 responses)

>I must be missing something. What is compelling about this offering?

Their "one laptop per hacker" program is unusual.

Also the fact that it uses a mips processor. This means that for now it's firmly wedded to the GNU/Linux operating system, instead of GNU/Linux being an also-ran shipped only with the intention of being replaced with a infringing copy of a proprietary operating system at a later date.

I'm not sure if it is compelling enough to be mentioned seperately on LWN, especially since one of their competitors ships a mips based netbook which includes a free software bios and a somewhat similar attitude regarding free software. But it's great if a non-x86 architecture would manage to carve out a persistent market space in general computing devices, which would automatically piggyback free software operating systems into lead position in that space.

Huh?

Posted Jan 9, 2009 16:57 UTC (Fri) by amimjf (guest, #506) [Link] (1 responses)

--
But it's great if a non-x86 architecture would manage to carve out a persistent market space in general computing devices, which would automatically piggyback free software operating systems into lead position in that space.
--

Not automatically i am afraid as Windows CE/Mobile runs on MIPS.

It would make the applications developers work harder though.

- Matthew

Huh?

Posted Jan 10, 2009 20:19 UTC (Sat) by dmaxwell (guest, #14010) [Link]

Windows CE/Mobile doesn't enable the installation of J. Random Win32 App. With that network effect crutch taken away, WinCE has to compete on technical merit and price.