Everex CloudBook Review

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The Everex CloudBook (starting at $399) is available in just one configuration at the time of this writing. Our CloudBook has the following specifications:

• gOS Rocket operating system (Linux variant)


• 1.2GHz, VIA C7-M Processor (ULV)


• 512MB DDR2 533MHz, SDRAM


• 30GB Hard Disk Drive (3600rpm parallel ATA)


• 7" WVGA TFT Display (800 x 480)


• VIA UniChrome Pro IGP Graphics


• VIA High-Definition Audio


• 802.11b/g WiFi


• 10/100 Ethernet Port


• DVI Port


• Two USB 2.0 Ports


• 4-in-1 Media Card Reader


• 0.3MP Webcam


• Headphone/Line-Out Port


• Microphone/Line-In Port


• 4-cell Lithium-Ion Battery

Preface (Some Background Information)

As both an editor for a laptop review website and as an average consumer I am in love with the low-priced UMPC-type subnotebook market. Laptops like the Everex CloudBook, the Asus Eee PC, and soon-to-be released subnotebooks from other manufacturers represent something truly innovative. In short, these affordable ultraportables are virtually "disposable" travel laptops. Granted, anyone would be upset if something happened to a $400 computer, but it's much more convenient to lose a $400 laptop than a laptop that costs $700 or more. The other factor that makes these subnotebooks convenient is that they are much easier to carry for travel. Sure, they lack the power to serve as a primary workhorse for video or photo editing, but these laptops are designed to serve as temporary travel computers.

With that being said, last year I purchased an Asus Eee PC 4G for personal use and business travel. While I think the Eee PC is great, I'm quick to realize its shortcomings and limitations. When Everex announced the release of the CloudBook I was excited that this might be a perfect replacement for my Eee PC. The CloudBook offers more storage (30GB vs 4GB) and DVI out (rather than simple VGA) for better external monitor connections. Before our CloudBook review unit arrived I was planning to replace my Asus Eee PC with the CloudBook. Did this happen? Continue reading and you'll see.

Build and Design

The Everex CloudBook is an impressive little machine at first glance. The innovative grip-through LCD hinge design and compact form factor come together with smooth matte black plastics and a hint of metal reinforcement in just the right places. Weighing in at just two pounds the CloudBook was built around the VIA Nanobook reference design ... a subnotebook prototype developed by VIA as a platform for their new mobile technologies.

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Despite the impressive compactness of the design, the CloudBook is reasonably solid and durable thanks to the fact so much was packed into such a tiny space. We don't recommend dropping the CloudBook but it should survive the average use and abuse that any other $400 notebook can handle.

The CloudBook does not have a latch to hold it closed, and while the hinge mechanism generally works well at holding the lid in place it is very easy to move the lid by slightly shaking the notebook. On the bright side, there is almost no flex to the screen or chassis. While we're on the topic of the screen lid, the hinge was designed so that you can reach under the CloudBook and grasp the back of the notebook with one hand (wrapping your fingers under the display) and type with your free hand. While this is a nice idea, it's hardly practical since the CloudBook uses a non-standard touchpad interface which requires two hands to use (more on that later in this review).

Operating System (Or Lack Thereof)

Everex decided to use the relatively new "gOS Rocket" operating system which is a Linux variant using an attractive graphical user interface (gui) to make it easy for Windows users or Mac OS X users to understand. The first thing most people think when they see the gOS desktop for the first time is that it's Mac OS X.

The typical gOS desktop. (view large image)

Unfortunately, surface appearance is where the similarity ends. While gOS isn't a bad operating system, it's clear that Everex did nothing to customize this operating system installation for use on the CloudBook. For starters, the first time you turn on the CloudBook you are prompted to select your time zone and other settings on a number of dialog windows. Unfortunately, because the dialog windows aren't designed to fit on the 800 x 480 resolution display on the CloudBook, you cannot read the entire text. What's worse is that you cannot select the settings and click on the "OK" or "Next" buttons required to move forward with the setup process.

Of course, since gOS is a Linux-based operating system you can press and hold the "Alt" key while clicking on the dialog window to move the window so you can press the required buttons. Let's pause for a moment and let reality sink in here. The Everex CloudBook is a $400 laptop being sold at Wal-Mart. How many average Wal-Mart shoppers do you think know the "hold down Alt" trick for moving windows in Linux? It's safe to say most consumers will be calling Everex customer support after 5 minutes to figure out how to start using the CloudBook.

To test this, I called Everex tech support using the toll-free number located on the bottom of the CloudBook. I told them I just turned on my CloudBook and was stuck on the startup window and couldn't figure out what to do next (a little lie for the sake of a review isn't horrible). Rather than tell me to hold down the Alt key and drag the window I was put on hold for 15 minutes. When tech support finally returned they told me I could get a RMA (return merchandise authorization) to return my CloudBook for a replacement unit.

I guess when I called there was no one working at Everex technical support who knew about Linux. If that's the case, maybe gOS was the wrong choice of operating system for the CloudBook. Although Windows has many faults I suspect fewer consumers would need to contact tech support just to turn on their laptops for the first time.

Performance and Benchmarks

The CloudBook has generally acceptable performance based on the 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ultra low voltage processor. That said, our benchmarking suggests the performance on this processor is comparable to much slower 700MHz Intel processors. In fact, the wPrime processor benchmark indicates the 1.2GHz VIA processor is slower than the 900MHz Intel processor in the Asus Eee PC. In a nutshell, Everex had to sacrifice some performance in order to bring this ultra-mobile laptop to consumers for only $400.

Granted, the CloudBook only includes 512MB of RAM, so we also tested the system with a 1GB module of RAM from Crucial. The problem with doing that is there is no easy-access RAM door on the bottom of the CloudBook. You must completely disassemble the CloudBook in order to replace the RAM. Another problem is that Everex uses non-standard sized screws to hold the chassis together ... so most small screwdrivers are too large to remove the screws. What's worse is that opening the chassis voids the manufacturer's warranty ... making upgrades ill-advised for average consumers.

Adding 1GB of DDR2 533MHz SDRAM from Crucial did improve the PCMark05 score by almost 60 points (671 PCMarks after upgrade). However, given the difficulty involved with the upgrade and the lack of warranty after the upgrade, I can't say adding more RAM to the CloudBook is worth the trouble.

The VIA UniChrome Pro integrated graphics processor should provide adequate performance for some games with minimal system requirements. That said, don't expect this notebook to play the latest graphics-intense games ... we're not dealing with a dedicated graphics card here and in some cases the UniChrome Pro is less powerful than Intel integrated graphics.

The 30GB hard drive in the CloudBook provides a reasonable amount of storage but isn't anywhere near the amount of storage that most consumers are likely to want in a modern laptop. Sure, you've got enough storage for travel needs, but if you download tons of music, movies, and TV shows from iTunes and store them on the CloudBook's hard drive then you'll quickly run out of space. Additionally, the slow 3600rpm speed of the 30GB hard disk means the CloudBook wastes a large amount of time trying to access data.

Both the average data transfer speed (read/write speed) and the average data access time (how long it takes the drive to locate data) for the 30GB hard drive where slower than either the internal 4GB SSD inside the Asus Eee PC or a 16GB SDHC card used as a second storage drive inside the Eee PC. Of course, you can use a SDHC card inside the card reader on the Everex CloudBook, but unlike most notebooks the card reader on the CloudBook doesn't allow SDHC cards to set flush against the edge of the notebook. Since SDHC cards stick out of the side of the CloudBook and can be accidentally removed with a simple bump it isn't a good idea to use an SDHC card as a second storage drive in CloudBook.

SD/SDHC cards don't set flush against
the edge of the CloudBook. (view large image)

All of our final review benchmarks were done using Windows XP Pro. We considered testing Windows Vista Home Premium, but the PCMark05 score was so low with Vista that we decided not to publish those figures. With that said, let's jump into the benchmarks:

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Everex CloudBook (1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV)	612 PCMarks
Asus Eee PC 701 4G (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV)	1,132 PCMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600)	2,446 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 (1.2GHz Intel Core Solo U1400)	1,152 PCMarks
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (1.33GHz Core Solo U1500)	1,554 PCMarks
Toshiba Portege R500 (1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600)	1,839 PCMarks

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
Everex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz)	248.705 seconds
Asus Eee PC 701 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz)	200.968 seconds
Fujitsu U810 Tablet PC (Intel A110 @ 800MHz)	209.980 seconds
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz)	124.581 seconds
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz)	76.240 seconds
Dell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz)	231.714 seconds

HDTune storage drive performance:

30GB hard drive in the Everex CloudBook. (view large image)

4GB SSD in the Asus Eee PC 4G. (view large image)

16GB SDHC card in the Asus Eee PC 4G. (view large image)

HDTune Performance Summary:

Storage Drive	Transfer Rate	Access Time
30GB Hard Drive	18.3MB/sec	34.0ms
4GB SSD	24.3MB/sec	0.5ms
16GB SDHC	16.5MB/sec	0.8ms

Gaming

The CloudBook certainly isn't designed to play the latest graphics-intense video games like BioShock or Crysis, but it does meet the minimum requirements for many older games. During the review period I tested a number of older games like Freelancer and Freedom Fighters on the CloudBook.

The CloudBook was able to play these older games at acceptable frame rates, but level load times and cinematic cutscenes took much longer than they should have. In some cases the CloudBook took 15 seconds or more to load a new level compared to less than 5 seconds on typical notebooks or the Asus Eee PC.

In addition, I decided to test a freeware gaming application called 3DAnalyze on the CloudBook. 3DAnalyze is an application that makes modern games playable on computers with modest integrated graphics by forcing the game to run without certain settings required for highly detailed 3D graphics. I've used 3DAnalyze on a number of laptops with integrated graphics (including the Asus Eee PC) to play games such as Halo and Shattered Union at 800 x 480 resolution.

While the Asus Eee PC is able to play Halo and Shattered Union with acceptable frame rates thanks to 3DAnalyze, the Everex CloudBook was not able to accomplish this ... most likely due to an incompatibility with the integrated VIA graphics.

Screen

The 7" WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) matte screen on the CloudBook isn't ideal for extended use and certainly isn't designed for HD video, but it does offer sharp contrast, excellent color, and reasonably even backlighting. Horizontal viewing angles were excellent although vertical viewing angles were only average. The screen itself didn't suffer from ripples or stuck pixels, but we did notice some minor light leakage from the top edge of our display at maximum brightness.

One of the most impressive features about the screen on the CloudBook (and the video drivers that VIA uses) is that users can "scale" higher resolutions on the screen. In other words, you can fit 1000 x 600 pixels worth of resolution on the 800 x 480 screen. Scaling the display does cause some loss of fine details and text can be more difficult to read, but it's much nicer to view websites at 1000 x 600 than it is using the default resolution.

Desktop at native 800 x 480 resolution (view large image)

Desktop scaled to 1000 x 600 resolution (view large image)

Another interesting problem we encountered during our first day with the CloudBook involved connecting an external monitor to the built-in DVI port on the side of the notebook. After connecting an external display and changing the settings in the default gOS operating system the CloudBook responded with an error message and refused to display anything on the external monitor, after we disconnected the external monitor the built-in LCD could not be reset to the native 800 x 480 resolution and would only work in 640 x 480 mode ... not acceptable for much of anything.

After several hours of work we were forced to format the hard drive and install Microsoft Windows in order to restore the display to the correct default resolution. Again, that's just not something you expect from a brand new notebook.

After we installed Windows on the CloudBook and connected the external display to the DVI port we discovered that the CloudBook only supports one widescreen resolution (1000 x 600) so if you use a large widescreen external display you will not be able to set the correct resolution or aspect ratio on the CloudBook. For comparison purposes, we tested the Asus Eee PC with the same widescreen external monitor and the Eee PC supported all the correct resolutions and aspect ratios.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the CloudBook is cramped to say the least. It will take most users several hours or more to get used to typing on such a small area. The keyboard is virtually identical to the keyboard used on the Asus Eee PC and is probably the same part provided by the same OEM. However, unlike the keyboard on the Asus Eee PC the keyboard on the CloudBook has significant flex that makes typing somewhat like pressing down on a plastic trampoline.

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As mentioned previously, the touchpad interface on the CloudBook is quite unique compared to other notebooks currently on the market. The actual touchpad is located above the keyboard on the right side of the notebook and is a small area about the size of a US postage stamp. There is no dedicated area for scrolling (thank goodness) and the touchpad is so small that precise control is extremely difficult.

The left and right touchpad buttons are located above the keyboard on the left side of the notebook and are likewise much smaller than typical touchpad buttons. Both buttons have deep feedback and well-cushioned clicks, but they are so small that it's easy to press the wrong button or both buttons at the same time.

Left side buttons. (view large image)

Right side touchpad. (view large image)

Gaming is perhaps the single most difficult thing to do with the touchpad interface on the CloudBook. Most games require use of the touchpad, touchpad buttons, and multiple keyboard keys (such as W, A, S, and D). Trying to control a game while using the touchpad with your right hand and press the touchpad buttons with your left hand while pressing keyboard keys at the same time is next to impossible. If the CloudBook used a standard touchpad interface you could control the touchpad and touchpad buttons with one hand ... and I just can't understand why VIA and Everex engineers didn't do this.

Bottom line, buy an external mouse if you're going to use the CloudBook.

Input and Output Ports

Although the ultra-mobile form factor of the CloudBook cannot accommodate the standard array of ports you'll find on other notebooks. Everex did manage to include a reasonable number of ports. The complete list of ports includes:

• DVI out


• Two USB 2.0 ports


• Audio out


• Microphone in


• 4-in-1 card reader


• 10/100 Ethernet

Although VIA and Everex engineers deserve serious credit for developing the CloudBook it's safe to say that most consumers would have rather taken a third USB port or FireWire port instead of the DVI out ... particularly since the VIA integrated graphics aren't particularly powerful. Here's a quick tour of the notebook:

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Front: No ports or indicators.

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Back: Just the hinge and battery.

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Right: Microphone in, headphone out, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, DC power jack.

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Left: DVI out, 4-in-1 card reader.

Audio

The built-in stereo speakers located beneath the display hinge are the very definition of bad notebook speakers. Most budget laptops have terrible speakers that sound like someone speaking through a tin can, and indeed so does the CloudBook. The difference here is that the speakers on the CloudBook sound like someone speaking through extremely tiny tin cans.

The good news is that the audio out port (headphone minijack) provides excellent audio output. There's little or no distortion or static and the sound on my earbuds was quite enjoyable.

Battery

The CloudBook uses a four-cell lithium-ion battery rated at 2200mAh and 14.4V. Everex claims five hours of battery life on the CloudBook, but our tests under gOS, Windows XP Pro, and Windows Vista Home Premium suggest the battery life is closer to three hours on average. With the screen set to the lowest brightness setting and WiFi off while typing Word documents and watching movie files I was able to get the CloudBook to last just more than three and a half hours.

Heat and Noise

Considering the small form factor of the CloudBook and the ultra low voltage VIA processor I expected the CloudBook to produce little in the way of heat and noise. Unfortunately, after only a few minutes of use I discovered the CloudBook generates both heat and noise in abundance. The processor cooling fan is always running on the low, medium or high setting when the CloudBook is plugged in. I was able to tell the fan has three settings because I could easily hear the change in pitch as the fan throttled up and down. Imagine the sound of a muffled hair dryer running inside your notebook and you'll have some idea what the CloudBook sounds like when it' plugged in.

On the bright side, the fan typically stays at the lowest setting or off while the CloudBook is running on battery. The down side of this is that the VIA processor runs at a slower clock cycle most of the time while on battery power (regardless of the Windows power management settings) which means slower performance on battery power.

Despite the issue of fan noise, the most troublesome issue we encountered during the test period was heat. While plugged in the bottom of the CloudBook reached temperatures of 126 degrees Fahrenheit (too hot for direct skin contact over an extended period). HDTune reported hard drive temperatures as hot as 56 degrees Celsius (133 degrees Fahrenheit). During our benchmarking tests (which stressed the system and generated more heat) the WiFi card inside the CloudBook would stop working after 30-45 minutes of use. The only way to get the WiFi card to start working again was to turn off the CloudBook and let it cool down for at least 10 minutes before restarting the system and connecting to the Internet again.

When a notebook overheats to the point that it stops working every 30-45 minutes you know there's a serious problem. Below are images with the external temperatures listed in degrees Fahrenheit.

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JerryJ, you are under arrest for the murdering of the everest cloudbook... just doing my job not that i like the cloudbook...

 

Thanks for this excellent informative review.

Wow! A new notebook which makes my Sony G11 look fast!

I'll hold off looking hard at these machines until there's further progress with performance and display size. Even 1024 x 768 seems to be limited real estate these days.

John

 

Thanks for the informative review. I'm also fascinated by the current ultra cheap/portable PCs.

Just to let you know though, the Cloudbook is being marketed as the PACKARD BELL XS20-006 in the UK.

Edit: and I've just noticed that it comes with Windows XP and 1GB of RAM. The price is considerably more though (equiv to $700!)

 

I really wanted to love the CloudBook ... particularly since I get so frustrated by the limit of 4GB of internal storage on the Eee PC. I absolutely loved the 1000 x 600 resolution scaling on the CloudBook, but it was just too difficult to say good things about this notebook when it has so many problems.

I feel bad because I personally hold to the philosophy that "there's a notebook out there for every consumer and there's a consumer out there for every notebook." I just can't imagine many consumers wanting this particular notebook ... at least not unless Everex puts Windows on it (or a better Linux distro) and fixes the overheating issues.

 

I know what you mean. Fit a 9" (1024x600) touch-screen in a Eee PC, allow me to use ExpressCard SSDs, and provide a few mini PCIe slots for devices like HSDPA, and I'll buy one tomorrow. At the moment, they seem a little too compromised. Exciting future though!

 

Thanks for the review! I have been thinking about a "road machine" that is something like the EEE or Cloudbook mainly for price. If money wasn't an object, I'd be looking at the Macbook Air for a road machine. It makes some of the same compromises as the Cloudbook (hot, slow internal drive) but costs a lot more. The only thing going for the MBA is the higher screen resolution and the awesome appearance and thinness. I'm not in a hurry so I'll wait and see what else comes out later this year. You hit on something in this review that is a concern for me with a Linux based machine. I don't want to deal with configuration or with dialogs that don't fit the screen I'm using. It is clear the Cloudbook doesn't belong on my list at this time.

Thanks again for the review, Jerry!

 

I'd have the EEE over this any day . . .

 

You did good on this review by steering consumers away. Thats what this site is for.. to inform. Excessive heat on any PC/notebook should be a deal killer for any new pc/notebook buyer. I agree that this machine has too many shortcomings. But the heat issue sounds like a bad design flaw. So bad that I can see hardware failures coming in abundance. They will probably release a bios that will turn that fan on full speed 100 percent of the time. Definitely this is one to avoid.

Good thing Walmart has a good return policy as most of these will likely be returned after a buyer experiences the heat/freeze lockups a couple of times.

 

I feel sorry for the mainstream customers that would buy this without reading this review. Most probably could not even get it to the OS.

Too bad it has so many flaws, I wanted to like it too, I like it has a much larger, regular HDD, didn't realize it was only 3600rpm, assumed it was 4200rpm as with just about every other 1.8" HDD.

And looks like Via = very slow performance, same as its always been.

 

anyone is going to buy this?

 

You would still buy after reading this??? A usage time limited by heat is something really really bad...

 

Sure, some WalMart shoppers not informed of computers but interested after seeing its size and price-tag, wanting a cheap portable notebook.

Is it shown in any stores by the way?

 

the heat issues are bad news. But I still say after a bit of tweaking this machine can sing. Internal USB hub with Windows on a Flash Drive, drop in a 4200 rpm Hard Drive, 1Gb of RAM. Why go to all that work right, but people are tweaking the EEE in huge numbers.

 

I hope that the CloudBook does have "some level" of success because I think it will continue to make other manufacturers make better low-priced subnotebooks. However, there are a couple of key differences between the CloudBook and the Eee PC:

• Eee PC has a better processor
• Eee PC has better integrated grapics
• Eee PC doesn't overheat (though it gets pretty hot itself)
• It's easy to open the RAM door on the bottom of the Eee PC to upgrade RAM without taking everything apart
• It's easy to stick a "flush mounted" 8GB or 16GB SDHC card into the Eee PC's card reader for a cheap second storage drive.

I'm sure there will be some "modders" out there who rip the CloudBook apart, add another $400 worth of modifications to it, and end up with a somewhat solid little notebook, but why?

The reason I got an Eee PC and not a used Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 is that I wanted an ultraportable laptop for travel that cost less than $500 total. My Eee PC 4G cost $380, plus 2GB of RAM ($30), plus a 16GB SDHC card was $75, plus a copy of Windows XP (free since I already had it but $90 if I didn't). That's about as much as I would want to spend on this type of laptop.

I've also purchased a small USB Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR adapter ($20) and a copy of PDANet ($34) so I can easily pair my smartphone with my Eee PC for broadband wireless.

If I had to spend more than that I would rather buy a used base model of the Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 for $650 and upgrade the RAM for another $30.

 

I have an Everex 1502 with the Via chipset and CPU. Even though Everex's website indicates it is the most energy efficient laptop (or did when I bought it), my older Pentium M based laptops with Intel's 855 chipsets have much better thermals. Where the Via sits at a very warm 20+ watts at idle the PM/855's sit at 14 or 15 watts (as measured with a Kill-O-Watt meter at the wall plug).

And as the review shows, Via's CPU performance leaves a lot to be desired. Even more, Intel produces equally low wattage CPU's with vastly better performance per watt. Via seems to lack any desirable attribute in a laptop.

 

i was jk.

 

From the way this review turned out, I would say that the Everex tech support was right in offering you an RMA. I had a half hour hands on with the Cloudbook at a store in the city yesterday, (I'm friendly with the owner) and was surprised at how different my experience was than with this review. Sure, the boot time was quite slow, and that can be explained by the choice of storage device, but once the system was loaded, I found it to be quite snappy. Perhaps the issues with performance on the review machine were due to the OS being used.

As for heat, it would be on par with my Asus Eee. Warm, but not hot, after use. Loading up probably the most intense workout the Cloudbook would ever likely see (Open-Office Base, rhythmbox playing mp3s, firefox with youtube running, pidgin in the background) the system still stayed responsive, and was not uncomfortable to hold.

I also did some laps of the store, browsing firefox with the Cloudbook. Operating the computer whilst moving was quite simple (more so than my Eee) thank to the mouse design. I didn't run into anyone either. But - I couldn't suggest doing this whilst crossing roads.

Mind you, I do have a couple of complaints. Yes, the keyboard is annoying. It mushy, that's all I can say. About twice the give as the Eee keyboard. I don't know, maybe a think piece of cardboard placed under the keyboard may help alleviate this. The wireless card is also not the best. Granted, it's better than Broadcom crap, but the Eee picks up more APs. And, it doesn't ship with proper 3D drivers, meaning you can't get Compiz Fusion to run on the Cloudbook, which is a disappointment. Fusion adds many usability features to the Linux desktop, and the Eee runs most of these fine.

I could not test battery life, because I only played with the machine for about half an hour, but the owner told me he had tested around three hours - par for the course.

If I did not already own an Eee, would the Cloudbook be a worthy competitor for my money? Certainly. For a uni machine, it's cheaper, (because I was forced to buy a larger SD card for the Asus) offers the same sort of performance, battery life, and heat, and in the same size form factor. You can also find a touchscreen variant of the VIA Nanobook if you are wizened in the ways of google, and the price is about $50AU more than the Cloudbook, but with identical specs in every other way.

 

Might as well arrest EEEPC too, since it also murders Cloudbooks.

 

Well this solidifies the sale of two more eeepc's: an pink one for the moms and one for me at college. Now I just have to wait another 12 hours until they officially release the 9in and then hopefully it will be a let down so I can go snag the eee's tomorrow, I am better with near instant gratification.

This notebook was a great idea and will definitely sell. I have shopped at walmart and this will move. If they would have been smart and made it in like a couple colors then they would have sold even more. Literally, my mother will buy any laptop that is pink under one thousand dollars as soon as she sees it. She nearly bought a sony, but after telling her about saving a little money she gave me 30 days...parents these days. Cheers on the review and I hope you can get your money back.

 

I was looking at buying either one of these or an eee pc. Thanks for the review, because I was leaning toward this but I hadnt seen any reviews yet. I've ordered an eee

 

Larger screen edition is out... You might wanna cancel the order and wait for it.. IMO, it's worth it.

 

Luna: Do you think that they are gonna up the pixels and the proc in the new version? All the numbers are floating around, but if its still a strange resolution will it much matter other than being a bit bigger.

 

The screen has more pixel than the last gen.. 1024x600. I find it acceptable with 1024 width. The cpu, they promised us a fanless design last time (most probably a better cpu), but din see that thou...

 

Well, I shall keep my fingers crossed as they will be announcing soon. I do kinda of like having a cpu fan. Despite the noise, it should be very helpful with the heat, which after seeing some random video where a guy beat up his eee, then stuck it on a radiator then in between a desk and a wall while running with no errors

 

Everex still exists?!?!?!?!

 

This is an interesting product. Its almost like they set out to do everything wrong.

Performance is SOO bad, considerably worse than my, now outdated, 3lb dell but this thing still seems to cook itself to death.

I still dont see the point of any of these machines. My 12" Latitude is very small and still very useable. Going to a 7" with NO storage space, no options (card reader, WWAN, ect), and no keyboard just doesnt seem like fun. I guess if you dont wanna cough up the $1400 base.

 

Engadget already has some mods on it, I do not think it makes it any better, but an interesting look.

 

What a sucky laptop and poor excuse for an eee-wannabe. Thanks for telling us how much it stinks, JerryJ! Makes me appreciate my 8G so much more!

 

I dunno, does the EEE get up to 126°F? I think thats an unacceptable temperature point for any notebook.

VIA processors share the same architecture as the old Cyrix/MediaGX and C6 processors, all of which have always had heat problems. The VIA Mini-ITX boards for SFF desktops are regular floor heaters.

It's not surprising to me that this 'book is as hot as the desert sun.

 

If 126F is 52C, then yes, the Asus EEE does indeed get that hot after use. Although, neither machine gets as hot to the touch as a Santa Rosa MacBook.

 

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4055

The Notebook Review shows it topping out at 112°F, which is closer to acceptable than 126°F.

But this isn't a review of the EEE, which I think we can all agree is a superior machine anyways.

 

Not anymore it isn't:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/everex-cloudbook-max-plays-on-sprints-xohm-wimax-network/

EEEk!

 

Ya, I just read the same review. I just hope the Asus will come out with their new products asap. Still the downside to the cloudbook max is its lack of a ssd. You do not need 80gb of space on an ultra portable notebook, in my opinion. But the mobo/proc upgrade is very nice.

 

Why not a lot of capacity? I will be installing Photoshop to do some heavy-duty editing!

 

That is why I bought a 2500 dollar laptop and have it sitting in my workspace. Besides, why would you want to edit on anything smaller than 17" @ 1920? I usually fit two files side by side as I work with no issues, on an ultra portable, 1 tops. For heavy editing I like the desktop rig...and unless you are doing high end photograph where you would have a multi-thousand dollar mac/pc, your images are in that 1-100M range?...