There are some things that seem to be to good to be true and turn out to be just that and some that you hope aren’t. My Bauer W107W net book from Argos clearance seems to be one of those things that looks shady enough to cause you more hassle than they are worth and yet you hope they aren’t. Are you following me? so far so good.
DHL landed yesterday with a battered looking cardboard box and a netbook that smelled pretty badly of cigarette smoke, all the rubber feet missing and the tamperproof seals all broken. Needless to say I wasn’t too hopeful, even it it was still £160. It started up nicely and loaded up windows XP well enough and installed Faros, Glen Delahoys Auto FTP. The main useful components to my beacon monitoring station.
I followed it up with IE8 and the logmein client and hey presto after a bit of time (no more than an hour) the replacement unit was installed and running nicely. As the sun seems to refuse to play ball there are no actual spot coming through at the moment apart from the odd one here and there. However, the software seems to be working, the IC703 is clicking through the bands and audio is coming through the system. Perhaps I’m being too negative and it’ll not miss a beat but you can’t help but think that for such a low price it’s going to break down!
If you are interested the spec is:
Intel Mobile N270 Atom processor. 1.6GHz processor speed.1GB RAM.10.1in screen sizeResolution 1024 x 600 pixels.16:10 widescreen.160GB hard drive.Integrated graphics.Shared graphics memory.Media card reader – compatible with MS/SD/MMC. 3 x USB ports. 10/100Mbps Base-T Ethernet ports. 2 stereo speakers sound. 0.3Mp webcam.802.11 b/g wireless enabled. Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system installed. 4 hours battery life.Size (H)3, (W)26, (D)18cm. Weight 1.2kg.
I stumbled home today to find a flier on my doormat from Maplin. Somewhere where I usually get components, connectors..that sort of thing. I was stunned to find that they were selling a 7″ netbook for ?170.
Spec’s are:
Product Features
? The next generation of affordable mini-laptops is here
? An ultra compact, lightweight and durable solution – just 650g!
? An ideal travel companion with built in Wi-Fi technology…now you can be truly mobile
? Ideal for web surfing, email, word processing and spreadsheets
? 7-inch LCD screen and stylish piano black finish casing
? Easy to use Linux operating system
? Complete with Xip office applications
? Multi-theme display (Child or Adult mode)
? Web browser: Firefox
? Email and Office (word processor and spreadsheet program)
? PDF viewer
? SD / SDHC Card reader
? Built-in Wi-Fi ( IEEE 802.1 b/g )
? 10/100MB Ethernet port
? 2GB SSD (soild state disk) shock proof storage
? Expand the storage with USB or SD Flash Memory (not external hard drives)
? Supports up to 4GB SD cards and 4GB USB sticks
? DDR2 128MB memory
? 800 x 480 ( WVGA ) Display
? 3 x USB 2.0 ports
? Stereo Speakers and built-in microphone
? Touch mouse pad
? (Does not support Microsoft O/S)
? AC adaptor / charger
? Battery duration: 2+ hours
? Dimensions: 222 (l) x 165(w) x 29.5(d) mm
Tech spec
| Model No.: |
MINI LAPTOP NEO |
| Storage drive type: |
Nand Flash 2GB |
| Processor: |
32 Bit CPU |
| System RAM: |
DDRII 128MB |
| LCD screen size: |
7-inch |
| Operating system: |
Linux |
| Wireless connection : |
WI-FI |
| I/O ports |
3 x USB host sockets;1 earphone/line_in socket |
| Card slot |
Push-Push SD card socket |
| Mouse control: |
Touch Pad |
| Keyboard : |
Standard 80 KEY |
| Display |
| Display Type: |
7-inch TFT |
| Widescreen Display: |
Yes |
| Max Resolution: |
800 x 480 ( WVGA ) |
| Networking |
| Other com options |
10/100MB Ethernet port |
| Wireless LAN supported: |
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g) USB Dongle |
| Audio |
| Audio input: |
Microphone |
| Audio output power: |
Built-in microphone and dual speakers |
| Other |
Touch mouse pad |
|
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| Operating System / Software |
|
| OS Provided: |
Linux |
| Software: |
Web browser; Flashplayer; Office; PDF viewer; email |
| Battery and Power |
| Technology: |
Lithium Battery |
| Installed Qty: |
1PC |
| Capacity: |
2200mAh 3.7V |
| Working time: |
3 hours |
| Product Dimensions |
| Shipping Weight (in kg): |
650g |
| Size: |
222(l) x165(w) x 29.5(d) mm |
| Manufacturer Warranty |
| Service and support: |
1 year warranty |
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With so many new netbooks (as they are now called) hitting the various world wide streets there doesn’t seem to be a single one that stands out. The choice was easy when there was just the one Asus 701. Now there are legion of the things with a new one just round the corner. will it be the Asus 900, 901 or the msi wind
So far they’re not in a shop near me so the choice is easy. Soon they’ll be here and I’ll have to make up my mind
