Get a high-end Netbook for a low-end price.
(Credit: Buy.com)Notebook or Netbook? It's a question for the ages, or at least for anyone shopping for a new portable PC. Buy.com has the Acer Aspire One Netbook for a tantalizing $289.99 shipped. The hitch: it's a refurb.
The last time I posted about the Aspire One, it was $309.99 new. However, this refurb has much beefier specs, including 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and Windows XP instead of Linux.
The One also features a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, an 8.9-inch screen, a Webcam, and 802.11b/g wireless. It's modeled in sapphire blue, which I can tell you firsthand looks mighty attractive.
That's because I've got one of these babies right here. You can read about my experiences with it in The Netbook Diaries, but I'll sum up: it's a great little travel companion if you don't mind a slightly cramped keyboard and screen and have easy access to AC power (battery life bites).
This configuration sells for around $370 new, so if you don't mind a 90-day warranty instead of the usual 12 months, the refurb is definitely a good deal. If Buy.com runs out, you can get the same model for the same price from TigerDirect.
We're waiting to get our hands on the delayed CherryPal PC, an innovative and inexpensive desktop meant to connect you to the cloud, but it's not the only mini PC vying for your attention.
Acer Aspire X1200
Earlier this month, we reviewed Acer's Aspire X1200 and HP's latest Pavilion Slimline, two relatively full-featured desktops shrunk down to a small form factor. The Acer is the better deal on paper, though it may require some mucking about with drivers and settings before it's fully operational. A few tweaks and a BIOS update were required before we had video and audio running to an HDTV via the system's HDMI connection, for example. And other users have reported similar problems with the HDMI connection along with networking problems. The HP Slimline s3550f doesn't have an HDMI port, so we didn't run into such problems with it. We like it as a budget PC for those where space is at a premium. It's also easy to add to your network with its integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi antenna.
Asus Eee Box
Cheaper and smaller than the Acer or the HP is the Asus Eee Box. It costs only $350 and is incredibly compact--it looks like a flatter version of the Mac Mini. Despite its small size, it's no cloud-computing computer but one that serves up an operating system and a hard drive. It's similarly outfitted as the Asus Eee PC Netbook, with an Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP Home. It also packs Draft N Wi-Fi and Asus's ExpressGate technology--a Linux shell that lets you bypass Windows to browse the Web, instant message, view photos, and make VoIP calls with Skype.
Dell Studio Hybrid
The Dell Studio Hybrid is a bigger, pricier version of the Eee Box. The added size and dollars net you an optical drive and a faster processor, more memory, and a larger hard drive. We liked its overall design, but at a price north of $800, it gets harder to recommend the Studio Hybrid when other SFF PCs costs hundreds less and similarly priced midtower PCs provide considerably more performance.
Shuttle K-4500
We've reviewed two systems from SFF PC pioneer Shuttle this year, which sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. At $229, the KPC K-4500 is cheaper than the CherryPal PC. This is no bare-bones kit but a fully featured desktop--minus an optical drive (but plus a photo frame!). It runs Linux, which means you'll likely need to hunt for software codecs and hardware drivers, but you'd be hard pressed to find a cheaper, smaller PC. We'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap entry into the world of Linux.
Falcon Fragbox 2
We don't recommend the overpriced Shuttle XPC P2 4800X, however. At nearly 14 times the price of the KPC K-4500, this tiny gaming PC serves up unquestionably high-end components. The thing is, Falcon's Northwest Fragbox 2 delivers only slightly less power and framerates for less than half the cost.
Apple Mac Mini
Lastly, we can't end this small-form-factor PC tour with only a passing mention of the Mac Mini. Aside from adding Leopard to it, Apple hasn't touched the Mac Mini since we reviewed it last year. Among SFF PCs, it has the smallest footprint and arguably the best-looking design. It's not the cheapest SFF PC, but then again, with the iLife 08 suite, it serves up the most functionality out of the box.
And, thus, we conclude our tour of small-form-factor PCs.
Apparently it's Miniature PC Release Week and nobody told me.
On Monday, Fujitsu officially announced the U810 mini-notebook, and on Tuesday, Stealth Computer released a mini PC that it says will fit into a human palm (well, sort of). Though I'm sure the results will differ for everyone, suffice it to say, this is a wee computer.
Stealth Computer's Little PC. Disembodied hand not included.
(Credit: Stealth Computer)It measures just under 3 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 10 inches deep. The Little PC--not the most creative or specific name, but whatever--will have Intel's Pentium and Celeron M series processors, and lots of connectivity options: LAN, serial, USB 2.0, FireWire, video, audio, and more.
The tiny PC can be customized too. The PCI card slot means the owner can add a wireless or video card, or really, whatever they want. The 160GB hard drive is built to absorb extra shock, but it can also be swapped out for a solid state drive or flash drive. A DVD/CD-RW drive is standard, but a DVD burner can be substituted.
It's Windows Vista, XP or Linux-compatible, and the price tag is $995. The Little PC is available now on Stealth's Web site.
A few years ago, we purchased a Sony "Slimtop" PC--and it wasn't even the tablet model, so please don't ask us why. (We were trying to lose weight at the time, so maybe it was some twisted form of projection. Enough about that.)
A new Samsung mini-PC, by comparison, makes the Slimtop seem morbidly obese. The MX10 measures a scant 10.4 by 11.8 inches and, other than its thickness of slightly more than 2 inches, is smaller than a lot of laptops on the market (sans screen, of course). Akihabara News says it includes a Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of memory and up to 250GB of space on its hard drive, though other specs aren't yet available.
But at a price around $1,300, it's kind of hard to imagine why someone would want or need one of these, especially when all-in-one PCs are so widely available. As for us, we've gone over to the other side.
(Photo: Akihabara News)
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