Posted 07/23/08 at 10:59:29 AM by Chris Moody

Over at PCmag.com, they bring up an interesting point about Asus’ new ROM boot chip and "Express Gate"; how it will affect users psychologically. We are not talking about power users, but just regular end users and how they feel about Linux.

For power users, there just isn’t much draw on Express Gate. So it lets you boot into a basic OS with a web browser and Skype in five seconds. Not really a big deal since most power users keep their machines on 24/7, or maybe let them sleep/hibernate. They also may have a dual boot system to a full featured Linux OS as well. This leaves power users scratching their heads asking why. Had Asus decided to make use of this Linux on ROM to provide things like diagnostics, data recovery, BIOS configuration/updating, or hardware systems monitoring, they would have had us at “hello”.

End users on the other hand, are more likely to power their systems on and off. For these folks having the option to boot quickly to use a web browser for a few minutes before rushing off someplace makes sense. More importantly it gets them using Linux without being obvious about it. I am sure Asus likes this idea as it will warm users up to their Eee line using the Linux OS. This could spool up to be a big deal if other manufacturers pick up on the idea and start serving up their own Splashtop Linux ROM chips on their motherboards.

The effect becomes that there will be more users comfortable using Linux and that could eat into Microsoft’s market share. If this takes off, Microsoft has little choice but to make it’s OS capable of going instant on, or creating a super light and cheap version of Windows that can do the same thing (like Windows CE, but better).

 Do you think this might take off? Can we expect Microsoft to follow suit and do their own instant on OS? Let me know!

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microsoft, asus, linux, eee, Express Gate, Splashtop

Posted 07/21/08 at 11:27:21 AM by Chris Moody

Anyone that has used a smart phone for browsing the internet knows that those little screens are just too small to be really comfortable to use. We also know that we don’t like to tote a notebook PC around on the chance that we need to use the internet for something.

The industry has known we needed something between a notebook PC and a smartphone sized device. It has taken several stabs at it, but nothing has quite stuck until a new breed of device has started to hit the market, called netbooks. These power sipping, devices are made primarily for checking email and surfing the internet at a low cost, some selling for $300. The PC industry is set to sell tens of millions of these devices. Good deal for the PC industry, right?

Maybe not. The NYTimes.com reports that industry analysts say that the emergence of this new class of low-cost, cloud-centric machines could threaten big market companies like Microsoft, Intel, HP, or Dell. “When I talk to PC vendors, the No. 1 question I get is, how do I compete with these netbooks when what we really want to do is sell PCs that cost a lot more money?” said J. P. Gownder, an analyst with Forrester Research.

Why are these tiny PCs a threat? Make the jump to find out!

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pc, dell, hp, asus, consumer electronics, eee, notebooks, netbooks

Posted 07/02/08 at 10:54:47 AM by Chris Moody

Are you tired if the Asus Eee mania yet? Surely not! LaptopMag.com reports on some leaked photos of an Eee Monitor or more likely an all-in-one PC. There looks to be a camera in at the top with microphone. The Denon logos in the corners with the grill suggest built in speakers. On the back looks to be a phone jack, Ethernet jack, 4 USB ports, various audio ports and a cable lock port. It seems to have a clear plastic foot at the bottom, and is shown in either black and white colors. LaptopMag.com reports it’s rumored to have a built-in TV tuner and a starting price of $500, but believe that when you see it. Soon we may have Eee coffee makers and toasters.

 More photos are available here.

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pc, monitor, asus, hardware, eee, all-in-one

Posted 04/07/08 at 11:00:30 PM by Will Smith

At Maximum PC, our main concern is speed—we like to call it pure PC power. But, as much as we love the massive power available in a desktop replacement notebooks today, our shoulders just won’t let us tote those über-powerful, über-heavy rigs any further than from the sofa to the fridge and back. Even worse, high-powered, ultra-portable rigs are just too damn expensive. And it’s tough to pay more than $2000 for a machine with integrated graphics, even if it weighs only 3 pounds.

Click Read More for more.

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news, hp, VIA, eee, ultralight, ultraportable, will, upc

Posted 02/27/08 at 07:19:32 PM by Tom Halfhill

Asus' Eee is inspiring a new generation of teeny-weeny Linux subnotebooks. UMPC? Yeah, we've never seen one either.

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asus, fast forward, subnotebook, eee