I know that it must seem like we have been having a bit of a Asus fest over the last few weeks on this blog but I do think think that Asus is one of the vendors who are doing interesting things at present. Today I have one more blog about Asus before we move on to something else for a while, I promise!

Asus Eee Box

Along with all their new releases of netbooks under the Eee brand Asus have also announced a mini desktop computer similar in concept to the Mac Mini but of course, like the Eee PC netbooks, for a cheaper price.  The product, to be called the Eee Box, offers similar capabilities to the newest of the netbook range and runs off Intel’s Atom processor. It has been designed with a small but interesting angled case that will eventually be available in various colours. The unit measures just 23 by 18 by 3 cm so it will fit on your desk quite nicely. An interesting twist is that Asus is selling the feature that you can attach it to, and therefore hide it on, the back of any LCD monitor with the supplied VESA mount.

Entertainment Hub?

Asus is suggesting the box can act as a entertainment hub, but I am not so sure, as to be complete for this role I would have expected a DVD player to be included. Yes you can stream content but I do think it is a major gap in this units capabilities.  The Eee Box is currently due to be launched in the UK in September and should retail for around £200.  The initial versions will only be running Windows XP but Linux versions are likely in the future and like the Mac mini you’ll have to provide your own keyboard, mouse and monitor.

In the meantime the black Windows version of the Eee PC 901 is the most popular computer product on Pricegrabber and the rest of the Eee family are not far behind!

Do you think that the Eee Box will be as successful as the Eee PC?

A couple of days ago I posted about the “instant on” feature that Dell has now included in its new range of Latitude laptops.  Essentially the idea is that  included with your normal operating system you have a small but completely separate sub system that will let you have very quick access to the Internet and your emails. This sub system is based on an embedded Linux-based internet appliance-like environment running off a flash memory chip,  linked directly to the BIOS. This avoids having to boot up your full system or to continuously maintain it in a “suspend” state saving both  time and battery life.

Dell and Asus

This a pretty interesting idea and not one that just Dell is looking at either.  Asus have also been developing systems and components that have this capability.  The Asus brand name for
this is called Express Gate and is essentially an Asus branded version of the Splashtop product from embedded Linux developer DeviceVM.

Laptops and motherboards

Asus have been aggressively introducing this into a significant proportion of its motherboard range and like Dell is now selling laptops which include this feature.  We will  have a look at a couple of the Asus laptops and some of the feature of Splashtop in future posts.  However if you are building your own PC and like the idea, you can now get Asus motherboards that support Express Gate. The Asus P5Q Deluxe Motherboard is a good example of a well rated board that includes Express Gate.

I haven’t been able to actually try any “instant on” system yet. Have you?

At their developers forum in San Francisco Intel released details of their new processor that will form the basis of their new products from next year onwards.  With the official name of Core i7 the chips will begin to appear in laptops, desktops and servers during 2009.  We have become fairly used the never ending performance increases implied by Moore’s law when talking about new processors, so what is new or different about the Core i7 processor?

Performance and energy efficiency

Intel are trying to both increase performance and reduce power consumption at the same time. This is a neat trick if it can be managed as usually there is a trade off between one or the other. Intel will increase performance through putting more multiple processing cores on a single chip while at the same time increasing the memory to processor performance by removing the FSB bottleneck (which is something AMD have done for a while). At the same time the processor will reduce energy requirements by having the ability to turn off any processing cores on the chip that are not actually being used.

In the meantime

Of course in the meantime the world continues to turn, so if you are looking for an new processor you could do worse than look at the popular and highly rated Intel Core 2 Duo Quad Q6600 Processor. As time goes on more applications exist to take advantage of the Quad and this processor would be ideal for someone that needs good multi-tasking performance.

Dell last week announced the release of a new range of its Latitude business range of laptop computers which we looked at in a previous post. One of the ways that Dell is seeking to differentiate its laptops from those of other vendors is through something called Dell Latitude ON. This feature allows access to e-mail, calendar, attachments, contacts and the Internet very quickly without actually booting into Windows Vista.

The idea

The idea is that a lot of the time, e-mail, the Internet and chat are all we want to do with our laptop, so if you have the ability to do that without having to wait minutes (although it is always seems like hours) for our laptop to boot up that would be a very compelling feature, especially if your on the move a lot. Also by using this feature you are using very little power potentially having a very positive effect on battery life.

How it works

I promised in the previous post that I would investigate how this is achieved. It would appear that the Latitudes that support this feature (not all do) will utilise a completely separate dedicated, Linux subsystem using  a low-power ARM processor and flash memory. This will run completely  independently from the laptop’s main CPU and storage. The custom Linux OS Enterprise will includes a Firefox-based browser and email, calendar, and contacts applications as well as MS Office and PDF viewers to view attachments.  As far as I understand on board data is not accessed locally so data has to be pulled from a central source via a wireless connection.

Dell appears to have got a head start on the other mainstream vendors although Asus have been playing with something similar for a while. These “instant on” operating systems seem like they could be really useful and is something that we may see grow in importance over the next few years. What do you think?

In the meantime the existing Dell Latitude range are presently available with some nice discounts, of which the Dell Latitude D630C is a nice example (follow the shop link to see the discounts).

Asus the manufacturer of the Eee PC are now busily trying to capitalise on the massive  success of the Eee PC Brand and fight off the growing competition. They have introduced a number of new versions under the brand name.  Yesterday I blogged about the Eee PC 901, the most up to date version of the original Eee PC, but in this post I want to look at the Eee PC 1000. This is the newest release from Asus and one which departs from the original vision somewhat.

Asus Eee PC 1000

The Eee PC 1000 departs a little from the original concept of a small and lightweight PC in that it is significantly bigger and also quite a bit heavier.  The main reasons for the size increase is to accommodate a bigger 10″ screen and a bigger keyboard.  The weight increase (1.3 -1.45 kg) comes from both its bigger size and a bigger more powerful battery. The 10″ screen comes with a good 1024 x 600 resolution and the keyboard is now claimed by Asus to be about 95% of the size of a standard laptop keyboard. As the small keyboard on the original Eee PC was considered to small to be truly usable this will make a lot of people happy and from the reviews I have read so far most consider the keyboard a big improvement.

Apart from the storage (more on that in a minute), the other updates are all similar to those on the Eee PC 901 with a Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB RAM, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth wireless.  The battery life is now an impressive 5 - 8 hours depending on usage and what storage options you go for.  The  on board storage has increased  significantly with both 40 GB SSD and 80 GB standard hard drive options available, both of which offer a big increase over the original models.

Options

The Eee PC 1000 is available in both a Linux and Windows XP version (1000H), the only difference apart from the operating system is that only the Linux version comes with the 40 GB SSD. The Windows XP version (1000H) has a 80 GB standard hard drive however if you were so inclined you could install your preferred operating system on either model.

Verdict

Making the perfect netbook is always going to be a balance between size , weight, screen and keyboard size and battery life.  Asus appears to have decided that you can’t please everybody and have produced two versions each with a different emphasis on these criteria, which I think is the right approach.   The Eee PC 1000 is a capable machine that will make the Eee PC brand stronger.

My own choice would be for the Linux version to get the SSD drive and a reduced weight machine which will also run cooler. What would you choose?

Asus the manufacturer of the Eee PC are now busily trying to capitalise on the massive, and I suspect somewhat unexpected, success of the Eee PC Brand. They have introduced a number of new versions under the brand name.  I blogged about my first impressions of the Eee 900 the first update of the original Eee PC a few days ago, but now I want to look at some of the newest releases from Asus starting in this post with the Asus Eee PC 901.

Asus Eee PC 901

The Eee PC 901 is essentially the Eee PC 900 updated to take advantage of the new Intel Atom CPU. This low power processor improves battery life while maintaining or even improving performance and operating at lower temperatures. This coupled with the better battery and low power requirements of the 20Gb SSD (Solid State Drive - like USB flash drives) means that Asus are claiming up to 8 hours battery life for the Eee 901 which is important for the intended go anywhere vision associated with the Eee.  There are other small changes such as  802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth wireless capability all improving the capability of Eee without taking away what makes it special.

The Eee 901 is available in both a Linux and Windows XP version, the only difference apart from the operating system is that the XP version comes with only a 12GB SSD instead of 20GB, which presumably reflects the additional cost of Windows.

So updated with new features and with a new CPU and better battery, the Eee PC 901 still delivers the small, easy to use, go anywhere spirit which the original embodied. In the next post we will look at the slightly bigger Eee PC 1000.

Dell has this week announced the release of a new range of its Latitude business range of laptop computers. Nothing too strange about that you might think, vendors are always coming out with new releases of their products as technology advances and prices come down. But this is a little different if Dells claims are true, in that these systems are capable of 19 hours battery life!

Of course battery life claims by the laptop vendors always seem to be optimistic to say the least, but a 19 hour claim is huge. After further research I found that to reach this goal you will need to have opted for a 9 cell battery instead of the standard 6 cell battery and purchase what Dell calls a 12 cell slice. This slice is a separate “slice” of laptop that fits beneath the laptop effectively giving you over three times the normal battery capacity. Still if battery life is important to you this might be a nice solution for you.

Other things that Dell offer do not appear to be big steps over the competition but this is what you would expect in such a commodatised marketplace. However there are some nice touches with things like an ability to provide access to e-mail, calendar, attachments, contacts and the Internet without actually booting into Windows.  More on this in a later post. Other nice touches include LED-backlit displays, backlit keyboards, and USB ports that can charge cell phones and MP3 players even when the system is powered off.

All in all a competent new range of business laptops. What this means is in the short term though is that you can get some real nice deals on the existing models. The Dell Latitude D400 range is selling at about a 20% discount if you follow the links through from the PriceGrabber website.  The Dell Latitude D4300 is presently a good example of such a nice bargain.

If you have been reading this blog regularly then you will know that I am a big fan of the Asus Eee and that I have invested in an Asus Eee 4G PC  which was supposed to be a first computer for my youngest son. I say supposed because it often gets requisitioned by my wife who seems to prefer it to the other notebooks available in the household.  Early this year Asus launched a updated version of the Eee called the Asus Eee 900 and we have talked about the updated specifications in a previous post. Recently I got the chance to get my hands on one of these and I thought I would share my first impressions.

First of all there appears to be little change in terms of size and general appearance when closed, however as soon as you open up the lid you immediately notice the much bigger screen which fills the entire lid real estate. The screen resolution has increased also to very nice 1,024 x 600 which combined with the larger screen really makes the Eee 900 an even better experience than the original 4G PC.  The touchpad is now bigger and in my opinion nicer and easier to use and the keypad seems a lot more responsive although of course still the same small size which does take a little bit of getting used to.

A lot of the other improvements which don’t have an instant impact are present under the bonnet, such as increased memory, storage and camera  which are obviously important  and will improve overall performance. All in all the new Asus Eee 900 has improved the capability of the Eee brand for a small increase in price.

I still think that price is worth paying although it might be worth looking at the even newer models that Asus have recently released. We will have a look at those in an upcoming post.

A lot of the postings on this blog recently have been a little technical, and this is likely to continue as we complete the series of posts looking at buying components to build your own PC. However it is definitely time for a bit of lighter relief.

The other day my wife showed me a short article in a magazine that she was reading that was all about a WiFi rabbit which goes by the name of a Nabaztag! A WiFi rabbit I kid you not! After investigating further I found that the name Nabaztag is apparently Armenian for rabbit, and that yes this is a WiFi enabled rabbit!  In fact it has been around for a while but this was the first I had heard of it. The Nabaztag is not a WiFi access point but a desktop gadget that uses WiFi to gather information from the Internet and then provide it back to you in various ways.  So you will have to have an already existing WiFi network.

The rabbit complete with revolving ears and mood lighting is able to do an impressive list of things, such as telling you the time, waking you up, reading the news, reading you messages from friends, reading RSS feeds, alerting you about new email, playing internet radio stations and telling you the local weather forecast.  It can be voice activated and is capable of detecting a persons presence in the room through an analysis of ambient noise levels and providing a suitable message, potentially scaring the wits out of any unsuspecting people.

My wife thought it would be a good way to enjoy the internet while ironing! I am not completely convinced interest would get past the initial novelty factor, but it is definitely different and as functionality is growing all the time perhaps the future is bright for this rabbit!

Have you got a Nabaztag? What do you think of it?

Continuing the series of posts on building your own PC, we are looking at the things that you need to consider when buying a CPU.  As discussed in the last post we generally should be looking for something that is in the value sweet spot.

Choose something that fits your needs

As with the other components is is important to get something that fits your needs. So you need  to decide up front what you want from your final computer. Is it a media PC, an office type PC,   something as cheap as possible or a high spec gaming rig?  Whichever of these it is, will mean different aspects will be more important to you, but generally the faster the better.

Things to consider when buying a your CPU

1. Motherboard support - Your choice of processor will have some determination on which board you can go for and visa versa. This is because it is important that your choice of CPU is compatable with your choice of board.
2. Vendor - Most people will probably go for for Intel but there are other options such as AMD who are producing some fast processors  and providing some good value at the basic end of the market.  Make sure you check your motherboard support!
3. Multiprocessors - The questions here is not whether to get a multiprocessor, as my recommendation would be to by a least a Core 2 Duo or its AMD equivalent, but whether to go for a Quad Core. Unless you have an application that can really take advantage of the Quad Core I would stick to the Core 2 Duo.
4. Clock speed - In general the faster the better. But be careful as clock speed is only a valid way of comparing processors of the same architecture such as the Core 2 Duo.
5. L2 Cache - A bigger L2 cache memory will generally speed up a processor’s operations. It does this by saving recently accessed data and making it available much quicker to the processor.
6. FSB - On Intel chips a faster FSB (Front Side Bus) will allow faster performance.

The last two above will have a greater or lesser effect depending on what you are actually doing on the computer but may allow a lower clock speed processor to perform better than another with a higher clock speed due to a larger cache and faster FSB.  To finish off with an example the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core has the same clock speed and FSB as the Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Dual Core we looked at in the last post but has a bigger L2 cache.

What do you look for when buying a CPU?