Archive for May, 2009
Shuttle ES Nettop
Shuttle’s small form factor PCs aren’t usually focused on low-end offerings, but the company looks to be head that way with his new ES (Embedded Slim) series of Nettops. They are set to debuted at Computex next month, which means that we don’t have many details yet. What we do know is that these nettops will pack your choice of VIA L or U series processors, the former of which clock in at 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz, while the latter drops down to 1GHz and 1.3GHz with a TDP rating of just 5W or 8W. The lower powered offerings also drop teh need for a fan, for noiseless operation. No word on a price just yet, unfortunately, but Shuttle should be clearing that up, along with the rest of the specs, soon enough.
Asus Eee Top ET1602
At first glance, ASUS’ Eee Top ET1602 is the epitome of a niche product. Packing nettop-spec hardware in an all-in-one form factor, with a touchscreen and general design that seem to have stopped by HP’s TouchSmart and the Apple iMac along the way, it’s certainly tough to pin down.
In the box, ASUS include a wired keyboard and mouse, stylus and a printed manual, together with recovery DVDs and a microfiber screen cleaning cloth. Two color versions of the Eee Top are available, white and black, with otherwise identical hardware specs.
First impressions are positive. Despite the relatively budget price for the Eee Top, ASUS have managed to eke out more than a little style from its plastic casing. Held upright by a strong, spring-loaded metal leg, the body of the Eee Top is white gloss-finish plastic sitting in a transparent tray. Stand (and carry handle) aside, the nettop is just 4cm thick; along the back run gigabit ethernet, four USB 2.0, power, microphone, line-in and headphone ports, plus a Kensington lock hole. On the left-hand side there are a further two USB 2.0 ports, plus a multiformat memory card reader.
Keep Reading after the break and see the video.
Fit PC 2 Nettop
The original Fit-PC slim had an 500MHz AMD Geode processor and no more than 512MB of RAM. That made running Windows a challenge. Now, however, Fit-PC looks to have gone some way towards improving that with its new Fit-PC 2. The new nettop from Fit-PC is configurable with your choice of an Atom Z530 or Z510 processor. You can also get 1GB of RAM, your choice of 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, built-in WiFi, a generous six USB ports, HDMI out, XP or Ubuntu for an OS, and support for full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Pricing will be between $245 and $400 depending on the configuration.
Keep reading after the break for a video tour.
