Nanobooks
The Via Nanobook UMD reference design has been adopted by various vendors around the world. While the reference design comes with touch panel screen and modular addons such as VoIP handset, some vendors have opted for normal 7″ screen in an effort to make the ultra portable more affordable for the masses. Hard disk size, RAM size and operating system choice are other differences among the Nanobooks.
Everex Cloudbook CE1200V is probably the best well-known Nanobook around. Priced at an affordable US$399, it is the closet competitor to Asus EeePC, at least in the area of price. One notable difference between Everex Cloudbook CE1200V and other Nanobooks is that Cloudbook CE1200V runs gOS v.20 Rocket. The other Nanobooks have opted for Windows operating system instead of Linux. Cloudbook CE1200V comes with a webcam.
Packard Bell Easynote XS does not seem to attract as much attention as Everex Cloudbook CE1200V, despite it being the first Nanobook to appear in the market. Currently selling in a few selected European and Asian countries, it is priced at around £349.99 or US$700. At US$300 more than Cloudbook CE1200V, Easynote XS comes with Windows XP Home and 1Gb RAM. Other than that, the other specifications are pretty similar to Cloudbook CE1200V.
Zyrex Ubud is the Cloudbook CE1200V equivalent for the Indonesia market. The key difference between Zyrex Ubud and Cloudbook CE1200V is that the former runs Windows Vista Starter Edition. The starter edition of Windows Vista sells only in emerging markets. This means that you would not be able to find it in developed countries like United States or Japan. The key limitation of the starter edition is that you can only run three applications with user-interface at once. Zyrex Ubud is priced at RP$5M or US$545.
The third Cloudbook to appear after CE1200V and CE1200J, SC1200T is produced for the Taiwan market. Compared to Cloudbook CE1200V, Cloudbook SC1200T comes with 1Gb of RAM and Windows XP as operating system. Other specifications between the two UMPCs are similar. There is no touch panel screen and the webcam is integrated. Of course, being a Taiwanese laptop, SC1200T comes with a Chinese keyboard. Currently, information on the price of the UMPC is unavailable.
Belinea, more famous for their line of LCD displays than laptops or ultra portables, calls its Nanobook, s.book 1. The UMPC is currently selling in a few European countries (UK and Germany) and priced round £420 or US$842. Some notable specifications of Belinea s.book 1 are that it comes with Windows XP Professional, 1 GB RAM, Touch Screen LCD, 80 GB Hard Disk Drive, Bluetooth and modular VoIP handset. Another important difference is its location of touch pad. Unlike Cloudbook CE1200V, its touch pad is located below the keyboard.
Starting from AU$699 or US$647, Dreambook Light CE26 comes with a slew of customization options. For operating system alone, you have nine choices, from Ubuntu to Windows Vista Ultimate. Other than that, Pioneer allows you to choose between a 30Gb and 60Gb hard disk drive. You can also choose to upgrade the RAM from 512mb to 1Gb. Dreambook Light CE26 has specifications closer to Belinea s.book 1 than Everex Cloudbook CE1200V as it comes with touch panel screen and Bluetooth VoIP phone.
CE260 is a Nanobook produced by Taiwanese outfit iDOT. Currently selling at Canada, it is priced in an affordable CA$499 or US$504. For the US$100 premium over Everex Cloudbook CE1200V, you get Windows XP, 1Gig RAM, touch panel screen and Bluetooth VoIP handset. Of course, you also receive a better placement of the touch pad. Compared to other touch screen Nanobooks such as Belinea s.book 1 and Dreambook Light CE26, iDOT CE260 appears to be more valued for money.
Produced by Korean vendor, Sungju Computers (often misspelled as Sungjut Computers), the attractive ultraportable is similar to Belinea s.book 1, Dreambook Light CE26 and iDOT CE260. It comes with touch screen display, modular Bluetooth VoIP handset, 1Gb RAM, Windows XP operating system and a choice of 40Gb or 80Gb hard disk drive. Pricing information for this mini laptop is currently unavailable.
Everex Cloudbook CE1200J is the second Cloudbook to be released. Key differences between Cloudbook CE1200J and Cloudbook CE1200V is that the former comes with touch screen panel, Windows XP home, modular webcam and a touchpad that is located below the keyboard. There is also a modular webcam. This is something new among touchscreen Nanobooks as a modular VoIP handset is usually bundled instead. Currently, Cloudbook CE1200J is available only in Japan.
Aristo Pico 740 comes with a modular webcam and a 7 inch touch panel screen. For the operating system department, there is a choice of Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional and Linux. At the moment, it is unclear which Linux distribution the UMPC is available with. Other key specifications include a 40Gb hard disk drive and 1Gb RAM. Currently available in Poland, the basic model sells for around US$711 (1,6230 PLN).
Blue Thunder BT260 is an ultra portable released in Malaysia. The UMPC comes with a 7″ touch panel screen, modular VoIP bluetooth handset, 30Gb Hard Disk Drive and 512Mb RAM. Similar to other touch panel Nanobooks, its touchpad is positioned below the keyboard. BT260 is selling at this online store for US$686 (RM$2199). An operating system is not included at this price.
Astone UMPC is a touch screen version of the popular Everex Cloudbook CE1200V. Produced by Astone, a company based in Australia but has numerous offices in the ASEAN and Oceania regions, the mini laptop is currently available in Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. The price and operating system that comes with the UMPC vary according to the country. However, they all share a common 7″ touch panel screen, modular Webcam, 30Gb Hard Disk Drive and 1Gb RAM.
Surcouf La Révolution is a touch screen Nanobook produced for the French market. The UMPC comes with a 7″ touch panel screen, modular webcam, 60Gb Hard Disk Drive and 1Gb RAM. Windows XP is the choice operating system for the laptop. The ultra portable comes with a rather unique choice of colors: gold or white. Who says gold is out? La Révolution is initially priced at US$615 (€399 ).
Sylvania g Netbook might look similar to the Everex CloudBook CE1200V but there are a few differences. Firstly, its touchpad is positioned below the keyboard. Secondly, it features the updated gOS Escape Pod 2.9M. Other differences include the inclusion of 1Gb RAM and system indicator lights. The Sylvania g Netbook is priced at US$399 and comes with 30Gb of HDD, 7″ LCD, integrated webcam, DVI port and 4-in-1 card reader.
The Everex CloudBook CE1201V is similar to the CE1200V except that the former has a 1GB RAM, 60GB HDD and runs Windows XP Home.
Information on these Nanobooks are summarized in the tables below.
| Everex Cloudbook CE1200V | Packard Bell Easynote XS | Zyrex Ubud | Everex Cloudbook SC1200T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7" | 7" | 7" | 7" |
| Hard Disk Drive | 30Gb | 30Gb | 30Gb | 30Gb |
| RAM | 512Mb | 1Gb | 1Gb | 1Gb |
| Touchpad | Above Keyboard | Above Keyboard | Above Keyboard | Above Keyboard |
| Operation System | gOS v2.0 Rocket | Windows XP Home | Windows Vista Starter | Windows XP |
| Bluetooth | No | No | No | No |
| Accessory | Integrated Webcam | Integrated Webcam | Integrated Webcam | Integrated Webcam |
| Price | US$399 | US$700 (£349.99) | US$545 (RP$4,999,000) | ? |
| Availability | US | UK, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore | Indonesia | Taiwan |
| Maxdata Belinea s.book 1 | Pioneer Dreambook Light CE26 | iDOT CE260 | Sungju TangoX Nano | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7" Touch Panel | 7" Touch Panel | 7" Touch Panel | 7" Touch Panel |
| Hard Disk Drive | 80Gb | 30Gb or 60Gb | 30Gb | 40Gb or 80Gb |
| RAM | 1Gb | 512Mb or 1Gb | 1Gb | 1Gb |
| Touchpad | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard |
| Operation System | Windows XP Pro | Ubuntu, Windows XP or Windows Vista | Windows XP | Windows XP |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accessory | Modular VoIP Handset | Modular VoIP Handset | Modular VoIP Handset | Modular VoIP Handset |
| Price | US$842 (£420) | US$647 (AU$699) | US$504 (CA$499) | ? |
| Availability | UK, Germany | Australia | Canada | South Korea |
| Everex Cloudbook CE1200J | Aristo Pico 740 | Blue Thunder BT260 | Astone UMPC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7" Touch Panel | 7" Touch Panel | 7" Touch Panel | 7" Touch Panel |
| Hard Disk Drive | 30Gb | 40 Gb | 30 Gb | 30 Gb |
| RAM | 512Mb | 1Gb | 512Mb | 1Gb |
| Touchpad | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard |
| Operation System | Windows XP Home SP2 | Windows XP Home / Professional / Linux | None | Country dependent |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accessory | Modular Webcam | Modular Webcam | Modular VoIP Handset | Modular Webcam |
| Price | US$615 (59,800 Yen) | US$711 (1,6230 PLN) | US$686 (RM$2199) | US$590 (A$628), US$493 (RM$1599), US$420 (P17,945), US$489 (S$670), US$565 |
| Availability | Japan | Poland | Malaysia | Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam |
| Surcouf La Révolution | Sylvania g Netbook | Everex Cloudbook CE1201V | Everex Cloudbook CE1210J | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7" Touch Panel | 7" | 7" | 7" |
| Hard Disk Drive | 60Gb | 30Gb | 60Gb | 30Gb |
| RAM | 1Gb | 1Gb | 1Gb | 512Mb |
| Touchpad | Below Keyboard | Below Keyboard | Above Keyboard | Above Keyboard |
| Operation System | Windows XP | gOS Escape Pod 2.9M | Windows XP Home | Windows XP Home |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No | No | No |
| Accessory | Modular Webcam | Integrated Webcam | Integrated Webcam | Integrated Webcam |
| Price | US$615 (€399 ) | US$399 | US$449 | |
| Availability | France | US | US | Japan |
Note that most of the prices listed above are no longer accurate. The current prices should be much lower.
Last Updated: 28 August 2008
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April 8th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Where can I buy those? Could you please advise?
April 8th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Are you located in Australia? If you are, you should be able to find Pioneer Dreambook Light CE26 in your country.
June 16th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I live in Singapore. Do you know where can I purchase these UMPC?
June 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
You can find both Packard Bell Easynote XS and Astone UMPC in Singapore. Astone UMPC has touchscreen and a modular webcam and is cheaper than the Easynote XS, so I would say that it’s a better deal.
If I am not wrong, you can find the Astone UMPC in Sim Lim Square. Check out this post for more details.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
i like the ASTONE UMPC nanobook particularly the 60Gb. If you can’t find one in you country, try search the web i.e. the e-mics philippines. They offer you better price.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:18 am
with linux and the e_powersaver modules for linux kernels, these machines are actually pretty damn fast, especially once your using the padlock-sha and padlock-aes modules, those make web browsing faster than any conventional desktop pc!
September 25th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I found this another cloudbook lookalike web; http://www.wearnespc.com/products/52.php
its called Wearness Quadra VX-7.
Seems like another clone of cloudbook’s friends ….. again……… :O
I wondering if all of them still in one licensed of everex ? (kinda like buy franchise and different labelling?)
December 31st, 2008 at 11:48 am
is umpc modular 0.3MP Camera comes with an instller? coz when i formated my astone umpc my built in web cam dosnt work. i cnt find the web cam installer in astone driver? kndly help me plz