Is this the face of Asus' diminutive desktop Eee PC? The machine, snapped at the CeBIT show earlier this month, was certainly tagged with the Eee's own slogan, "Easy to Play. Easy to Learn. Easy to Work".
Asus' EP20 - the desktop Eee PC Asus' desktop Eee PC
Image courtesy Matbe.com
The desktop wasn't listed as an Eee but as …
If you take a second look at the back, the VGA adapter (blue) is connected to a white adapter - suggesting that this in fact comes with an HDMI port rather than VGA.
eh? I think you'll find this is just a dvi-vga convertor, I've been using one of these for years. hdmi is a tiny connector, that thing's bigger than a vga port
Buying this desktop or the laptop for the Linux inside is probably the most attractive thing about it. It's like when people used to by macs for their grannies, before they went and complicated things.
From the size of the ports this does not look as tiny as it could have been. I have an eeepc and if you take away the screen and the keyboard and keep it with the same external power supply you have the possibility to have a PC which fits in a form factor similar to a box of chef's matches.
Paris Hilton because conversely she's smaller than she could be.
>> If you take a second look at the back, the VGA adapter (blue) is connected to a white adapter - suggesting that this in fact comes with an HDMI port rather than VGA.
But the white adaptor has thumbscrews...
And I've not come across any HDMI chassis sockets (yet) that use thumbscrews to hold either a HDMI cable or a HDMI adaptor in place.
... I bet it'll be 300GBP and I could pick up something from novatech/dabs etc with better than good enough performance for that, put ubuntu on it and vroom I'm away.
OTOH if I'm being over pessimistic and we can get it for the proper price of 100-150GBP I'll put my name down now...
If you look at the spec sheet on top of the pc in the rear shot on the ceBIT site it seems to be stuck over another spec sheet which does indeed say eee pc.
Seems my effort to be clever was a bit incorrect - yes it is indeed a DVI port not HDMI. I'll blame it on connecting a PS3 to a lucky mate's new TV this morning.
DVI, HDMI... Who cares... You can connect DVI to HDMI anyway (HDMI is the same, plus audio).
And what's the point of HDMI if it's got a "slow" CPU and Linux? You wouldn't be able to play hi definition content on it anyway (which 99% of consumers seeing HDMI would expect).
Not sure how hi hi-def is in practice but my old pre-Coppermine Celeron 433 (with the crippling 66MHz FSB) running Ubuntu 7.10 can play back conventional DVDs perfectly so I'd not rule it out entirely. Linux is actually the OS where media playback works these days (DRM; what's that?) and conveniently it's also less snooty about what hardware it will run well on.
Also, I've been waiting for these for ages, and not for a home media box / general fart-around machine - I want three, as servers (one for Squid / Tor / BitTorrent and a (low traffic) webserver, one as a file server (with external USB disks; I suspect this will have a 4Gb flash drive inside) and one as a database server - again, not heavy duty). Actually I think ASUS are missing a trick here - wouldn't these make the basis for a great low-power server?
I mean, sure, with only one PSU and probably fairly cheap components you're not looking at something as stable as an IBM x346 and it's certainly got nothing like the power, but there will be virtually no (possibly no) moving parts and the power consumption will be very low. At this price you could cluster five of the buggers and at that size you could get them in less than 2U of rack space. Businesses in my experience seem to throw a ton of iron at everything when the fact is in many cases usage is so light that this would be ample - and the network is often the bottleneck anyway (as is the case for everything but the database server in my case and even there the EEE would have enough grunt (or squeak?) for my purposes...
Register
Desktop Eee PC spied on web
Is this the face of Asus' diminutive desktop Eee PC? The machine, snapped at the CeBIT show earlier this month, was certainly tagged with the Eee's own slogan, "Easy to Play. Easy to Learn. Easy to Work". Asus' EP20 - the desktop Eee PC Asus' desktop Eee PC Image courtesy Matbe.com The desktop wasn't listed as an Eee but as …
This topic is closed for new posts.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 11:02 GMT
Andrew Dodd
Ports round the back #
If you take a second look at the back, the VGA adapter (blue) is connected to a white adapter - suggesting that this in fact comes with an HDMI port rather than VGA.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Paul
Pics. #
I was worying that we were just going to get boring pics from a trade show, but then at the bottem, BAM. Eee PC beach shot. Nice one.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
John Macintyre
@Andrew Dodd #
eh? I think you'll find this is just a dvi-vga convertor, I've been using one of these for years. hdmi is a tiny connector, that thing's bigger than a vga port
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Anonymous Coward
another feeble excuse to show bikini babe #
Do you lot not get out much?
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
James Owen
Surely White means DVI?? not VGA #
White = DVI when I went to school
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Richie M
Performance #
"Good enough Performance"
lol made me chuckle anyway.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
The Power Of Greyskull
Good enough. #
Good spec, too.
And I quote, "Performance: Good enough performance"
Not so sure on the 'tranquiller technology', though.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Andrew Murphy
HDMI? #
HDMI?
Could as easily be DVI.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Adapters and Blondes! #
@Andrew Dodd
The white adapter would seem to suggest DVI, not HDMI.
@El Reg
Bonus Points for finding an excuse to use *that* picture again!
Paris - because she wouldn't care what adapter you use.....
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Peter
*That* picture.. #
It just *had* to be that "bird on the beach (and oh, she's got a laptop" picture :-). Class.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Andrew Tunney
EEE PC #
Great news, looking forward to these hitting the market; I might be able to afford a dedicated media centre PC now if the thing is expandable :-)
Good to see the obligatory beach promo shot as well, The Reg never fails to provide - oops! Mop and bucket to aisle 3 - stat!! :-)
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
Dave Morfee
DVI not HDMI #
Had a look, and it looks like a DVI/VGA converter.
Was rather hoping it would have some extra display options on it though
Kimbie
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
brym
Spec Sheet #
Performance: Good Enough Performance
:D
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:07 GMT
TeeCee
Ports #
Looks more like DVI with a bog DVI / VGA adapter to me.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Tom
It's funny but... #
Buying this desktop or the laptop for the Linux inside is probably the most attractive thing about it. It's like when people used to by macs for their grannies, before they went and complicated things.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Simon Painter
Scale? #
From the size of the ports this does not look as tiny as it could have been. I have an eeepc and if you take away the screen and the keyboard and keep it with the same external power supply you have the possibility to have a PC which fits in a form factor similar to a box of chef's matches.
Paris Hilton because conversely she's smaller than she could be.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Timbo
@Andrew Dodd #
>> If you take a second look at the back, the VGA adapter (blue) is connected to a white adapter - suggesting that this in fact comes with an HDMI port rather than VGA.
But the white adaptor has thumbscrews...
And I've not come across any HDMI chassis sockets (yet) that use thumbscrews to hold either a HDMI cable or a HDMI adaptor in place.
Might it not be a DVI<>VGA adaptor ??
Mine's the weatherproof Barbour...!
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Robert Dorrian
@Andrew Dodd #
Isn't that more likely to be a DVI to VGA adapter?
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Timbo
Performance #
I just love the header card which says:
"Performance: Good Enough Performance"
Good for what, I'm guessing....?
Enough to get a man on the moon :-) ?
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
JR
DVI #
"suggesting that this in fact comes with an HDMI port rather than VGA."
I'm pretty sure that's actually a DVI port.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Anonymous Coward
BNIB EEE PC #
Looks more like a DVI, rather than a HDMI, to VGA adapter - might be HDCP though...
Will play DVD, CDR .. but BD or HD-DVD?
What about DivX, Xvid, MP3, MP4, Ogg, AAC, FLAC, APE, WMA, WMV?
How about DVB-T or DAB with RDS?
Any other TLA or FLA been missed?
IMO there must be, but TBH I just can't think of them ...
Mine's the one with the SLP [suede/leather patches] on the elbows and THG [thick horn-rimmed glasses] in the pocket.....
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 13:08 GMT
Anonymous Coward
re: Ports round the back #
It looks much more like DVI to me (since when does HDMI have screw holes?)
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 14:39 GMT
Ray
Eee icons on monitor shot #
On the Matbe site the corner of the monitor looks like EEePc icons in Easy mode
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 14:39 GMT
Anonymous Coward
I'd have her on my desk any time #
...or under it, for that matter ;-)
Paris, for the similar hair colour.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 14:39 GMT
david
And when it gets to the UK... #
... I bet it'll be 300GBP and I could pick up something from novatech/dabs etc with better than good enough performance for that, put ubuntu on it and vroom I'm away.
OTOH if I'm being over pessimistic and we can get it for the proper price of 100-150GBP I'll put my name down now...
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 14:39 GMT
Uwe Dippel
@ all #
He, I dunno what it looks like to you, white and blue, to me it rather looks like a bird on the beach, white bikini.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 14:53 GMT
J
a glimpse of the backplane #
Hm... That would be nice. We've seen enough (?) of her front...
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 16:55 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Essentially, a laptop without the LCD... #
Hasn't this already been done by Mac Mini, Shuttle, et al.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 16:55 GMT
vale
Picture showing the rear #
If you look at the spec sheet on top of the pc in the rear shot on the ceBIT site it seems to be stuck over another spec sheet which does indeed say eee pc.
Anyone any good at reading backwards?
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 16:55 GMT
Elmer Phud
re:BNIB EEE PC #
You forgot the Advanced Recording Spacial Enhancement - everyone should have one.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 16:55 GMT
SwamiYogurt
I think it's CGA :) #
That should identify the over-40's among the commenters. :)
It looks rather large still for a mini PC desktop, in my opinion. This could be boiled down a little more to get it near, dare I say, Mac mini size.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 18:06 GMT
madra
@timbo #
"... Good for what, I'm guessing....? Enough to get a man on the moon :-) ?...."
probably. your mobile phone's already got more processing power than the computers NASA used to get neil armstrong there.
This post has been deleted by a moderator
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 18:06 GMT
Andrew Dodd
Yes, it's DVI #
Seems my effort to be clever was a bit incorrect - yes it is indeed a DVI port not HDMI. I'll blame it on connecting a PS3 to a lucky mate's new TV this morning.
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 19:19 GMT
Darryl
@SwamiYogurt #
You beat me to it... In reply to the "when I went to school" above, I was going to say when I went to school, white meant CGA or Hercules.
We need an "old guy" icon
Posted Monday 17th March 2008 21:54 GMT
Rich
Korrekt Grammer #
"Patent docking for Living and studying room"
You'd have thought a big firm like Asus could employ at least one native English speaker in their marketing division?
Posted Tuesday 18th March 2008 11:14 GMT
Dave Driver
Man on the moon? #
Or perhaps, "capable of running a power station", the rather optimistic claim made in the advertising for the ZX-80.
Posted Tuesday 18th March 2008 11:14 GMT
storng.bare.durid
I like consistency. #
Nice to see the obligatory 'Eee PC and Friend' yet again.
Well done, Reg. Keep it up.
Posted Tuesday 18th March 2008 11:14 GMT
Tim Bates
Oh does it matter? #
DVI, HDMI... Who cares... You can connect DVI to HDMI anyway (HDMI is the same, plus audio).
And what's the point of HDMI if it's got a "slow" CPU and Linux? You wouldn't be able to play hi definition content on it anyway (which 99% of consumers seeing HDMI would expect).
Posted Tuesday 18th March 2008 22:11 GMT
Geoff Mackenzie
Hi-def and servers #
Not sure how hi hi-def is in practice but my old pre-Coppermine Celeron 433 (with the crippling 66MHz FSB) running Ubuntu 7.10 can play back conventional DVDs perfectly so I'd not rule it out entirely. Linux is actually the OS where media playback works these days (DRM; what's that?) and conveniently it's also less snooty about what hardware it will run well on.
Also, I've been waiting for these for ages, and not for a home media box / general fart-around machine - I want three, as servers (one for Squid / Tor / BitTorrent and a (low traffic) webserver, one as a file server (with external USB disks; I suspect this will have a 4Gb flash drive inside) and one as a database server - again, not heavy duty). Actually I think ASUS are missing a trick here - wouldn't these make the basis for a great low-power server?
I mean, sure, with only one PSU and probably fairly cheap components you're not looking at something as stable as an IBM x346 and it's certainly got nothing like the power, but there will be virtually no (possibly no) moving parts and the power consumption will be very low. At this price you could cluster five of the buggers and at that size you could get them in less than 2U of rack space. Businesses in my experience seem to throw a ton of iron at everything when the fact is in many cases usage is so light that this would be ample - and the network is often the bottleneck anyway (as is the case for everything but the database server in my case and even there the EEE would have enough grunt (or squeak?) for my purposes...
This topic is closed for new posts.