Japanese geeks offered smaller-than-Eee little laptop
Japanese laptop maker Kohjinsha has rolled out a pair of Eee PC challengers, taking on the elfin sub-notebook with a pair of similarly sized tablet-style units incorporating 80GB hard drives.
Kohjinsha SA5KXO8AL Kohjinsha's SA5KXO8AL: watch out, Eee PC
Fortunately, neither the SA5KXO8AL and SA5KXO8FL run Windows' Tablet PC …
They have missed the sweet spot as far as price is concerend. £300 is just that bit to much for this type of machine. £250 is the max that I would pay so the Eee is still on my list of toys.
well the vye-37b which is a more powerful and expensive version of this (vye just rebadge Kohjinsha kit) does have a 5 and a halfish hour battery life when you turn the brightness down. Well once you remove vista anyway. And that's with the 1024x600 res with an a100 800mhz, gig of memory 130gb hard disk and 1gb of memory.
So I can believe that this model can manage a 5 hours life too.
The touch screen is pretty awsome too. The keyboards are also very nice to use. Can't fault em. Well except that the 37b shipped with bricksta
Does El Reg have an image of an EEE that could be used to help readers compare the products? Perhaps one of a typical user demonstrating the portability of these machines by using it outdoors?
Nice little thingy. Small but not too small, cheap to boot, decent battery... Somebody put Linux on that and tell me about the quality of the keyboard.
4. 80 gb hdd... hmmm... so-and-so, more towards the "yuck" opinion. A 16gb solid state one would be enough for me at this point.
5. battery life....ughhh, BIG YUCK
6. case sturdiness - unknown
7. screen scratch resistance - BIG UNKNOWN.
if only it had a transreflective display that can work in bright sunlight and with backlight turned off, like the OLPC XO, it would be good and would sell like hot cakes.
It would be even better with a flash storage and not the hdd which is a bit sensitive to shocks (this is supposed to be an ULTRAPORTABLE device, right ?)
however the price is a bit steep and the microsoft tax adds even more salt in the wound it creates in the wallet :(
Also, the screen backlight that you cannot turn off and the hdd energy hog instead of a solid-state drive (even if of smaller capacity) are "no-way i'll buy that" points with me.
Looks like a relaunch of the Kohjinsha SH1 -- which was rubbish
#
I had a Kohjinsha SA1 last year, to my regret. (It drank a mug of tea eventually, but that's another matter.) This looks to be a revision of the same machine -- same case, same specification, same OS -- at half the original ($1000) price.
Things you want to know before you try and buy one? The keyboard is nearly the worst I've ever used -- far inferior to the more expensive SH6/SH8 models. The screen is no better than the Eee's (and far inferior to the more expensive SH6 and SH8 models, which sport 1024x600 pixels to the SA5's 800x480).
The SH6 I replaced the SA1 with is a much more civilized machine; slow, but the screen is a delight and the keyboard doesn't feel like they've stuffed a decaying squid under it.
Verdict: assuming I called it right and this is a straight reissue of the SA1, my advice would be "don't touch this with a barge-pole". Wait for the Eee 901, or if you need the disk space and have the money go for an HP MiniNote. This one's a turkey.
the slighlty more meaty older one fits in the front pouch of my backpack. You can use it no problem in the sun with the brightness down, although summer is yet to arrive.
The keyboard is good.
With XP pro the higher spec one is like lightning - you can easily have a half dozen tabs in firefox open, three word documents and winamp going in the background with a massive playlist.
So I'd expect this one to still be rather responsive. Linux would only be more responsive if you spent an age finding an appropriate gui that wasn't full of glam. Of course I turn the memory hungry themes engine off.
Only problem I found was that the hotbuttons app they use for the buttons on the monitor panel messes with directx so when you want a bit of retro gaming you need to kill that.
They're also a nice weight for just holding and reading a document in reading mode.
They also feel pretty sturdy.
As to the beach girl, you ever go to sofmap in Japan they'll have beutiful woman trying to sell you the things there in person.
When I got my Archos AV500 almost 2.5 years ago I did a test of playing video and got just shy of 6 hours, this extended to about 8 hours when outputting to a tv so the screen wasn't draining power. Now I'm lucky if I get up to 2 hours playback, the battery is work out.
These miniature laptops (legtops? palmtops?) are excellent for playing video because they can play practically any format you throw at them ust by getting the right codecs (which unlike Archos' offerings, won't cost you a penny) but the biggest advantage PMP's still have over laptops is the battery life, PMPs being double that of a laptop, and Cowon trump the lot with their high capacity batteries.
Dear Uncle Joe, EVERYTHING in Japan is more expensive than anywhere else, even Japanese made products. So the Japanese price is merely a guide to the actual price elsewhere. Try to get the HK or Singapore price. That will be more realistic !!
the whole island is so fricken weird, there's no geeks. they all dress weird and listen to jpop and eat fish eyeballs and speak really fast japanese. they're all strange. still, cool umpc.
Register
Japanese geeks offered smaller-than-Eee little laptop
Japanese laptop maker Kohjinsha has rolled out a pair of Eee PC challengers, taking on the elfin sub-notebook with a pair of similarly sized tablet-style units incorporating 80GB hard drives. Kohjinsha SA5KXO8AL Kohjinsha's SA5KXO8AL: watch out, Eee PC Fortunately, neither the SA5KXO8AL and SA5KXO8FL run Windows' Tablet PC …
This topic is closed for new posts.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Kevin Johnston
sub-sub-sub-notebook? #
Does that make them PDA's for people with big Palms?
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Ben
XP Tablet? #
"Fortunately, neither the SA5KXO8AL and SA5KXO8FL run Windows' Tablet PC Edition"
Why is this fortunately? If its a tablet form factor without the tablet stuff isn't that a bit silly?
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Chris
'Sexy? There's nothing wrong with being sexy!' #
We all know that the only vital stat involved in SCC is the accompanying lady. Until we have a suitable pic, this will be dismissed.
Although I must say, I really like the look of this.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
rikki
pfft, titles #
any idea where one can find one of these in the UK? ebay seems to want to charge me the best part of a grand.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Joe Stalin
Nice but.... #
They have missed the sweet spot as far as price is concerend. £300 is just that bit to much for this type of machine. £250 is the max that I would pay so the Eee is still on my list of toys.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Will
The death of the PMP? #
Who would ever buy a PMP when you can pick one of these babies up, screen is just as big and you can do a hell of a lot more than just watch movies!
Archos et al are dead!
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Anonymous Coward
They're being sold (rebadged) in the UK already #
Got one a couple of months ago at least
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131057
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Richard
needs better spec for that price #
For that price I would want a 9" screen and better resolution, oh and a non-Windows OS please.
Apart from that, it's nice to look at and a tablet form factor ... me like 8-)
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Anonymous Coward
a title is required #
well the vye-37b which is a more powerful and expensive version of this (vye just rebadge Kohjinsha kit) does have a 5 and a halfish hour battery life when you turn the brightness down. Well once you remove vista anyway. And that's with the 1024x600 res with an a100 800mhz, gig of memory 130gb hard disk and 1gb of memory.
So I can believe that this model can manage a 5 hours life too.
The touch screen is pretty awsome too. The keyboards are also very nice to use. Can't fault em. Well except that the 37b shipped with bricksta
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:35 GMT
Sebastian Brosig
yes but #
where's the chick on a beach using the SCC?
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
paul
Will they not learn? #
my eeeeeeeeePC is the same as this without the swivel screen and 80g HDD. I dont need the storage and the screen isnt something I would like.
mine £160 - this £300.
The only thing wrong with my eeePC is the screen. 800x440 is to small resolution. 800x600 would have been miles better. 1024x768 perfect.
Seems they are not learning. Price and/or better features to beat the competition is what you need. (Well unless you are apple).
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Tom
A winner? #
Now this is a subnotebook i can get along with, nice styling and the revolving screen make it a lot more usable on the move.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Greg
Nice, but not sure about Office #
XP Home and then Office too, on a 500mHz processor? Might be a bit much.
Nice looking machine, though.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Arnold Lieberman
WANT #
ONE
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
John Macintyre
sounds great #
anyone know where to buy them?
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Typical #
I'll sound typical but why Windows? On 500Mhz processor?
And how are they going to run that nice Office 2007 on 512MB of RAM?
Sorry I forgot - it's Japan, MS shop...
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Me
Comparison #
Does El Reg have an image of an EEE that could be used to help readers compare the products? Perhaps one of a typical user demonstrating the portability of these machines by using it outdoors?
Paris, because.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Bad Beaver
Rad. #
Nice little thingy. Small but not too small, cheap to boot, decent battery... Somebody put Linux on that and tell me about the quality of the keyboard.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 11:36 GMT
Anonymous Coward
They forgot #
to get a girl on the beach to advertise it :(
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 12:03 GMT
Anonymous Coward
if only... #
so, here follows my criteria:
1. swivel screen that folds in tablet mode: check
2. small size: check
3. screen... 800 x 480, LED-backlit.. yuck.
4. 80 gb hdd... hmmm... so-and-so, more towards the "yuck" opinion. A 16gb solid state one would be enough for me at this point.
5. battery life....ughhh, BIG YUCK
6. case sturdiness - unknown
7. screen scratch resistance - BIG UNKNOWN.
if only it had a transreflective display that can work in bright sunlight and with backlight turned off, like the OLPC XO, it would be good and would sell like hot cakes.
It would be even better with a flash storage and not the hdd which is a bit sensitive to shocks (this is supposed to be an ULTRAPORTABLE device, right ?)
however the price is a bit steep and the microsoft tax adds even more salt in the wound it creates in the wallet :(
Also, the screen backlight that you cannot turn off and the hdd energy hog instead of a solid-state drive (even if of smaller capacity) are "no-way i'll buy that" points with me.
/flame icon just because.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 12:30 GMT
Anonymous Coward
incorrect title #
These machines have been available in japan for well over a year so the title of the article should be something like:
‘Japanese geeks offered smaller-than-Eee little laptop before the Eee is released`
Or
'Asus releases Eee to compete with Kohjinsha'
the swivel screen is nice because in Japan you can get it with a TV card installed or use it to watch DVD's.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 12:30 GMT
Charlie Stross
Looks like a relaunch of the Kohjinsha SH1 -- which was rubbish #
I had a Kohjinsha SA1 last year, to my regret. (It drank a mug of tea eventually, but that's another matter.) This looks to be a revision of the same machine -- same case, same specification, same OS -- at half the original ($1000) price.
Things you want to know before you try and buy one? The keyboard is nearly the worst I've ever used -- far inferior to the more expensive SH6/SH8 models. The screen is no better than the Eee's (and far inferior to the more expensive SH6 and SH8 models, which sport 1024x600 pixels to the SA5's 800x480).
The SH6 I replaced the SA1 with is a much more civilized machine; slow, but the screen is a delight and the keyboard doesn't feel like they've stuffed a decaying squid under it.
Verdict: assuming I called it right and this is a straight reissue of the SA1, my advice would be "don't touch this with a barge-pole". Wait for the Eee 901, or if you need the disk space and have the money go for an HP MiniNote. This one's a turkey.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 12:31 GMT
Anonymous Coward
back to the vye #
the slighlty more meaty older one fits in the front pouch of my backpack. You can use it no problem in the sun with the brightness down, although summer is yet to arrive.
The keyboard is good.
With XP pro the higher spec one is like lightning - you can easily have a half dozen tabs in firefox open, three word documents and winamp going in the background with a massive playlist.
So I'd expect this one to still be rather responsive. Linux would only be more responsive if you spent an age finding an appropriate gui that wasn't full of glam. Of course I turn the memory hungry themes engine off.
Only problem I found was that the hotbuttons app they use for the buttons on the monitor panel messes with directx so when you want a bit of retro gaming you need to kill that.
They're also a nice weight for just holding and reading a document in reading mode.
They also feel pretty sturdy.
As to the beach girl, you ever go to sofmap in Japan they'll have beutiful woman trying to sell you the things there in person.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 17:03 GMT
Rick Brasche
darned windows tax #
can I get it without XP and the Windows Tax? That'd knock the price down almost $100 right there.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 17:06 GMT
Haku
Re: The death of the PMP? #
When I got my Archos AV500 almost 2.5 years ago I did a test of playing video and got just shy of 6 hours, this extended to about 8 hours when outputting to a tv so the screen wasn't draining power. Now I'm lucky if I get up to 2 hours playback, the battery is work out.
These miniature laptops (legtops? palmtops?) are excellent for playing video because they can play practically any format you throw at them ust by getting the right codecs (which unlike Archos' offerings, won't cost you a penny) but the biggest advantage PMP's still have over laptops is the battery life, PMPs being double that of a laptop, and Cowon trump the lot with their high capacity batteries.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 17:53 GMT
CKM
Looks like my wifes Fujitsu U810.... #
... which has been out for at least 6 months.
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 19:37 GMT
b
niiiiiice! #
like it...
nothing like competition to keep everyone keen!
they will need to release this with SSD tho. this space should NOT be populated with HD based machines, imo.
tracking this space here, kids! ;)
http://www.eupeople.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2239
all welcome :)
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 19:37 GMT
Ron Hughes
Psion 5mx #
Now if only someone would (re-)invent one of those most wonderful gadgets!
Please?
Posted Tuesday 15th April 2008 21:30 GMT
Ishkandar
@Joe Stalin #
Dear Uncle Joe, EVERYTHING in Japan is more expensive than anywhere else, even Japanese made products. So the Japanese price is merely a guide to the actual price elsewhere. Try to get the HK or Singapore price. That will be more realistic !!
Posted Wednesday 16th April 2008 12:02 GMT
James
there's no such thing as a japanese geek #
the whole island is so fricken weird, there's no geeks. they all dress weird and listen to jpop and eat fish eyeballs and speak really fast japanese. they're all strange. still, cool umpc.
Posted Friday 18th April 2008 09:40 GMT
Martin Pittaway
Ahead of the competition. #
I recall Apple produced a eMate 300 similar to this. Moral of the story, buy an Apple and stay years ahead of your competition.
This topic is closed for new posts.