Fashion often repeats itself, with dated products reborn into popular products. Just think of VolksWagen’s Beetle or BMW's Mini. And now we can add the Commodore Amiga to the list, sort of, thanks to a new all-in-one PC with a look rather reminiscent of the home computer.
Cybernet's Zero-footprint PC (ZPC), as it's curiously …
I'm not quite sure what to make of this... while the concept seems to compare well to a desktop (apart from being f'ugly) I have to agree with Torben Mogensen - how have they managed to reach this price-point without having to meet all the expensive challanges of producing a laptop or offer any of it's benefits?
Although very retro and kewl in appearance, I'm sure from my years of ye olde Atari ST usage back in 80s-90s that I got RSI From using such an elevated keyboard.
Healed up nicely now though! ;-)
And yes, I agree with the comment above - I'm not sure I'd want all the humming PC gubbins right under my fingers and taking up desk space. As I type this out now, I have a lot of desk space either side of me because the PC case is under the desk nicely out of the way.
Although I do like the idea of combining the touchpad & keyboard - IBM sent us a combo keyboard touchpad unit for using in KVM trays, they're great all-in-ones for plugging into development PCs dug straight out of storage.
"What happens if there is a liquid spill on the Zero-Footprint-PC™’s keyboard?
Since the keyboard matrix has a metal tray, this protects the electronics in the PC. However, the key matrix will be damaged and in need of replacing. This damage is not covered by the warranty, so please contact Cybernet for cost details."
I quite like the look (being a former Speccy & ST owner), less cabels all over the place and such, but I don't like the touch pad.
Considering how weak the US$ is at the moment, it sounds like a bit of a bargin, depending on postage costs...
This is obviously another machine aimed at the home market which will be bought by people who know no better simply because it looks nice. You can guarantee that everything inside will be non-standard and impossible to upgrade. That keyboard looks like crap to - flat keyboards are a necessary evil on a notebook but a Bad Thing on a desktop machine if you want to actually _type_ anything.
And what's with the DVD at a funny angle? In my experience optical drives are pretty unreliable at the best of times and if the same rules hold for them as hard drives then mounting it at an angle like here is asking for trouble.
I replace my keyboard a lot more often than my computers
I have 2 problems with this design
1) I go through about 2 or 3 keyboards during the life of a computer. This would require the computer being replaced when the keyboard wears out.
2) Does anyone else hate low profile keys? I use them on a laptop when I have to but at my desk I have a $100+ Alps switch based keyboard with lots of travel. I fear that all desktop keyboards will be going slimline soon as they are becoming more and more common.
All of the the 386SX, the 68008, and the 68EC020 had narrower physical memory paths than what they allowed the programmer to address. The fact that Ix86 and M68k are not compatible doesn't mean the comparison is invalid. They used the same technique to make lower-end, cheaper machines possible.
One picture of the unit shows a Card Reader; I'm guessing the target market for this is POS. Hope it holds up with an inch of dust caught in the fans. The top-mounted air inlet makes sure all the operator dandruff gets sucked in.
In principle, I suppose an Amiga / ST like PC would be fine. Indeed the Sinclair PC 200 has already trodden that path, and probably other machines since.
But god does this particular machine look really cheap and ugly. I would expect a lot better build quality and ergonomics than this machine appears to offer.
I have to admit, but having the keyboard built into the top of the computer was always an uncomfortable point for me back in the 80s and it still is now. As far as I'm concerned, the lifetime of a computer (in my possession) is at least 15 years; a keyboard is a consumable.
So cute, but not practical. And the spec is too high for my liking as well; EEE PC-like internals would suit me far better. Guess what I'm really waiting for is the desktop eepsie.
If the retro connection was a little stronger I'd be more tempted. Think they'd do me a 2MHz 6502-based model with 32K of RAM? I'd keep the DVD writer though, as long as it's 40/80T switchable. :)
i remember the days, when Schneider released a 286 just like this....back in the day! it had a PC and disk drive all wrapped up into 1 machine. Pretty cool idea in those days...everything wrapped under the keyboard...
Me coming from the days when my first computer was an Acorn Electron with 2k expansion slot. wweehhhhhehee!!! and the only decent game was Chuckie Egg!!!
Given the problem certain Danish Police Officers had with the very old G3 Mac all in one computer with plug key board and mouse not all that long ago what happens when the fuzz come a busting down the door and only see er this keyboard connected to the monitor , will they rip the house apart looking for the rest of the computer ?
Say , what a wonderful cute factor and just the thing one of those plus an LCD display monitor and no other desk clutter and to add to the air of mystery an old 60's Bakellite GPO phone with out a cord with mobile phone innards replete with ye old dial thanks to modern trickery , now that be an evil classic !
I wonder if they sell these units to the rest of the world ?
didnt the x86 family processors use a multiplexed address and data bus? M68k family had separate buses for data and addressing. you could set address and data on the bus in the same clock cycle. X86 had to wait atleast four cycles to complete if I dont remember it wrong.
In the picture is the b*** ugly power module you need. Can't someone get this right. If we are getting a "zero..." goodie, I don't want any other junk. Just a power cord that plugs into the wall. Until then, don't bother me. If I want a screen-less laptop, I'll just yank the screen off the hinges and continue. It has all the ports anyway.
Where is one of those EEEPCs when you need one. Much nicer, cheaper, and comes loaded with the right operating system.
"...what happens when the fuzz come a busting down the door and only see er this keyboard connected to the monitor , will they rip the house apart looking for the rest of the computer ?"
You, sir, are a genius! What you then do is, you set up an old PC box with empty hard drive, maybe Win95 on it, and have that sitting on the desktop next to this thing. When the pigs kick your door in, they take that instead, giving you a chance to slip the REAL all-in-one round to a friends house before they realise they've got a dud and come back!
Remove the mousepad thingie, get a 2.5 inch hard drive, an ATi 780G, standard WiFi, DVI and HDMI, remove the legacy ports, a slimmer, sexier design with the keyboard closer to the front, get it an internal BD-ROM, give it 10 USB ports, internal PSU (like the one on the Dreamcast) and that could be the excellent home computer.... just plug it into your HDTV's VGA/DVI/HDMI port and turn on the power... with low power consumption, low heat emissions (thanks to an Athlon LE) that could be an excellent computer for the kids or for HTPC...
However, the main problem I can see in that enclosure is cooling. Those tiny 'chipset' (40mm) fans they are using tend to be both noisy and have a short service life. There's a fair amount of heat generating hardware in there and fan performance degradation and/or failure may turn out to be a problem...
And why do I see a <spit> trackpad? This is a desktop machine, why lumber it with the most wretchedly nasty HID the computer industry has yet invented?
Oh, and seeing it's extremely unlikely, to say the least, there's a PSU in there - how big is 'the brick'?
Finally - the PRICE. I note a fully speced top of the range version costs out at $1264... Say... £1299 from any UK distributor (without a monitor BTW). This is not by any stretch of the imagination a mass market domestic machine, is it?
Interesting machine - niche market only though I feel.
Heh, so there are still some people out there who won't admit the ST was a pile of poo compared to the Amiga? I remember the old "ST has a MIDI interface" argument from way back when, it goes something like:
"Sure... your Amiga has a higher resolution display, more colours, four channels of sampled sound, a display coprocessor, sprites, a blitter, DMA engines....... but my ST has a serial port! Yes, I know the Amiga has a serial port too, but my ST's serial port comes on a midi DIN connector instead of a db9".
So yes, you lucky ST owners, you did indeed save yourselves the three or four quid that a DB9 <-> DIN level adapter would have cost you. Well worth sacrificing 90% of the multimedia functionality of the machine for, eh?
Um, no, actually.
You chose wrong, you got burned - it's twenty years later now, it's time you faced up to it.
As an Amiga fan & a musician, the lack of MIDI ports on the Amiga was the second-worst design decision in the history of computers (after IBM not going with the 68k).
"Cracked by MCA" under AmigaOS? Jesus! it would've been legend.
It wasn't the awkward shape of the Amiga 1200 that made it great, it was the video capabilities of a modestly priced computer that made it the thing of fond memories. None of my PC friends had a genlock and the crappy videos I made back in the early 90's were way cooler than my PC owning buddies could do.
Register
Fashion often repeats itself, with dated products reborn into popular products. Just think of VolksWagen’s Beetle or BMW's Mini. And now we can add the Commodore Amiga to the list, sort of, thanks to a new all-in-one PC with a look rather reminiscent of the home computer. Cybernet's Zero-footprint PC (ZPC), as it's curiously …
Page:
Curious...
I'm not quite sure what to make of this... while the concept seems to compare well to a desktop (apart from being f'ugly) I have to agree with Torben Mogensen - how have they managed to reach this price-point without having to meet all the expensive challanges of producing a laptop or offer any of it's benefits?
Not a bad idea...
Although very retro and kewl in appearance, I'm sure from my years of ye olde Atari ST usage back in 80s-90s that I got RSI From using such an elevated keyboard.
Healed up nicely now though! ;-)
And yes, I agree with the comment above - I'm not sure I'd want all the humming PC gubbins right under my fingers and taking up desk space. As I type this out now, I have a lot of desk space either side of me because the PC case is under the desk nicely out of the way.
Although I do like the idea of combining the touchpad & keyboard - IBM sent us a combo keyboard touchpad unit for using in KVM trays, they're great all-in-ones for plugging into development PCs dug straight out of storage.
Unergonomic
The keyboard angle is *far* too steep -- very bad for the wrists.
They should be banned, and any company that puts these on desks is simply setting itself up for a lawsuit.
Keyboard
From the FAQ:
"What happens if there is a liquid spill on the Zero-Footprint-PC™’s keyboard?
Since the keyboard matrix has a metal tray, this protects the electronics in the PC. However, the key matrix will be damaged and in need of replacing. This damage is not covered by the warranty, so please contact Cybernet for cost details."
I quite like the look (being a former Speccy & ST owner), less cabels all over the place and such, but I don't like the touch pad.
Considering how weak the US$ is at the moment, it sounds like a bit of a bargin, depending on postage costs...
Form over function
This is obviously another machine aimed at the home market which will be bought by people who know no better simply because it looks nice. You can guarantee that everything inside will be non-standard and impossible to upgrade. That keyboard looks like crap to - flat keyboards are a necessary evil on a notebook but a Bad Thing on a desktop machine if you want to actually _type_ anything.
And what's with the DVD at a funny angle? In my experience optical drives are pretty unreliable at the best of times and if the same rules hold for them as hard drives then mounting it at an angle like here is asking for trouble.
ATX, BTX, SFF ...
...EFF - Eighties Form Factor
I replace my keyboard a lot more often than my computers
I have 2 problems with this design
1) I go through about 2 or 3 keyboards during the life of a computer. This would require the computer being replaced when the keyboard wears out.
2) Does anyone else hate low profile keys? I use them on a laptop when I have to but at my desk I have a $100+ Alps switch based keyboard with lots of travel. I fear that all desktop keyboards will be going slimline soon as they are becoming more and more common.
(and the Atari ST was better than the Amiga)
Whee
Hmm. A shame it doesn't have decent graphics. This thing would be damn near ideal for lan parties otherwise :(
"386SX-like"
All of the the 386SX, the 68008, and the 68EC020 had narrower physical memory paths than what they allowed the programmer to address. The fact that Ix86 and M68k are not compatible doesn't mean the comparison is invalid. They used the same technique to make lower-end, cheaper machines possible.
But
Does it come with Sensible World of Soccer... Or Cannon Fodder??
Wow, reconditioned units already for sale too
One picture of the unit shows a Card Reader; I'm guessing the target market for this is POS. Hope it holds up with an inch of dust caught in the fans. The top-mounted air inlet makes sure all the operator dandruff gets sucked in.
That's one ugly machine
In principle, I suppose an Amiga / ST like PC would be fine. Indeed the Sinclair PC 200 has already trodden that path, and probably other machines since.
But god does this particular machine look really cheap and ugly. I would expect a lot better build quality and ergonomics than this machine appears to offer.
The wedge made me smile
I have to admit, but having the keyboard built into the top of the computer was always an uncomfortable point for me back in the 80s and it still is now. As far as I'm concerned, the lifetime of a computer (in my possession) is at least 15 years; a keyboard is a consumable.
So cute, but not practical. And the spec is too high for my liking as well; EEE PC-like internals would suit me far better. Guess what I'm really waiting for is the desktop eepsie.
If the retro connection was a little stronger I'd be more tempted. Think they'd do me a 2MHz 6502-based model with 32K of RAM? I'd keep the DVD writer though, as long as it's 40/80T switchable. :)
All in 1 PC
hahaah! great!
i remember the days, when Schneider released a 286 just like this....back in the day! it had a PC and disk drive all wrapped up into 1 machine. Pretty cool idea in those days...everything wrapped under the keyboard...
Me coming from the days when my first computer was an Acorn Electron with 2k expansion slot. wweehhhhhehee!!! and the only decent game was Chuckie Egg!!!
Given the Problem
Given the problem certain Danish Police Officers had with the very old G3 Mac all in one computer with plug key board and mouse not all that long ago what happens when the fuzz come a busting down the door and only see er this keyboard connected to the monitor , will they rip the house apart looking for the rest of the computer ?
Say , what a wonderful cute factor and just the thing one of those plus an LCD display monitor and no other desk clutter and to add to the air of mystery an old 60's Bakellite GPO phone with out a cord with mobile phone innards replete with ye old dial thanks to modern trickery , now that be an evil classic !
I wonder if they sell these units to the rest of the world ?
386SX-like again
didnt the x86 family processors use a multiplexed address and data bus? M68k family had separate buses for data and addressing. you could set address and data on the bus in the same clock cycle. X86 had to wait atleast four cycles to complete if I dont remember it wrong.
What isn't shown...
In the picture is the b*** ugly power module you need. Can't someone get this right. If we are getting a "zero..." goodie, I don't want any other junk. Just a power cord that plugs into the wall. Until then, don't bother me. If I want a screen-less laptop, I'll just yank the screen off the hinges and continue. It has all the ports anyway.
Where is one of those EEEPCs when you need one. Much nicer, cheaper, and comes loaded with the right operating system.
Cue the picture of the model...
@ heystoopid
"...what happens when the fuzz come a busting down the door and only see er this keyboard connected to the monitor , will they rip the house apart looking for the rest of the computer ?"
You, sir, are a genius! What you then do is, you set up an old PC box with empty hard drive, maybe Win95 on it, and have that sitting on the desktop next to this thing. When the pigs kick your door in, they take that instead, giving you a chance to slip the REAL all-in-one round to a friends house before they realise they've got a dud and come back!
Bad design
Remove the mousepad thingie, get a 2.5 inch hard drive, an ATi 780G, standard WiFi, DVI and HDMI, remove the legacy ports, a slimmer, sexier design with the keyboard closer to the front, get it an internal BD-ROM, give it 10 USB ports, internal PSU (like the one on the Dreamcast) and that could be the excellent home computer.... just plug it into your HDTV's VGA/DVI/HDMI port and turn on the power... with low power consumption, low heat emissions (thanks to an Athlon LE) that could be an excellent computer for the kids or for HTPC...
Retro! (I.E. - Backward)
It's OK - the extra for WiFi seems excessive.
However, the main problem I can see in that enclosure is cooling. Those tiny 'chipset' (40mm) fans they are using tend to be both noisy and have a short service life. There's a fair amount of heat generating hardware in there and fan performance degradation and/or failure may turn out to be a problem...
And why do I see a <spit> trackpad? This is a desktop machine, why lumber it with the most wretchedly nasty HID the computer industry has yet invented?
Oh, and seeing it's extremely unlikely, to say the least, there's a PSU in there - how big is 'the brick'?
Finally - the PRICE. I note a fully speced top of the range version costs out at $1264... Say... £1299 from any UK distributor (without a monitor BTW). This is not by any stretch of the imagination a mass market domestic machine, is it?
Interesting machine - niche market only though I feel.
It's not an Amiga...
...it looks more like a Sam Coupe to me.
Amiga vs ST
Heh, so there are still some people out there who won't admit the ST was a pile of poo compared to the Amiga? I remember the old "ST has a MIDI interface" argument from way back when, it goes something like:
"Sure... your Amiga has a higher resolution display, more colours, four channels of sampled sound, a display coprocessor, sprites, a blitter, DMA engines....... but my ST has a serial port! Yes, I know the Amiga has a serial port too, but my ST's serial port comes on a midi DIN connector instead of a db9".
So yes, you lucky ST owners, you did indeed save yourselves the three or four quid that a DB9 <-> DIN level adapter would have cost you. Well worth sacrificing 90% of the multimedia functionality of the machine for, eh?
Um, no, actually.
You chose wrong, you got burned - it's twenty years later now, it's time you faced up to it.
- DaveK a.k.a "Ubik".
@DaveK
As an Amiga fan & a musician, the lack of MIDI ports on the Amiga was the second-worst design decision in the history of computers (after IBM not going with the 68k).
"Cracked by MCA" under AmigaOS? Jesus! it would've been legend.
Re: Amiga vs ST
DaveK: "Heh, so there are still some people out there who won't admit the ST was a pile of poo compared to the Amiga?"
*sigh*
Some things never change.
C64 owners -> Amiga owners -> Mac owners.
All smug c*nts, who never miss a opportunity for a dig at the 'proles' who own Spectrums/STs/PCs.
Thanks for your contribution 'Udik'.
Does it come with a genlock?
It wasn't the awkward shape of the Amiga 1200 that made it great, it was the video capabilities of a modestly priced computer that made it the thing of fond memories. None of my PC friends had a genlock and the crappy videos I made back in the early 90's were way cooler than my PC owning buddies could do.
Page: