Linux weaktops poised for death by smartphone

Meh...

Troll.

*Plonk*

Hmmm...

...this sounds very much to me like a "Waaah! I wan't a netbook but my boss won't let me have one on the company! What can I do? Oh yes, trash them 'cos I didn't really want one anyway. I'm truly happy with my brick of a smart phone, of course I am..."

Making a business case for one is easy - ask, point out the pros and cons as well as the cost difference over a laptop based on the use it's intended for. Web based applications plus easy portability? Win.

Weaktop? I don't think so

I just completed a 42 day tour of southern efrica with an HP2133 which I had updated with a 320gB hard disk and OpenSuse 11.0 as the only OS.

I handled all my business email, wrote long reports, including diagrams and edited photogaphs, published timesheets as pdfs, and downloaded and saved BBC radio programmes to keep me sane. I connectd by wired ethernet, wifi, and with a borrowed 3.5G broadband cell modem. I plugged in a tiny bluetooth adaptor and saved the data from my dying cellphone,using just the software native to Linux.

The battery has died, but I was offripped when I bought it by a dishonest newyork shop, and it doesn't have the battery it should. A new one is on order.

I may not bother to collect my full-size company laptop. This worked fine.

Pull the other one

"Both devices support the same kinds of light computing: word processing, web browsing, and simple games."

Word processing on a smartphone? Pull the other one Ted. What speed can you type at on a smartphone? 5 wpm? 10 wpm? How long would it have taken you to write this article on your beloved Jesus phone whilst drinking your Chai Latte? I suspect so long your children would have died of starvation waiting for the resultant paycheck.

Netbooks fill an actual niche. Most people don't want to do audio/video editing or play games on a PC (they have a Wii for that) and do only want to do email and browsing. For people like my gf it's the perfect device especially since it does what she needs and is small and light enough for her to carry wherever she wants (she's small and has a medical condition so a netbook is much better than a full featured, heavy laptop). Should she suddenly decide she wants to be the next Stephen Spielberg she can try to pry me off my desktop to do her video editing there.

Smartphones are just shiny gadgets for the easily distracted to waste money on - "oooo shiny." I've had both Windows Mobile and Palm smartphones issued to me by employers and what did I use them for? Making phone calls and very little else.

Oh and stripper's tit glitter... it's harder to get out than you think. I've found it on my arm weeks and several showers later. (one of my friends used to be a stripper)

@evil graham

Well, if his argument is that netbooks as a whole are doomed to fail - I think my points stand. I now have several non-geek friends that have bought the windows flavours of various netbooks because they want them for travelling around. The battery life and capability are still excellent and they fulfill the niche of portable and cheap.

If he simply means that the linux ones don't stand a chance then I'd say that if carphone warehouse experienced a 20% (IIRC) return rate then that's still a lot of folks that never had linux before who are happy with it (even if another 30% are unhappy but didn't return it).

I don't think we're going to have linux-for-the masses in one fell swoop with the introduction of a new tech like the netbook, but every little helps. When manufacturers don't totally screw it up!

Where's the icon for "meh" ?

Statistic's.

Where do the stat's come from that say the Linux models are returned more often come from. I have seen them quoted but I've also seen stat's quoted that indicate that XP and Linux are returned in about equal numbers. Perhaps people don't know what they are buying.

My son has a ASUS 701 and uses it constantly, with no Linux training, and he was educated in computers on XP. I have "hacked " it to allow him to use the advanced mode interface but he uses both that and the simple mode with equal facility. I managed to do the mode change and get wireless going in < 20 minutes and I'm not a Unix sysadmin or a geek with undesirable social habits.

The article started with a conclusion and then proceeded to try and justify that opinion. Perhaps he should have started with a question, given some evidence (quoting sources) and let people come to their own conclusion (which might have agreed with his- NOT). That it would appear was too much work.

Agenda

Why can't some smartphone maker buy the rights to the microwriter system?

It took me about 20 minutes to learn basic typing on the AgendA organiser that I bought in 1989.

It had a serial port connection to a PC and would duplicate the keyboard.

I could type faster with it than I'm doing now.

I would buy another if it could make phone calls.

For you youngsters here's a picture of one.

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~len/boog/gifs/ag500.jpg

Both winners

I don't it happening. In fact I see small, light laptops running Windows becoming ubiquitous over the next 2 or 3 years. Smartphones just can't compete with the screen size and keyboard size.

Smartphones will continue to gain market share in the phone market too.

The real battle of the future will be where personal data will be stored - on the laptop or smartphone. But enough, I feel the urge to start a blog :)

What is this strange word "f*ck"...

... and how the fuck do you pronounce it?

This rant is ludicrous.

I wanted to be able to carry around a laptop that was smaller, lighter, and cheaper than average. I got an eee 901.

Sure, I fall into the description of people who are into gadgets and have $500 to burn. Obviously that's going to characterize the early adoption market (which I'm defining as mostly people who bought a netbook because they wanted one, and not because their old laptop crapped out). Most of the market has one working computer and doesn't need to own two. But when eventually, say, my sister needs a new computer, I'll recommend one of these.

"Weaktop" is a crap description. I'm running Eclipse... try doing that on a dumbphone (yeah, I can make up silly words too). Unless you're a gamer, I'm not sure how this machine could fail your expectations.

zzzzZzz

*yawn*

paytard troll buzzword excrement

Takes the prize

Stupidest article I've read in El Reg in a long while. No need for me to repeat all that's been said above (screen, keyboard, weight, etc.?). Just remove it, pretend it never happened. It will be a lesser shame.

At least the column is aptly named today.

Everything about that blog is wrong

Much as I love the idea of smartphones and hate myself for thinking the iPhone looks sleek, I would never, EVER buy one. Why? There's too much crap on them.

I want my phone to send and receive SMS and MMS messages and make and receive phone calls. Beyond that I really couldn't care less what it does. Hell it can even lose the clock, I have a watch. Not because I'm a technophobe - because I'm not - but because I'd prefer a simple and reliable device that has decent battery life rather than some unholy hunk that has to constantly deal with GPS, WiFi, motion sensor technology, touchscreen (which is THE most pointless innovation EVER) cutting its battery time in half. (I currrently have a Samsung U800 which is very nice, gets me a low contract and does the shit I want from a phone).

If I want to work, write and do internet stuff I'd use a computer. My laptop is very nice, but far too big and heavy to use on the move, so I have an Asus EEE that I got as a bargain (new for half the retail price - yes, from a legitimate store!). £150 and I can browse the internet, yes. But I can also take photos off my D50 on the move - directly useful to my job - for moving to a memory stick or e-mailing.

But to say they are solely web-based is just... wrong. My EEE has, yes, e-mail, Firefox and Google Docs. However, it also has the full Open Office suite and GIMP image editor.

Short of connecting to the company network, it has more functionality, both online and off, (and seemingly more RAM!) than my office computer.

I'm definitely picking up an anti-netbook vibe here but for the life of me I can't understand your reasoning.

Oh dear, Ted's had too much caffeine again

I was going to write a few paras on the smart arse support things I can do with my Aspire One and HTC TYTN II smartphone, but I'll just pause to ask when Ted's work experience at El Reg ends.

/Paris - 'cos she'd knock up a more insightful and accurate article.

Author has no clue.

"After all, the Eee PC isn't powerful enough to run MySQL and Ruby on Rails".

Really? So the fact that I run a couple of Wikis (powered by MySQL) and a couple of Joomla sites (again, MySQL) on my EEE 900 for web development is just a figment of my imagination?

I use my laptot to surf, email, control several other computers via virtual desktops, play games (OK, Doom and Elite - but I had a retro moment), install WINE and rung XP software, and watch H264-encoded movies while on the plane.

Yeah, probably wouldn't want to Photoshop on it (small screen) or do inline video editing... but that's what I have a full-sized Laptop or a quad-core desktop for. I personally own a couple of desktop servers (Linux & MS), a desktop workstation, a SCC, a laptop and a smartphone. Why? Because each fills a niche - for example, the smartphone acts as my PDA and MP3 player. Since it's always with me, I am never late for an appointment. And since it syncs with my SCC, I can keep my appointment calendar up to date automatically.

Oh, BTW, as soon as my wife (who is a manager and tech-neutral, she just "wants it to work") saw my EEE 900, I got sent right out to buy one for her. So here's your non-geek market right there.

Check your facts before uttering FUD!

<3 netbooks

My EeePC > Your iPhone.

That is all.

Re What is this strange word "f*ck"... and Christopher Martin

"fsck" - linux command line for file system check and with right switches repair...think scandisk but better

:@Evi Graham and Psion netBook

There is a quite complete review/description of the original netBook at

http://www.geek.com/geek-review-psion-netbook/

For range of software see http://www.pscience5.net/

- you can still get them (working) for c £100 on eBay. Read the article and you will see the true heritage of the modern "netBook".

Yes they did and do work. No, there is no command line available, shareware programs and small authors abounded and games.

I still use mine with a netBook pro battery - gives easily up to 12 hours continuous use. The Option GPRS PCMCIA card gave GPRS acces to the internet (I have one of those also).

Loved and still love it. Eee PC is aclose second though, tell you if it is as good in 10 years time

(long term test)

smarphone-netbook-desktop

Lot of comments here miss out the desktop from the equation. I wonder how many of the netbook owners also have a desktop.

I for one went for desktop-smarphone combination. You get a good performance and a best screen estate on desktop and you get all the mobility you ever need on the smatphone.

Smarphones these days can run skype, edit office documents and even run web server. No I didn't get it wrong, they can run servers.

I do like gadgets and was seriously enthused by the prospect of a yet another nice toy with 9 inch screen. Would it do anything for me, that desktop and smartphone don't at the moment? No.

And by the way smartphone != jesus phone. That expression was invented long before it's time.

In defense of asus' Xandros...

Foreword : yes, I'm your typical run of the mill geek (albeit cleverly disguised as a corporate lawyer with tie, aftershave and all), so yes too, 5 minutes after I bought my 701, it was switched in advanced mode, and 20 minutes later, should I need more horsepower, "eeebuntu" was on bootable usb stick, ready to take over the kit. Long story short : I used the stick to play scummvm, and put games out the bas 4Gb. Everything else I needed was stock in xandros, and more often than not, I was switching back to basic mode, because, well, you know, that's the concept of this thing to be an appliance.

Yesterday, I bought a 900A. My wife has inherited the 701, she's happy, thinks it's cute and don't give a sh*t wether it runs windows, linux or the marathon as long as she gets her mails and MSN. She marvels at the desk real estate she's going to get back once her (current) glass CRT will be removed. She spent the evening playing with skype, etc., and marveled that every single wire that cluttered the back of her desk will be gone for good because they're all *inside*, microphone, cam and all !

Me, I certainly won't bother switching on the advanced mode. ctrl+alt+t is enough to make my day on those rare occasions I need to rampage through locked process with top.

One note, though : I've been very disappointed by the Atom, hailed as the miracle solution to everything including hairloss by the crowd. It may run cooler or be less taxing on the battery (but the 900A comes with a 4cells 4400 mAh, versus 6cells 5200 mAh in the 701, evening the field), but I found the computer to be less stable (hitting a key during the boot is a sure way to lock the trackpad solid), and the overall feeling is more "jerky" ; there are unxepected latencies, and then the thing starts to run to catchup, then noticeably slows to cool, and sprints again a moment later... the 701's celeron was much more steady, giving a good sturdy feeling. The pace was slow, but the journey was sure. The Atom, on the other end, seems to have highs and lows like a sprinter on steroids. Only the 9" screen is a clear winner. Otherwise, both models have different pros and cons, but overall are much in the same league. I'm happy I didn't shell out more for a 901, I certainly would have been frustrated. The 900A cost me the same price as the 701 a year earlier.

@Ted

You are preaching to the geeks .. waste of time mate. These people already have a desktop, server, laptop, smartphone and now a weaktop (though I prefer laptot... great handle that). They have old Amiga's cluttering up their lofts and Sparc stations gathering dust in basements. They want more gadgets, even if there is no compelling reason to own it.

The geeks are coming, the geeks are coming !!!

@AC and Sparc

To paraphrase a previous poster "Foreword : yes, I'm your typical run of the mill geek (albeit cleverly disguised as a [corporate lawyer] NHS pharmacist with tie, aftershave and all)"

How did this guy know I have an (Ultra)Sparc in my basement as my home file/media server? - I'm scared now!

I'm posting AC not under my real nom de plume for security reasons

PS In addition to WEP, how many others lock down their wireless to their personal MAC addresses?

Answers in brown envelope; 3rd privet from the corner of the road....

@ J Wild

Any patents covering the Microwriter system will have expired long ago -- patents are only valid for 20 years.

Give it another year or two

I wonder whether some posters are juandiced due to past bad experiences with smart phones. We are now getting them 800x480 screens and qwerty keyboards. The early models such as the SE X1 have their problems, but given some more time and a decent O/S they'll get better, and then they will squeeze laptops from the bottom.

Powerless against Jobsian divinity

Good job he didn't make a netbook like the Macbook Air... oh wait.

The meaning of "portable"

I've owned a lot of laptops. They've ranged all over the size and performance world from desktop replacements with 17" displays to ultraportables. The best laptop I've ever owned, the one that traveled more, was used more, did more, than any other, was my Fujitsu LifeBook P2120.

Compare that machine to a common netbook. The netbook comes out looking good even BEFORE you reach the $1200 price difference. The Fujitsu was a low performance highly PORTABLE machine. You could get a faster laptop with a bigger display for $1000 less. It was a leap of faith to buy that machine...to trust my instinct that a smaller machine was worth a lot more even if it was lower performance. What I found affirmed my choice: I could develop code, write, edit photos, and everything else I regularly did on a computer... everything I do today in fact... and I could do it anywhere.

Netbooks give you all those advantages...and instead of a 50% premium they are 50% LESS expensive. For people like me who already have desktops and laptops and everything else but want a real portable they are a no-brainer. For people who can't afford a full laptop but want to get away from their desktop... again, brilliant. For a generation that grows up using them? The bloated 15" laptop will look like a joke, like those ancient cell phones that were the size of shoeboxes.

As for smart phones... I've had them too... no comparison. You can do real, serious, and productive work on a netbook-type machine. They free you from the office by allowing you to get real work done in a park or cafe. Smart phones are just the opposite... they don't allow you to do real work but they do tie you ever more tightly to the office even when you are away.

Laptots vs. Laptops

I remember a time when laptops were heavy as hell, because hardware couldn't be miniaturized as much as it can be done these days. (Remember the "portable" Commodore?) Then they began to get smaller, down to the point that it was practical enough to actually use one of these on the move. The first one that I remember being practical enough was the Powerbook 180.

Years later, after the Big Switch to PC's, I got a Fujitsu Lifebook 280Dx (1998) which not only fit perfectly in my backpack, but also had an interesting "modular" concept where I could exchange batteries, CD drive, zip cartridge drive and an "extra" HDD. It had 2 module bays (1 large, 1 small), and I could do nice combinations like setting it up with *TWO* batteries, so I could get 2x battery lifetime! Ah, the days.

My next lap (ca. 2001) was a 15" monitor, "nice", I thought, "but it's heavier now, and it doesn't fit well on my backpack anymore." Since then, laptops have gotten bigger, heavier, and hotter; so much that in fact the term "laptop" has been kind of a running joke for some time now. Some laptops these days have w-i-d-e-s-c-r-e-e-n monitors that are about the size of my *desktop* monitor! I do *not* need big-ass monitors on a laptop, it only adds up to bulk. Basically, it looks like the laptops seem to be looking more and more like SUV's.

Netbooks, on the other hand, are small and portable; more like the things I expected to see these days, not the SUV laptops we have now. I'd give them a try, if I had disposable income... which I don't have. (Thanks credit crunch!) I do have a smartphone (BB Curve), but even I know that it isn't practical to use as a full-fledged computer, even with its qwerty keyboard.

Re : Nothing new here, move along...

'I had a Toshiba Libretto eleven years ago which ran Windows (in a fashion). Why is everyone so excited about weaktops, laptots, etc now?

The small form-factor laptop didn't succeed back then, I can't see the latest incarnation succeeding now.'

Pleeeeze, and how much was the Libretto? A niche market at most given the price.

All previous Netbook incarnations including the the best of the lot (for form, fit, and function) the Psion had the problem of being limited in market size due to price premium.

With the new breed of Netbooks we are talking about a machine with 95% of the power of a full laptop in a small form with a price you can almost throw away...You can get Acer Aspire for 180 ukp now..a bargain compared with the previous cut down small factor machine such as the Libretto

As for not suceeding might I suggest you open your eyes ? There are as many manafactures (and probabally units sold) now in the space of 12- 18 months than the entire market previously and as new improverd designs come on stream things will only get better. Think a simplified low wattage Duo CPU, full resolution screen in 10' form factor display, 60/120Mb solid state Flashdrive with speed as fast as conventional HD's etc... :-)

I would ask the reverse question why would you want a current size Laptop ? Of course they will continue to flourish as people will always want a high spec portable full size desktop machine however they will eventually be squeezed by the Netbooks

The machines that will also eventually be targeted by the current trend for 'small and cheap' will be the traditional PC desktop. Asus has started with the EEbox (Basically a modified netbook minus a display) that is small enough to be attached to the back of a monitor. This evolution will continue until you get a full power machine with maybe optical drive etc.. also built in...This will be fine for everybody except the gamer/power user etc...

Linux and XP netbooks returned at the same rate

Dear Authors.. PLEASE check your facts!

The quote here

<i>Users were returning Linux weaktops at a much higher rate than Windows ones. Oops.</i> is entirely incorrect

Acer have stated, and it has been discussed openly, that the return rate of Linux and XP notebooks IS THE SAME!!!

This was published on The Reg just one month ago

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/10/22/asus_ceo_shen_speaks_out/

A quote:

"I believe the Linux and Windows have similar return rates," he said, adding that the Linux option was particularly popular in Europe.

Thumbs down to the author! Swallowing it whole, and regurgitating incorrect facts!

The Troll Register

Yet another article by paytard.. "The Register" becomes "The Troll Register". Another article based on bias and gossips. Zero research. Author is lying in our faces. And lost contact with reality!! I don't need four-core best just to write and read web. Most casual users do just that..

Not the same.

Smartphone is very dubious idea, and always was: as Eric Van Haesendonck already pointed out, if you really want to see internet, you need 800x600 at very least. Little overcrammed gizmos just sit between two seats.

Phone calls? Little terminal + miniUSB hub with very basic standalone functions (flash load/save, etc) could do it after plugging headset and/or keypad in - and double as a player. But then they can go all the way and make uniform terminal model usable via wired GPRS, WiFi, Ethernet or whatever you want. Or plug in "power core" part and get 2-CPU laptop. That's the beauty and power of modular approach.

My obligatory lip service to Black Helicopters Cult: purpose behind "all-online" movement may be "get rid of browser-level ad blocking". As simple as that.