Everex CloudBook CE1220J / CE2A1 hits FCC and gets previewed

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Specs:

8.9" WSXGA (16:10) Color TFT LCD, 1024 x 600
VIA C7 TM -M 1.2 GHz CPU
512MB, 1024MB, and 2048MB
Integrated VIA VX800 graphic engine
1.8” HDD
VGA port
2 x Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0)
LAN port
4-in-1 card slot
ExpressCard slot
Webcam
Wifi and Bluetooth
4 Cells or 6 Cells Li-ion battery
3.5 ~ 4 Hours (for 4 Cells) or 5.25 ~ 6 Hours (for 6 Cells)
WEIGHT AND DIMENSION
230 (W) x 172 (D) x 31 (H) mm
Approximately 1.022kg (with 1.8” HDD)
XP Home


PC Watch preview [ translated ]

FCC docs

First Cloudbook user reviews: Girls like it.

First preorders are on they way so unboxing and user reviews are starting to appear..

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JamFish got hers: "I'm enjoying my Cloudbook. Though rough around the edges, I like the portability of the machine, and that I can have an easier handle on it than most laptops(the hole is actually more helpful for holding than people might think!)."

"The gOS(like on any developing Operating Systems), could use some tweaking, but, hasn't given me too many problems that I can't handle. Developers, or future Linux Developers for UMPC systems, should take notice of space."


Meredith is also having fun with her Cloudbook: "I bought this computer so that I wouldn’t have to lug around my 15-inch MacBook Pro at conferences. For that, this machine will definitely meet my needs. I can connect to the Web, I can use Open Office, and all on something that is ridiculously light."

"If this was someone’s primary computer, it would be a disaster. This is not something you’d want to use all the time and there are a lot of things that just plain don’t work right. But for me, it’s pretty much what I was looking for (other than the software issues). "

So the bottom line: It's a nice device but there are too many software related issues.

Via Cloudbooker

Hacks and Modifications: Everex Cloudbook

I have been asked to talk about hacks and mods possible with Everex Cloudbook.. So here you are..

Continue reading..

Please remember: the second you start opening your new device, you have to understand that your device may end as spare parts for your next device.. you have to accept that before starting.

Memory

Upgrade to 1gb. It does not support 2Gb

Internal USB

This is the first thing you should do if you are thinking adding extra features. You should start looking for one now, so you have it stripped when your Cloudbook arrives. Look for small one.
As there is no evidence of internal usb pins, you need to route your hub from wifi, bluetooth or webcam cables. You need to route power from mainboard.

Storage

There are plenty of bigger drives, upgrade to bigger one if you need the storage.
If you want it to be fast and durable, go for SSD. They cost a lot but if your main goal is to use it while mobile, it's the best choice.

There is also CF to ZIF adapters, which you may want to use if you don't want to spend too much for real SSD. If you choose this way, remember that normal flash wears in OS use. You should commit all rewrites to RAM disk


Wifi

Buy new wifi antenna for it. Current antenna is inside the base unit so it is not that good for signal strength. Place new one inside the screen frame.


3G HSDPA/EVDO

There is plenty of room inside the screen frame for usb modems. You could even have one of the small ones there without taking the modem apart.

GPS

Again, a lot of space inside the screen frame, small GPS module would fit easily.


Touch screen panel

It's easy to ad, it makes your screen more durable and it's very nice to use. Do it!

Screen

As Cloudbooks uses LVDS, it is relatively easy to find screen for it. If you need higher resolution, you should look for Kohjinsa/Samsung 7 inch screens. You would need some expertise to swap it, but it is fully possible.

There are also bigger screens, but you would need to make new "face plate" for it. If you really want to go big, try to find 8.9 inch LVDS LED backlighted screen. Toshiba and other use them. 8.9" 1280 x 768 would be nice! Remember first check the real specs, you want to see the pinouts before buying. You could also use older non LED screens, but they would eat your battery faster and you would need to find place for the inverter.


Operation system

There are plenty of Linux flavors to choose, but you should check the availability of drivers first. XP installation is easy. I'd buy a external cd drive to make it the easiest way. Vista will also run on Cloudbook, but 1Gb is a must for it. MAC OSX doesn't like VIA. I haven't heard anyone been able to make it work on this platform.. This is what OSX says about VIA:



Are you going to do any?

You could always just wait for their next models.
Paul C. Kim, Director of Marketing at Everex, has unvailed their plans:

SSD drives ( when they get cheaper )
Touch screen ( developer version coming )
Feminine Colors ( pink? )
Larger screens ( 9 inch, and even 22 inch ??? )


Cloudbook at FCC

Asus Eee PC and Everex Cloudbook. Which one is for you?

Let's compare these $399 mobile computers head to head..

Continue reading..

Let's start with external features.

Eee is 225/165/35 mm, so few mm smaller but thicker on battery side than Cloudbook with 230/171/30 mm. Cloudbook weighs just a little bit more being 950g where Eee is 920g.
As the screen (7" 800 x 480) and the keyboard are the same there isn't much difference. Both are extremely small and light.

Differences stars to appear when looking at the keyboard and mouse positioning. On Eee PC the keyboard is further back, giving room for bigger mouse pad, buttons and wrist rest area. Cloudbooks keyboard is more front, lacking wrist rest. Smaller mouse pad is on the top right side of the keyboard and mouse buttons are on the top left side. Cloudbooks mouse placement is designed for 2 handed use, with the possibility to "use while walking". Where Eee PCs mouse is easy to adopt, Cloudbook mouse can be awkward to some.


Comparing ports of both devices, you can see Eee PC with 3 x usb, VGA out, SD, ethernet and audio ports where Cloudbook has 2 x usb, DVI out, SD/MMC, ethernet and audio ports. Not much difference again. Both have basic webcam, speakers and mic.
Both have wifi, but Eee PC has stronger/better signal strenght.

Here is a short video showing the the ports, keyboard and mouse

Let's check the internal features.

Asus Eee PC has 900MHz Intel Celeron (running 630MHz), Intel GMA 900 and 512MB RAM (MAX 2GB)
Everex Cloudbook uses 1.2GHz VIA, VIA UniChrome Graphics and 512MB RAM (MAX 1GB)
As I have used both platforms daily I can compare them easily. Cloudbook is a bit faster on processor but Eee PC wins on graphics side. If you upgrade Eee with 1GB or 2GB RAM, it is overall faster. Updating Cloudbook is not easy as you can't access RAM module without taking it apart.

Even though the Eee PC has better graphics performance, it's not as good for videos, if you need to store them locally. Eee has far less storage space, 2GB/4GB or 8GB depending on model, where Cloudbook has 30GB. But there is a difference on the storage media too. Eee uses SSD ( Solid State Drive ) which is very durable and fast flash memory. The 30GB drive on Cloudbook is conventional 1.8" hd which can be broken easily if it's dropped while spinning. Both devices have a slot for SD cards, so expanding the storage is easy.


What about battery life..

Everex is telling us that Cloubbook has 5 hour battery life with it's 4 cell battery. We know it's not true in real life. Testing on sister models (Easynote/Nanobook/Etc) and on other devices using same hardware indicates 3.5 hours on normal use.

Asus has listed 3.5 hours for 4G and 8G models and 2.8 hours for surf/2G models. In normal use those figures are what you would get.

Asus will also sell a 6 cell battery which would give about 5.5 hours/charge. That battery will make Eee only 10mm bigger so it would be a good buy for someone needing better battery life.


Software/operating systems

They both have their own version of Linux with many applications. I can't really compare those as Cloudbooks final version is not public yet. My experience with Eees Xandros build is very positive.

You can install different Linux builds on both and you could install XP on both devices, all drivers are available. As there is bigger hd on Cloudbook, you could even have Vista on it, but with 512MB RAM, it would be very slow.


Bottom line

So which one to buy?

If you need more storage and you can live with that mouse, the Cloudbook could be better..

If you like different colors, better design and feel, Eee PC is for you.

You need DVI and don't want to use dongles, take Cloudbook.

If you want durable SSD and you are ok using SD for storage ( or paying 499 for 8G ) you should shoose Eee PC

If you don't care about storage and just wan't small and cheap, Asus Eee 2g is the cheapest. ( $299 )

If you are thinking having XP on it (without any tweeking), choose Cloudbook or Eee PC 8G.

I chose Eee for it's durable SSD and better looks/feel.

There is also one really important factor: Eee PC community is HUGE. You can get help really easily. New apps, tips and how-to pages are everywhere. Cloudbook will get it's own community too, but it will never be as big.

No matter which one you get, you will enjoy the new feeling of mobile computing, without paying a lot!

Asus Eee PC

Everex Cloudbook


Asus Eee PC Details and Links at UMPCPortal

Everex Cloudbook Details and Links at UMPCPortal