I've always said I like using this blog as a way to get ideas and input from you -- here's an example!
As I told APC Magazine, the Kogan team plans to be selling a netbook in the very near future.
We're in the process of developing the Kogan Netbook right now, and it seems that the 10.1" screen size is the sweet spot between screen real estate and portability. Furthermore, an Atom processor looks to be the best balance of computing power and energy consumption.
There are however many other things that make up a netbook, and we're very keen to hear your thoughts on some of these, such as:
- Would you rather pay more for 2GB RAM or is 1GB enough?
- What colour do you want the netbook to be?
- What operating system do you want? I'm a big fan of open source -- which you will see when we launch the Agora -- so I'm leaning towards Linux. It would mean you get the netbook for cheaper (no licensing costs), and it would run faster! If you're on board with Linux, which flavour of Linux would you like to see? Or would you prefer Windows XP?
- What software would you like pre-loaded on it? At the moment we are lining up:
- Open Office
- Firefox
- VLC Media Player
- Messenger software supporting MSN, Yahoo, etc
- An open source image editor like GIMP
I'm really eager to hear your thoughts on these and any other suggestions you may have, so we can bring you the best netbook at the most affordable price!
Cheers,
Comments
Hear what our customer's have to say.
Paul Walker says...
Firstly, it must have a 10" Screen. 9" really isn't big enough. Secondly it must have a 6 cell battery. Those stingy 3 cell batteries just don't last long enough. Thirdly, it must have inbuilt 3G (I'd like 900/2100MHz support but presumably Tel$tra customers would like 850MHz). Carrying around a dongle is a pain.
1GB is plenty of RAM if you'll be selling it with Linux. Ubuntu is my preference. Its stable, friendly for Windows converts and comes with a good range of apps out of the box.
I'd like to see OO3, FF3, Pidgin, Gimp and VLC loaded on it.
Posted at 5:18 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Douglas says...
The netbook should have a 10" screen hands down. An entry level graphics card would be nice, and definitely a 6+ cell battery. You should offer an XP and Linux version, to reach a wider audience. 2gb ram is more than anyone would use, 1.5 gbs would be sweet. Agree with above, 3g is great.
Posted at 5:31 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Rhiannon says...
- 10" screen, no smaller
- 6 cell battery, as others have suggested. Battery life is key with a netbook
- As close to a full size keyboard as possible (similar to MSI Wind)
- As big a trackpad as possible
- 1GB RAM is adequate for a netbook
- Silver, black or white in colour
- Ubuntu Linux
- Original suggestions for preloaded software sound fine.
Posted at 6:55 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Scribbler says...
10" min, 6 cell battery, 2gb ram, Ubuntu or XP (choice is important), wifi and bluetooth.
A carrybag/pouch would be a nice touch too :)
Apps don't matter synaptic will fix that.
I looking to get one by September so I am in if it is ready by then.
I look forward to seeing the specs.
Posted at 7:02 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Kyle says...
10" screen, intel atom processor, 2 usb port, built in wireless, bluetooth, 1.3 mp camera, xp or linux, 6 cell batery and if possible a decent graphics card (underclocked to reduce heat buildup)
the software suggested above sounds good.
Posted at 7:10 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Aleksander says...
In my opinion:
2GB of RAM would be preferable, as long as the price difference isn't too drastic
Black would be an obvious choice for colour, I think Red is a flagship colour for the VAIO line and if you can replicate it well enough it would look great
Windows XP would be much more preferable for compatibility reasons
I wouldn't want much software on it, as long as it's not crap trial-ware and it's easy to remove put anything you want on it :)
Good on you for taking in peoples opinions for this product :)
Posted at 7:15 p.m. on February 17, 2009
dame says...
whats the price range going to be? rough estimate...
Posted at 7:16 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Trent Petro says...
It would be nice for the phone to come out first- but netbook wise copy the eeePC in simlarity- have it portable and don't have it a brick- as in it dosn't feel right etc. Also make sure it has upgradable RAM space etc.
170GB is enough space for a netbook. :)
Posted at 7:27 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Richard says...
I would not go with Windows XP as it is going end of life...
I would look at a Linux Distro like Ubuntu would work...The Google OS is pretty neat..something like that...
While 1GB will be ok..2GB is better.
If you go with 2GB, I would also look at Windows 7. This will work well.
Good Battery life 6 cell not 3 cell, WIFI, 2 - 4 USB 2.0 ports, Card Reader, Ethernet, DVD burner, light weight.
Posted at 7:33 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Ogremindes says...
1GB should do, White, Linux with no preference on 'flavour', Mozilla Thunderbird.
Battery life is the key thing that could make or break it for me. An ultraportable notebook needs to be something you can shove in your bag in the morning and recharge at night, knowing that you probably won't run out of juice in the meantime.
Posted at 7:39 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Tyrese says...
Would actually prefer an 11" screen. 1GB RAM sounds sufficient enough but would prefer a decent hard drive (80GB+), wireless N mini wifi card, full function keyboard, speakers, etc. As for the software would definetly prefer a windows XP over a linux system since i am used to windows and have no experience with a linux system (as would most people). Would also like a PC restore feature. The colour would prefer black (probably glossy)
Posted at 7:51 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Mark says...
I have a preference for linux. I doubt most people would know the difference.
Battery life is important. Although 1GiB RAM should be plenty, I'd err on the side of 2.
Posted at 8:04 p.m. on February 17, 2009
billybob says...
Offer a matte screen for better outdoor use. Include headphone jack and build in a mic and speaker for use with Skype etc. Would consider SSD over 64Gb but may be too pricy. Set it up to also run Windows 7 if needed. Slot dvd drive. built-in webcam. 3G as said before. Can the cost be subsidised by software providers paying to have stuff installed such as Google Chrome, Earth, Sketchup, Picasa and others like Skype etc
Posted at 8:12 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Warwick says...
For me Linux is preferred. For the wife it must be Windows XP. Don't even think about Vista. I agree with some of the other respondents that Ubuntu or Kubuntu is one of the most stable and best debugged distros.
Screen size of 9" or 10" is the go, any larger is too bulky and clumsy.
1GB of memory is fine. 2GB would be wonderful.
For storage either 16GB of flash or 80GB of disc.
Posted at 8:17 p.m. on February 17, 2009
dame says...
Price range???
Posted at 8:24 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Trent Petro says...
I got an idea use Android for note books :P
Posted at 8:40 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Mark says...
Clone the MSI Wind. I bought one last week and can't put it down! 2gb RAM would be a welcome addition. See what you can do to improve the inbuilt speakers, they're a bit tinny. Otherwise it would be a great addition to the Kogan stable. Also, good effort on ACA tonight. I think Gerry Harvey is just jealous he didn't have your approach when I he started Norman Ross all those years ago.
Posted at 9:18 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Rick says...
10", 2GB RAM, 1.3 MP Camera, Bluetooth, SD Reader, Ubuntu, N wireless. MSI Wind U100 and Asus 1000H(A) good benchmark. 1kg weight with 5 hour battery life.
Posted at 9:27 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Drew says...
+ 10" screen is perfect
+ wireless
+ bluetooth 2.x or greater if around
+ 1GB RAM is more than enough for a platform like the netbook (but more is always nice)
+ definitely a good long lasting battery
+ storage wise - you got to have something over 10 GB
+ defintely an SD slot
+ OS - Ubuntu MID is looking pretty sweet.
Posted at 9:35 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Andy B says...
* 2GB RAM
* Black
* Ubuntu Linux .. with it's default install of apps.
Don't even think about Windows XP. It must die already!
Posted at 9:50 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Christian says...
I agree with a lot of the specs suggested before. Considering the OS, I reckon it's important to give people the choice between Windows and Linux. For the linux falvour I would preffer a distribution coming with KDE 4 by default as it's really developing fast and it has a lot of good new usability projects (but that's my personal taste). Therfore a good choice for people new to linux would be openSuse or Kubuntu. Having said that, if people have the choice of OS, probably only people who are already comfortable with it will choose the Linux option and they most likely install their preferred distro anyway. Another thing which would be really nice is a built-in webcam! I just love the one in my macbook... no hassle at all whith an external one.
really excited what the final netbook will look like :)
Posted at 10:38 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Paul says...
As stated above in many posts, musts are:
3g
10" minimum
2gig ram would be far more preferable to 1gig
battery life is what will really separate it from others - if you can get something close to 6-9 hours of battery life you'll have me sold!
Posted at 10:40 p.m. on February 17, 2009
Fordi says...
12 inch screen. BACKLIT FULL SIZE KEYS. Thin and cheap. 3G upgrade option (expresscard or a specially placed usb port to avoid dongle snap off would be fine).3hr minimum battery life. Fast bootup. Hibernate support. Dont care which operating system, although if I'm going to go without windows app compatibility it better be for a UI custom designed for the small screen (ie little window chrome when browsing).
The less software the better, keep it lean. Mozy, VLC, Browser+Google Gears, a Windows Messenger compatible product, I guess a copy of Open Office wouldnt go astray. Configure the desktop so that people can find major applications like calendar, photo album, media player without a menu heirachy. A desktop search application is important and should cover contacts, calendar, and documents. Gimp and variants like Gimpshop are too hard to use. Anyone who could learn them could also learn to download them. Dont care about the ram as long as it can play full screen video and applications start up quickly.
Make sure it has at least a couple of things unique and offer an external or wireless optical drive as well at the same time. A feature that integrated with your TVs would be nice. So I could sit on the couch with a netbook and easily toggle to 'the big screen'. Maybe a special 'send content' or 'syncronise' button that would then provide a menu to push to a kogan phone or screen nearby. Download on the netbook, watch elsewhere. An application switching hardware key pair would be nice too (next/previous with matching animations in the operating system to encourage full screen applcation use). Webcam in the bevel is important, although Im not sure I would use it very often
Dont care about the colour, glossy black would be exciting to take out of the box, although it gets covered in fingerprints. Some kind of physical design that supports an aftermarket full size sticker based visual customisation could be a good idea, people will get sick of all the netbooks looking the same soon. Of the current crop the Dell Mini 12 and Vaio P are interesting. A good test would be to give it to a 20yo non techie girl and see how quickly she can switch it on and be updating facebook or taking notes for a university class. The wider the screen the better too, a lower profile makes it more acceptable in meetings.
Posted at 11:35 p.m. on February 17, 2009
j says...
For a netbook? 1gb is enough. I'd get 2gb only if it was bigger, and intended to be more powerful than a standard netbook. I would have dual DIMM slots though, with a 1g stick. Here's my thoughts on the other options:
1. PLEASE make sure that it has the latest dual core (4 threads total) Atom! The 330 I believe.
2. Black, preferably not glossy as it is designed to be portable/handled.
3. Ubuntu hands down, no contest.
4. Preloaded software is not a real concern with Ubuntu is it? The only thing I can think of not in the repos is Skype. But yes, Firefox 3.x, Open Office, VLC definitely, Wine is probably a good idea too. Pidgin for IM, and Gimp sure. Samba perhaps? These are all the standard things I'll install on first boot anyway.
Ruslan, in all honesty, I am planning on the Agora to be my netbook...
Posted at 1:50 a.m. on February 18, 2009
Trent Petro says...
You want a dual core and not the ram needed to accommodate it?
Best needed it two range. A lower priced one. (1 GB RAM, 80GB HD, lower chip set). and a higher priced one (2 GB Ram, 170GB HD, higher chip set).
Also included on the hardware- an SD slot and bluetooth and wireless. :)
Posted at 8:19 a.m. on February 18, 2009
longo213 says...
VIA OpenBook platform with latest Nano CPU might be interesting choice.
Posted at 9:10 a.m. on February 18, 2009
peter says...
I have an eeepc 701. the 7in screen is fine for most things. what would be great is an internal 3g modem, dogles are a pain. as for os, ubuntu netbook remix or the netbook release that the gos team are working on....
Posted at 10:12 a.m. on February 18, 2009
Hrmmmm says...
An Open source Kogan netbook with a 3g slot???
LOL who would support that software and data?
The Chinese engineers cant pull that out of the bag....
"id like to see that"
Posted at 10:26 a.m. on February 18, 2009
Frilio Rolthnor says...
10" screen is fine
FOCUS ON THE KEYBOARD - the bigger the better... something like HP's mini 2133
1gb RAM is more than enough
LINUX - how about the Ubuntu netbook edition?
Firefox, VLC, OO.O, GIMP, Pidgin.....
Posted at 11:22 a.m. on February 18, 2009
Ruslan Kogan says...
I'm not sure if we'll be able to include an embedded 3G card -- however, all of these suggestions are great! Keep them coming.
As for the price, we're looking to keep it within the $500-$600 bracket. Keeping true to the Kogan brand promise is important. We want to bring great technology to you at an affordable price. There's no point in releasing a product at the same price as current netbooks out there, so we're trying to make it as cheap as possible.
Posted at 11:26 a.m. on February 18, 2009
Dilantha says...
close to 13.3" screen as possible, 2gb ram, light weight, 3 hours+ battery life Linux or no os, cd/dvd rom, 2-3 usb ports would be nice
Posted at 11:50 a.m. on February 18, 2009
Alex says...
The hard drive is a contentious point, for me a decent quality SSD 16gb+ is a must to keep things zippy in spite of the dinky CPU. supplemented by a card slot for extra storage For others the ability to fill an 80gb ATA drive with videos will be more important. I think it may require a couple of options here as with the ee's linux and xp versions.
I don't think including XP is worth the extra price, as so many of us have old unused XP licenses lying around already. With linux preloaded it can be ready to go with a complete software suite ie. no need to add office as in xp.
Posted at 12:53 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Limmy says...
2GB Ram definitely. Time flies and next thing you know, the netbook slows downs even with 1GB ram.
I agree with everyone else about softwares/batteries/screen size etc. What about HDD? I hope it'll be what Alex said above.
XP is crap. Linux would be a safe way to do it and cheap as well. Plus people can install XP on their own if they wanted too.
3G, Wireless, Bluetooth, USB, SD/MMC memory card readers would be good too.
Design wise, would love to have it look like a MacBook, since they won't be selling any netbooks at all. White/Black/Silver would be good (people buy standard colours anyway, right guys?)
Posted at 1:25 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Trent Petro says...
Yeah if it goes Linux it should be cheaper for the customer I assume cause of Windows Licencing costs.
3G support would be nice- maybe make it so its compadable with phones which can act as 3G modems.
Posted at 1:49 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Jack says...
Go with Linux. At least 80GB HDD. 2GB RAM if it isn't a big increase in price. Camera, wireless, Bluetooth & SD reader would be good.
For software, might also want to put on some free firewall and/or virus protection.
Colour - I like black or dark blue.
A case/pouch for it would be nice too.
Posted at 2:27 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Ryan says...
Probably black, and offering choices between xp and linux.
My main question is though -- with the larger versions of the eeePc around, the product offering may not deliver true value.
Posted at 3:19 p.m. on February 18, 2009
John says...
Cheapest netbook you can get out with a 'decent' (good for touch typing) keyboard, and is droppable(robust), Web browser (that can hotmail/yahoo mail and youtube), WiFi net connnection(on/offable with a hardware switch), and a word processor that I can print with. Battery life is important too - a netbook is not something I am going to want to use at a desk plugged in to a power outlet. Make it too expensive and I'll go for a AU$500 full laptop, or a $300 iPod Touch. I netbook should not be a laptop (not portable or robust), or an iPod (can't type too much: messenger/email/letter writing).
Posted at 4:36 p.m. on February 18, 2009
hrmmm hrmmmm says...
I think it is totally stupid for Kogan to think they can compete with the likes of Asus... and Acer....
500-600 is a total joke they are all sub 5 these days.
Posted at 5:18 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Maisics says...
current processor speeds are single core 1.6Ghz though some are 1.8Ghz.
Is there any possibility of a 2.0GHz? or would that overheat it?
Posted at 5:37 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Brendan says...
How about a release date for the Agora? Can we be sure that this netbook will even be released or will you overlook issues in this product design aswell? Can you even tell us what is even happening with your phone or are you hoping we forget?
Posted at 5:49 p.m. on February 18, 2009
James says...
Great idea! Hoepfully this will be cheaper and rival the Asus EEE PC products which are quite expensive still for what they in my opinion.
2GB should be standard with anything these days. 1GB systems should be obsolete by now for a new system.
Ubuntu would most likely be the wisest choice, however perhaps a XP alternative for those scared of experimenting with the Linux OS and willing to pay a bit for the for license.
The suggested install apps sound sufficient, except perhaps include the Mozilla Thunderbird email client? Anyone trying to do more than simple word processing, web browsing, emails, etc on such a small and basic system need to re-think their choice of computer.
Good luck! :)
Posted at 5:52 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Trent Petro says...
Yeah that reminds me- booting into Cloud GOS and then Vista/XP/Windows 7 or any other Linux would be nice :)
Posted at 7:57 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Fraser says...
From an average consumer my suggestions would be
- XP or Other (not fussed as long as there is choice for those who like options
- 2MP Webcam for Skype
- I have an Aspire one and the keyboard size is fine for my big fingers however i agree with the slightly larger screen
- 160G Hard Drive
- 6 Cell Battery
- WIFI
And something else to differentiate from the rest. there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference between netbooks so perhaps metallic finishes and if the Google Operating system is available by launch i would buy that as a point of difference and a user of the HTC Dream
Hope this helps in some way :)
Posted at 8:39 p.m. on February 18, 2009
eric pihl says...
Agree. I do like your penguin "mascot". Linux is the way to go. Suggest you look into:
i. Replace Open Office initially with Abiword (open Office can always be downloaded later).
ii. A HDMI MoBo port.
Cheers
Eric
Posted at 8:46 p.m. on February 18, 2009
Carl of Canberra says...
What about having the worlds 1st dual boot Netbook with XP and Ubuntu? (Mandiva9 is good too(has rpm))
Dual boot Like having your cake and eating it too
10inch screen, Bright screen display, 1Gb ram 2Gb upgrade slot with easy access, 160Gb Hard drive, 6 cell battery, multi card reader.
( rpm Red hat package manager) has wider software applications options without resorting to the command line
although Ubuntu is starting to be well catered for outside its repository.
Bigger ram and Hard Drive options for when Windows 7 comes along (future proof it)
Posted at 12:44 a.m. on February 19, 2009
David Mulder says...
MY TEXT WAS TOO LONG, SO I HAD TO SPLIT IT OVER TWO COMMENTS
I hope this notebook won't become some piece of vaporware, like the kogan agora is now becoming (actually this blog post feels mostly like it is only meant to convince everybody to forget about the kogan agora...), but lets try to put some interesting ideas forward
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Mobile_and_Embedded_E... [and/]or moblin (essentially UMEE is compliant with moblin, so thats why I placed the and)
- Another option for the operating system might be gos cloud http://www.thinkgos.com/cloud/index.html As I am not yet in the beta-test I am not sure how great it is, but theoretically it should be perfect for netbooks and on top of that some green marketing can be done
- Relatively small harddrive and purely focused on speed, what I especially mean by this is for example only 30 gb, but REALLY REALLY fast (a bit like some of the pre-harddisk eee pc's)
- Linux cd + small guide/software about syncing directories with the main computer, as people tend to use their netbook as a secondary system, so the focus should really be on having a good web interface and file editor (as not all people want to use zoho or gdocs)
- No windows, because shops then tend to only sell the xp version without giving the linux version a fair chance
- Contact the guys at adeona and host a few tracking servers and add adeona to the software package. Especially great for marketing: Anti-theft software included
Posted at 3:45 a.m. on February 19, 2009
great asbix says...
Sorry but my english is not good !
Prima cosa dovra essere "tascabile " (pockettable)....nella tasca di un giaccone...per esempio ! Quindi con schermo non superiore a 8,9 "...altrimenti si acquista un notebook che è molto più performante .
2) cpu almeno dual core e RAM 2Giga
3) solo SSD non inferiori a 80 giga : questa tecnologia perme-
te di non soffrire gli urti e risparmiare tanta energ. elettr.
4) schermo touchscreen tipo tablet per disegnare
5) tastiera con tasti ad isola
6) Videocamera basculante almeno 3Mpix per fotografare e per Skype
7) Tutte le connessioni possibili e sicuramente la possibilità di connes. internet senza chiavette esterne. (sim inside)
8) Radio e TV
9)Autonomia non inferiore a 8 ore con tutto "on"
10) Facilità di accesso alle parti hardware
11) porte usb...etc , multicard reader e chi più ne ha.....!
12) sist. operativo....beh...ormai...ci aspettiamo W7 ! ! !
13) colori est. : cambiabili tipo cover dei cellulariù
14) prezzo : inferiore a 350 euro
In poche parole con un netbook non dovrò piu avere con me ne il telefonino...ne l' I-POD... ne rubrica...ne agenda... ne macchina fotograf...ne chiavette per internet...ne radio....ne TV...un vero ALL-in- ONE !
Posted at 4:17 a.m. on February 19, 2009
murru says...
good side keyboard,
optional xp/linux
Posted at 5:43 a.m. on February 19, 2009
Federyx says...
Hi all:
1) 10" screen
2) weight under 1kg
3) 2gb ram over 667mhz
4) keyboard as eeepc 1000he/vaio/mac
5) wi-fi/bluetooth/wimax/3g
6) 6cell battery at least
7) hd: 160gb o ssd 80gb (or more)
8) cpu: dualcore
9) but more than others ---> true SV as Geffo o Ati
10) price: under € 399,00
Posted at 6:14 a.m. on February 19, 2009
Another Agora in making says...
Dont blow it up again!!!
Posted at 7:20 a.m. on February 19, 2009
Robert says...
10 inch screen for sure and nothing smaller. at least 2 gig ram and 160 gig hdd. I would also like to see if possible the inclusion of a 9 pin serial (com) port. this is something that is lacking in all new laptops these days. I need something small that i can use in the car and portable for my Amateur Radio field days. the com port is used for programming the radios on the go and keeping my log book. I also think that a choice between Win xp and Linux (any distro) should be available. some people like win os others like linux.
If you can supply one with a com port and good quality sound card with sound input then i will asure you that you will sell 100's of these systems to the Amateur Radio Community
Posted at 8:30 a.m. on February 19, 2009
binarystar says...
+ Linux is fine .. but make drivers for Windows XP available for those who wish to install it
+ Screen Resolution - 780p
+ touch screen - optional
+ 1GB standard - upgradeable to 4GB
+ HDMI Out
+ 3 x USB
+ 8+ Hours Battery Life
+ 80 GB+ Hard Drive - upgradeable
+ wi fi, bluetooth & 3g
+ 1.3M Camera
+ Classic design ... satin aluminum finish
It maybe worth Investigating the AMD Puma platform for OEMs ( integrated CPU, GPU, motherboard ) all it needs is packaging from the OEM
Posted at 8:43 a.m. on February 19, 2009
SteveL says...
I would agree with the comments about the 330 Atom.
Given the sluggishness of the 270 a Dual Core would be idea. Even with linux many applications suffer on the single core.
Is it true that Intel apparently don't want the 330 in netbook PC's, rather they would like it to be in HTPC's?
Rubbish to that... we are the ones paying the bills.
Downside being lower batter life (the 330 uses approx 2x the power of a 270 - dont quote me on that), but surely there is an option to switch it to single core in a low power mode.
Must haves
-Bluetooth
-HD 64GB or larger (low price point maybe disqualifies ssd)
-The large the Mouse pad the better
-2GB ram would be an advantage
-Linux OS - Ubuntu Netbook Remix (i've been using this since release. Its good)
Posted at 8:58 a.m. on February 19, 2009
Tim B says...
* Ubuntu or Win7 (user option). If Win 7 is closing in on us by release time, makes no sense to offer XP.
* Hardware compatible with current stock Linux kernels! No custom drivers that can't be used in 6 months.
* SSD (single device around the 30GB mark) - They are meant to be "net" books after all, not desktop replacements.
* 10-12 inches depending on panel costs. If price would be similar, I'd prefer a slightly bigger screen on a thinner device.
* Casing designed to be the same thickness all over. No protrusions for battery, etc.
* Available in multiple colours - We often get asked for pink laptops at our shop. Sometimes this is the ONLY requirement.
Posted at 10:12 a.m. on February 19, 2009
Cwize1 says...
For a netbook, 1 GB of RAM would be fine. Though the ability for computer enthusiasts to easily upgrade to 2 GB would be nice.
Colour\Style: I like the IBM\Lenovo style. That is, black and ugly. I would prefer to pay for what's inside the computer than what is outside.
Linux = OK, XP = Better, Vista = Evil, Win7 = Possibility.
In terms of linux distros: I prefer to use SUSE or Fedora simply because they both have a big company backing them. I think I prefer gnome over KDE.
VLC is a peice of crap, MPlayer seems to work a lot better. The less preloaded software the better. Office and firefox are all that are needed. A CD with optional software to save on internet bandwidth would be good.
An eSata port would be awesome. This would allow the netbook to have a smaller (and therefore cheaper) internal hard drive but allows people to easily add extra space without sacrificing speed or warranty.
WiFi = Must, 3G = Useful extra
An optional dock would be cool. So one could easily plug in wired Ethernet, keyboard, mouse, external DVD drive, power and possibly a screen without messing with a whole load of annoying cables.
I like touchscreens because they make the netbook more portable. If there wasn't a touchscreen then a touchpad would be required. Pointing sticks drive me insane. A trackball would be an interesting addition.
Posted at 10:24 a.m. on February 19, 2009
Macca says...
Ruslan, this is a great idea as the market is now flooded with netbooks and people have decided they like the form factor.
When are you aiming to release it? Before mid-year?
My preferences as follows:
1. Deal-breakers (must-have):
* WiFi
* Largest possible keyboard (MiniNote is a great example)
* Large touchpad with good button placement
* Min 1024 horizontal resolution
* Good battery life
* Min 2 USB Ports
2. Nice-to-have:
* 1GB RAM is fine (perhaps you could offer a 2GB model as well)
* 120GB+ HDD (SDD is too expensive)
3. Random notes:
* Avoid XP. It's at the end of its life with Win 7 around the corner. Ensure the netbook is 'capable' of running Win 7 but sell it with Linux.
* If you can use very common components in this then the open source/geek community will buy it - all of us like to put on different OS's and mess around with these things, so the easier it is to do this the more sales you'll make amongst the enthusiast community.
Posted at 11:30 a.m. on February 19, 2009
atcrank says...
I reckon there is room for innovation in the physical features - I've been thinking for a while now that being about to have the screen at the front and the keypad on the back would enable two-hand operation (hence typing etc). A special mode of operation where you open it 360degrees and hold it like a DS using keys on the edges of the keyboard and maybe 2-3 thumb-keys each side of the screen would be good for games, taking notes while walking around or travelling, etc. Would require a second hinge point, but that could be a nifty feature IF you got it right.
Keep it small, light, low power consumption. 20-30GB SSD for OS & Apps + expansion slots to take big microSD (e.g. SDXC) cards for data and optional apps (e.g. games on one). A 'glovebox' compartment to hold little extras like this securely when not in use would be nice.
Plenty of connections: wireless and bluetooth, USB2, headphone, mic or line in and at least VGA out.
No camera for me. DVD drive optional, but you better create & maintain a bootable USB image if you don't include a DVD.
Rechargeable through USB connection.
Ubuntu. Don't include any component that isn't very well supported. Are you sure you're geared to support a line like this?
1GB RAM sufficient, but if you choose wisely shouldn't this be a very cheap thing to increase? ie even retail DDR2 is really cheap now and might be (?) the most cost-effective performance boost.
Dedicated graphics.
Posted at 12:37 p.m. on February 19, 2009
alex says...
Get the first one out cheap. use Ubuntu and a 40gig SSD with existing atom chip. Get another out later in the year for Windoze folks. More expensive, bigger HDD, possible dual core atom chip, win7 default (with option to downgrade to Ubuntu). p.s. I would love to get in and test Ubuntu on one of these netbooks for you in the future ;D. chronographical[at]gmail
Posted at 1:08 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Andrew says...
Remember we are talking about a netbook here.
1GB RAM is plenty but RAM is cheap enough to go to 2GB.
I know Intel gma950 is terrible but it will keep the cost down.
Go a 80 or 160GB HDD..SSD is for people who could not afford the 80Gb Model.
3 USB Ports - Plug my External DVD in and still have a port free.
Wifi (including N) - Bluetooth (3G will cost $$$)
6 Cell Battery, Webcam, SD Card Slot, VGA Out. A good trackpad and solid big-as keyboard.
Linux for the 'enthusiasts' and XP for the Masses.
Some decent speakers.
The biggest differentiator needs to be the Price!!
Price it lower than the rest, and they will come.
Don't do PINK!!
Posted at 1:56 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Sing Lok says...
Please have the highest power Atom CPU, lightening fast bootup time, long battery life of 5 hours or more, built-in 3G/next G modem, at least 80GB HDD, at least 1GB RAM, and a VGA card, Bluetooth, WiFi, backlid keyboard, attractive, light weight and thin/slim design, off course value for money.
Posted at 2:28 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Krispy89 says...
10 inch LCD, intel atom processor, 2 gb of ram, wifi (all protocols, b, g, n etc), Bluetooth, built in card reader, minium 160 gb hd, 6 USB ports, choice of os ( xp, ubuntu, vista, windows 7 etc) if no internal DVD drive then built in utility to boot from USB flash drive, 6 cell battery, expansion card slot, built in speakers or headphone jack, webcam and voip client, ethernet,
Posted at 2:32 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Allan says...
@alex
win7 default (with option to upgrade to Ubuntu)
Fixed that for you
Posted at 2:32 p.m. on February 19, 2009
SteveScott says...
Agree with Fordi. Full size keyboard would be nice, even the 92% ones slow my typing down. A piggy back mechanism for the battery would be good too - ie. include a 3cell, and can attach another 3cell to give 6cell total if necessary.
Posted at 2:39 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Aubrey says...
Assuming you are trying to keep costs to a minimum but appeal to a wide audience, my prefs would be:
1. Standard Atom proc, 10" screen, keyboard as close to full size as possible (full width footprint).
2. Standard would be a Windows XP machine with 1Gb RAM (I think that's all MS will let you put in) but upgradeable easily to 2Gb.
3. An optional (free on a bootable live usb) optimised and fully compatible Linux distro, preferably a Moblin-based Ubuntu for fast boot, hardware compatibility and ease of use.
4. A fast 40Gb HDD, not SDD - they are too small and slow.
5. 3g, webcam, at least 3 usb ports, a vga port, card reader.
(I suspect you would have to hit the A$400 mark, get decent volume and minimise warranty claims to make any inroads and profit in this market. BTW, I'm a die-hard Linux user and currently use an Acer One Linux/SDD model with Xubuntu on it.)
Posted at 3:05 p.m. on February 19, 2009
DK says...
I think too many people are getting feature-crazy here!!!
For a netbook, we want to deliver maximum performance at a low price. That means cutting some fat off of the machine to keep it nice and lean. Want a fully-featured laptop with a 3D card and lots of RAM? Buy a bigger machine. I think I speak for most of us when I say that netbooks are about portability and battery life.
3G is a bad idea for a mass-market netbook, especially for the international markey since you have to worry about which differing bands, etc. Moreover, some people (such as myself) may not want to spring for a data plan just yet. It'd be nice for a high-end model, as the people with 3G data plans tend to be willing to spend a little more on their netbook.
160GB hard disk is big for a netbook -- I'm of the opinion that SSD is better, in general, but it's tough right now as SSD is still expensive. I'd say 40GB-80GB is a pretty good sweet spot for a HD. For SSD, I'd take 20GB-40GB.
RAM - 1GB, unless 2GB is uber cheap.
Linux - definitely. No Microsoft license keeps the cost down. Do you want to provide a Windows option? Perhaps. I'd argue that most Kogan customers are probably savvy enough to know how to install their own OS, but the Microsoft fans will yearn for the cheaper cost of a bundled copy of Windows. You probably want to stick with one of the big-name distros like Ubuntu or Suse. I personally wasn't impressed by Linpus or Xandros, but then again, I was just looking at display models.
Webcam is nice, as would be an SD card reader and 3USB ports, as the poster above mentions.
Battery - 6 cell. 3 cell is a joke.
On the battery life issue, I'd like to make the case for LED-backlit, since it's much more power efficient. (Worth the money to me.)
Anyone seen the reviews of the Samsung NC10? Around 8 hours of battery life and a slick keyboard! If Kogan can come close, I'll be very much interested.
Posted at 4:28 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Beno says...
VLC is a must I have EEEpc and the media player is flawed. I have installed VLC and it runs all files.
Posted at 5:17 p.m. on February 19, 2009
rick_au says...
i think it should come with linux to keep the price down and if the user wants windows they can install it at there own cost.
Posted at 5:35 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Ben P says...
My Opinion:
Memory - 1GB with extra slot to allow upgrades by owner
HDD - Although SSD would be good, I suggest normal HDD to keep costs down. 40GB should be enough. Again the HDD should be easily accessible so people can upgrade it themselves.
Screen - 7-10inch. Investigate if touchscreen is viable.
Trackpad - I suggest look into a trackpad similar to the new MacBooks. One of the things that annoys me with netbooks is the small track pads.
Webcam: Might as well if it doesn't add too much cost, if you include a webcam ensure you also include a built in mic.
OS: Ubuntu or perhaps try using Android (apparently it is also designed for netbooks).
Connectivity: Bluetooth, WIFI (Draft N) and 3G (if viable).
Outputs
Cost: I think you should aim for the $350-$500 mark. Netbooks are usually less than $600.
Apps: Keep it to a minimum. I would prefer to load on the applications myself so I don't have things on there I wouldn't use. Maybe a good thing to do would be a download app that provides a list of suggested/recommended applications.
Cheers.
Posted at 7:30 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Aubrey says...
On Linux vs Windows:
While I would use Linux on any computer I own, I suspect it is still a bit of a mystery or an outright turn-off in the mass market. That's the main reason I think Windows (XP) should be the default offering - but ensure that the machine is 100% Linux capable and even offer an installable Linux distro as a "freebie" with every purchase. That should keep us fanboys happy and still generate mainstream interest. A manual (especially for Linux!) would be essential - my Acer One came with NOTHING about Linpus and even the website was useless.
My understanding is that MS has so slashed the license fees for XP on netbooks that there really isn't much of a price difference anyway. (I'm surprised the ACCC has picked them up for "dumping" XP ).
I agree with DK about Linpus Lite and Xandros being big turn-offs for Acer and ASUS. They did a lot of damage to Linux in the general marketplace. They were hasty and unsupported and unnecessarily crippled.
Posted at 8:08 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Deryck Williams says...
I suggest 1Gb of RAM, and then give easy access to add an second 1Gb stick, I think that is a nice comprimise.
If you go the linux route just make sure Windows drivers are available, if you go the Windows route make sure the hardware is compatable with linux without having to compile our own drivers.
Stay clear of optical drive, this is common with all netbooks so far, it is not to replace a pc or another laptop. Low weight is much more important.
Nice options would be wireless N not just G, bluetooth, web cam, biometric security, 3G is a luxury.
Lots of usb ports are important.
For the battery please make it easy to buy a second battery both with the original purchase and at a later time (same with a second powerpack).
Colour choice is nice, but would would be beter is something that could make it Australian so we could be proud of it.
Posted at 8:14 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Russell says...
I've got an Aspire One. I think Acer made a huge mistake shipping it with 512MB RAM and Linpus. Here's what I'd change:
OS: Ubuntu Netbook Remix, but wait for the April release. I'm running the alpha and it's got some massive improvements, but there's a showstopper bug in the i965 video driver that they intend to fix before release.
RAM: 1GB - my memory usage never seems to exceed this (I upped to 1.5GB because 512MB + SSD + swapping is really bad)
Camera + mic: Because skype is fun
HDD: 16GB SSD. I've had issues with SSD write speeds, but ext4 + lots of RAM helps a lot. 8GB is too small. I've heard there's a new gen of super-fast SSDs just around the corner.
Network: 802.11g Wireless is a must, but a 3G chip would make it a winner on long train trips.
Also, I think the i965 is too slow (but I'm told it's due to drivers, which are under heavy redevelopment). There's a new atom platform announced with a better GPU.
Posted at 8:24 p.m. on February 19, 2009
John says...
my net book wish list
Ubuntu net book edition
80 gig hd plus... bigger is better but so is a lower price soo...
decent size keyboard
ethernet port as well as wifi
Decent speakers
as this will be targeted at consumers an av socket to output to tvs so i can play videos on hotel room tv's when on holidays
6 cell battery
color black or grey or a nice pattern like the new HP. white looks cheap (eg EEE PC) unless done really well like any of apples products
2 gig of ram would be nice so i could dual boot into windows 7
Posted at 9:39 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Blake says...
RAM: Definitely 2GB, 1 just doesn't cut it these days.
OS: Definitely Linux. Having to pay for Windows when I would just install Linux over the top of it is the reason I don't already have a netbook. Ubuntu have shown they have what it takes to make Linux more accessible to beginners, so their netbook remix makes sense as the distro.
I'd like to see 802.11n, also bluetooth, a webcam and preferably 3-4 usb ports. The preloaded software you mentioned seem like good choices.
Any shade of black would be my tip for the colour :-)
Posted at 9:41 p.m. on February 19, 2009
Ilan says...
Will this only be available in Australasia or will I be able to acquire something like this in the middle east?
2gb would be preferable but it depends on what price increase it would be from a 1gb ram.
In terms of operating system, if windows 7 is an option, bring it on, otherwise any linux system would be sufficient.
Finally colour. Is there a way to superimpose an image instead of making a colour? Ideally I'd get great inspiration from having a picture of Ruslan Kogan as the exterior of my netbook. This would inspire me to utilize my netbook to the best of my ability. This would be my choice!
Posted at 9:48 p.m. on February 19, 2009
John - Phillip Island says...
Given that some netbooks power adapters put out 12V will we have one with a car adapter as well as mains? Also why do all notebooks/netbooks not have a power setting to only charge when the batteries drop to say 10% capacity, then turn off again when they are recharged, cycle the batteries so they will have a longer life (I am tired of my older notebook now not holding enough charge to finish the boot sequence because of the lifetime of running fully charged from mains).
I am not looking at anything that runs Microsoft, certainly it must be able to boot from USB for those who may wish to try an alternative OS (I am playing with Zenwalk at the moment) Make sure there enough USB Ports.
3G, most people either already have a modem or can get one, besides newer faster modems are in the pipeline, make that optional extra.
SSD hard drives to make them more robust rather than a mechanical hard drive, get into the habit of online storage like Eee, we are looking at building a netbook, not a super-computer.
Posted at 10:48 p.m. on February 19, 2009
binarystar says...
<quote>
Finally colour. Is there a way to superimpose an image instead of making a colour? Ideally I'd get great inspiration from having a picture of Ruslan Kogan as the exterior of my netbook. This would inspire me to utilize my netbook to the best of my ability. This would be my choice! .
</quote>
There are Gelaskins for netbooks which are really nice if you want to customise your device with an image
I think an anodised satin aluminium finish would look nice .. atleast for the exterior
+ it's tough
+ doesnt mark easily and can be wiped down
+ a variety of colours can be obtained by a dyeing process ... yes even pink
Posted at 10:01 a.m. on February 20, 2009
Li says...
Yeah, having built in 3G would be nice, but are you going to make it compatible with the Telstra next G spectrum as well? And would it add significantly to costs?
Personally I find that as long as the thing has excellent battery life and built in Bluetooth, using mobile as modem is fine. You can still receive calls and sms on most mobile internet SIMs, and with some phones you can make cheap calls out on VoIP too.
Posted at 12:22 p.m. on February 20, 2009
A Whinger says...
#1 for me is a product that ships, not something which gets hyped, I pre order and pay for, then you drop it. Do it seriously, or go home.
Posted at 1:13 p.m. on February 20, 2009
Alec The Geek says...
I use a EEEPC 1000 H which is great in terms of storage (160Gb) and 1Gb memory work OK as well. I'm using Linux
Consider a trackstick (G Spot) instead of a trackpad. On a small keyboard it's too easy to knock the trackpad while typing. Pay attention to mouse buttons and if possible provide three.
Personally I'd drop the speakers as I only use headphones.
Built in 3G would be great. Having a usb modem hanging off the side is a little fragile on a small machine.
Posted at 1:22 p.m. on February 20, 2009
actionjackson says...
I have acer 1 linpus 512 mg of ram
bes tthign I have ever bought..... its not meant for power using just browsing web etc...
use it more then 2 hrs ev day...
Posted at 1:36 p.m. on February 20, 2009
Myles says...
RAM - 1GB RAM at least. 2GB would be lovely. Should be easy to change too by the user.
Colours - Standard colours like black, white or metallic grey/silver should be the minimum options.
OS - XP for those who don't know how to use Linux-based OS. uBuntu (or one of the other popular OSes) at least for those who are used to Linux.
Pre-loaded Software -
XP: As clean as possible IMHO. As spotless as a clean install would be lovely. Let the users decide and download what they need.
Linux: Clean installs. Linux users should of course know what they want and need for their personal computers.
Other hardware related want's:
6-Cell battery or better - The Samsung NC10 is a good example of a netbook which comes with a 6-Cell battery as their default setup.
Fanless - I personally don't see why most people are not doing it. The fan not only consumes some of the battery life, it's a pain. Sucks in dust. Noisy when hot. We want netbooks to last as a portable computer, not a vacuum cleaner.
LED screen - Saves battery life. Brighter screen.
Not too thick - That's self-explanatory.
Below 1.5kg - If Samsung can do it with their 6-cell, so can you.
2.5" SSD & HDD options - A choice between larger capacity or better performance. These should be easy to change for the end-user as well as being SATA.
Expresscard 54 - A must for business users and/or users who use an Expresscard-based wireless modem and etc.
USB ports - 3 at least. Most users with a netbook would use two things at least with their netbooks or even their notebooks. An external hard drive and a mouse. The third serves as a back up when needed.
Touchpad/Trackpad - Something standard. HP made a mistake by making the buttons at the side of their touchpad.
Webcam - As an option. I don't see many people using their netbooks' webcam that often.
Keyboard Lighting - Backlit keyboards which could be switched on/off by the user would be a plus. But if manufacturing costs is an issue, there was another design (forgot which company did it) which had a small LED light shine onto the keyboard when switched on.
Card Reader - SD, MSPro, the standards. Don't really see a point of having a card reader though when most people just use a USB stick to begin with. The only people I see using those memory cards are people who love to take pictures.
Keyboard - As close to the standard one as possible (excluding number pad).
Connections:
Bluetooth - As an option. Not many people use theirs. I don't even use mine at all as well.
3G - A must-need if the Expresscard slot is omitted.
WiFi - G would be fine for general consumers but Draft-N would be a bonus.
Posted at 2:45 p.m. on February 20, 2009
smith says...
2gb definitely
backlit keyboard
Posted at 3:40 p.m. on February 20, 2009
Adz says...
- 3G definitely
- Linux and XP as an option. I have Easy Peasy 1.0 for Netbooks (ubuntu), and works great.
- SSD as will take it everywhere and it gets roughed about.
Posted at 3:48 p.m. on February 20, 2009
poedgirl says...
10" would be great. I do have to agree with what people have said above, have both an XP and Linux option as the vast majority of netbook returns are due to people not knowing how to use Linux. If you want maximum market penetration, you'll need an XP version.
A touchscreen would be great, fairly cheap to implement too (about $50 for a resistive touch sensitive panel to go over an LCD) and if you can do this for cheap, it'd really make it stand out from the crowd.
Posted at 4:07 p.m. on February 20, 2009
curnsy says...
colour choices a must some dont like red or black and so on so to get to choose would be best.....or go one better and replacable face plates like the old nokia phones so people can change daily. lets go for real choice on ram ie 1 gig or pay extra for 2 gig os choices have to be ubuntu vista or xp ( to all those linux fany boys i hate linux i find it too hard to use and just for those windows fan boys people do enjoy tinkering and the functionality of linux henceforth choice is a must). To do this is a big job but lets make it a really customisable product with the final price dictated by available choices in ram hdd (ssd or mechanical) battery size ( not everyone needs a 6 cell some can survive on a 3 cell) Choice is the number one thing that the consumer demands.
Posted at 10:43 p.m. on February 20, 2009
techhatesme says...
From a student's perspective, the best options are:
* build the netbook AROUND a 6 cell battery, without making it too thick,
* 10 inch in either 1024x600 or, if cheap enough 1280×800,
* try prices for an LCD backlit screen like the MSI Wind (nice power saver),
* Express card slot!,
* SD reader,
* LAN,
* 802.11g, 802.11n only if cheap,
* Low power consumption HDD,
* 3 USB ports,
* VGA out,
* as a general rule, make the trackpad the same width as the space bar,
* make sure that the keyboard has a simi or full right shift key,
* OS should be whatever keeps the price down as low as possible. as a student without much of a wage, anything over $650 will be a strain,
* as for graphical ability, i recommend using the ability to display/output HD vids as your "is it powerful enough" benchmark,
* colour is not as importaint as making sure that this is strong enough to travel with. I recommend testing on melbourne's public transport during peak hour
Hope your listening, cos no other netbook manufacture is!
Posted at 11:43 p.m. on February 20, 2009
"." says...
Modeling something around the Samsung NC10 would be excellent:
Lets keep it simple and cheap:
Long battery life
Light
Big Keyboard
Maximum sized screen for lid dimensions (no huge bezels as there's no point having a 11" screen if a 12" screen can fit on)
Linux or XP (win 7 compatible)
Pineview CPU?
I think the idea is to cut the competition. make it cheap. make it light and last long. make it a netbook.
Posted at 12:44 a.m. on February 21, 2009
John says...
Hello me again. $500-$600 wow! missed that! Think you'll have to go some other angle. Maybe geeks won't get you enough sales, ignore these guys from slashdot (and me). Just been googling: the Sony P-Series laptop looks the perfect form factor to me. Can you make that for $500. They are targeting the Paris Hilton set. Lots of sexy shiny finishes. Bling! Clutch bag form factor, 3G. What do they use it for that they don't get from a smart phone? Facebook?. Going to have to think of your target market.
Posted at 11:34 a.m. on February 21, 2009
Joe says...
One great feature would be the ability to customise the hardware afterwards, for example have 2 dimm slots for the ram and have 1 gig stick in one dimm and have one dimm slot free for a later upgrade if required later, and the most important thing is to have the dimm easily assessable by having the ability to remove the underside plastic cover of the netbook so that the motherboard (or only dimm slots) are easily accessible.
Then that way it doesn't matter if it comes with 1 gig or ram because it will be easily upgradeable.
you can do a similar thing with the hard drive as well!!!
by the way sorry about my poor grammar!
Posted at 2:53 p.m. on February 21, 2009
Alice says...
Definitely 3G (nextG/HSPDA) built in, like the Vodafone Dell Mini.(but not locked to any particular network) - with a SIM slot accessible from the exterior so users can extract the SIM from their phone if they want.
It's a NETbook, after all, it should be able to acess the net simply on a train, on a bus or in a pub to win a bet :)
Posted at 5:38 p.m. on February 21, 2009
Bob says...
I agree with "." in putting in a pineview CPU
Posted at 6:28 p.m. on February 21, 2009
Hannu says...
- no bigger than 9", it's enough for almost anything. 10" is not good when it usually doesn't change the resolution
- built-in 3G is a must (HSDPA)
- the default OS could be Android based, also us geeks would like to use Linux or even OpenSolaris
- decent battery
I think currently EeePC 901GO seems like a good example.
Posted at 9:41 p.m. on February 21, 2009
Miraceti says...
For me I would like:
1G Ram
Ubuntu
30G hdd
10" screen with good res.
Long battery life 6 hours plus
A processor that performs well,
WiFi
3 or 4 USB ports
3G is a non issue for me
The key requirements for me are "light weight" and "very portable"
Posted at 10:06 p.m. on February 21, 2009
Eduardo... says...
●Linux (maybe Jolicloud? Its beautifull) and xp as an option(+$$)
●1gb ram i think its enough
●3g built-in seems great
Speakin in good example, here's mine: advent 4211.
●Cheap, ●10’’ and ●battery compatible with other mainstream netbook (so we can buy cheaper 6cells batteries)
Posted at 10:09 p.m. on February 21, 2009
Kirk says...
It should be easily upgradable for example, adding more RAM or replacing the harddrive. Also, the design of it should 'look' simple. I like the idea of being able to choose what colour you want it to be. Maybe have 'skins' where you can chose different design that can be applied to the outside of the netbook. Another idea would to have either a high speed SD card slot or CF card slot (or both). Users would be able to add movies or data onto the CF card. Alternatively you could target it at photograpers as a way to ofload their photos in the field. Expandable to add 3G, gps and TV Tuner.
Posted at 10:28 p.m. on February 21, 2009
brendon says...
i'm on a msi wind now running windows 7. it's awesome.
* 10 inch screen min
* WXGA or above resolution (1280x768) 1024 x 600 is too small for some windows, eg skype - can't buy credit coz the buttons go off the bottom of the screen.
* The form factor of the wind is good, but the screen doesn't go to the edge.
* webcam 1mp+
* decent mic
* decent speakers - wind speakers are garbage.
* 2-4GB RAM - RAM is cheap so why not
* 6 cell battery
* atom n280
* 120+GB hdd or hybrid SSD would also be good.
* 3 USB
* 802.11 a b g n
* vga out
* 1gb LAN
* card reader
* bluetooth
* nvidia ion/atom combo would be good
* Can't go wrong with black
Posted at 1:54 a.m. on February 22, 2009
Greg says...
Yes, the OS should definatly be gos. It has good community support, includes wine and google desktop, not to mention that delicious green theme.
Posted at 11:02 a.m. on February 22, 2009
Michael says...
It would be very nice if your build it with amd new chip set AMD Turion 64 X2 processor not the intel atom, 2g of ram would be nice and a big hdd might not be bad wifi is a must. Windows would be nice as a add-on (so u can have the base with linux to keep cost down). I sweet black gloss finish would make this look eppic. Baslicy everything brendon said but not the atom use amd.
Posted at noon on February 22, 2009
Matthew Patane says...
ram: 2gb
color: black
size: no smaller than 10"
hdd: minimum 120gb
battery: 8 hour battery life
Posted at 5:27 p.m. on February 22, 2009
Peter T. says...
Licensing conditions for XP require that it be sold with no more than 1GB RAM. So, if XP is chosen, then the notebook can only have 1GB RAM. Concomitantly, if 2GB is chosen, then that really means that the notebook must be sold with Linux.
I would like to see it sold with Android and 3G built-in.
Posted at 8:25 p.m. on February 22, 2009
Sergey says...
WinXP, 3usb, bt2.0+a2dp, wifi g/n, 1Gb lan, hdd over 120gb, light for keyboard, screen 1280x768, edge/umts modem, pc-express port, DB9 com port,
hardware keys for sound volume controls. hard keys for PgDn and PgUp, spaces over additional 2mm between F4 and F5, between F8 and F9. point stick for mouse. So, all keyboard from ThinkPad. 8-)
Posted at 4:42 a.m. on February 23, 2009
Tom says...
What about a netbook running android, it's Linux based and kogan should have some experience using it already.
Posted at 10:19 a.m. on February 23, 2009
tone!! says...
I have an eeePC (Linux) that has been a little disappointing. These are what I find to be the pros and cons, if that helps...
1. It doesn't really play video too well - either not enough RAM (1Gb) or inadequate video grunt, I don't know which.
2. Linux is not supported by the major telcos when it comes to mobile broadband, so I'm regretting not having XP.
3. Linux is okay, but which kind? It's frustrating to find software that will run on one version but not another. At least XP software is XP software, full stop.
4. I picked a white model because I'm sick to death of black - a choice is important.
5. Solid-state memory is great. I have 20Gb (16+4), but the more you can squeeze in, the better.
6. Built-in wireless is the best thing about it for me.
Posted at 10:52 a.m. on February 23, 2009
Ben Hamilton says...
My thoughts are thusly:
10" screen
6 cell battery minimum (or better for longer life – 8 or 9 hours pls)
1GB installed, plus one extra empty slot to upgrade it to 2gb
Wireless NIC is essential
1GB Nic would be nice but not essential, 100MB Nic minimum
Operating system:
a. XP Home as minimum OS,
b. XP Business would be WONDERFUL
c. Ubuntu
HDD 100GB min 2.5"
SSD slot with ability to boot from it
Min 2 USB connectors
Webcam builtin
Don’t care about the colour - make it easy for modders to work on it (i.e. steampunk-ify)
Built in 3G would be great or slot/holder for sim to enable 3G
Hardware key for mute sound is a must
Nice to have hardware key/s or dial for volume
Scrap the touch pad, put in a mouse stick ala ibm thinkpads
Keyboard sizing like the MSI Wind i.e. larger and usable for longer use.
Posted at 12:10 p.m. on February 23, 2009
srhardy@gmail.com says...
Can we PLEASE have the 64bit Atom 330 version & not the 32bit version, that also goes for the OS too, Linux makes a great netbook OS! Next KDE 4.2 version of kubuntu is finished in April, make it the 64bit version & Im halfway there...
Next we need better graphics than the Intel built in one, the nvidia alternative rocks in comparison... Oh HDMI out too please!
Next 10" HD Wide, since your not going XP you can go 1200*800 or something near it & i will sell my acer1 tomorrow & order yours in advance.
Next 2gb, you dont save squat with being mean here...
BT 2,1 with stereo & sell Stereo headsets seperate, ill order a pair with the laptop if they are cheap enough... WiFi a/b/g & N (must have N!) & 3G (850/900/2100 UMTS + GPRS Freq) as an option maybe?
Honest to goodness, 64bit (be a leader & redefine the netbook market), better graphics & HD res screen, KDE4.2 as its the BEST looking desktop, better than win7 & thats not even out yet!
Posted at 11:22 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
Hi, I thought I might as well put in few inputs, since you're listening. I'll try to be reasonable with the features(since I believe although you're trying to deliver the best bang-for-the-buck, you still want ito make it affordable).
Just as background info, I had worked as computer technician and also dealt with the customer complaints firsthand for a few years.It sort of formed a lot of my opnions regarding what works and not, and how things should be from end users/technicians point of view (not manufacturers'), so I hope you can find something that works for you and us from this post.
OS-wise:
-------------------
OS: Windows and Linux, just make it as selectable choice with Linux being cheaper. If the cost of implementing Linux turns out to be more expensive than Windows, just scrap the OS and make it a selection of Windows and no OS preinstalled. No Vista, just skip to Windows 7, but hold the tought. Even though people are raving about it on the net, you might want to wait until the final release is solid enough (preferably wait until SP1, unless Microsoft doesn't extend XP's life anymore). Of course, I'm just being conservative.
Preinstall Windows XP Home, but make Windows XP Pro an optional upgrade though.
Most users are fine with XP Home. No need to spend the extra cash on Pro. Those who really need Pro are usually in corporate environment and they can spend the extra if they really need to.
The harsh reality is, most people will use pirated pro version anyways, and that can't be helped.
Linux, use Ubuntu. The upcoming Ubuntu Linux (v9.10) is designed around netbooks in mind with faster boot time and screen space considerations (the nickname is Karmic Koala :) Serendipitous for us Aussies!).
Normally I would recommend something lighter, but from experience, Ubuntu is one of the most user friendly Linux around with good community support.
There's no point in slapping in a distro which requires user to read so much technical documentation to get things done. Leave the more advanced distro to those who want to learn and tinker themselves. You only need to provide users with an OS that helps them be productive.
Putting in other netbook-centric distro is not necessarily the best course of action either. IMHO they're all still rather new, which means less user base, which translates to less community support. Sticking to mainstream distros are better in this case.
Posted at 11:22 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
Preloaded software
--------------------
Windows:
Please don't preload it with bloated software (trial antivirus, office, etc.). It can be extra source of revenue to cut production cost, but more often than not they really annoy customers. You can set up a deal with software companies to list them as extra buying option (along with upgrade to XP Pro I mentioned above), that'll be great for users: Convenience, but as a choice.
Linux:
I think it's a good idea to preload Go-oo instead of vanilla OpenOffice. Go-oo is built on OpenOffice, but with added extra compatibility features with Microsoft Office documents. It's also used as the base for NeoOffice, I believe. Most users still use MS Office, so you really want to make the transition less painful.
Firefox is good, but I do question whether it is necessary for most users. Its power comes from its customisability (and most people don't really customise their browsers beyond organising bookmarks), but it is also quite bloated for a netbook with limited resources. Do consider of putting something lighter like Galleon (there's another good one called Midori, but it's still in Alpha stage, so it's not such a good idea bundling that in a production machine)
VLC is a pretty good choice since it plays most types of media files out of the box. Less configuration for new users, less problems.
GIMP is good. It's not perfect, but for commercial desktop user, I don't think there's an equal for the time being.
I agree with having Adeona preinstalled. Really good marketing strategy.
Posted at 11:24 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
Hardware-side:
--------------------
Colour:
One colour (black). Yes, one colour.
But there's more.
Manufacture & design it so that there's a sleeve which users can slide in pictures/photos that they want. Just like those folders the kids use in high schools. Now there's a risk with people putting pictures that you don't want to associate with the company, so maybe you can move the logo somewhere on the side, glowing or whatnot. It'll be cool.
I was going to suggest implementing your LCD digital frames as netbook cover, but I think that'll probably be too experimental for production :)
Casing:
Please don't use glossy surface. They attract fingerprints. They don't exactly have any functional value other than aesthetics and adjusting your hair.
Painted plastic material is a no-no. A plain black/beige plastic material is better than silver-painted plastic that simply wears off within couple of months use. Looks gross as well.
Other than that, please concentrate on making the case rugged. Doesn't have to be military grade toughness, but can withstand drops a couple of times. Netbooks are portable. So portable they tend to get dropped accidentally. Dropping it once and having some parts snap is definitely not a good thing.
I always find it silly that a lot of manufacturers produce really good looking portable hardware, yet they're so fragile in regards to scratches, fingerprints, etc. that users have to buy pouch/protectors that cover the aesthetics of the hardware design itself.
CPU:
Anything fast, power-saving and well supported in both OSes.
RAM:
1GB is enough I reckon. If they're using it only for browsing/office suite, it will do. But please don't be cheap in implementation with 2 x 512MB and take up all the empty slots. Leave an empty slot for fussless upgrade please.
HD:
Regarding HD, i think 120GB is plenty. Anything above that simply makes people happier. A fresh windows install (with updates) will take around 4GB. Netbooks are meant to be portable. Not having Terabytes of storage is excusable. If users are really active with a lot of big files, they can buy external HDs.
Touchpad:
I agree with one of the posts above mentioning the touchpad should be as big around as long as the spacebar key. The bigger, the nicer to use. Please provide us with a good touchpad support, where you can adjust the sensitivity of tapping and enable/disable Draglock.
I find most people dislike touchpad because they kept accidentally clicking and dragging things around on screen.
Just don't neglect the touchpad. I see a lot of Mac users become avid touchpad users simply because Apple implemented the technology right (I'm sure if Mac users can afford a laptop, they can afford a mouse). Besides, adding mouse drains battery, and the product will feel like its lacking battery life, even though it's not the manufacturer's fault.
Posted at 11:27 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
Keyboard:
It will be great if you can provide us with a keyboard on par with IBM ThinkPads. I have one and it's amazing. Not too loud. Soft, but strong recoil for fast typing. Solid keys, wobbly keyboards are just plain annoying and feels extremely cheap. Spill-free keyboard would be awesome, but that may be stretching the budget too much. It should be as big as MSI Wind's keyboard, anything less would be too uncomfortable.
Screen:
9-10".Anything less would compromise keyboard size, anything bigger would lessen portability. 1024x600 resolution as minimal. I do personally find it too small for resolution, but one has to consider there are people who find default fonts in 1280x800 resolution on a 10" screen way too small for comfortable reading. Please provide us with a good contrast ratio screen.
Connectivity:
At least 3 USBs. 1 for mouse, 1 for removable storage, and one more for other misc device (like 3G modem).
A HDMI port would be a nice addition, but not necessarily a must. It needs to be able to connect to external (bigger) monitor for sure.
SD card slot should be a standard by now (quick picture transfer from digital cameras, handy for holidays).
Wireless g/n. Gigabit Ethernet. Please make sure it supports n. If you have to cut cost, cut on the Gigabit Ethernet and not the wireless n support. Bluetooth should also be available. Please include a hardware on-off switch to conserve battery life.
Speakers:
This actually doesn't need to be fancy. Just make it decent enough for VoIP and quiet music listening. One can't expect too much from a netbook speaker. Headsets/earphones are more viable to listen to music in public places, and external speakers are reasonably cheap these days.
Webcam & micropone:
Also something decent, but don't need to be fancy. 1.3MP is enough for a netbook. Microphone should be clear enough to use on a normal typing position (not slanting forward towards the mic).
Battery:
Definitely 6 cell. Or better :)
Cooling system:
Ventilation that vent the air out sideways is probably a good idea, since I find a lot of people placing their laptops on soft surfaces that block cooling ventilation at the bottom. Overtime, with dust accumulation, etc. they overheat and shut down, giving the impression that the hardware is faulty and the brand is unreliable. The hot air may annoy users, so it's probably a good idea to let it blow to the left/back.
Lighting:
You'd be surprised how many people I met that complains that their PC/laptop has lights so bright that it disturbs them from getting to sleep. They had to put paper/bluetack to cover them. Just be aware of that.
Power cable:
Please use cables that are easy to bend (like Macbooks'). It's nice to have the cables still reasonably straight even after the rolling/strapping.
Posted at 11:29 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
Miscellaneous:
--------------------
Please don't make hidden partition as recovery partition. Just provide us with recovery CDs (containing easy to use program that create bootable usb HD/flash, and can download all the latest drivers before writing the files, if needed). Make the software/drivers update available as free downloads. Make sure they're updated and easy to find in the support section. Have links that report to the webmaster regarding broken links. Make sure the webmaster checks them.
Please set up a section of Kogan's website as community website with forum for users. This will help users to get help quickly and support to pinpoint common problems. It also boost up company's reputation and build a strong fan base. Having said that, it WILL attract whiners as well, but having a support forum is better than having nothing and leave everything else to the customers to figure out.
Instead of preloading software, you can simply provide vanilla installation the OS (with drivers installed, of course) and include a brochure inside the box pointing to this community website, where people can get recommendation (from New Users Guide section, FAQs and such) of what software to download and install. The netbook would be famous for its good built and strong community support.
Price should be $600 or less
MSI Wind U100 falls into that price range, and I reckon it's the best-bang-for-buck netbook for its class at the moment.
Hope all these help, otherwise I'd be typing this for nothing :)
PS: If somehow all these get implemented, I will surely buy more than 3 units :)
Posted at 11:31 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Ryan from Warners Bay says...
atleast 2gb ram would be good
please make it easy to buy spare battery
i think an 80gb hard drive would do
please use the Nvidia Ion not the intel chipset
black would be good :)
Posted at 11:55 p.m. on February 23, 2009
Gurzo says...
Since I'm currently looking for a suitable netbook myself, here is my wishlist:
- 10" would be the best. Portability, but big enough to suit any need.
- 2GB RAM would be better, but 1GB wouldn't be too bad...
- Regarding colours, I can't be bothered. Just make also the "usual" colours and you'll be fine.
- I'd love more Linux-based netbook, so my vote is for open source here. Just make sure it's a good enough distro (eg. Ubuntu) and not a badly made toyish one.
- Software should cover only the basics, so you won't be overflooding users with unwanted applications.
Go for OpenOffice, Firefox, VLC, The GIMP, a good mp3 organizer/player, a torrent application, gZIP, Pidgin, Foxit Reader. Can't think about more must-have.
- 6 cell battery is a must! Don't make the mistake of using a lesser one.
- Weight shouldn't be more than 1.5Kg.
- 3 USBs, separate mic/headphones, ethernet, wireless 802.11n.
- HDD please, any size bigger than 32GB will do.
- provide a recovery USB drive instead of a CD, that would make me very happy!
Posted at 5:07 a.m. on February 24, 2009
Kew says...
Having had a portable device with an exotic HDD in it which went belly up, i think a nice zippy SSD for at least the system drive is the way to go. SDHC reader and at least 3 USB2.0 sockets is a must. Wireless and Bluetooth and LAN all go without saying.
If you're going with Linux, instead of a recovery CD you might consider including a recovery USB key or bootable SD card instead. The idea of having to spend more money on an external CD-ROM drive to get my netbook working again in case of drastic failure annoys me.
If you can swing Opera as your browser of choice, do it. It's much kinder on netbooks than Firefox is.
And i agree wih the comments encouraging you to make the casing hardy (matt and a stately grey colour perhaps) but easily customisable. That goes for both the physical appearance of the book and the operating system too.
Have you thought about Android as an OS?
Posted at 11:12 a.m. on February 24, 2009
Wazza says...
OK It's a netbook! The key is "vanilla" components, for support with ALL operating systems. Make sure the wireless chipset is well supported. As for bluetooth if budget allows it's inclusion.
Stay intel ATOM with GMA 500 integrated graphics though (UL11L, US15L, US15W core chipset). 6 cell battery would be great as standard, BUT, offering it as an upgrade to keep base unit costs low would be great too. Look at ARM technology as round two ;).
No DVD drive, that's what Laptops and desktops are for. Use at least a 16GB SSD, make sure it's the faster variety as some SSD's really are slow.....not impressive. Dual SD card slots (High capacity). A minimum of 3 x USB2 connectors.
10" screen.......it's almost essential.
Go Linux, for default install. Stick to the big Distributions when considering, even go for a OEM install agreement with someone like Mandriva/SUSE, some limited support possibly? Or include a readily available dummies guide to the disto selected?? Don't use a butchered OS like on the Eee PC and Aspire One (Linux versions, of which I have both). Make XP drivers available publicly. It's amazing how much support and enthusiasm can be generated for a well supported product, think "Indie-Computing"(ie Different :P)
Some rubberised corners would be handy on the unit :)
As someone who deals with non-profit and low overhead business (more of with the economy crashing), the Netbook industry is booming and it's amazing how quickly people adjust to (and even enjoy) the world of Linux and F.O.S.S. Usually they end up with better awareness of I.C.T.
Thanks for the chance to have input, I'll be watching with keen interest (and prepping some savings to purchase if all goes well!)
Wazza
Posted at 1:07 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Mitchell says...
What I would say is, if you go with ubuntu, and you should, install flash and shockwave plugins for firefox, it requires some command line stuff and probably is out of grasp for some casual users.
Posted at 2:25 p.m. on February 24, 2009
j@sH says...
One of the reason MSI Wind is so successful is because people can easily install Mac OS X on it without too much hassle.
If the Kogan netbook's hardware can be similar to a macbook and somehow compatible enough so anyone can insall Mac OS X would be a HUGE bogus.
Agree with people above about its hardware.
Posted at 2:36 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Ridion says...
I hear shipping xp puts limits in what specs your machine will be otherwise the license cost goes through the roof. I'd like to see a proper linux distro like debian running, 10" screen would be fantastic I know my 7" eee 701 is far too small. on a netbook the assumption should be that it's not a primary computer. 1 GB of ram is enough. I'd like to see some real integration with the agora, much in the way the Palm folio promised to work so closely with their treo.
If I were to buy a kogan netbook I'd want it to have a solid state drive. 20GB is plenty of space in something like a netbook and the reliability is unmatched.
Posted at 3:47 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Mitch says...
I always found that net book touch pads are annoying to navigate on. For general web surfing, it would be awesome if the screen was a touchscreen and could swivel to make a tablet.
Keyboard is a must though.
It shouldnt look tacky either, Problem with most tablets is they too ugly to be seen with one
Posted at 3:59 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Michael says...
Hi Ruslan,
Fantastic news that you're bringing out a Netbook - I'll buy one! Can't wait for the new Agora either.
The Kogan Netbook has to have inbuilt 3g. That is all :)
Michael
Posted at 4:23 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Don says...
In addition to all the other stuff that most seem to want like 10.1 screen size, long battery life etc., what I would like to see is use of the new Intel Atom N280 processor allied with the Nvidia Ion platform for kick-ass graphics. Also, inclusion of an internal DVD drive like in the recently announced Asus eee PC 1004DN, I believe would differentiate this PC from the stock standard configuration virtually all current netbooks have. If Kohjinsha can fit an internal DVD drive in an 8.9 netbook (the only currently available netbook I can find on the net with an internal DVD), this should be achievable.
Posted at 4:39 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Ben P says...
I totally agree with J@sh. You should look into ensuring that Mac OSX CAN be installed for those more dubious users. Even look at the form factor of the new MacBooks.
Posted at 6:07 p.m. on February 24, 2009
jones says...
Are you copying the same o/s xp on every laptop? That would be pirate copying issues...
And you wouldn't be buying all of it would you now..
Lets do the sums...
Atleast $245 to 260usd for the laptop.
Add shipping and gst and convert the laptop price to aussie dollar.
You would be reaching $450 mark.
That's not even including the xp program.. Now you wana sell it for 500 to 600.
Hmmm I wouldn't be pirating.. You will get a lot of trouble mate.
Your business will fall in a puddle. 500k fine atleast for a warning.
Posted at 6:22 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Mark says...
Must have:
○ 10" screen
○ near full size keyboard
○ Linux (possibly Ubuntu) with the option to pay a bit more for XP Home
○ 1GB Ram plus 1 SODIMM expansion slot (giving the user the choice to upgrade while keeping the cost down for the majority of users)
○ Latest Intel Atom CPU
○ Some better graphics than an Intel 950
○ Wireless b/g/n
○ slot for a 3G modem
○ Preloaded software that is usefull such as
• Open Office 3
• Firefox
• Thunderbird
• The Gimp or some other graphics program
• CD/DVD burning software (for external burner)
• A media player that can handle all sorts of Codecs
Finally a price around $500 to $600
Posted at 6:28 p.m. on February 24, 2009
jones says...
these must be fake people..
why does everyone say must be around $500-600
why not $400.. but everyone is sayin $500-600
im looking at the good guys brochure right now infront of me.
for a bigger screen 15.4" compaq laptop with 1.66ghz, 1gb ram, 160gb hdd, dual core for $790
Posted at 7:50 p.m. on February 24, 2009
jones says...
sorry me again..
i flicked the page and saw..
10" screen asus eepc. intel atom same specs.. $699
soooooo 5-600 kogan mate your not gona make any money from this at all
Posted at 7:52 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Greg says...
A good price for a standard netbook, looks like you are on that track. And Ubuntu.
OR
Down the track, how about something that is not the same as everyone else's netbook. VIA Nano based, 10" screen, 1360x768 (or 1280x720), good graphics, 3G and a decent sound chip. VIA and Nvidia keep talking about creating such a platform.
I am not kidding about the sound chip, my EeePC is connected to my car's sound system via a cable and is used as a music jukebox on long trips (with a car charger as well).
While I am at it, provide an optional car charger.
Posted at 7:53 p.m. on February 24, 2009
jones says...
did you just not read what i wrote?
how is it a good price??
Posted at 7:56 p.m. on February 24, 2009
elmato says...
The current run of the mill netbooks are getting pretty mehtastic. To warrant getting a device with such low specs, they really need to have some killer features I cant get from a traditional laptop. (which lets face it, cost the same yet have double / triple the specs)
* A version of ubuntu NBR would go down well. Especially if you can unobtrusively trim the fat off it and get the boot times down to the 20 second mark. (leaving the possibility for users to bloat it back up, without bricking the damn thing... *glares at xandros*)
* Black would make the best colour. Perhaps a cammo edition just for kicks :P but please please please make the keyboard letters either backlit, luminous or reflective (to catch the lcd light) There is nothing more annoying than trying to type on a black 701 in the dark.
* With the recent opensourcing of the XO-1 design, id like to see several features borrowed and improved on. The way the XO can be folded into an ebook reader (eg clamshell AND tablet formfactor) is absolutely fantastic. Perhaps you could come out with 2 editions. 1 with buttons on the side of the screen for basic controls in 'ebook mode' and for another say $100... touch screen baby (I modded my 701 for $60).
* AV PORTS!!! Im not fussed if it is just a simple cable/adapter to convert vga/dvi/hdmi to RCA (dont forget audio). but seriously, why is noone including a nice simple option to turn the device into a media center? I currently hook my 701 running XBMC up to a projector. IT ROCKS! Makes $2-3K HTPC's look pathetic.
* Since you seem to have some gucci chinese contacts, why not rebadge (call them 'kogs' :P) and 'support' several usb peripherals such as DVB cards, 3g, slimline dvd burner, 50 in one card readers etc etc. This is the year 2009 dammit! WTF cant I watch futurama at the beach? :P
* Also, for those of us that enjoy voiding warranties for breakfast, a couple of internal usb ports, wouldnt go astray. Perhaps you could have a little door with a usb port inside, with enough space for a typical usb dongle. This would have saved me having to void 2 warranties just cause I like using a G9.
/end rant
Posted at 9:54 p.m. on February 24, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
jones, I don't quite follow you in regards to pricing, but let me try to explain if you don't mind (and if I'm not mistaken):
$500-$600 is currently good-average price for netbooks at the moment.
Don't just compare it according to size/specs. It doesn't fully work that way.15" laptops are currently the standard for best value laptops. Their components tend to be more standardised and mass produced, cheaper.
17" laptops are expensive because they require bigger LCDs, which cost more in terms of production. 17"ers are also geared more towards gaming/multimedia, so they tend to put more powerful components in.
However, laptops that are less than 15" are actually rather expensive to make as well. It is no longer problem of screen and hardware capabilities. Smaller laptops require smaller components (which means newer technology, which means more expensive because it's not mass-produced as much). Space constraints, battery life, airflow and other aspects need to be rethought.
But simply put, portability to the extent of netbooks are new and in at the moment, and newer technology+trend tend to cost more :(
Posted at 3:17 a.m. on February 25, 2009
John says...
Yes, I've one suggestion: Don't publish such things before you know that you will successful complete the project. I'm sure you remeber this pathetic "our nice mobile phone sucks" message only some weeks before shipping date.
Posted at 4:09 a.m. on February 25, 2009
A.Smith says...
Lots of great ideas here. We own an AcerOne netbook which i picked up in Singapore for around $400AUD.
A feature which is important is the ability to be compatible with the drivers and hardware to do with mobile broadband. Our netbook has the 3G built in but due to running on Linux it is unable to be compatible with the major networks as there are no current drivers.
We love the linux platform and the simple layout of the graphic desktop. Perhaps an option to easily swap between this mode and the standard linux environment would be nice.
Longer life battery and quality webcam.
The real key to your netbook is ongoing updates and software support. Are you really ready for this? Acer struggles and is upto 8 months behind standard software updates eg firefox 3 took a very long time as a packet update from acer, and we are still waiting on openoffice3. Many people dont realize that the software is best upgraded and added by a central site download rather than trying the different linux versions to suit their netbook.
Posted at 4:14 a.m. on February 25, 2009
Manysounds says...
Not Intel chip .
2gig ram .
Dual SD slot (new terabyte standard?) .
Dual USB .
16g SSD - no need for more with USB/SD slots .
3D Video available .
10" screen .
External Monitor Port .
Hardwire LAN .
Wireless N .
All local 3G .
Linux (Big easy distro, pref Ubuntu beacause it's easy) .
Oo3, FF3, Pidgin, Gimp, VLC.
With a good linux a user can install whatever they want past that, be it Thunderbird, Skye, ZynAddSubFX . FYI, MSOffice install fine with Wine under linux so compatability in the office is a non-issue . O, and, something lacking in netbooks severly: a decent sounding sound sysytem.
Posted at 6:39 a.m. on February 25, 2009
assente.vega9.com says...
I'd like a 10inch notebook with 1Gb of Ram. Wifi N, GPS, 16gb SSD and a multitouch trackpad.
Software: Linux Ubuntu 8.10, Gnome Mplayer, Firefox, Pidgin, OOO3.
Posted at 8:42 a.m. on February 25, 2009
jones says...
Wirawan Harianto i just wrote under that i found an asus with exact features kogan wants and a price for $699.
10" as well.. so what now ?
Posted at 9:34 a.m. on February 25, 2009
Laurin says...
I have an acer netbook and I only have one wish for the next netbook I'm going to buy: I defenitaly must have a CPU > 1.6GHz! I'm not sure if Intel is providing Atoms >1.6GHz, but if they do, get one faster than 1.6. It's really annoying.
1GB ram is enough.
Let people choose weether win xp or linux.
If you're netbook is cool, I'm gonna buy it. As well as the Agora...!
Posted at 10:14 a.m. on February 25, 2009
Wirawan Harianto says...
jones, now I'm even more confused.
What exactly are you trying to say? What do you want Kogan to do for their netbooks?
Posted at 12:18 p.m. on February 25, 2009
mark says...
2Gb with Windows would make it familiar and easy to use out of the box.
Possible to have an OS choice? Linux for those comfortable with getting around compatibility issues and Windows for those that need it for business/uni.
Would need to be priced less than its branded peers.
Posted at 12:46 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Greg P says...
I've been waiting AGES for a netbook with the following specs:
- Intel Atom processor N280 (or at least N270)
- 10" or 11" 1024x600 (minimum) MATTE(!!) screen, LED backlit
- NVIDIA Ion chipset with integrated (9400m G) graphics
- 160GB 5400rpm SATA HDD
- 92% (min) full size keyboard (eg Samsung NC10)
- 2GB RAM min (DDR3 would be ideal - supported by NVIDIA chipset)
- 1.3kg maximum
- Bluetooth
- HSPDA and/or WiMax (lower priority than the rest)
- 802.11b/g
- SDHC Card Reader
- VGA (or Mini/Micro-DVI) and HDMI Out (with adaptors available for other formats)
- USB 2.0 x3 (2 would be ok if short on space)
- Gigabit Ethernet (built into nVidia chipset already)
- 1.3Mega Pixel Webcam
- Stereo Speakers
- Tiny "plug pack" style AC Power pack (no heavy 240V cable!!!)
- netbook input voltage of max 12V, so simple & cheap car/airplane power supply adaptors can be made
- 6+ hour battery life
I'm willing to pay upto A$1,000 for this beast!!! PLEASE make it!!!
Posted at 1:19 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Unimaginative says...
LOVE
Posted at 1:42 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Alan says...
Like the idea of OS choice, but for the Linux version, use the extra savings on upgraded storage or memory (eg Windows Xp version 80Gb drive, Linux (Kubuntu) version 160Gb drive for same cost). Might drive home to some how much MS actually costs...
Kubuntu (or any KDE based offering) over Ubuntu as it is more 'windows-like' for people who don't know any different.
Posted at 1:58 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Aaron says...
I would love to see this standard configuration and optional extras available for the netbook. The standard model would ideally be priced around A$499 and with all optional extras around $659
Standard Configuration:
10" matte screen,
Intel Atom N280 1.66Ghz/533,
Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset,
1024 x 576 resolution,
802.11 g/n,
10/100 ethernet,
3 x USB 2.0,
5-in-1 card reader ,
6 cell Li-ion battery,
1GB DDR2 SDRAM (Installed as 1 x 1GB module to allow for installation of additional 1GB),
160GB SATA ,
Headphone/Mic connections,
weight < 1.5kg,
Ubuntu Linux,
Matte black / white case.
Optional Extras:
64GB SSD,
2GB DDR2 SDRAM,
1366 x 768 resolution,
3G Modem,
Windows 7,
Gloss black / white case.
I dont think there is anything too outrageous listed there. I am a huge fan of a matte screens over gloss, especially when you may be using the machine in varied environments where glare could be a real issue. I also prefer matte cases as they show scratches and fingerprints less which adds to the perception of durability. The Atom 280 with it's integrated northbridge / graphics core allows for simpiler design and lower manufacturing costs so although it is brand new and obviously more expensive that the 270, manufacturing efficiencies could offset some of the cost, also allowing for an overall slimmer unit. The 3G modem should be offered as an extra because the cost of data access in australia makes this an expensive option for the home user and lets face it most people use netbooks sitting on the sofa in front of the television where wifi is a significantly better option. I would like to see the unit ship as standard with Ubuntu with Windows 7 as an option when it is released, I would not bother with XP as from beta testing reports windows 7 runs extremely well on the current iteration of netbooks on the market. A small thing, but nice to have, would be if it shipped with a carry case to protect it when thrown in a briefcase / backpack.
Posted at 2:33 p.m. on February 25, 2009
james` says...
10" screen
1GB memory
N wifi
Bluetooth
multi touch touch pad (Elantech make a good one)
160Gb HDD
Don't mess with key positions (learn from the Asus EEE1000 mistakes)
I think there is a great "chiclet" keyboard now being used on the EEE1000HE that you might want to look at
A 3Gsim slot that is accessible from the outside of the laptop
3usb slots if no 3G built in, or only 2 will do if 3G is built in
Ubuntu is def the way to go
Source parts which have drivers built into the Ubuntu distro
It might be worth waiting to see if anything comes of the Via Nano platform, i have seen some impressive bench marks
Web cam and built in mic are important - netbooks are primarly communication devices, not workhorses. (make sure that the mic is placed in the screen housing, as mics on the laptop body seem to pic up fan and keyboard noise more than voice)
without a doubt i would go with ubuntu though.
Posted at 4:23 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Ruslan Kogan says...
Thanks for your feedback everyone - it's been great! I'm sure you will be very happy with what we have come up with.
We will launch the Netbook with a flavour of Linux - we are trying to decide which one:
- Ubuntu Netbook Remix
- gOS
- KDE4
??
Today I played with Ubuntu Netbook Remix and gOS - they both run well on Netbooks and the UI on gOS was very appealing.
Posted at 5:16 p.m. on February 25, 2009
KGB says...
I'd prefer
Dual core Atom or ARM (better & cheaper)
2 GB RAM
64 GB SSD
10" screen
Dark green/blue or black color
Definitely Linux with definitely KDE4 (openSUSE, Fedora etc.)
All open source programs obviously: OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Ekiga, MPlayer, Kaffeine, Amarok, Digikam etc.
Posted at 7:41 p.m. on February 25, 2009
KGB says...
Sorry, forgot to mention - at least 4 USB ports, obviously b/g wireless, and wireless internet modem/card built-in (like in Dell mini)
Posted at 7:44 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Ryan from warners Bay says...
how about android os ?????
Posted at 8:39 p.m. on February 25, 2009
troy de leon says...
* easily upgradeable OS (with easy driver availability) cause i usually prefer to have XP though i tinker with linux now and then
* 10in screen
* Screen Resolution - 720p
* Optional: touch screen
* 1GB standard - upgradeable to 4GB
* VGA Out with option to add HDMI via USB
* 3 x USB
* at least 4 Hours Battery Life (battery replaceable)
* 160 GB+ Hard Drive - upgradeable
* wi fi b/g/n & HSDPA/3G
* Optional Bluetooth (dont really need it that much)
* 1.3M Webcam
* Aluminum finish
* Dual core ATOM or 1.66MHz Atom if that pads the price too much
* Memory Card Reader
* Spill proof keypad
Posted at 9:16 p.m. on February 25, 2009
dns says...
I'd try and do as many unique features that no one has bothered with and you don't nessisarily need to be anything like the other netbooks. Go with ubuntu, depending on the hardware a standard version, ubuntu netbook remix, or ubuntu mobile and embeded. it NEEDS all the drivers open source and included in both the mainline kernel as well as backported to ubuntu.
I'd like open hardware if possible, with the XO releaseing the specs it may be something to work from as a starting point but add more ram, a faster cpu and gpu. I would like a screen designed like the xo where you could have a power saveing mode like the xo that you can read easily outdoors in the sun.
You don't nessisarily need to use an x86 cpu, there are netbooks based on arm that have been announced and ubuntu has an arm port. likewise a via cpu also looks better than intel in some benchmarks.
An intel intergrated graphics should be good enough for most usage, they are improving them a lot and they can do hd decoding in the gpu but we need some time for this to stabalise. The via graphics may also be an option but the drivers need 6 months - a year to stabalise.
Adding touchscreen support should not add a huge ammount to the cost and it is a feature that not many have thaught about. the ubuntu mobile and embeded / moblin / gnome mobile interface is an option and it is being activly developed.
I have heard that adding a gps reciever should be reletivly cheap and may be something different you could have.
Accelerometers should add about $2 to add to the cost so you may as well include some.
bluetooth is also reletivly cheap to licence.
If it is running linux you don't need much ram, 512 is far too much, don't go for the 2gb it's overkill but keep the slots avalable, make sure you have a window to change this.
Posted at 11:29 p.m. on February 25, 2009
Earnest says...
Chakra Linux with a nice GUI and some sort of automated update package.
Stealing from other comments to do this quickly ..
* Dual Core Atom - the latest Atom is preferable
* Integrated 3G with OPTIONS!! ABSOLUTE MUST!
* 10" or 11" 1024x600 (minimum) MATTE(!!) screen, LED backlit, WIDESCREEN format
* NVIDIA Ion chipset with integrated (9400m G) graphics
* For HDD I want Light weight > speed > size!
* 92% (min) full size keyboard (eg Samsung NC10)
* 2GB RAM min (DDR3 would be ideal - supported by NVIDIA chipset); 4GB would be better
* 1.3kg maximum
* Bluetooth
* HSPDA and/or WiMax (lower priority than the rest)
* 802.11b/g
* SDHC Card Reader
* VGA (or Mini/Micro-DVI) and HDMI Out (with adaptors available for other formats)
* USB 2.0 x4 (3 would be ok if short on space)
* Gigabit Ethernet (built into nVidia chipset already)
* 1.3Mega Pixel Webcam - optional but ideal!
* Stereo Speakers
* Tiny "plug pack" style AC Power pack (no heavy 240V cable!!!)
* netbook input voltage of max 12V, so simple & cheap car/airplane power supply adaptors can be made
* 6+ hour battery life
* Fill it up with Open Source software - OpenOffice, FF, Gimp all sound great. It can easily be uninstalled.
Posted at 8:19 a.m. on February 26, 2009
Mark says...
- I haven't seen it mentioned but please don't use a reflective Display like Acer does. It is hard to use in the sun and thats where I want to sit with my Netbook.
-I vote for Ubuntu Netbook remix or Easy Peasy (Ubuntu based Netbook System)
- Sell it in Europe too!!
Posted at 8:39 a.m. on February 26, 2009
Metal Detector says...
First, congratulations for going the smart way and opting for Linux ahead of Windows. Settling for mediocrity just because we're so used to it is never a good option.
As Linux distributions go, Ubuntu is probably the best option for a user friendly experience. They also have regular updates, so it's easy to keep up with the latest security patches even if you are not technically inclined. Their lite netbook version should do the job well.
As for the other questions:
1. I know I'm at a minority, but I would prefer a 9" screen. I value being able to stow my netbook in my backpack and not noticing it there quite a lot.
2. Wi-fi should work seamlessly. Often with Linux that is not the case, especially when combined with certain routers.
3. Bundled software should include Skype and the netbook should include a worthy webcam. That is one of the primary uses for a netbook.
4. Bundled software should also include photo management software. My preference is for Picasa. And talking about Google software, Google Earth won't hurt either (for fun). In general, the software that comes bundled with Ubuntu is a good enough start.
5. 1gb or 2gb: More is always better with RAM.
6. Storage: I would prefer the robustness of small solid state storage over a large hard disk drive. Cloud computing is now the rule anyway. That said, having an SDHC slot to use as an [integrated] external drive would be great.
Posted at 8:43 a.m. on February 26, 2009
jones says...
everybody he is getting a 10" screen stop wishing for 9 or 11" screen.. geee. that 1" doesnt make a difference anyway
and hes made his mind up.. linux... now get ova it and lets see it
Posted at 9:35 a.m. on February 26, 2009
Jill (Melbourne) says...
For me, as a student on the age pension, travelling on public transport, it is important that the netbook is small, cheap, lightweight and discreet. I have a pink ASUS EEE running Xandros which is great except for the tiny 7 inch screen and lack of hard drive. I would not want anything bigger in its outside dimensions or heavier than the EEE. As it is I can tuck my netbook in its wetsuit sleeve into a pile of books and no one knows I have it. It also fits into a small backpack very discreetly. I want something I can use on the tram without nudging the person next to me. It needs to be light because I'm walking/ using public transport. A notebook is far too big and heavy.
1 Gb is enough for me at the moment, but there should be an option to buy/ upgrade to 2 Gb.
Any colour is fine by me. I love my pink 'bimbo' machine!
OS - Linux, preferably Ubuntu. Too many hassles with Windows and viruses. Windows sucks up too much hard drive space. Linux with a GUI is dead easy to use and much quicker to load and shut down than Windows.
Software - Oo3, Firefox, are essential, Thunderbird, Komposer, Filezilla and a really good Tetris game are possibilities! Not Abiword, I've found it to be buggy.
An option to attach an external DVD drive would be useful plus all the ports the EEE has. As long a battery life as possible, given the price/size.
If you could offer a base model, no frills, that would be very enticing.
Posted at 10:28 a.m. on February 26, 2009
Dale says...
Ubuntu definately. Ubuntu has more than enough standard software to suit a mobile user and Windows would only up the price - this is coming from a heavy Windows user.
1Gb is enough, but upgrade option to 2Gb would be nice.
Good going with the screen size. I agree.
Keep it portable and low-cost - requests from Earnest, Mark and KGB are excessive and should be looking into the laptop market. I would definately buy a low-cost Ubuntu netbook with a single-core Atom and 1Gb RAM - especially if the price is competitive.
Posted at 11:35 a.m. on February 26, 2009
radio_listener says...
Software:
No OS or just stock Ubuntu. If you really want the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
Hardware:
Possibility to order a barebone without HD (and WiFi if possible).
- NO glossy finish due to ugly fingerprints
- NO glare type display because I want to be able to work outside
- matte finish and display
- colours: black, green
- Screensize at least 10" with at least 1024*600
Better would be a slightly bigger (11"?) display with first choice 1280*800 or second choice 1366*768. The screen should be from edge to edge of the casing. No ugly borders.
The greatest thing since sliced bread:
A metall casing. Aluminum or titanium. Maybe brushed to prevent fingerprints on the surface.
Posted at 1:08 p.m. on February 26, 2009
jones says...
can you intall any programs in the ubuntu software like windows?
and xls, all those programs 2?
Posted at 1:47 p.m. on February 26, 2009
Metal Detector says...
The ability to connect to a monitor or a TV to watch downloaded material is important to me. I use my Eee PC 701 quite extensively there, and I'm rather disappointed by its rather lacking performance.
It's also nice to be able to connect my netbook to external speakers and use it as a portable music player.
Posted at 3:34 p.m. on February 26, 2009
SB says...
Here are some things I would like in a netbook Some are possibly just a dream... but it may give you ideas.
10" Screen
Minimum 1 GB RAM, BUT I want the ability to add in another stick of RAM in the future!!!!!!!! (ESSENTIAL)
Wireless capabilities: Wifi / 3G (up to 21 mbs)
A fast boot option. Certainly have the standard Windows/Linux OS, but I would like a fast boot option which loads up a super slim OS with just a web browser. I would expect this to launch in a matter of seconds. Often I will only be using a net book to quickly browse the net and want to be on and browsing in seconds. The normal boot option can be available when I need to do more than just browse the web. (maybe have a separate power button to launch the quick boot?)
A touch screen model would be nice.
The ability to open it 300 degrees and have the screen flip so I can use it as a display on a table... like this:
Keyboard => /| <==view screen
(hope that made sense)
If not a default SSD hard drive, then the option to have an SSD hard drive.
Best of luck with this Mr. Kogan.
Posted at 3:52 p.m. on February 26, 2009
Robin says...
Hello,
I would like, a netbook with 2 or 3 go (upgradable). ssd. more than 100go. touch screen like iphone, and with a wacom screen.tablet pc. It should run under windows 7, linux, or (mac osX ;-)), or even Android . it should be be possible to boot from an external hdd or whatever the system we want in dual boot for example. il should have sufficient battery to work all day long. a builtin gps an a 3g module. wifi. 10"screen or more 12" with swga high resolution screen 1200x1050 minimum. alittle num keypad integrated with little buttons so that it would take little place. a goog graphic card and a goo dual processor like new atom, or nvidia new one(i dond really know the specs but...something really good). (and an optional double os where it is possible to check messages to reply to a call without booting necessarly on windows or linux ... a lightweight system or a kind of lightweiht client that connect with the windows mobile or android or...the phone, and should be transform in a passive terminal like the Celio Redfly Mobile Companion)
Thankyou ;-)
Posted at 8:15 p.m. on February 26, 2009
okeribok says...
- 720p display (1280*720pixels)
- 10"
- matte display
- LED backlit
- small and fast ssd (8G) for the OS, in a pci-e slot (upgradable)
- choice of (160G - 500G) SATA drive for media (so: 2 drives)
- 2Gb RAm, expandable to 4G (so atom 280?)
- removable battery
- batt life while browsing: 4hours
- really, really good keyboard (slightly concave, like HP mini 2140, NOT like MacBook, sony, et.al)
- backlit keyboard
- multitouch trackpad
- linux or no OS (save cash)
- OSX compatible hardware...
- the switchable nvidia 9300, like the Asus N10
- nice look and feel, maybe Apple PowerBook Pismo style, so rubber, carbon?
I'd pay €500 for it.
wow if you made this, it'd need the built-in fleshlite too, because I would want to love it carnally.
Posted at 10 p.m. on February 26, 2009
richard mullens says...
Vanilla Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope 9.04
Dual core Atom
2GB memory
8GB + SDD
1280x768 Display
6 x 2400mAH batteries
DWL-G122 [ralink rt73] wireless
3 USB ports
RJ45 port (x2 or x3 ?) Gigabit
Posted at 1 a.m. on February 27, 2009
rob enderle says...
1GB is enough for Linux.
Use some Linux distro that uses KDE environment like Mandriva, the GNOME that came with my sisters Dell Mini was so depressing that she compared it to Win98.
Give a Linux newbie a KDE or GNOME distro and they will pick up the KDE because its closer to Windows.
Modify the distro to paradigms that people can recognize.
I recommend Mandriva because its been doing user-friendly Linux for a long time and its a real publictly traded company with a real business plan. They also have a netbook version.
VLC has to be the default video player.
10 inch screen.
SSD instead of HD. This isnt your desktop workhorse, 16GB is more than enough and if not SD cards and USB sticks are cheap. The extra HD heat brings nothing of value.
If you put in a webcam, then have Skype installed and not some half assed competitor.
6 cell battery is a must.
Make sure there is an easy mode option for newbies.
Posted at 2:16 a.m. on February 27, 2009
Ben Mabbott says...
Okay, i've owned two netbooks, the Asus Eee 701 and (currently) the MSI Wind.
Firstly RAM: 1gb is fine but it's a must to be able to upgrade this. If you look at any of the netbook community's (ie Eeeuser.com or msiwind.net) a very large percentage have been upgraded to 2gb. The lack of this ability will be a big dampener (people are still buying the Wind U100 over later models which couldn't be upgraded)
OS: I'd definitely go with if not Ubuntu another debian-based linux and gnome or KDE. It's really a toss-up between those two, they both use roughly the same screen real estate, both widely used and supported. Although KDE4 still isn't really ready to be installed by default in my opinion.
HD/SDD: I think that given your business model the best would be to go with HD. More capacity, better value and if designed right then heat won't be an issue (my Wind with a HDD and 1.6ghz atom is cooler than the Eee SD and 900mhz celeron (which is underclocked to 630mhz)).
Connectivity: Definately wi-fi 802.11 b/g perhaps n too? Bluetooth is also a must these days.
Form factor & screen: 10" is a great idea not only does it give you a larger screen but the increase in size allows for a larger keyboard and despite what i've seen alot of people say, still perfectly mobile.
Sentelic Vs. Synaptic:
Now there has been alot of annoyance about this, many users of the MSI Wind were quite upset by the use of the cheaper Sentelic touchpad than the synaptic one. I personally didn't mind because the Eee I was using previously also used it, but it could be an annoyance to a large number of people.
Premiums: A graphics chip other than the rubbish intel ones (at least don't use the GMA950). Dual core (but remember that battery life should be at least 5 hours). Integrated 3g? Metal casing. If possible a resolution with a width of 768.
Software: Perhaps add Thunderbird and Miro? It's not such an issue, it's very easy to find the software a beginner to linux might want in Ubuntu through the add/remove software.
Just my two cents.
Posted at 9:47 a.m. on February 27, 2009
Metal Detector says...
If the projected cost of the netbook is going to be $500-$600, then you will have a problem on your hands: The MSI Wind and the Asus 700 and 900 series are in direct competition, with your only drawing card being the use of Linux (which would definitely work on me). I suspect you will need to go much cheaper than that to have a crack at the market.
As for the Linux distribution of choice:
I would say the choice is between Ubuntu, Ubuntu and Ubuntu. Out of these three I would go with the netbook remix, which is probably the best suited option.
Mandriva is nice and capable, but the company behind it is not exactly performing well; Ubuntu guarantees support and updates. It also looks Windowy enough not to deter those that actually want the Windows experience.
Posted at 10:01 a.m. on February 27, 2009
Mei says...
I think it's important to be clear about what this device is aimed to be for, and not try to be too many things for too many people. I mean at 10" and over $500, why not just get a normal laptop (from a more trusted name) with more grunt?
If the Kogan netbook aims at being a true netbook and not substitute laptop, I reckon it should be smaller, cheaper, superfast and with lots of user-friendly eye candy. That means don't worry about 160GB HDD (60GB flash is fine), 1GB RAM (but upgradeable), installation of gOS and Cloud, really long battery life, built in 3G and Wifi, and maybe considering the sacrifice of screen/keyboard size down from 10" (the difference between fitting in a briefcase and a handbag) to 8.9". If it is posible to get all that down to $350 retail, I reckon you will have a smash hit.
Posted at 1:30 p.m. on February 28, 2009
greg says...
+16Gb ssd over hdd, linux (ubuntu, if people know there distros they can change but ubuntu is the user friendly standard) over windows, 10" is fine, SD slot and is it possible to have the SD card bootable if not using SSD?
Posted at 2:06 p.m. on February 28, 2009
Matt says...
I purchased an Eee before Christmas to keep my business going online while I am travelling. Unfortunately as an engineer, I needed XP to run Excel and some other low-end Windows-based software (heavy duty stuff done at home on desktop).
Gloss black on my Eee is a dog as it always has fingerprints on it. However the padded sleeve supplied with the unit is very effective.
As a business user I would pay extra for 2Gb of RAM - but you have to find a pricing sweet spot as low end notebooks and top end netbooks seem to get pretty close dollar wise.
As for preloaded apps - I use Chrome for browsing, Foxit for PDFs and Open Office (when required), but most of my work is online so I just need to get connected.
On that front - and again because I travel, I have no viable choice but to use Next G for phone connectivity, and will shortly purchase a prepaid Next G dongle for the Eee when I am remote. Please don't build it with a certain telco's 3G card - I understand Telstra is not for everyone (nor me if I had a real choice) but some of us HAVE to use them.
Great work Ruslan, and please keep the Agora development moving!
Posted at 1:03 p.m. on March 2, 2009
Aningbo Niumai says...
i wont trust with ur publicity again but here's what i want:
- 13.3" screen, no smaller than that.
- 6 cell battery. that would give atleast 3 hours.
- how about a 3GB RAM
- any colour
- free dos?
- less then 1.25 kg
Posted at 4:27 p.m. on March 2, 2009
Tachyglossus says...
I need a white or light coloured keyboard. Being over 70, black keyboards I find very hard to use. Need more ambient light to see the letters. So white please or pale gray.
I will only buy an Android netbook. If you don't offer Android, I will look for one elsewhere, with a pale coloured keyboard, easy to read. One is coming from ASUS rsn.
10' is the right size. Would like 2G of RAM as google chrome is ram hungry. can I easily upgrade if you only offer 1g?
Posted at 11:11 p.m. on March 2, 2009
David says...
Ubuntu Netbook Remix
Posted at 1:39 p.m. on March 3, 2009
robert says...
I've been reading about the next generation netbooks and the ability to play hi definition videos is key. NVIDIA has the upcoming ION chipset that will put you ahead of the curve.
Another feature i would like to see is GPS built in.
Posted at 5:04 p.m. on March 3, 2009
Tony says...
Basically i think what a netbook should be is internet on the go and have you can hook up almost anything to it:
Atoms fine maybe something abit more faster would be nice itll set it apart from other netbooks probaly making it the fastest, 1gb ram is fine keeping in mind this is no desktop replacment, a OS thats easy on the ram, it should have at least 2usb ports more would be great just dont go over the top and have no room for anything else, VGA out, Ethernet, an OPTICAL DRIVE a must for now we all still need to install and burn things, speaking of burning maybe pre loading a burning program thats easy on the processor and ram not taking too much away from it(still able to web surf) with a not so fancy User interface which takes up loads of ram. UMMM a headphone and microphone jack, AND WIFI any thing without WIFI will FAILLLLL, Express card slot if possible wont really need one if it has most of the essentials and a battery that comon lastes more than 3hours, at least 4hours min, ive head asus came out with an eee pc that can last for 9hrs now thats impressive and if you can do almost the same with out making it look like a disfigured netbook itll be brilliant. Thats about it, if you want to keep it cheap dont provide too much software that are useless,
WIth the look of it, it should of course portable maximum is a 11inch screen 10 inch is perfect, the keyboard should be big enough about 90% of a full size one, you should give alot of options for colour if you can and it should looks sleek and sexy no one want to be seen with a toy looking netbook.
A netbook i can recommend that i think you should take a close look at is the ASUS 1002HE.
Posted at 7:57 p.m. on March 3, 2009
Reader says...
I'd like it to come with an Android option. Either dual boot Android/Zenwalk or any other Linux distro. Either way, I am quite keen on Android.
A friendly warning:
You may want to re-consider using the term "Netbook". Apparently the trademark belongs to Psion and they are launching legal actions. According to some news articles, they had their own "Netbook" branded computer years ago.
Just in case you were not aware, that is all.
Posted at 10:01 p.m. on March 3, 2009
Nik says...
Just my 2c worth:
Linux may be frightening (= unknown) but it's not difficult - especially if someone has already installed it for you :o)
Any of the netbook-optimised distros are fine. There are some light-weight windows managers that are good, and KDE is good because it is a lot like Windows.
I recently put Fedora 9 on an eeePC 1000 and that works just fine.
The one down-side on the 1000H is the graphics are noticeably slow (which may just be a driver issue.)
So something like the eeePC1000 with a firewire port and better graphics performance would be ideal.
I agree that all hardware should be standard enough that there are readily available linux drivers, preferably in the kernel tree.
Eg, Intel WiFi, Intel or Broadcom ethernet, etc.
So now software:
Any of the netbook optimised distros are probably fine. Consider offering an 8G USBkey with 4 different distro installs, so the tinkerers can experiment?
Samba - both as client and server.
People should be able to plug a printer or scanner in and just have it work, so CUPS and scanner software and drivers.
Powersave modes working, and suspend to disk and suspend to memory operational.
Definitely Skype, and please with Bluetooth sorted so bluetooth headsets work with Skype (as microphone and headphones).
Similarly, bluetooth file transfer working - it makes transferring files to/from most mobile phones really simple.
Firefox and Thunderbird are fine on the 1000H.
Include a good network manager for finding WiFi APs and automatically connecting to wireless and wired connections.
Java for apps and Applets. (You'd probably be amazed how well eclipse runs on the 1000H).
Choose the office package for the greatest MS office compatibility. I still get Word documents regularly. Similarly, include a TNEF handler, like Ktnef. I still get winmail.dat files.
A quality PDF reader like KPdf or Acrobat.
Install the Windows fonts and some other quality free ones, such as Gentium(?)
PeaZIP as a graphical tool for ZIP and (some) RAR files.
Include TSClient, and possibly a client for Windows' remote Assistant (whatever it's called).
GIMP is good for more experienced users, but Picassa or digiKam are better for non-experts.
Scribus, Inkscape, QCad, a Flash plugin (for YouTube), amd iPod and PalmPilot sync software.
Audacity or Ardour, and PiTiVi or Open Movie Maker would be nice to have as well.
If you want a 3D modelling package, then Art Of Illusion (runs on Java) is reported to be much easier to learn than Blender.
A virus scanner such as Clamav. There is a KDE front-end to ClamAv called KlamAv which is reasonably good.
K3b, in case someone wants to connect a CD or DVD burner.
And finally something like Wine, VMWare or VirtualBox would be useful for handling those irreplaceable Windows apps that various folks seem to have.
Thanks for listening (you are still listening aren't you :o)
Cheers!
Nik
Posted at 10:16 p.m. on March 3, 2009
Joe says...
Win 7 Basic (or no OS for 50-60 USD cheaper), 1024x800 resolution is more important than 9" or 10", at least 90% keyboard so maybe 10" is better choice than 9", 1GB with upgrade option (one more free socket), 3xUSB, a/b/g/n WLAN!!!, 3G (HSDPA/HSUPA)!!!, Bluetooth!!!, 32GB SSD + 2 card reader (one for SSD extention) would be nice but 160GB HD ok too, multitouch trackpad, (touchscreen for a + 80-100 USD would be perfect), minimum of 5hrs battery, less than 1,4kg, less than 450 USD, thin elegant design, dual monitor capable (not only screen copy but real extension), HDMI or DVI would be nice, nVidia 7100m comparable graphics, express card not needed,
(do not forget that you are competing with future mini (net) notebooks and not actual ones) I would pay additional 40 USD for a 1,8 GHz Dual Core CPU compared to the N280
Posted at 12:28 a.m. on March 4, 2009
Damian says...
10,1" - 1024x600px,
Intel Atom N-Series (1,6 GHz N270),
2 GB RAM with upgrade-option,
32 GB SSD,
Intel GMA,
HDMI or Display Port,
Card reader,
Bluetooth,
Wireless LAN with 802.11n,
Ubuntu Netbook Remix - No Windows (perhaps as an option),
Power Consumption: Max 15 W,
Battery Life: at least 5 hours
Posted at 12:49 a.m. on March 4, 2009
bigb says...
i would like to build mine similar to dell site. i will be comfortable if i am allowed to customise my netbook with options like bluetooth, wifii, mouse, extra cap hard drive,etc by the click of a mouse. i would love to have that option.
Posted at 2:37 a.m. on March 4, 2009
foomoo says...
"plans to be selling a netbook in the very near future."
planning android mobile phone, netbook. what is the next? and does it works?
Posted at 8:31 a.m. on March 4, 2009
Max says...
HDMI out.
Posted at 3:16 p.m. on March 4, 2009
roberkules says...
i would like to see:
- 10 inch screen
- nvidia chip... (to wait till it's out should be worth it)
- 2gb ram... definitely would like windows 7 (but leave linux an option)
- 6 cell battery
- big multi-touch trackpad (dreaming about it)
- wifi
- ssd optional
- 3g would be nice, not a must
preinstalled software is not that important (for me)...
Posted at 9:24 p.m. on March 4, 2009
galah says...
debian or ubuntu
prefer arm to atom, want battery life.
802.11.
1G is enough, as long as more can be added next year.
SSD, it will get dropped.
a keyboard just big enough to use.
9 or 10 inch, smaller than a laptop.
Posted at 10:03 p.m. on March 4, 2009
Raffaele says...
10" Screen built in 3G/HSDPA/HSUPA and GPS device, 2GB would be better, Linux Ubuntu with OO3, FF3, Gimp, VLC, messenger windows live compatible, camera mic built in, bluetooth/wifi, minimum 6 cell. bat. and minimum 32GBssd.
Nvidia videochip and multi-touch trackpad, and other standards like usb, lan etc...
Dream netbook!
Posted at 6:31 a.m. on March 5, 2009
Hermes Panagio says...
I tend to agree with the general consensus. 10" Screen, 3g compatible (GPS is nice, but not necessary). WinXP lite version (with dual boot for LInux), would pay more for 2Gb (would be nice to be expandable up to 4gb). Webcam & mic, sound, 6 cell batt,60GB HDD or greater,touchpad,at least 2 USB ports,LAN,Wireless a\b\g\n compatible,bluetooth & bluetooth,DVI or HDMI port - Nice :)
Posted at 2:01 p.m. on March 5, 2009
Sam says...
2 GB is better. bluetooth, It should be in a cool white inside and out because dark computers don't look that good. keyboard keys spread out. if windows 7 is out by then it would be good if it had that. if not then Windows XP is 2nd best. it would be better if there was Safari web browser instead of firefox and it would be good if it had Itunes 8, Quicktime and virus protection software that isn't out of date when it is new. if there was a way that you could make it that it does not run slower depending how much stuff is saved on the hard driive it would be very good. it would be a good student netbook.
Posted at 5:49 p.m. on March 5, 2009
Maxx says...
Don't do XP. Its getting to close to end of life and that will greatly shorten the life of the netbook as win7 starts coming out soon.
Mandriva Linux is the version I would recommend, good for XP users, or perhaps give the guys at Puppy a call ... they're Australian. Try to stick with the KDE desktop if possible, this should make XP users migrate easier if needed.
Would go for 2Gb.
Firefox, OpenOffice, Gimp, KDenlive, Thunderbird with Lightning. Freeciv, Flightgear, Vegastrike and as many games that will fit. Perhaps an extended crossover demo license for those who might still need Microsoft software to run.
BUT
Make sure you get a 86_64 Atom, don't do 32bit stuff, its such bad value for money.
Posted at 6:50 p.m. on March 5, 2009
James says...
Ubuntu (or Ubuntu Netbook Remix), of course!
Posted at 9:49 p.m. on March 5, 2009
Nick says...
For a netbook, I would like to see some room to add options
- Atom processor
- Bluetooth 2.0
- 80gb+ HDD for something this size you don’t need much more
- Linux and XP
- 1.3+MP webcam
- 2gb ram – u can never have too much
- 3G connectivity
- Wireless Draft N
- 6 Cell Battery
- 10” screen
You don’t need to worry about software as people will do what they want with it.
Posted at 2:26 p.m. on March 6, 2009
James says...
Ruslan. Just go cheap mate, it's what you stand for and differentiates you. Make sure it works but seriously, open source, google browser and no unecessary applications! The expense should be on making it as portable as possible, i.e. connectivity and battery, small and light!!!
Otherwise you'll be selling just the same product as everyone else!
Posted at 2:48 p.m. on March 6, 2009
Judy says...
Solid state hard drive and built-in gps receiver for the travellers and antenna jack? Can you have two hard drives? One normal, one ssd.
And a big flashing "bonus" icon when you pass by free wifi Internet :)
Posted at 4:46 p.m. on March 6, 2009
Martin says...
- 60GB HDD
- GNU Linux pre-installed or No OS for the multi-boot heads
(who will put on GNU Linux & Windows for gaming)
- 512MB fast-access GPU
- 2GB RAM
- WIFI
- DVD/CD writer (decent speed)
- Ethernet 1gbit
- a few USB ports
- external display output
- extra RAM slot(s)
- a PCMCIA port
- ultra durable casing (optional)
- 80% water-proofing (optional)
- Bundled linux DVD's (optional)
Posted at 6:14 p.m. on March 6, 2009
Rallygreg says...
A netbook to me is an ancillary to my other computers and it will never replace my main computers, but will be a very portable device that can be used on site. So I think it needs:
1. A reasonable cpu like the Intel Atom.
2. 1GB of RAM with a spare memory slot that can handle a 2GB stick
3. WiFi - an absolute must
4. 1024x768 res screen
5. Good battery life - maybe 5 hours
As far as the OS is concerned it should come preloaded with Linux and my paltry experience with Ubuntu is a very good one. Using Linux will keep the price down by more than $130
Obviously we need to offer Windows as an option. Currently I don't think that you can offer any version of Windows other than XP. Vista would be a dog on a netbook, although Windows 7 may run OK given my experience with the beta.
Leave Bluetooth out, that will only be used by some people with their mobile phones.
Don't include 3G as that just adds too much cost - and which network do you include? Stick the dongle in if you want connect outside of a WiFi area.
Cheers
Posted at 8:09 p.m. on March 6, 2009
Aaron says...
Well.. i believe that in 2010 windows xp will become abandonware...
so hold off for a year.. and make a modified secure xp image with tons of open source apps..
eg.. open office, gimp, firefox, SpyBot S&D and so on
not hard to do ...
the open source community is getting larger and with xp going abandonware i can only think the future possibilities are going to expand like crazy...
so keep that in mind...
as for specs ... look at the HP mini (for design ideas 2... they have the BEST keyboard setup).. but make it faster...
Posted at 1:34 a.m. on March 7, 2009
Clive says...
Hi Ruslan
Judging by the comments you've already received, you will need to make something that is upgradeable and configurable. Perhaps something along the lines of a Dell system but the MSI wind seems to be your strongest competitor.
I have an early Asus 701 and I offer the following comments:
The positives:
Boot-up is fast.
SSD allows rough treatment
Light weight
SD card slot
External monitor port
Low purchase price
Webcam & Skype
Audio in & out
3 USB ports
Ethernet port
Turn wireless on & off with Fn key
The negatives:
No GPS - I won't replace the Asus for ANY netbook without it
The screen is too small to view a web page
The keyboard is cramped
The trackpad is too small, it's often unresponsive and sometimes oversensitive.
The A key only responds to a firm prod
No internal 3G (currently use a 3 USB modem- $15/month for 1GB)
Needs a better Webcam
Other suggestions:
I bought a Belkin USB file transfer cable only to find it only works in Windows, so I think you should consider offering Windows so users get compatibility with their desktop OS.
A voice recorder would be handy for recording meetings.
Thanks for listening,
Clive
Posted at 4:26 p.m. on March 7, 2009
Ruslan Kogan says...
Keep the feedback coming - this is awesome!
There's a decision which has been bugging me for the last couple of days. I am considering two different housings for the netbook - one is slightly thinner, narrower and extremely stylish whilst the other has a slightly bigger keyboard which makes it easier to type...what would you prefer?
Posted at 9:12 p.m. on March 7, 2009
Al Sutton says...
It would depend on the dimensions. I find an eeePC 901 just about usable for any period of time, smaller than that and it would be troublesome.
As for the other options, My preferences for a netbook tend to be;
1GB, black (shows dirt less), XP (because USB devices usually just work), loaded with OpenOffice, Skype, Firefox, Thunderbird, and Paint.NET.
Posted at 9:44 p.m. on March 7, 2009
R says...
I'd err on the side of a larger, easier to use keyboard. But probably the most important thing is don't do anything too weird to the basic keys - for example Dell's mistake with the apostrophe on the Mini 9...
Posted at 10:15 p.m. on March 7, 2009
Raffaele says...
agree to R don't do anything too weird to the basic keys prefer desing
Posted at 10:54 a.m. on March 8, 2009
james` says...
keyboard is more important than slim... sure slim is good to look at, but looking at something is way below the importance of using something.
I would also recommend looking at the Via OpenBook platform... it is open source and pretty nice too...
I currently own an EEE 1000H and use it as my sole work computer, i love it and even though it is slightly thicker and chunkier than some out there, it's battery life and larger keyboard and large, muti touch track pad are awesome and more than make up for it...
I would HIGHLY recommend having a look at the Elantech trackpad from Taiwain i believe... Asus is using them in most of their EEE line up now which should make purchasing them pretty cheap...
Also i am not sure of the price of putting a 7200rpm Hard drive in, but it could really make the kogan netbook stand out from the crowd...
I know when i changed to a 7200rpm HDD in my EEE it was VERY happy with the performance increase...
Posted at 1:29 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Tim Hanlon says...
Agree with whoever said the HP Mini keyboards are the best out there.
Also, ExpressCard or FireWire (TI chipset) means musicians will be able to use it as an inexpensive machine to use on stage/tour - I believe only Lenovo and HP are doing ExpressCard at the moment and it's precisely why I'm using an IdeaPad S10.
Posted at 1:33 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Mykal says...
All of these are great suggestions, but price is key for me. Keep it simple, it's a netbook after all. Linux (Fedora Core fan myself but i can live boot from usb if i really want these days anyway, so make sure you have support for this) but Ubuntu is the clear "Linux for Human Beans" winner. Android for netbooks is still hype at present, and nothing says you can't distribute it from this site later when you can be confident it's stable.
There was a previous comment about having game dpad style buttons above the keyboard. YES PLEASE! I used to use a strange combo on my eee of like " tab 1 q ` "for directions and "bspace = ] \" for buttons. It was like haveing a bigscreen gameboy which was great, but felt a bit clunky. Surprsingly the eee was light enough not to break my wrists, (less than 1kg please). I think that this would be a good unique feature and could be implemented through drivers for usb dpads. I know this goes against my ethos of simple, let's call it "simple innovation"
My eee was sold because;
1. 8" screen is way to small, make it 10.
2. Keyboard was slightly too small for me to touch type reliably.
3. I never felt confident to let it kick round in my bag.
Please go for a metalic case, slightly curved for strength and to prevent dents, and of a brushed finish so it wont show scratches. LET THE DAMN THING LOCK SHUT!
Posted at 1:34 p.m. on March 8, 2009
scorpia says...
For me, give me a dual core. more processing power is allways good.
standard with 1gb ram , expandable. preferably with an extra 2gb stick.
sd card slot and or extra USB ports.
Posted at 2:04 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Garytek says...
Ubuntu Linux FTW and good battery that provides heaps of 'working' hours. I wouldn't mind paying more for 2GB of RAM but the price should be reasonable. RAM is cheap these days.
Posted at 4:25 p.m. on March 8, 2009
someone says...
yeah definetly would prefer a keyboard you can actually use comfortably rather than a pretty looking housing for the netbook
Posted at 5:07 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Joey says...
lots of porn
Posted at 6:45 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Leo says...
Netbooks eh? seems everyone's making them these days. As long as you're still developing the Agora, it'd be nice to see a release date for it before your netbook starts getting serious. We're depending on you guys! ;D
But for a cheap netbook:
-10" screen is fine, I'd prefer a ~11" WXGA (1280x800) screen, but I can dream.. LED backlit is a good idea
-6 Cell battery! it's what most people prefer over other specs like ram, hdd, cpu
-1Gb is fine, but not 512mb, I'd have other stuff, than 2gb ram
-80GB+ HDD, cheaper SSDs can be slower and too small
-Wifi N! and either bluetooth for wireless phone pairing or 3G modem
-Linux is great, maybe Moblin/Ubuntu mobile? it comes with all the essential stuff
-A nice keyboard, one comparable to a HP mini 1000 would make it a great buy
-The Atom N270 CPU is enough, it might be worth the wait for the nVidia Ion platform even! quite exciting stuff.
Posted at 8 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Joshua says...
My thoughts,
-1GB should be enough
-White or Blue
-Ubuntu netbook remix or windows xp home (if it doesn't add to much to the price)
Posted at 11:51 p.m. on March 8, 2009
Ross says...
What I would like to see:
Draft N wifi,
Ubuntu,
2gb ram,
nVidia ion (wait for it to come out)
Posted at 5:37 a.m. on March 9, 2009
Geoff says...
- 10" screen, no smaller
- Must have a SSD, this would make it more viable for the traveler.
- 6 cell battery. Battery life is key with a netbook
- 3 or more USB ports
- 1 network port
- 1 built-in multi card reader
- 1 built in mega pixel web cam
- A full size keyboard or close to as possible (similar to MSI Wind)
- As big a trackpad as possible with decent buttons
- 1GB RAM is adequate for a netbook
- Why not do some colours that the other makers won't
- Ubuntu Linux or XP, give the people a choice
- Original suggestions for preloaded software sound fine.
Posted at 8:37 a.m. on March 9, 2009
tone!! says...
Keep the NET in Netbook - you should be able to connect anywhere that coverage is available.
3G networks don't support Linux, so until they do, let's have the dreaded Windows at least optional.
Posted at 1:52 p.m. on March 9, 2009
kane_from_the_west says...
RE the case
when it comes to the case and keys i'd prefer a better size keyboard but depends on how they are laid out, any chance on some pics of what your choices are, or at least some dimensions?
also what sort of materials have you been looking at for the case? love to see a netbook made from carbon fibre, strong, light and come in almost any color of the rainbow from the looks of things.
Posted at 12:01 a.m. on March 10, 2009
kevin_from_qld_not_07 says...
My wishlist:
- Minimum 6 cell battery (7+ hrs normal use)
- Minimum 2GB RAM
- 1kg or less
- Integrated WLAN (incl draft n)
- Integrated WWAN
- Integrated GPS
- Integrated Webcam (min. 1.3MP)
- Integrated Mic (esp for use with VoIP softphone)
- Touch screens on both faces (virtual keyboard instead of physical to allow greater desktop real estate)
- Restore media
Posted at 12:36 a.m. on March 10, 2009
Skyborg says...
Greetz from the outer world:
1) 10" screen min. 1024
2) 2gb ram over 667mhz
3) Wlan-n, 1GB Network, Bluetooth, 2xUSB, GSM/GPRS/UMTS/HSDPA, GPS, e-Sata, FireWire, DVI+HDMI
4) Cardreader,
6) 6cell battery at least
7) hd: 160gb o ssd 80gb (or more)
8) cpu: dualcore
9) How about ANDROID as OS. I think you have some
experience with it, also you will be THE competitor for ASUS if this will work.
10) price: max € 400,00
Posted at 9:08 p.m. on March 10, 2009
Roger says...
Agree with Linux, 1 gig ram is enough, wifi and bluetooth a must, please solid state disk even if pushes the price up a bit and a 6 cell battery, it's not a laptop, it's computing and communicating on the move so battery life is king.
Posted at 10:35 p.m. on March 10, 2009
Ruslan Kogan says...
Hi everyone,
Just a quick update, the netbook will be running gOS Linux. There are more details about this awesome operating system in a new post: http://www.kogan.com.au/blog/2009/mar/10/Kogan-Netbook-gO...
Posted at 1:13 p.m. on March 11, 2009
Loki says...
Had a look of your gear on gizmodo, very impressed...I have been tempted to get a netbook to replace my Lenovo X61 and my wife's old Toshiba Satellite for some time now. However I have yet to find a netbook that rivals the keypad on my X61. The article on gizmodo describe your netbook with a keyboard similar to Lenovo, job well done.
When I attend university lectures, I have noticed the trend of students using netbooks for the lecture notes, instead of printing them out on paper. After talking to couple of the students I find their biggest complaints is the poor battery performance. All of them said they wanted a battery that can last 5-6 hours (usually the maximum hours students are willing to spend in uni per day). Also power points are hard to come by during lectures and the most of them don't want to carry the power cord around because it is messy and take up lots of the room (personally I hate the need to bring a power cord). I know you are releasing a 6 cell version, please make sure it lasts more then 6 hours. Better yet I think you 3 cell version would do well if you were able to design a retractable power cord (can be manual if you want to keep the cost down) that can be neatly stored and doesn't take much space when not in use.
I think in such crowded market, you would need something to differentiate your offering from the phalanx of other netbooks. Cheaper prices and Aussie owned gives you a distinct advantage, but acer, MSI, Asus, Dells are big companies that can afford to drop their offering to your price level (especially Dell I think). Have something novel like the retractable power cord could help you to set your offering apart from the rest and the hearts and wallets of the consumers.
PS. please release the white version, my wife doesn't care about any spec at all, as long as it is white in color.
Posted at 3:19 p.m. on March 12, 2009
Paul says...
Have a look at the sony vaio P - if you can make something with similiar dimensions consider me a buyer.
Posted at 1:05 p.m. on March 13, 2009
Paul from Canberra says...
I don't know if this is still in development or if the features have already been locked in.. But my two cents:
- 10" screen with 1280 horizontal screen.
- As fast bootup time as possible
- 6 cell battery with an option for a 9 cell. Battery life to last an entire working day of typing/surfing WiFi
- As small a besel around the screen as possible
- 32GB SSD for OS + CF/SDHC slot (or 2)
Would also love:
- Tablet design with touch screen
OS
- Ubuntu or Windows 7 (both optional)
Good luck. Can't wait to see the product!
Posted at 7:41 p.m. on March 15, 2009
Ken says...
KDE4 is not really an Operating System per se. However, its good to see that it works well on the netbook, as you have already tested it.
I would suggest KDE4+Kubuntu as a good alternative to the default gOS, especially since its basically ubuntu with a KDE "frontend".
Posted at 3:44 p.m. on March 18, 2009
Telic says...
When I purchase a PC that's preloaded with Linux, I don't want to see a Windows logo on the Super Key.
BTW, inform your webmaster that he/she is neglecting to specify the background colour for this site. Most web browsers (e.g. Firefox) will default to "white", but it's best not to presume. Specify it in the HTML code, to assure that these web-pages will always appear exactly as intended.
:)
Posted at 5:40 p.m. on March 18, 2009
John says...
Good list of pre-loaded apps. Maybe add Digikam and Amarok. I'm not a KDE4 fanboy, but you have to admit these are probably the best by a long mile.
The one big thing hardware wise I need is a TRACKPOINT. Saves space, and once you use it you wonder how you did without it! :-) Make sure you can turn the now superfluous touchpad off in the bios though. Talking about the bios, how about joining the push for OpenBIOS?
Thanks for bringing such a great Linux netbook to Aus! I think a lot of people have been disappointed with how Linux versions of some other companies netbooks are magically disappearing.
Posted at 8:02 p.m. on March 19, 2009
Spade says...
Why doesnt it come in white , so many netbooks just look generic in black , if there is an option i would love to somehow order a white keyboard with mine , and also is the unit over-clockable by some sort of software cause everyone else is on the bandwagon with that one which tempts me towards other netbooks..
let me know and i might hold off for this one..
cheers
spade
Posted at 8:34 a.m. on March 21, 2009
RG says...
3G USB MODEM CAPABILITY AND WIFI. Be the first one to offered with Linux.
Good Luck
Posted at 2:01 a.m. on March 27, 2009
Chris says...
You should make the same kind of thing as the eeebox
loaded with stuff like mythtv, bundle it with an LCD screen or projector.
I have this setup: LCD in bedroom, projector in louge and 2 laptops all wirelessly connected to a server
Posted at 6:02 a.m. on March 28, 2009
Fraser says...
Why do they all come with 10" screen in 5:3 widescreen format?
A 12" screen 4:3 standard ratio would surely make far more sense.
As you most often use a netbook for the internet and word documents the 4:3 format makes so much more sense.
Plus the difference in size of the actual netbook would only be about a netbook of 265mm wide by 220mm deep with the same thickness. That is the same width as most 10" widescreen netbooks, and about 40mm deeper all of which goes on giving more screen height.
On the whole I believe this would make a far more useable product and hardly sacrifice any portability.
Posted at 8:13 p.m. on April 5, 2009
Rock says...
TV output would be great! Otherwise the specs are good. Maybe consider LiPo batteries for extended life?
Posted at 4:51 p.m. on April 11, 2009
greentea says...
Intel Atom 1.6mhz (dual core when it becomes available)
2GB minimum (upgradeable to 4GB RAM if possible in future)
Colors - Black , White , Silver
Be able to customize the look of your net book with vinyl covers or removable plate covers. I would never buy a cheap looking plastic net book. Aluminum or aluminum mixed with plastic is fine. Carbon fiber would be nice though probably make it too expensive. (Something similar to the ultra portable Sony Vaio without the huge price tag)
The option too choose the operating system , (Windows / Linux or None) - i would probably just download Ubuntu to keep costs down
Software - Open office , Firefox. Free Antivirus Program (free software packages to keep the costs down)
Graphics Card - Nvidia or ATI Integrated (not sure what model anything is better than standard graphics) Only want to watch videos smoothly and play occasional games but nothing to video intensive.
HD Capcity - 64GB or 128GB SSD - Hoping for quick OS and application bootup times with SSD. SSD are still a bit expensive so maybe 64GB would be the option at the moment. I would only store my OS and applications on the SSD and get a external usb drive for anything else.
10.1" LCD Screen with resolution of (1366 x 768) - biggest problem i see is always with screen height so a high res screen size would be good.
Ports : 2x USB , Headphone & Mic Jack, RJ45 Port,
optional :HDMI, DVI
3G Integrated Modem , WIFI
Webcam Builtin
Battery : Need something that gives up to 5-6 hrs at least. Something that is light weight.
Internal DVD Burner
Price Range: $800 - $1200
Posted at 1:23 p.m. on April 16, 2009
Michael D says...
Short list of features for a NETBOOK:
- Full size keyboard, or pretty darn close
- Minimum 60GB HDD
- 10"+ screen size at 1024X600 (min)
- Capacity for at least 2GB RAM
- A/G/N WiFi card
- 4 hours+ battery lifespan
- Webcam with 2MP
- Built-in SD card reader
- Price should be in thr $300-$500 range
Should NOT have -- (this is a NETBOOK!):
- Intel Core Duo (like some earlier comments had)
- Optical drive (like some earlier comments suggested)
- ATI or NVIDIA graphics card (uses more power)
Any OS is fine. Option to choose would be nice, offer with Linux for lower cost, and let people know its compatible with MS.
Posted at 1:42 a.m. on April 18, 2009
Mahes says...
I use an Acer AspireOne with 8.9" screen 1.5G (upgraded) 8G SSD. It came with Linpus Linux, firefox and openoffice preinstalled. This Linux distribution is very user friendly for beginners and applications very easy to use. Running Windows applications is no problem with WINE.
With the cash back from ACER this cost me $400 + $38 for memory upgrade - ideal price range for a netbook.
A bigger SSD, perhaps 64Gb would make this an ideal netbook.
Posted at 9:17 a.m. on April 19, 2009
Keno says...
I know it's already been released, so I guess these comments apply to any future version. I think it would be nice to see someone sell something a bit different to the rest of the netbook crowd. Two things spring to mind immediately:
1. More vertical resolution. 600 lines is not enough, I'd rather a 9" screen @ 1280x800 than a 10" @ 1024x600. The main benefit of the 10" models is the extra room it affords for the keyboard and touchpad.
2. Consider a different processor. Via nano @ 1.3Ghz and a decent low power chipset should outdo an Atom+945 combo both in performance and power consumption.
Kudos on shipping with a linux os, it's getting difficult to find netbooks without the windows tax in Australia these days.
Posted at 10:26 a.m. on April 22, 2009
Keno says...
Oh I forgot, SSD option would be nice...
Posted at 10:51 a.m. on April 22, 2009
Jonas says...
Quite easy!
Start with a basic setup only including the low entry parts, say:
10" LED screen
80 GB Hard drive
3 Cell battery
Linux
Etc. just as cheap as you can get in order to offer a low price entry modell.
Then offer uppgrades:
Higher resolution screen, mat or glossy, touchscreen
Better keayboard. backlit
higher capacity for battery, RAM, HD
Windows OS
Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G, Wimax etc.
Better graphic and CPU models
Many colors and designs
no limit on what you can offer as an uppgrade really
Posted at 6:13 p.m. on April 26, 2009
Xuxa says...
Sorry. I stand in awe of my body.
I am from Albania and learning to write in English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "We can supply you with following top selling products at a competitive price.anti allergic effects of perilla seed extract in patients with allergy."
Thanks for the help :-D, Jael.
Posted at 5:21 p.m. on June 2, 2009
DrovosekusDD says...
Случайно наткнулся через гугль! Очень интесно ;) По моему мало развернутая мысль, хотелось б более обширно почиатать.
Posted at 5:05 p.m. on July 14, 2009
Bill says...
How about:
* Intel quad core processor,
* 8 GB Ram,
* 1 TB HDD,
* 1 GB nVidia video card,
* 10 inch screen,
* 1920 x 1200 resolution,
* built in bluetooth,
* blue ray burner,
* Windows 7,
* battery life 10+ hours,
* Weight < 1.5 kgs,
* Price $500 - $600
:)
Posted at 10:35 p.m. on July 29, 2009
go for it says...
by accident of course, it needs to be hackintosh capable. ;)
2g ram, runcore style read write performance SSD 16/32g drive
10 inch screen with no huge borders rounds the edge unnecessarily. 720p capable display
waterproof ish
ubuntu installed as standard
1.3 megapixel webcam, or possibly 720p capable would be nice.
atom n270 seems fine enough, or something better,
keyboard as comparable to full size as possible. fkeys arrow keys somehow embedded in layout, preferably bluetooth removable keyboard with bluetooth mouse internally secured
802.11n usb 2.0 x 3 bluetooth 2.0, wired ethernet
option for internal wwan card
vga/dvi out
mic in/out etc
dual SDHC raid slots
option to have an nvidia ion capable graphics.
Posted at 3:29 a.m. on August 12, 2009
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