Netbook runs on AA batteries and costs $130 to $200 USD

[I-75]

Netbook runs on AA batteries and costs $130 to $200 USD


http://www.osnews.com/story/21555/Netbook_Runs_on_AA_Batteries



Netbooks are really becoming a part of the market where all sorts of companies are trying out new things. For instance, earlier this week, we had a review of a MIPS-based Loongson-2 netbook from China, last Monday we reported on Acer implementing a Vmedia drive into a netbook, a while back we had a multitouch LCD touchpad netbook, and we've had more. Now we have one that uses an x86 SoC that doesn't come from AMD/Intel/VIA, and can run on... AA batteries.


While the battery aspect of this netbook will interest most, I'm personally more interested in the actual hardware that powers the device. It's powered by an x86 system-on-chip called the Vortex86MX from Taiwanese company DMP Electronics. Its processor is an x86-compatible with ARM-like power consumption (1.2W!) which runs at 1.0Ghz.

The Gecko EduBook has other goodies too, such as an internal SD card for storage (it also has an IDE slot) as well as internal space for a Bluetooth or WiFi dongle. It has an 8.9" 1024x600 display, and the CPU/RAM module is removable, and can carry anywhere between 256MB and 1GB of DDR2 RAM.

The cool stuff is of course that it can be powered by a set of 8 NiMH AA batteries, which can power the netbook for 4 hours; you can also buy a normal battery pack which will power it for 6 hours. This makes the machine ideal for environments where AA batteries might be all you can buy, for instance in emerging markets.

By default it comes with Ubuntu Linux, but it can also run Windows XP and Windows CE. It will become available in July for 200 USD, with an 8GB SD card and a WiFi module. Barebone models will also be available for 110-130 USD.

[Warpnow]

Dude, its all standard parts. The SSD is a standard SD card. The power cable if a standard computer power cable. The internal connectors are USB 2.0.

Its the ultimate hacker's dream.

[Warpnow]

MUCH better link: http://www.norhtec.com/products/gecko/index.html

So, here's what I've found out about this netbook.

8.9" Screen, 1024x768.

1ghz, 512mbs of ram (soldered), the cpu/ram module is designed to be upgraded as a whole. It seems later they will sell new cpu/ram modules ou simply slide into place to replace the old Cpu/Ram when upgrading.

$200 configured, $150 for barebones.

The hard drive IS an SD card. You just slide it into the slot.

It has an internal USB port so switching out the Wifi module is as simple as plugging in a USB dongle of your favorite wifi type.

Will also take a full hard drive. If you have one lying around, buy the barebones and put it in.

8 AA batteries last 4 hours.

I love this idea. I can buy 8 AA rechargable batteries for a couple of bucks, instead of buying a $100 replacement battery.

I <3 this netbook. I hope it does well.

[Warpnow]

I can't be the only one who thinks this is cool...

User replacable SSD in the form of SD cards? Replacing the battery would cost like $5?

Surely I'm not alone here...

[pwnst*r]

MUCH better link: http://www.norhtec.com/products/gecko/index.html

So, here's what I've found out about this netbook.

8.9" Screen, 1024x768.

1ghz, 512mbs of ram (soldered), the cpu/ram module is designed to be upgraded as a whole. It seems later they will sell new cpu/ram modules ou simply slide into place to replace the old Cpu/Ram when upgrading.

$200 configured, $150 for barebones.

The hard drive IS an SD card. You just slide it into the slot.

It has an internal USB port so switching out the Wifi module is as simple as plugging in a USB dongle of your favorite wifi type.

Will also take a full hard drive. If you have one lying around, buy the barebones and put it in.

8 AA batteries last 4 hours.

I love this idea. I can buy 8 AA rechargable batteries for a couple of bucks, instead of buying a $100 replacement battery.

I <3 this netbook. I hope it does well.

it is cheaper, but tell me where to get 8 AA rechargeables for "a couple of bucks" which amounts to two or three dollars. oh, and don't forget you'll need a charger.

[Warpnow]

it is cheaper, but tell me where to get 8 AA rechargeables for "a couple of bucks" which amounts to two or three dollars. oh, and don't forget you'll need a charger.

No, the netbook IS a charger. Do you need an external dock for charing your spare laptop battery?

Amazon has an 8 pack for 12 bucks. Maybe not a "couple", but 1. I've seen better deals at wal-mart and Target (everything in my house uses rechardable batteries). and 2. Its still a LOT cheaper than a battery.

[pwnst*r]

No, the netbook IS a charger. Do you need an external dock for charing your spare laptop battery?



so you wouldn't want a charger for your other spare AA's? overall, yes it is cheaper, but i'd rather spend the money replacing a real laptop battery since it'd probably last longer charging-wise. the extra $ is worth it.

[Warpnow]

so you wouldn't want a charger for your other spare AA's? overall, yes it is cheaper, but i'd rather spend the money replacing a real laptop battery since it'd probably last longer charging-wise. the extra $ is worth it.

The AAs in this netbook last 4 hours on one charge. If you're referring to the amount of charges you'll get out of it, I've recharged the AA batteries I use in my Wii remotes and in my wireless keyboard/mouse quite alot without a noticable decrease in life.

Of course I'd want a spare charge, but it isn't the kind of thing I'd take into consideration pricewise, as it is a luxury item that isn't available to what we're comparing it to.

[Dharmachakra]

*Worthless post...*

[Warpnow]

Eight AA's are about six bucks at Walmart. So if you use this thing for two hours each day... that's about twenty bucks a week.

And Eight rechargable AAs are $12 on amazon, which would last you (at least) months, if not years.

[Dharmachakra]

And Eight rechargable AAs are $12 on amazon, which would last you (at least) months, if not years.

I completely disregarded that when I posted... hence why I cleared it.

[Warpnow]

Unlike Lithium Ion, NiMH batteries don't deteriorate except when being charged. While Li-Ion will deterioriate simply from sitting around for a long time, my understanding is that NiMH will deteriorate from being recharged,

The low end of the estimate on life of NiMH is around 500 charge cycles. I've seen estimates in the thousands.

[Sublime Porte]

The Gecko has been talked about for quite a while now. I first came across it when I bought a tiny little thin client from norhtec, but back then they were claiming it was going to run Linpus lite (which I think the Acer Asprie One uses). Haven't seen much materialise from it so far, except talk. It was actually meant to be a competitor of the original Eee 701.

[Warpnow]

The Gecko has been talked about for quite a while now. I first came across it when I bought a tiny little thin client from norhtec, but back then they were claiming it was going to run Linpus lite (which I think the Acer Asprie One uses). Haven't seen much materialise from it so far, except talk. It was actually meant to be a competitor of the original Eee 701.

You can place orders for the Gecko directly from Norhtec (sp?) by emailing them. There are also several official videos posted on youtube from the Norhtec account that is liked on their site.

The gecko seems to be out, but not yet in the hands of retailers, so the only way to get it is to email them and say, "Gimme one".

;)

Edit:

And Linpus SUCKS, but...their new version will be moblin based, so maybe it will suck worse. But, Linpus is well known for ****** repositories and basically no support for updates or software installation.

[TBOL3]

The website says it starts at $200, where did you get $130 from? Anyway, have any of you had any experience with the people who made them, or the machine itself. I am incredibly interested in buying one, if they're out.

[TBOL3]

Hmmm, I can't seem to find any place to ask them for an actual price tag.

[Hyper Tails]

I never would of seem anything like that Weird but COOL!!!!

[Sublime Porte]

Anyway, have any of you had any experience with the people who made them, or the machine itself. I am incredibly interested in buying one, if they're out.

Yes I bought from them an eBox 2300, works great.

[Warpnow]

It seems to me they are very hardware-centric without much concern for marketing, retail, or software.

[I-75]

The website says it starts at $200, where did you get $130 from? Anyway, have any of you had any experience with the people who made them, or the machine itself. I am incredibly interested in buying one, if they're out.


"Barebone models will also be available for 110-130 USD."

[hatten]

I'm in love! I have to get this netbook! <3 <3:popcorn:

I'll read up quite a bit on it, what is the difference between the barebones and the normal? And which one will you guys get (or want)

[The Toxic Mite]

I am really interested in this netbook...

I am hoping it will hit the UK market soon :mrgreen:

[Warpnow]

I am really interested in this netbook...

I am hoping it will hit the UK market soon :mrgreen:

Shoot them an email and they might sell it to you and you might could get a super deal given the weakness of US currency. :D

[hatten]

I sent them an e-mail and got some questions answered:

Shipping cost for 1 unit to Sweden is $76.00

The 512 MB RAM ,Set of batteries ,Wifi, 8GB SD with Linux OS will cost $195.00 per unit.

The Barebones (No WiFi, No SD Card, No OS,no batteries) is $150.00.

The 1GB RAM will cost extra $40.00.It's a darn high shipping cost, but it will be worth it.

[Dimitriid]

8 AA batteries? My original gameboy runs on 4 AA batteries and It was overkill trying to charge them, I ended up buying the external rechargable battery thing back then. I appreciate low power consumption and its very interesting as a technology case study, however using 8 AA batteries is so damn inconvenient I rather pay extra for a single battery pack.

[hatten]

8 AA batteries? My original gameboy runs on 4 AA batteries and It was overkill trying to charge them, I ended up buying the external rechargable battery thing back then. I appreciate low power consumption and its very interesting as a technology case study, however using 8 AA batteries is so damn inconvenient I rather pay extra for a single battery pack.
you're free to choke up 100usd for a battery back =D

[Warpnow]

8 AA batteries? My original gameboy runs on 4 AA batteries and It was overkill trying to charge them, I ended up buying the external rechargable battery thing back then. I appreciate low power consumption and its very interesting as a technology case study, however using 8 AA batteries is so damn inconvenient I rather pay extra for a single battery pack.

Ummm...

The netbook charges the batteries.

You never have to take them out. You just plug in the power cable and charge it -exactly- like a battery pack.

So, the only difference in a battery pack and the AAs exists if you have spares. If you don't have a spare battery pack, then there is literally no difference whatsoever aside from price and life.

[oedipuss]

Don't forget to post your impressions if you actually buy one of these .

There's a bunch of minor details I'd like to know as well, for instance how hot does it get when charging or when it's being used, and what it's actual video capabilities are..

[Warpnow]

Don't forget to post your impressions if you actually buy one of these .

There's a bunch of minor details I'd like to know as well, for instance how hot does it get when charging or when it's being used, and what it's actual video capabilities are..

I'd like to see some benchmarks of this CPU against the EEEs celeron and the atom. My guess is its somewhere between them power wise going by the ghz, but I'd like to know where.

This cpu hasn't really been seen much before. No idea how it will perform.

[don_quixote]

For $150, I kinda like it as a server.

[hatten]

they got even better servers at norhtec, smaller and as quiet as this one.

[hatten]

I got a nice contact there, through emailing them, and it seems like they have some minor issues.

The Edubooks we are selling now have a few known issues but we are offering them for testing. The issues are:
We slowed them down to 800Mhz
2 soft spots on the case
Will run Flash 9. but not 10
Will run Skype 3 but not 4
These issue will be addressed in the final unit which will ship in August. We will be shipping samples for evaluation with these known issues for $150.00 each which includes battery, 4GB SD power cord but not WIFI Dongle. You can add the internal WIFI dongle yourself.
Dropping to 800 made the units run very stable and cool. We are now testing with an all metal bottom case. The current plan is to test this and prehaps make all the units with a full metal bottom case.I might get a 800 Mhz if they cannot fix this issue with a metal bottom case, that's not very bad, is it?

[linkynpork]

It seems there is picture of the CPU here (http://qbitonline.com/product_info.php?products_id=17844). Is this even the same machine?...

The photos look the same but the name is different. I wonder how available and upgradeable the so called SOC modules are?...

[FakeOutdoorsman]

I just got a price quote for a single unit shipped to US, but shipping is a killer: $50 to US! I like the idea of a modular netbook not enthralled to Intel, but $50 for shipping? Looks like I'm going to buy a used netbook instead (how's the MSI Wind?). The 1 GHz CPU 512 MB RAM Edubook is under $200 as promised, but the 1 GB RAM version is $40 more. These include "power cord, SD, wifi, batteries".

[hatten]

I haven't checked the shipping price, but if it costs up to 50$ i can like with it, the netbook is so cheap and awesome anyway. But i live in Europe so i don't think it will be that much.
I've been exchanging e-mail with the president of norhtec for a while now, and we have together written about 30 e-mails to eachother. This is the last thing that was said a week ago or so.

The first 50 CPUs (production) arrived Friday. We will get 10,000 CPUs this month. We are waiting now on a new metal bottom for the case so that we can operate fanlessly. I am told 3rd week of August everything will be ready.

[FakeOutdoorsman]

Fanless. Nice. Will you write a review once you get yours?

[hatten]

Fanless. Nice. Will you write a review once you get yours?
Too lazy for that.

I'm having it right now in my lap. If one is happy with ubuntu/wattos it will work like a charm. I hate GUI's and are not that used to ubuntu, so I've ****** up my installation completely and haven't reinstalled anything yet.

It's nice to carry it around for all my lessons in school and nobody notices if it's on or off. 4h battery time is just below what i need, but as you don't need an adapter i carry with me my power cord.

Oh yeah, the shipping is a killer, but when you think of the netbooks price and compare with other netbooks you see that it ain't that much of a difference when you add the shipping.

[hatten]

Don't forget to post your impressions if you actually buy one of these .

There's a bunch of minor details I'd like to know as well, for instance how hot does it get when charging or when it's being used, and what it's actual video capabilities are..
When charging and using at the same time, it can become very hot, but not so hot that it's unusable. Leaving it charging over the night, powered on, can be a bad idea, but it's not that hard to power it off.

Right now it's running fine on 1 Ghz.

[dragos240]

Really? 8 AA batteries? Wow, this thing must be light as heck. Well, if it indeed uses SD cards for hard drives, then a cloud server is just BEGGING to be used. The only SD card I have is a 512MB card, I probably could squeeze in a light distro, but for storage, cloud is definitely needed.

[dragos240]

For $150, I kinda like it as a server.

I really don't think a server would work that great on it. It runs off an SD card, and even though SD cards are fast, they don't have 250 to 1TB of space for running a server. Unless you want a server that barely serves anything. Sounds like a webbrowsing netbook to me.

[hatten]

When you buy it you get a 8GB SD, and there is place for another. I have a 16GB myself, so in the sd slots you can easily squeeze in 16GB. There is also place for a small hdd, so you can get way bigger storage.

[Psumi]

It'll cost 300 USD here in Wisconsin thanks to the unfair sales act, I'm sure.