Linux cloudbook gets slammed in CNN laptop comparison review

[Sporkman]

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0804/gallery.owner_tested_nanobooks.fsb/index.html

[gn2]

Not exactly an in-depth review by someone who knows what they're talking about.

The reviewer seems not to have experience of using Ubuntu and it's applications or taken into account the massive price differences.

The Cloudbook wouldn't be my choice but neither would an Air.

I will probably get a Medion Akoya Mini or an ECS G10IL or an MSI Wind next.

There's a good list of the new small laptops here (http://www.liliputing.com/2008/04/over-past-six-months-or-so-asus-everex_24.html)

[smoker]

it's an unfair comparison, look at the differences in price. for thousands of dollars you could have a decent laptop running linux that would give both a run for their money, imo!

[gn2]

In the UK you can get a Dell XPS for just over a third of the price of an Air and have three times the functionality.

This makes the Dell XPS nine times better than an Air according to a report from Random Guy On The Internet™

[bobbocanfly]

Terribly done review. The first page says it all:


the Apple MacBook Air ($1,800 to $3,000), the Everex Cloudbook ($399), and the Sony VAIO Tz 298N ($3,700).

There is absolutely no way you can compare a computer with another that is almost 10x its price and expect to have a fair review.

[gn2]

Indeed. It would be like comparing a Ford Mondeo with a Maserati Quattroporte

[Wobedraggled]

What a terrible writeup.

[seatex]

I don't care much about the cloudbook. However, since when does anyone at CNN have any credibility for tech reviews? They can't even report the news accurately without spinning it.

[Sporkman]

I don't care much about the cloudbook. However, since when does anyone at CNN have any credibility for tech reviews? They can't even report the news accurately without spinning it.

Are you more a fan of "Fair and Balanced" reporting? ;)

[Joeb454]

That is quite possibly the worst "review" I have ever read. Not just because it puts Linux down as "rubbish & for the geeks" like most others. But it wasn't even a proper review.

All I managed to get was "The Macbook Air looked pretty, so I want one"

[seatex]

Are you more a fan of "Fair and Balanced" reporting? ;)

That doesn't exist. Faux just spins it the other way. :rolleyes:

[Sporkman]

That doesn't exist. Faux just spins it the other way. :rolleyes:

You're hard to please! :)

[BigSilly]

Internet journalism - always good for a laugh. Well done CNN for this comedy example.

[Atomic Dog]

Not such a great comparison. I would have at least expected a more conciliatory tone for the linux unit seeing it's 1/4 to 1/9th the price of the others.

[aaaantoine]

No one is cross-shopping an Everex Cloudbook with a Macbook Air. Absolutely no one.

Now, a Cloudbook vs Eee comparison, I can see.

[days_of_ruin]

That was the lamest review I have ever read.I could get a more fair review
from an apple site.

[geoken]

Quite possible the most ridiculous "review" I have ever read. How can you compare a 13 inch laptop and a 7 inch laptop (or whatever the cloudbook is) and then reprimand the cloudbook for "compromising on screen size"?

You may as well compare a sedan and convertable, and complain that the convertable compromised with it's roof.

[SuperSon!c]

basically, what do you expect for $399? crap, that's what.

[heartburnkid]

You know, the whole thing seems rather unfair. Expecting a $400 laptop to keep up with two $3000 laptops in all tasks is a bit like going to a six-year-old's piano recital and bitchslapping him for not being as good as Mozart.

[bash]

I actually found the comments of the review quite entertaining. Especially all the Mac Fans bashing everyone else without the least bit of an factual argument:

Like about the pwn2own test where the MacBook Air was hacked first out of one Vista, one Apple and one Ubuntu laptop:


The test he reports was an obvious set-up and sponsored by Microsoft.

Pinky: Bill?
Bill: Yes Pinky?
Pinky: What are we doing tonight?
Bill: What we do every night. Trying to take over the world.
Pinky: How so?
Bill: We set-up a fake security contest with 3 different OSes and we let the Linux one win so noone notices that we forged it. And everyone will see the true face of the Apple!

Hmm, yea sounds like how it probably happened.

[BDNiner]

If their job is to review products then they should take it more seriously. The article gives me the feeling that the writer wrote this on their PDA on the way to work one day. Not very insightfull on either of the laptops.

[Chilli Bob]

The macbook air is unuseably slow. I tried one on the weekend while out checking up on the eeePC (which I think I will get.) I started Excel on the macbook air, typed some text in the first cell and hit tab. It took ages to move to the next cell. Thinking that was weird, I ented some more data and started timing it. It was over 4 seconds from hitting tab to moving to the next cell. That's ridiculous for a modern computer. Who knows how much it would slow down with one of my 40 page landscape quotes running on it. Open office calc on the eeepc was instantanious as you would expect.

[aysiu]

basically, what do you expect for $399? crap, that's what.
Um, I paid US$399 for my Eee PC, and it's not crap. It's quite good, actually.

[SuperSon!c]

most likely, yes. that one's a diamond in the rough at that price point.

[Pethegreat]

basically, what do you expect for $399? crap, that's what.
At that price point you are not looking for a uber powerful PC. You can do e-mail, surf the web, and do office-like things.

I think I got the best bang for the buck with my System 76 laptop(In sig). I can do everything the macbook air can at only $870. I plan on upping the ram to 2gb and the HD to 200gb for about $150. $1020 for a prettly powerful laptop is not a bad deal.

I would have liked to see what they said about a macbook pro. I found the MB pro to be very nice even though it starts at $1600.

[starcannon]

The UMPC market is not there to try to be a 15inch notebook, its appeal is its size. Larger than a palmtop and capable of more, smaller than a 15inch notebook and capable of less.

I have the 2g, 4g, and the 8g, as well as a cloudbook.

The cloudbook is still a pos, but thats compared to its class, not outside of its class. That review was ridiculous.

By the way if your looking for the best bang for the buck value, the Asus Eee 4g is really sweet. The Asus Eee 900 looks like its gonna be even better, and rumor has it an even nicer one is in the works by the end of summer. A bunch of other UMPC's are set to hit the market this summer as well. So far everything seems well under $600 and many are well under $500. Again, before the "I could get laptopx for price y" consider that those of use buying umpc's aren't wanting full sized laptops, we want something the size of a hardback book that lets us do everything that a umpc does, were not overly concerned with its gaming, image and video editing limitations, we have desktops and full sized laptops for that at home or the office.

[gn2]

and rumor has it an even nicer one is in the works by the end of summer.

I've seen reports that there will be an Intel Atom Eee900 soon, also that there will be a 10" screen Eee as well later on.

If it keeps up like this it won't be long till there's a 15" Eee....?

[zmjjmz]

Are the first 10000 comments on the talkback about the Macbook being able to use right click?

[init1]

The laptops are of two totally different price ranges, so I don't think they should be compared like that.

[cardinals_fan]

I just posted a sadistic comment asking why Apple can't include the much vaunted Mighty Mouse for free when I'm paying over two thousand dollars for the laptop.