Have we come to the post-PC era?
Which is the cheapest computer you can buy
at this moment? And we don’t talk about Raspberry Pi. We still need enough
horsepower to email, browse web, or watch movies. Kaser announces that they
have the answer with $100 Android-based netbook. But will it be suitable for
the task?
Kaser
announces that they have the answer with $100 Android-based netbook. But will
it be suitable for the task?
There’s no lack of rumors on the blog
relating to the “post-PC era” which we’re setting out feet in. now when the
obvious cheap-priced Android devices have succeeded your PC, why do we need the
traditional desktop computer, is that right?
Wrong. Sometimes you just need a large
screen, a large-sized keyboard and accurate pointer to work. That’s where Kaser
Net’sPC2 YF810-8G jumps in. packing Android 4.0 (usually called “Ice Cream
Sandwich”), low-power ARM SoC, keyboard, mouse and lots I/Os you normally find
on the workstation computers, Net’sPC2 finds the way to replace your desktop
computer with the cheap price of only $100.
Packing
Android 4.0 (usually called “Ice Cream Sandwich”), low-power ARM SoC, keyboard,
mouse and lots I/Os you normally find on the workstation computers, Net’sPC2
finds the way to replace your desktop computer with the cheap price of only
$100.
But what kind of performance can you expect
from a device that cheap? And how is it going to be when using the mobile OS
that aims toward touch screen with a keyboard and a mouse? About that problem,
what do we even have to compare it to?
After all, it will be unfair to put a $100 Nettop
in a competition against the premium hardware we normally test. Comparing
Net’sPC2 with $600 iPhone or $1,200 Ultrabook is ridiculous. Even a simple Nettop
based on Android is twice or 3 times more expensive than Kaser after adding the
drive, storage, keyboard and mouse. It’s clear that the price is the thing that
turns this tiny product into a unique kind of thing, so we have to give up
looking for competitions in Android world and PC can be compared with Net’sPC2 in
terms of pricing.
What can $100 buy you?
Spend a little of time to think about what
else $100 can buy at present. If you’re hungry, you can buy 2 dozens of Big
Mac. Or 10 packs of Colonel fried chicken. If you buy consuming electronics,
you can buy a pair of iPod Shuffles or HD-transmitted Blu-ray box.
If
you buy consuming electronics, you can buy a pair of iPod Shuffles or
HD-transmitted Blu-ray box.
If you’re talking about computer world, $100
can’t take you quite far away. Of course, if you’re well-experienced, the
second-hand market is not a bad place to go for if you’re on a very tight
budget. A basic home office PC from Vista ages will have the price of about $100,
or even cheaper if you come to the thrift shop (Macklemore style), an auction website,
or the classified advertisements on the newspaper. And if you’re similar to us,
certainly you have at least an old system. That’s fine, my friends. We’re
introducing our grandparent’s PC.
Next, we have a representative from Atom
billet. Though the new netbooks are still sold at the min price of $250, we
have pulled out the first generation Dell Mini 10v to fill in that gap even
more. Though the already-used Mini 10v can still be sold at higher price than Kaser,
unlike Net’sPC2, Mini of Dell is a complete system as it includes the screen.
Though
the new netbooks are still sold at the min price of $250, we have pulled out
the first generation Dell Mini 10v to fill in that gap even more.
Now, let’s test with some of the same Android-based
products of Kaser. The cheap-priced prepaid Android smartphones with same
technical specs have the price of about $100, or even cheaper. If $100 is more
than what you want to pay, you can also choose 2 actually basic Gingerbread-based
devices. Or you can double your investment and choose Nexus 7, which like Dell
Mini 10v, is a complete system.
Finally, to provide a related reference,
we’re also including $400 Apple iPad 2. While this device is for sure out of
the class of Kaser, Apple has sold bundles of this, and we know that basically iPad
3 and iPad Mini are like iPad 2. Like Vista, we’re betting that many of you at
least have one of these at your house. Hopefully, including iPad 2 gives you a
clearer picture about the position of Net’sPC2.
To compare the model of Kaser, we’re
deploying some cross-platform tests such as Geekbench, 3DMark, GFXBench, and a
minimized version of Web Browser Grand Prix. But before all, let’s take a
closer look at Net’sPC2 YF810-8G.
