CVS - 7" Netbook, $100, starting Sept. 5

[VirtualLarry]

The ad scan was posted on FW, I'm ripping the post to re-post it here. Sylvania netbook, 7in. According to sylvanianetbooks.com, it's a Via C7 1.2Ghz ULV, with 1GB DDR2-533, and a 30GB HD. Runs Windows CE.

Edit: IMPORTANT - I should add that the discussion on FW seems to feel that perhaps the specs listed on Sylvania's own web site are not correct (considering the price), and that this netbook is really just one of those cheap ARM-based ones with only 128MB of RAM, etc., and WinCE, which are available on DealExtreme for less than $100 every day.

Edit: UPDATE - the specs on sylvanianetbooks.com are wrong. The specs from the back of the box at CVS are:
Processor: VIA 8505 (unknown Mhz, from browsing the web, it seems that they come in 300Mhz and 533Mhz versions)
RAM: 128MB
Storage: SD card slot (doesn't specify any internal storage, which is wierd, where do they store the OS?)

Wireless B/G, ethernet, 3 USB ports, SD card slot, headphone/mic jacks. Didn't check if it had DVI/HDMI/VGA outputs or not.

 

[DaveSimmons]

FYI, mwave.com has a couple of refurbished Asus Eee 7" models with 512MB, 4-8GB SSD and either XP or Linux for $140. If you prefer XP to Windows CE these might be worth the extra $40.

Edit: no links, the forum software trashes them. Search for "Asus eee"

I picked up a white one in January and it was in like new condition. They also have 9" refurbs for $170.

 

[Bryf50]

Its got an x86 cpu and enough hard drive and ram. I wonder if there's anything stopping it from running xp.

 

[DaveSimmons]

^ nothing as long as you can find XP drivers for the chipset, audio, video, trackpad and function keys.

 

[marvdmartian]

Does it come with a magnifying lens, so us old farts can see stuff on the screen??

Man, I have a tough enough time with my 10" netbook. A 7" screen might be okay to watch videos on, while you're on a flight, but seems way too small for anything else.

Damn, I'm getting old....

 

[TurtleCrusher]

As long as you could put XP on it, I see nothing wrong with it.

So about those drivers...

 

[CurseTheSky]

Tempted to buy one of these just to take it apart and turn it into a car computer.

Then again, with modern smartphones around and considering how hard (or expensive) it would be to get Internet connectivity for the computer, there's not much of a point...

 

[DjUnternull]

linux should run on this fine?

 

[halik]

gonna pick one up for sure

edit: err that's gonna be the arm based wince POS, as available on dealextreme for 80 bucks.

 

[VirtualLarry]

the weekly ad for next week is now live on cvs.com. Punch in your zipcode, click "view weekly ad", and then click "sneak peek". The netbook is on the front page.

Edit: My local stores have them for $100, they are out on the shelf.
Specs aren't so good.
Processor: VIA 8505
RAM: 128MB
Storage: SD card slot

Interesting that they don't list any internal storage, nor whether or not an SDHC card will work.

Could it be this: http://armdevices.net/2010/03/05/65-android-laptop/
Except with WinCE instead of Android? Speaking of which, it's probably possible to flash android to the system, instead of wince, if there is a firmware update feature. Just a hunch.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm posting from the netbook. Not bad, the keyboard takes getting used to.

Had some problems getting the WiFi to work.

Overall, is it worth $100? Hard to say. It's a fun little extra toy if you have some disposable income.

 

[God Mode]

Meh. You get so much more functionality and usefulness with a $200 netbook. I don't think this thing is worth the price unless the person specifically uses it for light browsing and email only. Youtube? No way.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Meh. You get so much more functionality and usefulness with a $200 netbook. I don't think this thing is worth the price unless the person specifically uses it for light browsing and email only. Youtube? No way.

You wouldn't believe how many people this actually describes. Most people in my house shared a P4 1.8ghz computer for a long time. They had ZERO problems with it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Meh. You get so much more functionality and usefulness with a $200 netbook. I don't think this thing is worth the price unless the person specifically uses it for light browsing and email only. Youtube? No way.

It does have a youtube app, it's basically like youtube for smartphones. low-res, choppy at times, but it works.

 

[qliveur]

Not to threadcrap, but TD has an ASUS netbook w/XP for $219.99 AC + $6.69 shipping. It's pretty decent for the price.

 

[MagickMan]

I saw this thing at CVS, what a POS. I wouldn't give them $10 for it.

 

[formulav8]

Yeah I was quite interested until the specs. I should have known it was going to be pretty bad when the maker sends it to a pharmacy to sell it...

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Understandable. Sub $100 is still a decent deal if you want to give an ultra portable web surfer to a child or very LIGHT user.

 

[Pardus]

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Wow. If that's actually it that's a really good deal. Looks much better than the Eee 7" series.

I have an original Nettop which has a Geode 233mhz CPU, 128mb ram and a 64mb CF as the HDD. It also has Windows CE. It was fast enough to browse around the computer itself. Still haven't used it online yet.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

One thing though, It would make just as much sense for pizza restaurants to sell bicycles as a pharmacy to sell netbooks. Not sure If I even trust those specs.

 

[Zap]

One thing though, It would make just as much sense for pizza restaurants to sell bicycles as a pharmacy to sell netbooks.

Hey, Aldi is one of the biggest computer retailers in Germany, and it is a grocery store. More power to them!

 

[MisterE]

I think the specifications that list a Via 1.2GHz C7 CPU are for an earlier Sylvania Netbook ( http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/sylvania-7-g-netbook/4505-3121_7-33190897.html#reviewPage1 ). The image attached to the product listing at Sylvania's Netbook website had been updated to reflect the new design, but not the system specifications. They have now been updated:

http://digitalgadgets.com/netbooks/7-in-netbook.htm

Processor: Via 8505 ARM CPU (maybe 300MHz, maybe 533MHz, maybe I don't know)

Display: 7" 800x480

Internal Memory: 128MB

Internal Storage: 2GB Nand-flash

Connectivity: 802.11b/g

etc.

It looks like it also has one USB 2.0 port and two USB 1.1 ports.

 

[Holler]

buyer beware, not worth 100 bucks imho. maybe 50...

here is a great review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_79tXqhac

 

[VirtualLarry]

Something someone said on the SD thread about this netbook gave me an idea. What about turning this into a mobile 3G wifi router? Like the WiMi from Virgin Mobile, etc.

Get a cable to tether this device to a cell phone, and a program to run and act as a WiFi hotspot (which I think already exists for WinCE, unsure if there's a version compiled for the WM8505 CPU). PDAnet or something.

The trick, or difficulty, would probably be obtaining drivers for the USB-cellphone cable.

Interestingly, there are already network connectoids for "3G" and "ADSL" in there.

Possibly this could be done under Linux or Android?