Thread: laptop 8.9" and 1280x768

  1. 07-20-2008 #1
    cyberfish
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    laptop 8.9" and 1280x768

    I am looking to buy the soon coming out (rumours say end of this month) Gigabyte M912 mini convertible.

    http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/...ProductID=2835

    It's one of the cheapest if not the cheapest convertible out there. Linux version at ~15000NTD (~$500 USD), and Windows version, with a larger harddrive, at ~20000NTD (~$667 USD). The specs don't look too bad either.

    What concerns me, though, is the advertised resolution of 1280x768. Is it really practical to run at that resolution given the small screen size? My ex-15"-laptop only had 1280x800. In comparison, both the 8.9" EEE PC and 8.9" Acer Aspire one have 1024x600, whereas the HP Mini 2133 8.9" has 1280x768.

    Does anyone have experiences with these things?

    Thanks
  2. 07-20-2008 #2
    Mario F.
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    You will get used to it within the first 10 minutes, unless you do have poor sight. What I do suggest is to lower the brightness level. The higher the resolution, the less brightness level you want if the screen size is small. This, just to protect your eyes if you will happen to use the laptop for extended periods of time.

    What I think you should be worrying instead is that rotating screen. Laptops weak spot is the hinges attaching the screen to the laptop body. Is the only movable part of the laptop and the one most used. You will want something strong and durable and those rotating screens I see a little everywhere these days are everything but. I also honestly don't see the point either; Useless fluff. I'd suggest a more traditional laptop.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.
  3. 07-20-2008 #3
    cyberfish
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    Thanks for the great advices, will keep in mind.

    I was considering the EEEPC 8.9" and mod it with a touchscreen. Then I saw this one with an "official" touchscreen, higher resolution, and lower price...
  4. 07-26-2008 #4
    cyberfish
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    Just ordered it in Taiwan. Unfortunately they canceled the Linux version. So now I will have to waste my money on a Vista license only to wipe it out and install Linux once I get it.

    That's my only complaint, now, though . Everything else is nice.

    I ended up paying ~$660 for it. 160GB harddrive, 8.9" 1280x768 touchscreen (resistive), Intel Atom, 1GB ram. A very similar product from Fujitsu, P1610 or something like that, costed more than three times that last year IIRC.

    ETA Aug 15 - 21, will see how it goes . This is going to be both my first ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) and also my first tablet. I was at first very skeptical of all this sub-notebook idea, seeing Asus's EEE PC with tiny screens and unpractically low resolutions, and the small keyboards, too. This Gigabyte machine convinced me to give it a try, though, with a high resolution and touchscreen.

    Unfortunately, rumours (supposedly an email from Gigabyte tech support) say that it will not be sold in US/Canada. Only in Asia and Europe.
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