Everex Systems is going to launch a new 10.2 inch netbook this November. Officials of the taiwanese OEM FIC confirmed that Everex will start shipping a new 10.2 inch version of their Cloudbook productline with 3G and an option for WiMax connectivity. Especially the 3G option should make it very appealing for service providers to bundle it with a 3G contract.
FIC isn't sure about the cpu and chipset platform right now. It could either feature an Intel Atom or a similar VIA cpu. An interesting sitenote might be, that the Cloudbook Max should be already available at the end of August.

Everex 10.2 inch netbook

• Intel Atom or similar VIA cpu
• 10.2 inch WSVGA LED screen (1024x600)
• up to 2GB DRAM
• 1.3MP webcam
• 2x USB 2.0, express card slot, 4-in-1 card reader
• 4 or 6-cell battery
• about 1.2 kilogramms
• 263x185x32mm

[Source: Infoworld.com]

VIA may be focusing its attention on the chip company's new OpenBook reference design for tiny, low-power laptops. But it looks like some PC and electronics makers are still pumping out systems based on VIA's older NanoBook reference design. Mike Cane spotted a new PC at J&R over the weekend that looked suspiciously like an Everex Cloudbook, but which sported a shiny new Sylvania name tag.

The Cloudbook is probably the NanoBook-based PC that's gotten the most attention. But the early versions of this computer were somewhat disappointing. Everex used the gOS operating system, which has a somewhat unfinished feel at the moment. And the company didn't optimize the operating system and applications to fit properly on the computer's 800 x 480 pixel display. Some people found they couldn't get past the setup screen because the OK/Next buttons didn't fit on the display. (The solution was as simple as holding down the Alt key while clicking and dragging the window, but this is an awkward, clunky, and non-intuitive process).

The Cloudbook also lacked the typical notebook-style trackpad. Instead, there was a tiny thumbpad in the upper righthand corner of the devices. Overall, the first generation Cloudbook left a sour taste in many people's mouths, and so it's easy to not get excited when you see a new notebook that looks almost exactly like it.

But the Sylvania G Netbook (Cane found the name from the TigerDirect product page) has a real trackpad, albeit an incredibly small one. J&R is charging $450 for the G Netbook, while TigerDirect is asking $399.That price puts it pretty much in the Asus Eee PC 701 price range. And with a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, card reader, 802.11b/g and 800 x 480 pixel display, in theory the G Netbook could be a viable alternative to the first generation Eee PC.

If the company bothered to tweak the operating system to work better ont he hardware, that is. Like the Everex Cloudbook, the Sylvania G Netbook uses the gOS operating system.

Update: Here's the official product page from Sylvania Computers.

Walmart has dropped the price of the Everex Cloudbook CE1200V to $349. The laptop was $399 at launch, and according to the product page, Walmart was most recently selling the computer for $388.

Does the new price point have anything to do with the news that Everex is selling a Cloudbook with Windows XP in Taiwan? Or does Walmart want to keep the price competitive given the large number of competing products starting to flood the market? Or is the company just trying to clear its inventory and make room for computers people are actually willing to pay a few bucks more for?

[via Everex Cloudbook UMPC]

I had high hopes for the Everex Cloudbook. Really, I did. When the company announced it would be releasing an Eee PC competitor, there were few other products in its class on the market. And while the initial Cloudbook didn't have a solid state drive, or a conventional touchpad, it did have a 30Gb hard drive, WiFi, and a screen that was nearly identical to that on the Eee PC. What it didn't have was a user-friendly operating system.

Everex decided to load gOS on its Cloudbook laptops. The operating system is built on the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution, but it's built with an eye toward using web applications like Google Docs and Gmail. It's not quite as user-friendly as Ubuntu, due largely to the fact that Canonical has a huge team of developers and volunteers working on Ubuntu while gOS does not. But here's where Everex really messed up: The company didn't take any steps at all to make sure that Ubuntu ran properly on the Cloudbook. Some of the windows on the setup screen were too large to display on the Cloudbook's small monitor, which means that the first time most people turned the computer on they wouldn't know how to get past the splash screen. (The solution was to hold the alt key down while clicking and dragging the setup windows around so you can find the OK box, but that's not obvious if you're not familiar with Linux).

Everex reportedly addressed that problem in later builds. But first impressions matter, and for the most part the tech blogosphere is all gaga over the Eee PC, HP Mini- Note, MSI Wind, and other upcoming computers and has kind of forgotten about the Cloudbook. Everex does plan to release the Cloudbook Max sometime next year. It will featur a faster processor, more RAM, a larger hard drive, and a higher resolution display. But honestly, but 2009, computers in this class will be a dime a dozen.

And then out of a the blue, this morning I read that Everex is selling a computer called the Cloudbook SC1200T in Taiwan, which appears to be pretty much identical to the Cloudbook sold in the US, except it has 1GB of RAM instead of 512MB and it comes with Windows XP instead of gOS.

No word on the pricing, or whether you'll ever be able to get this unit in the US or Europe. But there's one up for auction right now for 12,000 yuan, or the equivalent of about $400 US.

And here I thought my house was starting to fill up with little computers. While I've got an Asus Eee PC and HP Mini-Note, Flickr user Robert Nelson has me beat. He's got both of those computers, plus an Everex Cloudbook. So if you've ever wanted to see how the three computer stack up against one another in size, shape, and glossy finish, check out Nelson's complete Flickr photoset.

For my money, the HP Mini-Note is the best looking of the bunch. It's got a nearly full sized keyboard and a high resolution display. It's also a bit bulkier and heavier than the other two, so if that half pound matters to you (not to mention the extra money you'll have to shell out to pick up a Mini-Note, which starts at $499), the Eee PC and Cloudbook might not look so bad.

[via Blogeee]

Looking for a $400 laptop with a 30GB hard drive, DVI port, 802.11b/g WiFi and a 7 inch touchscreen? The Everex Cloudbook fits the bill... up until that last part. While there's a Japanese version of this little laptop that comes with a touchscreen display, in the US all you get is a boring 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display that doesn't do anything at all when you poke it with a stylus.

But at least one guy has figured out that replacing your standard display with a touchscreen is as easy as opening up the case and swapping one screen for the other. You can pick up a touchscreen on eBay for between $40 and $50. The same screens that fit in an Asus Eee PC also fit in an Everex Cloudbook. Drivers are available for Windows XP, Vista, and Linux.

Honestly, I'm not quite sure a touchscreen is that useful in most laptops. If you could flip the screen back and use the Cloudbook in tablet mode, it would be incredibly handy. As is, you might as well just plug in a mouse or get used to the minuscule touchpad on the Cloudbook.

[via Engadget]