12.1 Wide Screen Laptop (PowerBook)

cmx08 · Oct 15, 2004

Today, I passed by Futureshop in Downtown Montreal Canada and I saw the the first 12.1" Wide screen that was really FULL FEATURE unlike the PB 12"

it had every the PB12 has but + 3 USB, 1 SD/MMC/ and something else, 3 In1 Card Reader, PCMCIA Type II and a DL DVD burner. with the 12.1" wide screen of course, and that's not all, it had a resolution of up to 2XXX x XXXX ( I don't know the number folks but at 2K it is amazing.)

Slot drive is not a big minus since I had really nasty Slot drives on my iBook and I also have a lot of the mini CDs. DVI was missing but hey, it just came out today and it's the first one so maybe in the next one, but I don't really care.

It was all in Aluminium and the thing was not like any plastic design. it was more like the Powerbook, flat and all in 1 piece.

Now that's what I can a Really Fully loaded Portable. it Weights only 1.9Kg vs PB 12" 2.1Kg.

I will really consider selling my iBook G4 800 for it but the only thing that stops me is the OS. Windows XP Home Ed ... -_-"

SD reader and a PCMCIA Type II for a CF reader will be really useful for my Palm and my Dcam

so I will not have to carry a card reader all the time or wait until I get home. I can do it there.

enough of the + and -

the link is here and the picture is really bad. the Alumiun is lighter than the PB but it feels the same and really strong.

If the new PB12 is not like that with Wide screen, PCMCIA Type II slot it will be really sad. the extra usb port is ok, not really a must same with SD reader since apple can not really choose a media type unless it becomes a stardard and apple use it in the new gizmos on the way.

Picture info.

the left side has the Tray from the Optical drive, the black thing is 1 of the USB ports, on top is the PCMCIA Type II slot and at the bottom of it is the SD card reader slot.

on the right from front to back is at the 2 USB right on the edge just like http://www.averatec.com/notebooks/3200series.htm and then the modem and Ethernet jack and at the top was the AC plug.

It did not have IR, the mini FW400 and the line and and out were on the front.

the back was the battery and the LCD could make a 150 degree flip.

Keyboard was full size and easy to use.

Link:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...id=0665000FS10048500&catid=11520&newdeptid=1#

TLRedhawke · Oct 15, 2004

Well, the only problem, other than Windows XP Home, is that it's an Averatec. A lot of people in my program (Osgoode Hall Law School) buy laptops, and since Averatecs tend to be cheap, a lot of them end up being used. As a result, they also tend to quite run like ass. They're slow, have poor battery life, and th screen quality is terrible, especially in comparison to a Powerbook. They're just a step up from Dell, in that they use crappy hardware, which adversely affects the performance of the machine. Feature wise, it looks good, but the name already shows me there's not too much potential there.

BrianKonarsMac · Oct 15, 2004

dude you need to read the specs first...

DL DVD BURNER!? hah...the only thing it can do with a DVD is read them...and it's not like DL readability is anything new...the original DVD players have that since all commerical DVD's are DL.

at least it has a CD burner and very slow DVD + burner...

PCMCIA card and Media Card reader? whoop-dee-friggin doo...I don't know anyone who has a use for this, although you do. I just use my camera to transport pics to the HD and then wipe it clean. I also use USB Thumb Drives for portable storage...not CF or one of the other 50 competing types (CF 2, Sony Disk's or Sony Pro or Sony Pro Duo, Secure Media..etc.etc.) so again, wonderful...

3 USB Ports? Nice, but I'd rather have bluetooth and wireless keyboard mouse. Also what speed are they? I didn't see any mention of USB 2.0 but find it hard to believe they'd be 1.1 (although it is possible).

Are you sure it's wide screen? That aspect ratio looks amazingly like a 4:3 to me.

Can you imagine a resolution of 2xxx X 1xxx on a 12 inch screen? Holy **** BATMAN! get me my bat-binoculars! While I agree the 12 PB could have been bumped to 1280x1024...anything larger would be practically unusable.

Also, this laptop looks to use an onboard graphics processor...i.e. WORSE than the PB's 5200

.

The laptop is okay I suppose, but nothing that would warrant a switch to Windows. I still don't see what you feel is better than Apple's 12" but that's all relative based upon opinion. I still don't think it's a wide screen.

cmx08 · Oct 15, 2004

funny, the last time I gave an essay.

what was the title of the Thread? I think It said "WIDE"

I said I saw it today in person and that is a WIDE SCREEN. not a AVERwhatever, that was just a link for the right side usb ports diagram.

anyways, what u do is ur problem. no every1 needs it like me, but the PB 15 and 17 have the PCMCIA Type II slot because it's a standard. U don't want it maybe because u don't need it now, doesn't hunt for u to have it either. not a big fuss

but for ppl with 6.3MP dcam like the Canon Rebel with Funcking USB 1.1 and an expensive battery. I made to save the power to shoot some pictures and not use it to sync. At that rate, u go nowhere

SD is already a std for ppl with PDAs. u want to be able to copy data without killing the stupid built-in battery. at 1GB an SD card and my stupid T3 crandle that uses USB 1.1, when will I finish the sync?

The LCD was 200% brighter, sharper, finer than any of the Toshiba and Sony laptops on display. Now how Funky good is that?

Now, I think no one, and I MEAN NO ONE GOT THE MESSAGE. I'm talking about the features and for sure, u can't compare a Window's setup with a Apple Setup.

besides, everything has a reputation to build. Medion is a new company.

what happend to Google anyways? it started small in a room and it was recently officially on NASDAQ.

U never know what will happend next.

iMeowbot · Oct 15, 2004

BrianKonarsMac said:
DL DVD BURNER!? hah...the only thing it can do with a DVD is read them...

Single-layer DVD, DVD+R 4X write, DVD+RW 2.4X write

Also what speed are they? I didn't see any mention of USB 2.0 but find it hard to believe they'd be 1.1 (although it is possible).

All three high speed USB 2.0

Can you imagine a resolution of 2xxx X 1xxx on a 12 inch screen? Holy **** BATMAN! get me my bat-binoculars! While I agree the 12 PB could have been bumped to 1280x1024...anything larger would be practically unusable.

Actual SIM2000 resolution is 1280 * 800

BrianKonarsMac · Oct 15, 2004

iMeowbot said:
Actual SIM2000 resolution is 1280 * 800

ya im just going off of what he said, and i quote:"it had a resolution of up to 2XXX x XXXX ( I don't know the number folks but at 2K it is amazing.)
"
and i noticed awhile ago that under CD Burning, it gives DVD speeds (4x DVD+R and 2.4x DVD+RW), but it's still a far cry from his statement of dual layer dvd burning.

o well, at least you found out the resolution for me, and it is a widescreen after all, thanks.

cmx08 · Oct 16, 2004

DL might had been a miss reading

but when futureshop described it it was as stated.

the res matter was check and it showed that it could run that high. I didn't test it. I know that windows shows the max res for external monitors. maybe that is the max for the external. unlike some (ie ibook) it shows max external res at the same res ie 1024*768

I'll take some snap shots when I get my Z72 back.

anyways WXGA, PCMCIA Type II slot and maybe a SD slot were the point of thread.

i went to medion.com but did not find any info since it was just out in canada

bdomz · Oct 16, 2004

looks like the resolution on that thing is WXGA. It's not a bad system but it has a celeron M and only gets 2.4 hrs of battery life. Thats pretty poor for an ultraportable. You'd probably be better off with an Averatec, at least they use mobile Athlon processors which are pretty good. I do like the fact that it has 3 USB ports instead of the usual 2. 512mb ram is pretty good as well and it looks like it has integrated wireless which is always a plus. I can't comment on the graphics but it looks like it uses an integrated SiS graphics chipset, the graphics in your iBook are much better.

I've never heard of the company either, if weight is an issue you'd be much better off getting an ultraportable by Fujitsu or keeping what you have now.

G5orbust · Oct 17, 2004

That thing sucks.

Working off of the specs that guy said....

1) That resolution is WAY too high for such a small screen. Want to lose your eyesight in a few short years? Yeah, get a laptop with a small screen like that and the maximum resolution possible for any display. Thats the same resolution as is on CRTs that are 8-9+ inches larger diagonally. You go figure on that one. And according to the site its 12.1" WXGA. Thats 1280x768, genius, not 2XXX x XXXX...

2) Dual Layer DVD burner... Nope. I checked the wesbite, all it is a DVD+RW burner. God, get it right before you go a-bashin'. what you saw was this: 5.5X DVD-Video (DVD-9, Double Layer) which means you can play dual layer DVD's at 5.5x (most commercial movie dvd's are dual layer) not burn them, slick.

3) Media card readers are connected to the system's USB bus, so expect some pretty slow transfers if you have large cards with large files.

4) Integrated graphics? Ouch.

All in all this machine isnt superior at all to the Powerbook 12", in fact its in many many ways inferior. Better luck next time.

russed · Oct 18, 2004

i bet the keyboard is pants. i have never found a keyboard in a laptop that is anygood other than what apple offers. they are usually flimsy and no good for writing anything other than your username and password on.

comictimes · Oct 18, 2004

G5orbust said:
That thing sucks.

Working off of the specs that guy said....

1) That resolution is WAY too high for such a small screen. Want to lose your eyesight in a few short years? Yeah, get a laptop with a small screen like that and the maximum resolution possible for any display. Thats the same resolution as is on CRTs that are 8-9+ inches larger diagonally. You go figure on that one. And according to the site its 12.1" WXGA. Thats 1280x768, genius, not 2XXX x XXXX...

I don't really know about the rest of the stuff, but if the resolution is too high, just make it lower. It isn't all that hard. And as for the battery life that was mentioned, I don't know about regular ultraportables, but my 15" only gets a bit over 2 hours of battery life, so apple isn't doing incredibly in that respect either. And also, this computer weighs significantly less than the 12", which could be really helpful for some people. Not that I hate Apple (I still love them), or that I would ever switch to windows, I just think that this computer is actually pretty good, and that the 12" powerbook is really good, and that some people are a bit too quick to criticize anything that is non-Mac, that's all.

Abstract · Oct 18, 2004

Well we know that I'm not over-critical of anything non-Apple, as I usually say something about it when I see it happen, so here it goes....

1. The resolution and widescreen are the only thing I like about the machine.

2. Never compare this 12" machine to a 15" PB (or the 17" for that matter). We're talking about the 12" PB. And the 12" PB isn't "significantly" heavier. And if we're going to be THAT critical about size and weight, this system is "significantly" thicker than a 12" PB. Lets just say they're basically the SAME size, as they pretty much are.

3. This system may have 512MB of RAM, but the quality of the RAM is in question, and the fact that it uses integrated video probably means that they HAD to up the RAM to 512MB in order for the system to run well.

4. It's a 1.4GHz Celeron. CMX08's 800GHz G3 iBook could still be faster, and it's 2 years old.

5. I could only wish it were an Averatec. At least their laptops are decent, especially for what you pay for.

cmx08 · Oct 18, 2004

it's a G4 -_-"

and as a 50/50 person. I'm no addict to the mac world like most of u who criticize anything that is non-Mac just like comictimes supported me.

I'm a like to argue the question both ways.

Now, not many understond the meaning of the thread.

THIS IS NOT A SWITCH. hoping to see some 12 WXGA on the future 12 macs and perhaps the PCMCIA Type II slot and a SD slot

as for the built of that gizmo. it is as book as the PB. the color of that thing looks wierd on the picture. it is not even that color which looks like the ibook g3 keyboard. I always hated the type of keyboard. it was the only thing that made me sell mine after 60 days. that thing was well and solid made with a smooth hing unlike apple's

iMeowbot · Oct 18, 2004

G5orbust said:
4) Integrated graphics? Ouch.

Yep, it's the same SiS junk that Shuttle put in their low-end machines.

Max. external monitor resolution for SIM2000: 1600 x 1200, 32-bit @ 60Hz

Diatribe · Oct 18, 2004

cmx08 said:
besides, everything has a reputation to build. Medion is a new company.

I don't think they will build themselves a better rep than they've had in Europe the last years. Medion sucks big time and is sold by supermarkets in Europe... what more do I need to say?

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