Raon Digital Everun Note Reviewed, Perhaps Too Compromised
Jenn over at Pocketables has one of her trademark detailed reviews out today. This time, it’s the Raon Digital Everun Note. I had a pretty good idea of how this one would go because I follow Jenn’s Twitter account. When she’s not teasing me about the local weather in Hawaii (we have a foot of snow today), she’s updating her device usage. I noticed Jenn was putting off her unboxing and then her review, which told me she wasn’t taken in by the device specifications to begin with. After reading her review, I understand why.
It’s not that the Everun Note isn’t well spec’d. After all it offers a 1024×600, seven-inch touchscreen, full keyboard, 8GB SLC SSD and 16GB MLC SSD and a relatively powerful 1.2GHz Turion 64 X2 from AMD. No, the issues seem to creep in with the number of compromises made, and mobile tech almost always means compromise. Some examples:
- The full keyboard has several non-standard layout issues. Jenn found the period and comma keys too small. Most other punctuation keys are in the top row. The spacebar isn’t very responsive.
- The touchscreen folds back flat, but Jenn can’t find a use for it in that situation. She rightly questions the lack of a swivel approach so that the Note could be used in a Tablet PC configuration.
- The webcam is crammed in the device hinge, probably because there wasn’t room anywhere else. This offers a less-than-optimal viewing angle for a video-call recipient.
- When running Windows XP on battery, the device underclocks the CPU. You only get the full processor power when the large AC adapter is plugged in. Jenn asks: what’s the point of having a powerful CPU if you can’t leverage it while mobile? Again, it’s a compromise between performance and mobile power.
For some, the Everun Note has all the right moves. For me, the $999 reviewed unit is too much compromise for the price considering other available choices. The review is worth the read, though, as everyone’s needs and value perceptions are different.
It’s worth noting that when it underclocks the CPU, the Everun Note is computationally comparable (if not still more powerful than) your typical netbook. If a 1.6GHz Intel Atom does what you need to do when operating off the battery, so will an underclocked 1.2GHz Turion 64 X2.
Of course, if you plug the AC adapter in, then you get performance far greater than what any netbook can provide. I guess that can make sense for someone who does different things with his laptop when its plugged in vs. when it isn’t.
I actually just shipped my Everun off. I had it for just over a week, and while I was impressed with the device, I just did not find it satisfying. It was a beautiful device, and indeed has it uses, but I just decided I could not make due with a 7 inch screen, nore the small, but effective, optical mouse. I’ll be looking at the HP 2140 with HD screen when it comes out.
I’m still looking for a UMPC that fits the bill though. The Aigo and Sony UX come the close to what I want in a UMPC…but they will get there eventually.