Are we entering a new era of mobile computing where the ultra mobile PC could be the only computer you ever need? The processing module you can take anywhere? Raon Digital are breaking into exactly that category of converged mobile devices with the new and interesting Everun Note. Here at UMPCPortal we’ve been lucky enough to get hold of one of the first samples out of the door for some long term testing but after 4 days of hard but enjoyable testing, were ready to bring you the full review.
We all struggle with the constant battle to understand device categories. UMPCs, netbooks, MIDs and other labels that, on the whole, are simply there so that the manufacturers can produce multiple similar devices with different target customers, pricing, and marketing strategies. If you look back at every term we use today you’ll find that it came from a sales/marketing/PR group and I bet that all of them have their roots in generating new revenue. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were a computing company that didn’t have to worry about existing product ranges though. You have a completely free and open remit to make a device that spans as many markets as possible and would end up with something at the limits of technology, not at the limits of shareholder acceptance! OQO did it with the 02 and now Raon have done it with the Everun Note.
Device overview
Yes, it appears that Raon Digital have broken through with a new class of device here. Its much smaller than a netbook (less than half the volume, 70% of the weight) and yet it packs a CPU and GPU that can leave netbooks standing. It has a 7″ 1024×600 touchscreen, a full keyboard and 3G upgradeability. The version I have here runs windows XP and runs with a 30GB hard drive and 1GB RAM. SSD, 60G and no-OS purchase options are available. Wifi and Bluetooth are standard along with 2 USB ports, an SD card port, SIM card port, stereo speakers and 1.3mp cam. Regular readers will immediately think about the Kohjinsha SC3 which is the closest in size, features and weight but where the SC3 struggles to provide a basic notebook experience with its singe-core Atom and Widows Vista, the Everun Note provides a completely different, confidence-inspiring almost desktop like experience. The dual-core AMD Turion X2 at 1.2Ghz provides oodles of raw processing power and the ATI graphics chip, a Radeon RS690E dials in 3D and video performance that I’ve never experienced on any ultra mobile PC.
What Raon have been able to do that others can’t is to concentrate on building a device that covers a wide range of computing scenarios right up into notebook territory and beyond. To say that this could be your only computing device from daily desktop to coffee shop companion is really no understatement. You will never see a device like this from Dell, HP or any of the notebook manufacturer, they simply have too much to lose if it cuts across other product categories. Raon seem to have built the core component of a very modular computing system and that’s an idea that many will like.
Its small, but not not quite DS-Lite small!
Many of you have already written in on the forums, the live session and in article comments to ask about heat, noise and battery life and that’s where we’ll start with the review. One finds it difficult to imagine that all this power can be contained within such a small casing without either a big and loud fan or a melting keyboard but I can put your worries to rest on those to points, Ron Digital have done an an amazing thermal engineering job and the device stays cool and quiet in most normal operations. Sure, running Unreal Tournament 2003 (yes, it works!) causes the heat levels to rise and the fan to kick in quickly and loudly but with a combined CPU/GPU TDP that is much more than any other Ultra Mobile platform, its not too surprising. A two-hour repeating 3D Mark test does the same thing but in normal use, even in full power mode as a desktop, the fan rarely winds up and can only normally be heard as a faint hum!
Unboxing video is available here.
Battery Life
As for battery life, its a two-part story. What Raon have implemented is something we’ve seen in a few mobile devices before. When the plug is pulled, the BIOS or power control software caps the processor speed and the CPU/GPU switches into a power saving mode. With dual cores running at 800Mhz though, there’s plenty left for most operations. Think Atom netbook performance when on battery and you’ll get the idea. Raon even provide a power-save override button which works under external power to reduce battery drain. This could be useful with an external battery pack.
Battery life isn’t only about CPU and GPU though as BT, WIfi and Screen play just as big a role. I’m happy to report that Raon appear to have used quality parts here and the overall result is a PC that’s able to return better than average efficiency. 9W average drain with Wifi, 30% brightness and power-save mode (a standard, indoor browsing setting) is as good as on any 7″ device that we’ve tested. Minimum drain reaches down to about 8W which is what Im seeing right now as I write this section of the review using WordPad with 50% screen brightness and no wifi or Bluetooth enabled. Unfortunately, due to the size of the device, there’s no space for even a small netbook style battery. Raon have squeezed in 20Wh of capacity into the standard battery which translates to a max 3hrs offline use and 2hrs 15 minutes of online use. IF you push the device with some heavy processing and forget to turn off radios, its easy to take the device into the 1-1.5hrs range. Not exactly thrilling! Raon obviously want everyone to get the best out of this system though so they’ve already announced a hi-cap battery which will extend the battery life by +45%. That’s 4.5 hours off offline use and 3.5hrs of online use which, when you consider that youll have a spare 2hrs standard battery in your pocket, isn’t a bad solution. Add the flexibility of a car charger and external battery charger which, we’re hearing wont break the bank and you have more of that modular computing system that we mentioned earlier.
Lets step away from the performance for a minute and look at the build of the device from a quality, aesthetic and usability standpoint. The white version I have here is video cassette case sized and looks like a big Nintendo DS. The plastics are good quality and overall, it seems rugged enough to withstand the normal mobile use scenarios. The screen hinge isn’t as tight as others i’ve tried and its got a little too much ‘creakyness’ for my liking but at the moment, its good enough. Certainly the clamshell design helps a lot to protect screen and keyboard when not in use and the white finish hides all those fingerprints. A black version is planned though (not initially) and this would probably appeal to more people. At 750gm, its very light and a good size for holding in securely one hand, both closed and in-use.
Complete Raon Digital Everun Note photo gallery here.
To asses usability we need to first look at that keyboard. Its very small and has a non-standard layout where the punctuation keys have been moved to the top to allow the designers to build in alpha keys that have a 16mm pitch. That’s bigger than the Eee PC keyboard and you certainly notice it when typing long text like this. There are a few point to note though. The punctuation keys take some getting use to and slow the experience down, the key travel is minimal and again, something that the user needs to adjust to and there’s something not quite perfect about key registration. The error rate in terms of missed key presses seems to be higher than it normally is. It could be a result of not hitting keys on the center of the keycap as I get used to the device but I have a feeling that slightly more pressure is required than i’m used to.
To keep the overall depth of the device to a minimum, Raon have removed the mouse touchpad and replaced it with an optical mouse pointer of the type that you’ll find on the original Everun. On that device it works well, on the one I have here I feel that I’ve got a faulty part. Trying to wipe a finger over the mouse doesn’t result in a one-for-one smooth mouse movement and yet, if I use the side of my thumb (as you would hit a spacebar) it works almost perfectly. Even if it is a faulty part and other devices are perfect, its tougher to use than a mouse pad and many will find it annoying to start with. Fortunately its not a problem as the touch layer on the screen is soft and responsive; A real pleasure. As a mouse pointer and controller its great but its almost useless as a place to do handwriting. Vectoring issues prevent any form of serious ‘tablet’ use which probably why Raon delivered this with XP Home. A touch-and-hold right click would have been nice but if you use the FN button when touching the screen it implements the right click. Its easy to get used to. The screen as the mousepad works very well though and is obviously a better choice than a handwriting-friendly touch layer on this type of device.
Key travel is about 1-1.5mm. Its quiet. No flex. Non backlit. Great feedback.
Performance.
Its a two-sided story with performance on the Everun Note because of the dual operating modes of mains and battery. Its not possible, through any normal means, to get full power under battery life and its probably a good thing too. We’re seeing about double CPU and GPU performance under mains power which would bring the device to its knees in well under an hour if running full-tilt on battery.
Particularly impressive under mains power are the FPU and ALU results on CrystalMark2004 which show double the performance of the 1.6ghz Atom and the 3D performance which, according to 3DMark2001Se, is 30% better than the GMA950 found on Intel-based netbooks. In comparison with a Samsung R40 notebook with a dual-core 1.6Gz Core2, its about 60% of the performance. Not quite the statistics you’d call 2008 desktop standard.
| Mode | ALU | FPU | MEM | HDD | GDI | D2D | OGL | Total |
| Full power | 9075 | 10305 | 6781 | 2763 | 6310 | 2753 | 1790 | 39777 |
| PS (external power) | 6493 | 7227 | 4668 | 2648 | 4415 | 1884 | 1178 | 28553 |
| Battery mode | 5236 | 5562 | 3691 | 2807 | 3685 | 1712 | 961 | 23654 |
As an extreme comparison, take a look at the performance scores on the original Raon Digital Everun. It was a reasonably good device for web browsing but its crystalmark score clocked in at a lowly 11500! Working from estimates that the original Everun CPU was four times as powerful as a Nokia N800, the Raon Digital Everun Note works out at nearly 16 times as powerful. An unfair comparison with a more mobile device perhaps but an easy way to see where it fits on the CPU scale.
3D performance.
The Everun Note uses the AMD R690 chipset which includes the ATI X1200 graphics core with 128MB of graphics memory. Core clock 400Mhz. Memory clock 333Mhz. Like the CPU, performance under external power is in a different class to previous UMPCs. Where a Samsung Q1 Ultra with the GMA950 GPU would achieve around 2000 points on 3DMark2001SE, the X1200 turns in almost double that as the same resolution. Four times that of a WiBrain B1. Side-by-side tests with the Medion Akoya (MSI Wind) showed a 30% advantage. Under battery power, again, expect netbook-standard 3D performance as the clock is dropped to save battery.
800×480 and 1024×600 mains-power 3DMark scores.
Gaming is not something that gets covered a lot at UMPCPortal but it must be said that it was a pleasure to see FIA GT, Unreal Tournament 2003 and Half Life working. These games were tested under mains power and the fan was clearly running at full power to try and keep things cool. Given a set of headphones this would make a fun gaming device but unless its externally powered, its only going to be as powerful as Atom-based netbooks and will have an extremely short battery life. No-CD hacks or images loaded through a CDROM emulator are also necessary for most games.
Video Performance.
A feature that VIA have had for a long time in their mobile chipsets is video acceleration. The AMD X1200 is also able to perform hardware acceleration on MPEG4, MPEG2 and WMV standards although the MPEG-4 acceleration appears to be restricted to the earlier MPEG-4 standards and not H.264. Under mains power, video performance goes way above 720p to 1080p levels for MPEG2, Divx and WMV and thanks to the powerful CPU, this should be possible with H.264 when using an efficient codec. Under battery power the performance also exceeds what you would need for a 1024×600 screen with 720p possible in all formats tested. Our benchmark ‘Coral Reef Adventures’, a 6.5Mbps WMV9HD 720p video needed a few tweaks to power saving modes and optimisations in the recommended KMPLayer to get it to run perfectly but it was a pleasure to see in the end. As part of the package, ATI supply codecs that were tested successfully in KMPlayer. Expect a more detailed post about video performance in the coming weeks.
Applications performance.
When it comes to real-world application usage scenarios you’d hardly notice that you were on a UMPC. Firefox flies, Coverflow’s in iTunes and flash-based video is a breeze. Even H.264 under flash9 which is normally a real CPU hog. Using Piclens and Skype with video is a smooth experience and even CPU intensive processes like MovieMaker are possible.
Office application suites were not tested but given that Open Office and Office 2003 work on lesser devices, there is no reason the believe the this device will have any problems.
Only a slower application startup time gives hints that something is holding things up and that would be the 30GB drive in this test model that only returns an average 18Mbps read rate. Tests at Lazion.com have shown that the 60GB drive might perform slightly better than this but neither can reach the useful speeds that a 2.5″ drive can provide. Thank goodness the drive is two-screw accessible and a swap-out to a fast 5mm-high, zif-connected SSD will be the first upgrade that is recommended for a performance boost. Again, stay tuned to UMPCPortal for details on that as its on the list of tests to be done.
Only one tested application didn’t work as expected and that was Google Earth which is too slow to use under OpenGL mode. Using DirectX more is possible but not impressive.
So its an impressive story both under external power and internal power. A new class of device that really can perform day to day duties on the desk. Just plug in that USB mouse and keyboard, attach a huge monitor and enjoy extended desktop productivity. Unplug, close the lid and just walk away for mobile use.
A further word on battery life.
The standard Everun Note comes with a small 20wh battery which, much like the small batteries on the U810, OQO and Flipstart, gives around 2.5hrs of life. Be aware though that as with other devices, this can drop dramatically under certain conditions. Expect no more than 100 minutes when using outside with full backlight and Wifi or 3G. Add some heavy CPU duties and it will drop further. If you require extended mobile battery life you’ll have to be flexible enough to carry extra power. Fortunately, there are some interesting options being talked about with the Everun Note. An extended battery (1.5 times normal size, available in Oct or Nov), an external charger/power pack (shown below and available soon) and a car kit (also available soon.) Only the standard battery as an accesory is missing from the list but we will definatey feed back toRaon DIgital that this needs to be available cheaply, and immediately. If all these options are well priced, I don’t see any issues with battery life. Dropping into hibernation, swapping a battery and starting up is a one minute operation. If you have the external power pack you even have the option of a hot-swap. The external charger will also allow you to plug that battery in and charge while you carry on with normal mobile operations. The 2.5hrs of battery life doesn’t seem so bad after considering the number of options given. Note that the DC input voltage is 5V. (be prepared for a fairly high current charge if you are thinking of using small 5V power-packs)
Bootup, standby, hibernation.
The access times through various methods don’t stand out as much as they might have done. Under battery power its over 1 minute to boot, 30 seconds for hibernation and 9 seconds to come out of standby. Under mains power, all these figures drop by about 30%. An overnight drain test on the battery in standby showed a 2%-per-hour drain.
Audio quality.
The sound quality through the two built-in speakers on the Everun Note is good. Far better than many mobile devices and the location of the speakers gives noticeable stereo separation. Its loud enough too. The Provided Realtek driver software offers a good range of features from echo-canceling, full-range EQ and virtual 3D modes. It also appears to offer a stereo mix recording setting which allows Skype calls to be recorded without special software similar to the ‘waht you hear’ function on Creative soundcards. No line-in is provided on the device despite the input-sensing jacks.
Screen.
Quality, brightness and contrast are all high quality with color balance, black blacks and contrast being particularly good. Use in direct sunlight use is, like most devices, almost impossible although the screen is bright enough to use in bright shaded areas. The glossy finish on the screen, while great for grab-and-drag firefox action, means reflections can get annoying. The 1024×600 resolution, or rather, the default font settings on XP, might be a problem for some. At desktop distances, these will need a bump up to about 125% of normal size (CTRL+ in Firefox, also available OS-wide under advanced display settings) leaving you with similar font sizes as with an 8.9″ screen but with, obviously, less screen area. With the device being so small, however, hand-holding is simple and at 30-40cm, the font sizes aren’t a problem even for this reporters tired eyes.
The screen doesn’t rotate but it does fold back flat which can be useful in some scenarios. (Car, standing, annotation of a presentation being simultaneously projected via the VGA port.) Note that it doesn’t fold flat when the VGA port is in use.
The graphics chipset will drive external monitors up to 2048 wide and can support clone or extended mode with the added bonus that the driver software remembers where applications were positioned and where the extended screen was positioned if you need to unplug and go mobile.
Stability and reliability.
After just 5 days use, its impossible to report conclusively on stability but the operating system and hardware drivers all seem to work well together. No post-standby bluetooth failures or lost USB drives here. Time will tell on reliability so check back here in three weeks time when the device will be leaving UMPCPortal to go back to meet its maker.
Wifi/Bluetooth.
The Bluetooth range hasn’t been tested but if it’s as good as the Wifi, it will be fine. The WiFi reception is excellent.
Specifications:
- Manufacturer: Raon Digital
- Model name: Everun Note
- CPU type: AMD Turion 64 x2
- CPU speed: 1200 Mhz (800Mhz under battery power)
- Graphics: ATI RS690E
- OS: Windows XP Home. (Options available from some resellers)
- Display Size: 7″ 1024 X 600
- RAM: 1024 MB non-upgradeable.
- HDD: 30GB. 60GB and 12GB versions available. Resellers may offer other options.
- Keyboard: YES. 16mm pitch on Alpha keys
- Mouse PointerL YES Optical with combination left click.
- Battery capacity: 19 (W/hr)
- Weight: 750g (test device)
- Size (w/h/d mm): 200/118/28 mm
- SD card slot
- USB2.0 (x2)
- Mobile sim-card slot. (Standard)
- MIC-in
- Line-out
- Mini-USB 2.0
- Mono mic (front right near indicator lamps)
- PCI-Express Mini (internal)
- Stereo speakers
- Webcam 1.3mp
- 802.11b/g
- BT2.0 + BlueSoleil stack with Skype integration for BT headsets.
- Charging voltage: 5V
- Access ports for: PCI-Express Mini, HDD (zif, 5mm height), Battery
Accessories available (unconfirmed)
- Car kit
- Extended battery
- External charger/power pack/Ethernet port.
Before I summarize then, lets highlight some bad points.
- Hard drive speed is slightly disappointing in comparison with the CPU and GPU performance. On a 5mm 1.8″ spinning hard drive there’s not much more you can do though so its fingers crossed for a fast 12GB SSD version of this when it becomes available. Expect max 18Mbps read and write speeds on the 30GB HDD. 60GB HDD might be better.
- Fan is loud when it goes to full speed. It appears to be a two-speed fan that is almost always at its low-speed setting. Gaming will start the fan within seconds and desktop use at full power occasionally triggers the fan.
- Power button is in a strange position. When holding the device in one hand, as you’ll find yourself doing a lot, the power button falls directly under the left thumb. I recommend setting the power button to ‘always ask.’ Better here might have been a repeat of the very useful, FN key.
- Mouse pointer appears to be sub-standard on this test device. Optical mice on the previous model of the Everun have been smooth and useful but the Everun requires a strange side-thumb action to get it to work. Disappointing. We advise to check other reviews to see if other devices suffer from the same problem.
- HDMI out is a port that the Everun Note is crying out for. I’m not sure if this version of the GPU supports it though so don’t expect it in the future.
- H.264 hardware decode missing. although CPU is strong enough for 720p.
- Built in webcam drivers seem very slow. CPU almost idles and yet the webcam can’t return high frame rates. Testing a Philip 9200 webcam resulted in very smooth Skype video.
- A turbo button for a battery mode might have been useful for running certain apps for short periods.
- Google Earth doesn’t perform under OpenGL mode. Unexpected. Its smooth on Atom-based netbooks.
- Antenna for 3G is not pre-installed (on this test device) making it difficult for customers to upgrade.
- 2.45 hours max battery life with WiFi on is nothing impressive and this can drop to sub-2hr levels when used with full backlight. An extended battery will be a must for mobile users and will add to the cost.
- Charge rate appears to be very slow but as its 5V input, cheap car chargers and external battery packs should be easy to find. Note: Power brick provided was not final version.
- Occasional unregistered keypresses and non standard punctuation key positioning slows down keyboard input.
- Wifi and Bluetooth linked so that Wifi must be on for BT use. Power save function in the Wifi module limits impact on mobile-phone-tethered battery life and it is possible to turn the Wifi radio off through the device properties. Raon should provide this option in their control software.
- Not pocketable. The oft-heard ‘if I have to carry a bag, why don’t I buy a normal notebook which is twice as powerful for the same price’ argument applies for people that don’t really need ultra mobility. Even if the Everun Note was smaller though, its functionality would be limited. We think the size is jsut about right for the jack-of-all-trades target use.
- Price, when compared to netbooks, is high.
Summary
With that obvious netbook price comparison out of the way then, lets focus on summarizing the Everun Note. Its a device that could span ultra mobile and desktop duties for sure. Unless you are pumping out renderings for Pixar, you’ll probably find that all your app’s work and you may not even notice that its a ultra mobile PC when you’re working with an external monitor and keyboard. In that respect its incredible value and for anyone wanting to be an eco-friendly cloud-working road warrior, this your baby. Waste no time in ordering it! That’s a rather niche target though so where else would it fit? Its not the most powerful handheld PC when on battery power alone but its not far off either. Hot-desking, coffee shop, car, hotel rooms, trains, planes and around the home are places where you can get the most out of the Everun Note and with a 3G upgrade and an external power pack, you’ll have enough processing power, a working keyboard and a good quality screen for almost any scenario in a device that’s half the volume and 70% of the weight of a netbook. I cant think of another ultra mobile PC that provides this much bang for the buck and the fact that its one of the smallest makes it even more compelling. For Ultra Mobile fans this one goes straight to the top of the list above the Samsung Q1, OQO 02 and Gigabyte M701.
The Raon Digital Everun Note is flexible and powerful but shouldn’t be mistaken for the ultimate all-in-one solution which, arguably, will never exist. Its not a netbook and not here to offer you a full-comfort touch-typing experience with 5 hour battery life for $500. No, its got a keyboard and battery life that you need to adapt to in order to get the best out of and its main advantage is that it offers a serious single-device alternative to a two-device mobile computing strategy of Netbook and MID that many will consider for full on-the go computing power. For some, this device could even span 4 devices from MID, through netbook, laptop and desktop and that’s something I really hope makes other independent computer manufacturers sit up and take note. It’s fun, it’s powerful, it’s cute, its flexible and it’s good value.
Review written, edited, post produced on the Everun Note in the car, bed, sofa and on the desktop.
Review device is a final production sample and provided direct by Raon Digital for a one month test.
Great review Steve, thanks a lot for that.
I guess that’s one little device i need to get as soon as possible ;)
Looking forward to that Vista upgrade report Steve.
Disappointed by the mouse I have to say, I’m not convinced touch screen can ever replace mouse as you need to move your hand further
Wonderful review!
Can’t wait to read the extended review!
Can you recommend some third-party external battery that are compatible with this notebook?
i’ll be looking into this. need to get final psu specs first. e.g. current rating.
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooold!
Well, I was gnawing my fingernails waiting for this, but it was worth the wait.
I have decided that I can work with a small external mouse if the Everun Note ‘mouse’ thing turns out to be bad (and not just a broken one on your device).
So, the only thing that is holding me back is the colour……….but now that I have given it due consideration, it’s not such a bad thing – so, I’ll go directly to Conics, I will not pass go, and I will order one of these great devices :-)
maybe i need conics ads up too ;-)
Talking of which – does anyone know a stockist in the EU???? – I don’t really want to pay the import duty on the Everun Note unless I have to (I assume import into the UK from another EU country does not incur import tax?).
Chhers
Expansys uk seem interested in stocking this. They just told me to keep an eye on their site regarding it.
I was pumped too…until the buzzkills told me it comes with Vista – bleh!!
This thing better be Linux compatible or it’s shit as far as I’m concerned…
Thanks so much Steve. Excellent piece.
Do you still plan to have an M912?
How soon can we expect to see 8.9″ netbooks with performance as strong as this device?
if companies continue to ring-fence their product genres, only the independants will be able to produce such devices. Technology is obviously there to do it.
8.9″ with 6-cell battery would be like putting a cat among pigeons. would love too see what would happen to the netbook market when this happens.
Very good review! Was waiting for it the whole day.
Do you think a screen protector could help with the reflectiveness (lot’s of them available now thanks to netbook hype)? Will the screen be bright enough to use in a train?
@tal: Maybe as soon as the Intel Atom dualcore gets implemented into a netbook. The chipset would still be weaker though and dualcores are only planned for nettops.
Good point about screen protector. As long as it didnt affect nice touch on this device.
Screen protector: not if it’s a soft touch touchscreen.
If the screen protector is hard, it will bend and leave lines, if it is soft it’ll probably be rubber like, the hand movement on the screen will be hindered by the extra friction.
If it’s a hard-touch touchscreen I don’t know.
Dual-core Atoms Intel just announced, to be delaying them with an additional year(2010)… Since they’re the only company that far ahead,I’m afraid they can do things like that.
source: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Intel-Lynnfield-Havendale,6327.html
Sorry, above info was for the Dual core “Atom” with integrated graphics and memory, not the dual core & HT version of the Atom.
A dual core like that could better be ran on 200Mhz when idle (200x2cores=400Mhz).
800Mhz is about on par with the EeePc900 series, only this device would be in idle mode…
I would like to see when AMD gets their ‘discrete graphics chips’ build in their processors (on one die),for even a higher power saving. Probably around 2010, since Intel also delayed their chips.
we’re coming to the 32nm area for the micro processors.
Technically they can go downto 28 or 22nm I read.
a chip produced on a 32nm process, would be 16times smaller then a similar chip produced on 130nm technology like from the end of the P3 are, beginning of the P4 and the Athlon XP area.
Current processors are build on 45 and 65nm.
Thanks chippy that was an excellent and thorough review. I was VERY VERY disappointed at Google Earth’s performace. How come???? The Dual core + 128 ATI can’t handle it, but the Atom processor can??? What’s wrong?
I use Google Earth A LOT. I still can’t think of a reason why the Everun note won’t run it smoothly. It runs perfectly on my cheap 1.6 GHz Celeron laptop.
Other than that it sounds like a dream must-have device. But let me know why Google Earth’s not working properly.
Ref Google earth: Yes, why? It doesnt make sense. Google Earth is something that should work smoothly on the Note.
Weak 3D graphics chip perhaps
It’s the only netbook with a separate dedicated graphics chip. I think not.
Steve,
If you have a mo, what might be useful to some (not me, I’m already a convert) is a *brief* comparison with the SC3.
I know the Everun Note can’t really be compared with the SC3, but given there similar release dates and sizes, there will be inevitable comparison.
Perhaps you could highlight all the idiosyncracies of the SC3 that you discovered…!
Anyway, just an idea.
Good idea. I was out with Netbux.de today and had the SC3 and Note with me. When I compared them I said, without much thought mind you, that I would like the Note core inside the SC3 form factor. The SC3 is a great form factor that just doesn’t work when you try and use it in earnest.
I’ll have a think about that comparison in more detail over the next weeks but in the meantime, my SC3 is for sale!
good call…
Vista was meant for a dual-core machine…
Funny you should say that because I am still a huge fan of the Kohji FF (only).
I love the keyboard and reversable keyboard on my Vye S18+. Of course, I utterly despise the clockwork internals!
Frankly, I am not sure anyone could really better the Kohji FF (perhaps you can tell me different), but I am tired of waiting for Kohji to come up with an machine with good performance/an appropriate OS as well as excellent FF (I still can’t believe that Kohji insisted on Vista on the SC3 – talk about crippling your own product…)
Oops, should have said ‘reversable screen’ (not keyboard!)
Agree. Vista was a very bad choice for the great SC3 Form Factor.
The only other thing I would like to see on the Everun Note is the amazing H.264 performance that I have seen on the SC3 but then again, without an HDMI output, is it really worth being able to show a 16Mbps 1080p H.264 video on a 1024×600 display or even via VGA output? How often is that really going to happen?
In the end, I think Raon made a well-balanced choice. A convertible screen would have been nice but they have a much more productive and reliable device out-of-the-box.
Its early days for the Everun Note but having tested/reviewed/video’d mmmm, over 100 ultra mobile devices, this one stands out as the new benchmark for me.
Battery life is a major issue of course and I really need to highlight that again. 100 minutes of 3G/Full brightness isn’t good. Everyone considering the Note needs to carefully consider that.
I really think that bumping the size up to 8.9″ would let them do some great things:
1. Bigger screen (obviously)
2. Hinge for tablet mode.
3. Fit a bigger battery.
4. Improve keyboard.
That would be so, so sweet. . .I am drooling over the speed, but they really made some sacrifices for size. It was kind of cool with the previous Everun, but for the Note it just leaves things kind of crippled.
I am waiting for Pixel Qi ( http://www.pixelqi.com ) screen tech with page white screen, low power use, sunlight usable, and touchscreen to show up. It it showed up in an EVERUN Note design first… I would start to cry I would be so happy.
The OLPC had Mesh Network, that turned off the wireless networking when not being used, and it had Mary’s Pixel Qi screen tech, and it used only about 2-3 watts I think of power. Of course, marry that with the Everun Note and it’s design and size, with several different CPU options and what you might have is just plain heaven.
I would like to see an extended battery with 3 cells (the standard battery plus 2 underneath,next to each other) that thickens the whole device at the bottom,maybe even 5 cells.
Like the blue area on this FlipStart
http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/images/1207/TTgraphics/Flipstart.jpg
Looking at the internal battery pack, i see a lot of possibilities for integrated and extended power-packs. I have no information on what Raon are planning though.
Lets hope for some nice 3rd party accesories though!
have u try different driver for the 690 chipset
latest is v8.8 btw
http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=xp/integratedip-xp
I have checked this with Raon. There’s a problem with the latest drivers that resutls in a -10% performance to what i’ve seen in this review.
Raon are working with AMD to get this fixed for the final version. Expect an even newer version of the ATI drivers on the final retail version of the Note.
Well I hope this explains the unexplainable Google Earth underwhelm.
I have been waiting for a UMPC that was a similar clamshell design to my Flipstart but with more power for gaming as well. The everrun note has everything I have been wishing for and more. So many times I have mentioned how someone should design a UMPC just like this and now they have. I usually have my UMPC plugged into the hotel mains when I am gaming away from home so im not worried about the battery and CPU performance power ratio. I will definitely be purchasing one of these as soon as they are out.
Do you know Libretto 100? This Everun is quite a “copy” of that 10-year-old legendary. For 10 years, I cannot take anything other than the Libretto 100/110 (later models all suck). The U820 is more ideal, but it is not nearly as neat. This Note is indeed the first acceptable tiny PC since the Libretto. OQO is decent but I miss the touch-type-able keyboard.
I too am an avid Libretto user. For me, even the 100/110s were too bulky. I loved the 50CT and the 70CT, with their 8”x4.5”x1” size, and even went so far as to import the Libretto M3, which crammed all the guts of the 110 into the same 70 size.
I have a Fujitsu U810 as well, and I can say that it is far too cramped to do any real work on; there’s something about that envelope size form factor of the Lib that just gets me warm and fuzzy.
I can compromise the battery capability for more size. With batteries as small as they are, I can throw another one in the bag. But a bigger form factor will not do.
I am so glad Raon finally came out with something Libretto sized, perhaps this will be a growing trend. I have one in the mail, from dyna, and hope it will be as useful as the Libretto has been all these years.
I edit a radio show and make MP3s and WMAs for the online subscribers of an American radio show distributed through their website. I want the Everun Note to do this while I’m away from home. I’m wondering if Sony Soundforge 9 can be used comfortably on this machine. My main concern is if the interface fits on the screen.
It supports virtual/expanded screen, so you can at least work on it even though you might not be able to see all the interface at a time. You move the mouse to the edges to see more. I like this expanding feature and I think it is a must for any small screen computers.
That’s all I need to know….thanks. I live in Korea and have called Raon Digital about getting a factory installed English version. Apparently, I’m going to have to wait to see if I can get one in English here.
can ram be added? what is ram speed?
No.
Excellent in-depth review!
And even though this probably one of the best UMPCs money can buy these days I’m now more than ever convinced that a 12″~14″ notebook (not netbook!) is the best choice for my own requirements.
Sounds like a Dell xps 1330 would probably be best for you. As performance wise it would murder the everon (of course its a lot bigger note)
Yeah, been looking at the XPS 1330 and I’m seriously considering it. Also my university is running special deals for selected notebooks at the beginning of the upcoming semester so I’ll wait and see what they offer.
Excellent in-depth review! Thanks 4 that.
I’ve got some more questions :-)
1. Is it possible to run geekbench (http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/) on the Note and publish the results?
2. How about Linux capability, is there anything known so far?
3. Any more information on 3G available (i.e. which card did you use)
Thanks again for the great job
P.S. I’m living near Bonn, any possibility for a “hands on” :-) ?
2. Yes, linux will be able to be run on there. There is a linux version being written right now.
Sounds like this thing although very good and powerful but still has a copule of issues. I think the ultimate umpc would have:-
.Form-Factor of the SC3 or a lightweight M912
.Graphics performance of the everon
.Processor perfromance of the everon at 1.2Ghz
.Hard Drive performance of the M912
.Upgradability (easy access)of the M912
.Keyboard of the MSI wind
.Battery of the 901 (giving 4hours+)
.Priced around the MSI wind figure.
Will a UMPC be produced that will tick all these requirements?
Whats your weight limit because that lot will run to over 1KG / 2.2lbs which, in my opinion, makes it a tabletop only device.
I just has a quick look on the toshiba site a 1.8 inch
HD weighs 62g. 2.5inch drives weight between 100 and 120g. This means if the SC3 has a faster 2.5inch drive it would weigh around 860g I am sure with a larger battery and slightly larger case it would still be less than 1kg. You could also save weight by using aluminum screws and shielding instead of steel which wouldnt cost much more. If you really wanted to save weight you could make the cover from carbon-fiber in a (pimp my umpc) style!
And you can expect to pay Voodoo Envy type prices for Carbon Fiber.
And all that other stuff. Do be realistic – Price’s too low to actually cram all that in.
Thanks for this review, it was most useful and convincing. I have one (simple) question that’s bugging me though, and I apologise if you’ve answered it elsewhere.
If the screen is touchscreen, why the optical mouse? Does the touchscreen only work with certain programs?
I ask because i do lots of drag-and-drop work and on this device, the touchscreen would be preferable.
Thanks,
Declan.
For the vast majority of users, I’d reckon a touchscreen won’t be an acceptable replacement for a mouse.
Id say that its as fast, if not faster but requires a different way of working with the device. Side-thumbing is getting easier for me now but its not as easy as a pad and many people wont like earning curve required for touchscreen mouse and optical mouse.
The touchscreen is an alternative to the mouse pointer. Both can be used. The touchscreen implements left-click on touching the screen or right cick if you hold the FN button down.
Brilliant. Thanks for the speedy reply and for clearing up that issue for me!
Chippy, Thanks for the great review. Kudos to Raon and AMD for a great package. Unlike others, I actually really like Vista, but I agree with your comments that XP is better suited to a lower-powered platform (although it sounds like the Everun can handle it!). Looking forward to the Vista review and I will decide whether to sell my SC3. I do love the tablet, however. We’ll see. Scot
Great review, thanks. I’m wondering about replacing my Libretto U100 with one of these: the graphics seem up to the task, but the battery life is slightly worrying.
If you have a U100 lying around (and let’s face it, who doesn’t? ;-) ) then a comparison of the keyboards would be superb!
I nearly bought one recently but alas, I bought the SC3 instead.
Steve
The U100 is crap, hot, noisy and huge, who wants it is beyond me. The Libretto 100/110 is everything like the Note; or put it the other way – the Note is everything like the Libretto 100/110. The Libretto U100 is totally crap, don’t waste your money and time on it.
Well, there’s were we differ. It has a fan, yes. It gets warm. Not one of my friends or colleagues who has seen it calls it huge, but compared to the 50, I suppose it is. I wouldn’t call it crap by any stretch of the imagination.
I would like the u100 to have a better keyboard (I’m typing this on it, and it still isn’t great after 6 months of acclimatisation to it!) and better graphics performance, that’s about all. The everun might just do that!
The u100 scored 2286 in 3dmark 01se in 1024×768/32, for what it’s worth.
Funnily enough, I nearly went for a kohjinsha, but the U100 was irresistible at the price I got it for… Having had a Lib 50 and 100 which I’ve kept, it was an interesting upgrade :) . I’ve had a Vaio PCG-U3 (good layout, but slow) and OQO (slow, unusable for me) but have stuck with the lib.
This everun really does tempt me though… Thanks for the great review!
“Not pocketable. The oft-heard ‘if I have to carry a bag, why don’t I buy a normal notebook which is twice as powerful for the same price’ argument applies for people that don’t really need ultra mobility. Even if the Everun Note was smaller though, its functionality would be limited. We think the size is jsut about right for the jack-of-all-trades target use.”
Sir, Go to ebay and order yourself a Psion 5. Old and slow as this thing is, IT WORKS and IS POCKETABLE, so deal with facts; a POCKETABLE device that really works for the user can be made. Wake up.
I had one of those. Actually two.
Thanks for the comment though.
“I had one of those. Actually two.
Thanks for the comment though.”
Yes, could you please speak in plain sentences?
Did your psion – in purely ergonomic terms, work?
If not, what was your problem with it? I mean for
goodness sake it had a usable keyboard and it could fit in most pockets and you say “thanks for the comment THOUGH?” HUH?
Psion is monochrome. It’s screen does not tilt. I would think that there’s lots of ergonomic faults with unadjustable screens and cramped keypads.
Chippy – Are there any UMPCs you’ve not owned? :) That could be the Christmas competition
Heres a quote from Chippy’s last review of the sharp Zarus:
“The Psion-5 keyboard remains my favorite keyboard of all time”
Obviously, as there has been nothing new with such a keyboard, Chippy still agrees with his own thought. And obviously the Psion 1. has a better keyboard then this everun, and, 2. if far more pocketable/usable in most everyday situations.
Chippy does not want to blatantly say this as it would upset his sponsors. Its all political.
Eventually some “engineer” will inadvertently arrive at the Psion’s form factor and it will become quite popular once again. Lets not forget most people tend to be unimaginative- the way of this world, though.
ahh you are incorrect. It is pocketable, I have kept it in my back pocket (regular jeans) when I was on the go (I’ve demoed the everun note). But I gotta say, the Note is PERFECT for women/men who carry a bag. I gave my girlfriend a day with the Note to test it out and with all the other crap she has in her bag she didn’t even notice she was carrying it. Sure beats carrying her Dell notebook.
Ahh you must have some very large pockets and be willing to walk around with a box that is almost a inch wider than a VHS cassette.
I just tried to jam a VHS cassette into my back pocket and its a no go. If you wear balloon type pants I could see it. But again why do we even have to go here the Psion works just fine for this purpose.
the psion is great. i still have one and only recently stopped using it. it is limited even for my humble needs. i just want to move large bodies of texts around.
what would be perfect is if someone made a mid/umpc with a similar form factor and keyboard , but it doesnt look like that will happen.
Zak,
Your right on!
“what would be perfect is if someone made a mid/umpc with a similar form factor and keyboard , but it doesnt look like that will happen.”
Part of the reason this is slow to happen is that most, including our dear host “chippy”, do not advocate to the manufacturers what they want. As evidenced here by his adoring the new and keeping quiet on those bits of history that could improve the new. — So so much like most other facets of our new world. Granted there are far more important things to be worrying about these days.
If you want a pocketable PC, grab a smartphone. Nokia’s E-Series has a full QWERTY Keypad, and it also functions as a phone!
Please, do actually search a bit before whining.
“If you want a pocketable PC, grab a smartphone. Nokia’s E-Series has a full QWERTY Keypad, and it also functions as a phone!”
Nokia’s E90 is actually less typing-friendly than the older Communicator 9300 [History repeating the amnesia it had relative to the Psion 5 keyboard superiority!]: whereas I hold the 9300 with one hand and type with three fingers (1+2), I can use only two fingers on the E90 because the grip is no longer secure. Further, there is no comparing either of these with the Psion 5 which could eventually be called a “pocketable PC” because it allowed the speed of input enabled by its touch-typing capabilities. Yes, it was slow [the search function was abysmal], but what killed the machine was the flimsy production quality of British industry–the screen connectors kept on falling apart from regular usage, year after year [their Austrian representative had a simple explanation: “You know, British workers…”]. This same complacency could finally spell the end of the western supremacy, now that the financial and insurance industries–the only sectors where the West had an edge–are going down the drain. A good product gone defunct because of the clubbing-and-beer-drinking imperatives of the new, decadent industrial class: “the masters of the universe.”
Another factor to be considered in ultra mobile devices is the shock protection: I broke two Psion 5 screens–one on the downhill bike, the other on snowboard [I tucked it in front of my tummy after figuring the minimal chances of landing with the face straight down.] Today I always carry a hard case; for the Nokia Communicator I simply use a (free) hard case for sunglasses. I had one for the Psion too, but it added to the bulk and the pocket-size requirements; now, imagine what it will add to the Everun Note–forget the baggy pockets!
The reason I am still considering the Note is that the (fashion) design industry has come up with these new bags that hang in various setups from the belt [spawned from the Italian “marsupio bags”], and come in sizes that max out at A5 (roughly 21x15cm). I bought two of these leather bags (not to get bored), searched for hard cases to match, and now have to choose the right UMPC. Hope it will work [or I’ll just follow western civilization to where the sun never shines)!
When using it in desktop mode just plug in a USB keyboard.
But for mobility, once the keyboard’s key locations gets fixed for all to use and like it…
The Everun Note, it is The ultimate form factor.
No other has it all, what this has, and the size is pocketable with large baggy pants pockets.
sure . they shoul advertise it like that : pocketable … with large baggy pants.
Still more pocketable than the others. Your point is moot.
Others have said it but thanks for the great review. For me the form factor is perfect I want a PC as small as possible and this is it. I refuse to buy a white one though, would you be able to get a date from Raon for when the black one will be released? Oh and well done for your restrianed reply to Jerry.
Yup, have to second the congrats re restraint :-)
[Unbelievable!]
Chippy, great review of the Note. I personally think Everun did a good choice of making sure all drivers where working with the OS. This has to do how well the device will work. I bought the SC3 and think this is a great machine but it is not working 100% because of the driver issues. If Kohjinsha would release good drivers for the SC3, you more likely not be selling your SC3 :) So at the end it also comes down to making sure all drivers are working correctly.
So 742g weight is 1.6 pounds I believe. What’s the weight of the AC/power cable? What’s the weight of the external extended battery/ethernet box? In other words, how much total weight are you really going to be carrying around?
Much more light than carry a full sized version with it’s capabilities.
Nice review!
But I wonder what exactly mean “very slow” to charge a battery.
How long does it take to fully charge a battery?
If it takes more than 4 hours then I need to charge overnight to get a fully charged battery. Definitely this is not good considering less than 2 hours battery life.
And do you have any plan to test on eBoostr with SDHC SD card or fast USB drive? 1GB could not be enough to handle heavy jobs running on everun note. This might be improved with ram drive or eBoostr etc.
I\ll test the battery charging speed.
Have no plans to test eboost or ramdrives, sorry.
Steve.
I didnt understanded what chippy posted on http://www.umpcportal.com/2008/08/everun-note-marketing-info-gives-performance-figures-gamers-take-note/ , that means that the Everun Note is the fastest umpc out there? Does it has as much power for games as Fujitsu LifeBook U810? if so MAYBE it could be able to play spore, only 128 video requiered and it is compatible with gma950 (As I know, the ATI RS690E supports DirectX 9.0)
Please answer
it is way faster than the fujitsu u810 plugged in. Expect it to play older games though, spore may play on low settings though.
I am really glad that they went for a 7″ screen, this is the first truly mobile netbook and it has better performance than all other netbooks and some Ultralow voltage 10/11″ laptops :P
Do you think it will upgraded with the 780G chipset? Maybe other manufacturers will release other highpower netbooks? Maybe downclocked core2duos?
Looks great.
I’ll come back for a second look when Raon produce a AMD PUMA based version with the 780G GPU.
Chippy,
thanks for going through the whole review process. it’s deeply appreciated. it seems to me that though it was hard work you really enjoyed the whole matter.
I just saw that you posted the upcoming Fujitsu P1630 with it’s Intel X4500 GPU, Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 with 1.4 MHz CPU and 2GB upgradeable RAM.
Battery life might be an issue, but at the momento the P1620 gets about 5 hours with the extended battery, so they might just make it work.
Doesn’t this product seem to be the ultimate crossover device to you (BTW, I’m reeeealy interested in buying such a crossover device, but it would have to be in a tablet form)?
I think, possibly, maybe, that if it had the display of the SC3 (but not the keyboard) that this would indeed be the ultimate crossover device. AS it is though, its still fantastic. I only put it down when it needs charging (looking forward to extra battery power and external charger.)
my last question was regarding the Fujitsu P1630 and not the Everun Note… I know see that I hadn’t made it clear…
;)
Then you’re posting in the wrong area. THIS is a area for discussing the Everun Note.
Not Fujitsu. Wrong place.
Hello, chippy!
I am also one of those folks who wants to buy the Everun Note, in spite of its shortcomings.
However, I want connection to the Internet. How can I manage to get that connection: Which dongle do I need or what else? And: does “3G-option” include at all such a possibility to get that Internet-connection; finally: what about the missing antenna? Is it possible to get internet connection without such an antenna? Thanks for answering. Rainer
Hello, chippy!
I am also one of those folks who wants to buy the Everun Note, in spite of its shortcomings.
However, I want connection to the Internet. How can I manage to get that connection: Which dongle do I need or what else? And: does “3G-option” include at all such a possibility to get that Internet-connection; finally: what about the missing antenna? Is it possible to get internet connection without such an antenna? Thanks for answering. Rainer
Where can i Preorder this thing?
Lee – Mobilx – look at the top of umpcportal for the advert
Hey Chippy! how I can order the Everun note.I live in Estonia ,its in Europe.Do you know when its come to Europe or better in Estonia.Jürnas
I’ve seen the Everun Note available from Conics, Expansys, SuperGPS , MobilX and some other Japan based supplier. SuperGPS seem to be the cheapest for UK at least and offer the black version. There website reports stock arriving 22nd Sep, which matches what Expansys told me.
Thanks for review Chippy! Any ideas on KanyaMigani’s question: what will we need to get 3G broadband?
Supergps is still £23 cheaper than Expansys at the moment even when including Next Day Delivery.
Yes but it’s unclear which model supergps & expansys are selling – the product page for the black model on supergps suggests 60gb HDD at the top and then 12gb flash in the specs list. I emailed them asking for clarity on this last week but no response as yet. Similarly expansys don’t specify hard drive type or size, and when I emailed asking they have so far failed to give me striaightforward answer. If anyone clears this up before me, please post!
I have just got email confirmation from supergps that it is definately the 60GB Disk model.
That’s great, thanks! Now If I can just get them to confirm that they know for sure that they will be getting stock in black, I can order.
The supergps website seems to list the black version with stock arriving the same day as the white version (22nd)
Stock of white is expected to be in by next week but stock of black has been delayed by about 2 weeks but who knows exactly how long it will be.
The question is do I order a white and get it sooner, or be patient and order a black that I might not be able to get until after 2 weeks or possibly more.
The supergps website does indeed say stock expected in 2 weeks for both colours. They have also corrected the specifications list and it no longer mentions the 12GB SSD anymore. Hopefully something has changed and the stock of the black will be in. I am not sure though because the email I got is only a day old. Why Everrun even bothered stocking the white colour first is a mystery to me. Something tells me that if I purchase the white, in some time it will just look dull or a sort of dirty looking version of white or yellow lol.
IMO it’s worth waiting for the black. Let’s hope it’s next week, who knows what I’m going to do with myself if it’s longer!
I don’t know what to think now because I contacted Raon Digital yesterday and received a reply today informing me that they currently have no plans to even create a black version.
However, they said they might consider it after receiving various feedback from the market. According to Conics, the White is more popular in Asia. Conics said Black would be available in a few months though, so again conflicting information.
No Linux, no sale.
Are you such a slouch that installing Linux DIY is so troublesome that you refuse to buy such a quality product because of your laziness?
Nice review.
If someone wants to run it with Linux, does he have to pay for Windows anyway or will there be a separate version with separate pricing?
I have seen some places selling the Everrun Note without an Operating system. I don’t remember what site but I am sure some one else will know. I think it was a Japanese site.
It’s mobilx:
http://www.mobilx.hu/raon-digital-everun-note-umpc.html?¤cy=usd
I heard that this can use SDHC, I have seen 32GB SDHC cards, add that to the new 1.8 120GB Disk drive that is coming out soon (5mm), and you have quite a lot of storage space with this one.
I will be testing out and putting youtube clips of PC game footage on this so if anyone has any requests of games they want to see how well runs on this (on AC power), then let me know. I did this for my Flipstart but that only had 512MB RAM and a 1.1 Ghz Pentium M.
64GB SDHC coming out soon. Wait a bit before buying.
Great review!
I had a few questions:
How big the power adapter? With a 2 hour batter life I’ll probably have to take it around.
There’s a USIM card slot but everyone seems to be pretending it’s not there. Is there 3G, or not?
Can this thing handle Vista?
Thanks.
I have just received my Everrun Note today from Supergps, very fast delivery too. I have to say I am very impressed so far, the build quality is excellent, the speed of boot was only a few seconds but that was with AC plugged in.
I notice that the 60GB Hard Disk is split into two equal partitions with the second one called ”Data” which contains all of the Everrun Note drivers and programs. I am doing a backup copy of this at the moment and will be installing an 80GB Hard disk instead later on. The screen size is perfect and looks bigger than 7”. The Optical Mouse pad is definitely working perfectly so the one Chippy got in his first test must have been faulty. What I plan to do is try to use the USB Hard Disk function in order to do a full system backup using Drive Snapshot and True Image and then restoring this to see if it can work. With out a doubt, the best UMPC and a great replacement for my old Flipstart (that I used mostly for Portable PC gaming).
My note has just arrived from SuperGPS too. The optical mouse is a little fiddly (a few sweeps needed to get across the screen horizontally) but as I’ve never used one before I’ve nothing to compare it to – definitely more consistent movement when you thumb-operate it though! The power brick for it is pretty large at first glance – weighs another 250g without the uk plug (which was also supplied to my surprise) so expect to be carrying about a kilo around with you in total. Other than that it seems pretty much identical to Chippy’s test version – right down to the strange blank kjey next to the space bar. Lots of driver and updates to be done before I can use it properly (disk has SP3 but only SP2 on machine which is odd), plan to install some games as as soon as this is done, will post the results!
I have successfully replaced the 60GB Hard Disk drive in my Everun Note with my 80GB from my old Flipstart UMPC (same type of hdd) and then I used the USB Host Hard Disk function to write a True Image backup I had created earlier to the new Hard disk and it works fine.
I was planning to write about all sorts of things but my forum id never receives the activation code so im writing here instead.
I will be testing some games on this later, will start with GTA SA first, then Halo and then Command & Conquer Generals. I will also give Tiberium Wars a shot too. I had about 30 games installed on my 1.1 Ghz Flipstart so this one will be very interesting.
Will probably lag badly, since GTASA is a very demanding game. My old PC which boasts better specs than this stutters in GTASA. My older PC which only has a P4 3.4GHz cpu and no GPU runs Generals smoothly, though too much units still cause stuttering. I imagine it’ll run better on this GPU equipped PC.
Well I’ve had a little time to play with my Note now, and although I’ve not got very far I’ve discovered a few things you might like to know:
1) I said in my post before that my optical mouse was patchy with poor horizontal traction. Well this has magically resolved this evening, and I can now get across the screen in just ovr two strokes, which is perfect – the device works lke a dream. I’ve been setting up the windws references as I like them so can’t be sure whether the change is due to this (for example I have extra lage mouse pointers selected) or whether some initial factory ‘stickiness’ in the optical mouse has freed up with a bit of use. Wahtever the cause, it looks like good movement is here to stay, and optical moyuse really is a joy to use, moresoe than the touch screen!
2) Speaking of which, unless you have very thin fingers some sort of stylus really is neccessary to use the screen well for most windows functions
3) Like previous everuns, the version of xp preloaded is woefully out-of-date. Expect over a hundred updates to get anywhere near right.
4) the unit runs a lot hotter on mains power than I’d expected from Chippy’s review- even when doing something relatively tame like windows updtes heat seep through a little to the keyboard and the undrside is HOT. Playing games I started to worry I might burn myself on the optical mouse!
5) Games booted so far have run very smoothly on mains and ill run on battery – trackmania nations forever works fine apart from the fact that it’s tied to the arrow keys which are too small for game play on the note, so no more playing that until i can sort a keybord hack. Guild Wars automatically selects mid-range graphics settings on mains and seems to look pretty good from the little play I have had so far – more news on this once i plug in a mouse.
Oh an typing is pretty easy for me at least. There are decent gaps between the keys and the travel is good, plus the keyboard really good and firm. I’m slowly gtting used to the punctuation all being at the top, but I don’t think that will be a biggie- the largest problem is using the half size keys which really are a bit fiddly – especially the irection arrows. Generally though I’m very impressed with inteacting with it, and as I type this on it 20 wpm is no problem (and i don’t do over 30 on a full size keyboard).
More once Ive played more in the next day or so.
Does those ssd from http://mydigitalssd.com/ that fit on the eee also able to run on the everun?
Any other impressions. Any resolve to the GOOGLE EARTH and hows gaming on this baby
I have not tested Google Earth yet but that was confirmed by Raon Digital to be just a driver issue so just a simple update would be required.
The only game I have been able to test so far is GTA SA. This one seems to run fine with Graphics quality set to High and the draw distance is set at 5 bars. I used to play this game on my Flipstart 1.1 Ghz Pentium M and every single setting had to be on the lowest.
It is very interesting to note that in the Bios, there are settings with regards to graphic memory and some that I do not understand. You can also increase the CPU speed of the graphics card up to its maximum.
I just tried Command & Conquer Generals and this also runs perfectly, very smooth and you can use the touch screen for everything.
Playing Command & Conquer using the touch screen is so cool.
I have also installed a freeware app called CoreTemp, which allows me to keep an eye on the temperature of both cores. It gives me a good idea of what sort of temperatures this device goes up to.
Could you post some videos of the games running? Maybe on youtube? I can’t wait to see this thing in action!
I do plan to do some videos of games running on this on Youtube but since I do not have a video camera I always use Fraps. (I did this for my Flipstart UMPC).
I just tried Halo 1 and this runs very well with a mixture of medium and low settings for graphics. It looks great on the screen.
I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the PC game Command & Conquer 3 (Tiberium Wars) but I just tried this too and it is running with all settings on low.
I created about 40 units and had a battle and there were very minor slow down and so far it is very playable.
Even on very low settings, due to the smaller size of the screen, games still look great.
I am going to increase the graphics card speed in the Bios later on and play around with the Graphics RAM settings to see if I can get any more out of it.
As it stands, this is looking very good as a gaming UMPC. Who would have imagined you would ever be playing Command & Conquer 3 on a portable!
Hi I am so glad someone is playing games. I wanted to know if games like MDK 2, Giants Citizen Kabuto, Morrowind run well. I am looking to make this my overprice PC portable.
Thanks and please link me when you have the youtube videos. Dyanism please send my unit soon
thanks UMPC nut
I will test MDK 2 later on and maybe the others.
But will it run Crysis? *SHOT*
Try GTASA.
Has anyone else installed Core Temp to test the temperature of their Everun Note CPU cores?
I am wondering how hot these can get after a lot of 3D gaming and what the shutdown temperature, if any, would be. I bet these CPU’s could get as hot as 90C which cant be good for a small device like this. I will be testing this out later on but it would be good if anyone else has any temperature readings.
Won’t be testing anything more, looks like I might have to send this one back because I am experiencing the same issues others have mentioned in the Everun Note recall.
I got this one from supergps and was informed that this batch would not be affected but my one clearly is.
For anyone who is interested in gaming, I found the performance of some games much slower after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3. GTA SA was very much slower after this update.
What issues are you having umpcnut? My note also came from SuperGPS so you’re making me nervous!
The only potential problem I’ve noted so far has been a fair amount of heat – coretemp registered as high as 73 whilst playing Guild Wars – that said both it and trackmania nations work beautifully on mains power in high quality graphics mode. Will try to post some videos of this action soon and also hope to get hl2 running on the note too…
The issues I was getting were garbled text at boot up and blue screen crashes that mentioned ati2dvag infinite loop.
I just restored an Acronis True Image backup and I reset all Bios settings back to default and so far I have not had any more issues but I will see what happens.
No luck, I have started to get problems again. Instead of blue screens I get blank screens at shut down sometimes or when I reboot it will hang on a blank screen and occasionally at start up it will get stuck on a blank screen.
Another problem is that the Hard disk that comes with it has a warranty sticker on and I have changed the hard disk to a bigger one.
So even putting back the old hard disk might give warranty problems because the sticker is slightly damaged.
Why design the unit with an easy to access hard disk drive if by replacing it, you can lose your 1 year warranty.
Umpcnut :( sorry to hear about your issue but I bet you will be out of the woods once your replacement is done. I am still lusting for mine from Dynaism. I went with the extended battery and charger adapter so I will post mine soon.
Anyone with a youtube video.
Has any one try 720p and 1080p besides chippy.
Chippy excellent review and I love your site..will recommend a lot to my friends
By the way, I would be interested to hear anyone’s hard disk temperatures in the Everun Note after a gaming session or any heavy use. I use the Dtemp freeware or drive temp. I think the little hard disk runs too hot because it absorbs the other heat around it. This makes me wonder how long the little hard disk will survive lol.
OK guys here is my ‘not very good’ vid of trackmania nations forever (no comments on my driving please!)
being played online on my note under mains power (although it runs pretty much identically under battery too, without significant heat being generated).
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CUwGX30cWaI
I also posted a vid of guild wars being played online using the note, again using mains power.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tKG27b10rLQ
I’ve also installed HL2 epside one but still trying to adjust the graphics to make it play more smoothly – i think the note’s going to struggle with it (but then so does my 2.2 ghz dual core desk top.I will post if / when I manage to vid it.
Just to say also I’ve had no blue screen shut down or crashing issues at all yet, and although the note warms up pretty quick it hasn’t yet got unbearable, even last night when I had it on for about 6 hours straight.
I heard from Raon Digital about my problem unit and they said I would be sent a new replacement. They asked for the serial number of the device to see how or why it missed the screening for the recall problem in Korea.
I really hope the replacement will not have any problems because this is such a great device and perfect for portable PC gaming amongst so many other things.
Hi
Did you get a replacement. Anyone else with heat issues. I am concerned
Thanks
O BTW my baby is coming monday
A replacement is on the way and I should have it by tomorrow. I will be running a quick test on it (CPU stress test and temp (HDD + CPU) monitoring) to make sure there are no issues.
Thanks for letting us know. I cant wait to upgrade the drive when it gets bigger. I wish I knew what XP Service pack i have since I cant get online at the moment
Well I’ve succumbed and bought the Everun Note today from SuperGPS should get it tomorrow. I actually bought an OQO 02 off Ebay last wek and was quite disappointed with it (it’s actually heavier than you think) although it’s a lot better since I took Vista off and put XP Tablet Edition on.
Will report back once I have the Note.
The OQO 02 is let down by its under performing processor quite a lot, the Via C7 just does not cut it.
I notice that the price of lower performing UMPC’s such as the OQO 02 and Sony VAIO UX380N (refurbished as new) are even more than the Everun Note. There is really no need to even look at these anymore, let alone actually pay a higher price for lower performance and a more cramped keyboard.
Hi Guys
I just got the note. Wow what a big Nintendo DS :p
and now after the laughter has gone. I need help
My note wont connect to my time capsule and i am currently running in a/b/g mode. The wifi does see the network but no luck it getting it to handshake.
Help please. Chippy, UMPC nut…someone :(
1080p on this rocks
Oopps got it.
I turn on the abg mode and it works
Love this baby.
Cant wait for UMPC nut to get his back to churn up some game results
My replacement Everun Note arrived today and testing so far using Orthos CPU / RAM stress test already shows much more stable temperatures for both CPU and Hard Disk with the latter staying at recommended use temperatures.
The underside of the Everun Note does not get anywhere near as hot as my faulty unit did and the fan pitch sounds as it should i.e not too high.
So far so good so I should be able to get back to my games testing (if I can get fraps videos to run at a decent frame rate to put on youtube later).
The stress test has been running for almost an hour now with no errors and stable temperatures i.e no sudden fluctuating or too hot to handle. I even managed to play GTA SA at the same time with minimal slow down. I am typing this from my Everun Note as well.
Hi UMPCNut
Glad to hear that your new unit seems better.
It would be good to know what temperatures you are getting on the new unit , as I’m starting to think my unit may also be faulty (it came from the asame source as yours) as although I’ve had no crashes it does get pretty hot through the keys & OM. Also, where are you based and how did the shipping get dealt with?
The program I use to read the CPU temperature is Core Temp, some people say this program is not very accurate but the known accurate program does not work on AMD chips.
My idle temperature was from 25-30C, with moderate usage it goes up to 50C and under the stress torture test (worst case scenario) for 1 hour Core temp claimed that the CPU was running at 85 C (who knows how accurate), at normal intensive gaming for example playing GTA SA however, I usually see temperatures from 70 – 75C. Another user has confirmed seeing 70C while playing Guild Wars.
When I touch the underside of the unit, it is hot but not enough to feel uncomfortable to the touch.
With my faulty unit, it was so hot underneath you felt like it could actually burn you and I knew something was wrong but with this unit, you can tell the heat is being dealt with.
It is a good idea to watch the temperature of the Hard Disk in your unit because the safe usage temperature for that particular model is up to 60 C, if you place your hand near the Hard Disk compartment after heavy usage and it feels like it could burn you, you might have a faulty unit.
I am based in London and once they had units in stock, shipping was here the next day before 1pm. My replacement arrived by 10am.
Thanks a lot UMPC nut – these figures are really really helpful for me, and sound a lot like what I’m getting – idling at about 30-32 degrees, normal working (browsing, virsus scanning etc) at 52-55 degrees and 70-75 degrees when gaming in 3D. Also it’s not particularly hot around the hard drive, so I guess my unit is probably not one of the faulty ones. Hurray!
HI again UMPCnut – one last question re: your replacement if you don’t mind, as I may well have to replace mine. You say that your shipping arrive the next day – was that from Korea to the UK?? (seems awful fast) – and did you have to pay VAT all over again when your replacement arrived? As IO’m also in the UK I’m not thrilled at the thought of being stung for an extra £80 or so because my unit was faulty….. Any information you can give will be gratefully received…again!
I got my Everun Note today from SuperGPS but it doesn’t seem to have Windows on it. For those who ordered from SuperGPS did yours come with Windows?
Mine came with windows pre-installed (but not updated and not with SP3) and with a new OEM windows XP disc (with SP3). The SuperGPS site says it comes with XP, so I would think you should have it.
Update: I contacted SuperGPS and they told me that their recent batch didn’t come with an OS. They have let me keep mine and reduced the price by £50. Still a bargain.
I just tested Battlefield 2142 and it is playable but only with all settings set to low. The default settings cause too much slow down. I am sure you can find better settings but the problem is each time you change video settings in this game, you need to restart and then re optimise the graphics which can take a long time. I prefer games like BattleZone 2 though.
Hi guys, can I use the stylus of my Sony UX50 palm device in the same way like on the palm (base sketching and OS control)?
Does anyone own the Sempron wit preinstalled Ubuntu Linux?
I’d like to wipe Windows XP off the harddisc and maybe I can use some configuration files (e.g. xorg.conf) on the Turion X2 model.
Maybe someone has even made an image and can send it to me.
After 8 years of using Linux exclusively at home I will definitely be able to set it up but why should I work harder on it than necessary ;-)
Is the included Win XP usable on other PCs or may I only sell it to other Everun Note users who don’t own a licence? Maybe some small Manufacturers bundle their systems with a SB version because they have no ressources to create highly customized OEM waste.
Thanks a lot for help.
Digital will offer two new variants of the Everun Note UMPC that we tested last month. The two resimler models will be SSD-based and will come as high-end and low-end alternatives to the
I’ve been looking at getting a Netbook running 2gigs RAM (Atom 270/280) for using Albeton Live 6 on Windows XP for live performances.
The obvious advantages are the size, weight and cheapness of the machines (in case of spillages etc on machine).
Obvious disadvantages are that they aren’t that powerful. I know this and will be optimising/stripping back my live sets accordingly to match the performance issues.
Is this machine going to be able to cope with a lot more than the standard 270/280 Netbooks running 2gigs RAM?
Can this Everun Note take a RAM upgrade?
I’ve been reading about the possibility of Intel Dual Core Netbooks on the horizon, anyone any idea of when these will be arriving in the shops?
Computer shops seem to be useless with this kind of information – probably because they want to sell you the current products.
Further reading …. it seems RAON may have gone bust?
Interesting website. Can I give you a gimmick? I think u’ve got something good in this article. But what if you added a couple hyperlinks to a page that relates to what you’re saying?