Keep IT Simple

XO and Asus EEE PC have created a buzz in consumer’s digital world. These 7” monitor wonders are now the focus of laptops not only because they look really nice but they are small enough to function like a regular laptop, maybe more. XO is dedicated to selling their laptops so that kids in poor countries could have a copy of a laptop. And latest about this XO is that it’s selling only until December 31 of this year and after that, you can say goodbye to this laptop for now until a commercial version is released late next year. That means Asus EEE PC is the official leader in nanobooks. I won’t even talk about Intel’s Classmate PC ‘cause it’s just another XO like laptop.But the leadership of Asus EEE will be greatly challenged January next year when Everex will be releasing their own brand of nanobook called Cloudbook. If you’re not familiar with Everex then you haven’t been to Wal-Mart long enough or haven’t been to their electronics section. Everex is known for releasing really cheap PCs and they are usually available in Wal-Mart. For just $200, you can have a decent CPU and just add a $25 monitor and you’ll have a great computer.

This time, Everex is trying out their hands on a laptop. The screen of the laptop is still the same with Asus, 7 inches. But Everex Cloudbook will have 30GB of hard disk capacity, 512MB of RAM and 1.2 GHZ of processor. That really sounds good considering ASUS is less on everything except that the RAM in ASUS EEE is the same and could come in as an upgraded 1G.

Cloudbook will come in many variations. There will be a standard 7” laptop but there will be another version that features a Wireless VOIP phone. The phone will be docked in the right side of the monitor. Go to YouTube.com and search using the keyword “cloudbook” and you’ll be able to watch the actual Everex Cloudbook with a VOIP phone. Although in the video, the Phone fell off the dock.

What I suspect about Everex Cloudbook though is its durability. Watch the video and listen intently on the sound when the VOIP Phone hit the table. It sounded like cheap plastic which is quite scary for me. Although there are products that come as plastic, the sound should get you concerned. Everex also get their parts in China, that’s why it’s really cheap. But being cheap always comes with a price and usually its durability.

But other things look great in Cloudbook. Everex will come with Linux OS but optimized to handle Google Gears. That means you can launch multiple online application using Google Gears. For other softwares, you might want to think of getting Open Office as your office application.

This product is not available yet but it has been confirmed to be available January 15 next year. The price tag of this gadget will be in the $400 range – just like ASUS EEE. The laptop will also be presented in CES next year. ASUS…be afraid, be very afraid.