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Hardware

Internet Computer from OEone 135

Posted by michael from the penguin-in-a-box dept.
red5 writes: "Newsforge has a report of a new "iMac-like" internet computer from the good people over at OEone. On an interesting note it uses Mozilla as its GUI. Read the article for all the details." Another submitter sent in an interview with the company.
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Internet Computer from OEone More

Internet Computer from OEone

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  • Is it just me? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jerw134 ( 409531 ) on Sunday January 13, 2002 @10:46AM (#2832174)
    Is it just me, or does every single one of these "Internet computers" fail shortly after it comes out? Not including the iMac, every other one I know of (iOpener, NIC, iPaq, WebPC...) has failed. What are the chances this one won't meet the same fate?
    • Do you mean the Compaq iPaq? If so, how is this a failure? They are tremendously popular, at least in Europe.
      • Yes. I'm not talking about the PDA, but the Internet appliance with the same name. It's all but disappeared now, at least in the US.
        • Ah sorry, I hadn't heard of the iPaq appliance before. Anyway, we'll have to see how well this one does. I agree that without much marketing I can't see this going far, except via personal recommendation. On the other hand, the company seem to know what they're doing, they're selling for a profit, the technology is good, and it's actually (when you look at the hardware) quite good value for money. Not for me or you perhaps, but good for computer-shy relatives? Only time will tell.
        • Actually I think the expensive iPaq appliance with the TFT screen (@~$599) is discontinued but the newer model with plain old crt screen built-in (@~$299) is in current production.
          The tft screen was small and it made the box expensive.
          I have no comment about the use of "MSN companion OS" in the iPaq - except to say this product is still being made and sold.

    • I'm a little skeptical too, but I'm hoping that the management of this company realizes the .com days are over and actually found a market for this device before they built it.

      I think there are some real possibilities aside from Grandmothers. Think about different types of specialized kiosks that would benefit from a super-easy interface. (How many times have you seen a mall information kiosk BSOD? I see them fairly often.) Also, specialized terminals for factories and warehouses that mostly run some web-based application.

      If they can develop some good niche markets to pay the bills then they might be able to stay in business long enough to see these things go mainstream.

    • I have ThinkNIC and it works very well for me as an always-on MP3 player. I boot it using PXE from another server, then it mounts the filesystem over NFS and runs xmms. There is little else to wish for.

      But as an Internet appliance it is too slow.

    • You think!!!! This thing is $799, you'd have to be pretty short on cerebral cortex to buy a computer with no hard disk for $799. Even "cows" have figured out how to get a real computer from Gateway, the same goes for Dell or Compaq. Don't even get me started on a homegrown system!!! They won't last six months in production, maybe not even three months. Let's see, I need to go get venture capital fo something. Hmm, how about an internet appliance that only does proprietary email, and has no built in display, all for $1000. Yeah! that's it, that's the ticket! Idiots like those guys are the reason the High Tech industry is in the toilet! Sheesh!
    • ThinkNIC has not failed.
      If the eOne people can make a product that has a low enough price to reflect its status as an appliance, and like ThinkNIC allows the owner flexibility in deploying it, choosing their ISP and method of connection, then maybe they can make a go of it too.
  • I agree that it's intriguing that they're choosing mozilla and proprietary software as opposed to typical Microsoft defaults. I hope it keeps their costs down and makes them popular.
    • I love Mozilla as much as the next guy, but I know a lot of newbies that would be turned away from this computer just because of the fact that it doesn't run the "familiar" Internet Explorer and Windows. The software will help keep the costs down, but I know some people that wouldn't buy it just for that reason.

      • Re:Neat but Restricting (Score:2, Informative)

        by tftp ( 111690 )
        If someone is already familiar with IE and Windows then this guy is not likely to buy a dumbed down appliance. The market for Internet appliances is in homes of people who never used Internet before. My parents, for example, haven't even seen Windows, and they can't care less; they are more interested in gardening and politics :-) Any appliance that is easy to use will do, and AOL is a living proof of that. The extremely simple, automated installation of plugins in Mozilla fully justifies its use - the browser becomes the OS.

  • missing features (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Alien54 ( 180860 ) on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:00AM (#2832203) Journal
    As seen in the source fourge article
    • Even though the documentation said it could record TV shows, there is no obvious way to do this yet. One OEone employee told me the documentation writers had been a bit "enthusiastic" about some of what they included in the first version of the user guide. Look for video recording capability in the next software version.
    • No chat software, even though chat capability is mentioned in the docs. The story here is that they were planning to include a combination ICQ/IRC client in 1.0, but it wasn't quite ready by the scheduled release date, and was held back for the moment.
    • No NTSC or S-video output on the video card. Sad. I am disappointed that it isn't there. Add this capability, and the Internet Computer could amost replace a TiVo or other time-shifting TV-watching aid, and serve as the heart of a simple home entertainment center, over and above its computer functions.
    • An optional superdrive (combo DVD/CD reader/writer) and drivers for it would make the Internet Computer a perfect "video archiving" device. This would allow users to save an endless number of favorite TV programs, either for their own future pleasure or to share with friends.
    • If you're browsing local files while not connected to the Internet, you get constant "cannot connect to server" error messages. This will never be noticed by users with full-time cable or DSL connections, but is going to annoy people who use dialup and can't tie up a phone line every second they're using their computer.
    Also, the screen shots seemed to be hosed in the main page on news forge, so here is the link for screen shots [oeone.com] of the Calendar app. I think the OEone site is under s heavy load for some reason ;-)
  • I saw an ad for these on /. last night. Didn't "click through" though, so I guess the ad was worthless, eh? :-)

    Milalwi

  • Ouch....pricey...and bulky (Score:4, Interesting)

    by CDWert ( 450988 ) on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:02AM (#2832214) Homepage
    Well at 799 its a bit on the pricey side.....

    I would love to see a cheap internet terminal @ under 300 , with specs like this one, I know however there is no way to make money At that point, I hate LCD's they drive my eyes bonkers and at lower res they box in, ever try and run doom on a laptop ?

    On the other hand thats about all I use my laptop for, Laptops have an air about them, just ask all the posers at Starbucks, How about a LAPTOP sized appliance , No hard drive, network capablity, guts could be based on one of the small PDA units, for card compatibility etc, only with a full sized keyboard and screen, it's be LIGHT, CHEAP, and battery life could be pretty amazing. Do most anything you need whilst mobile. email, documents editing, etc. LINUX based of course :) Hell you could probably save almost all tooling costs and buy up another manufacturers mols of a dead line and make em fly as well as the low cost of a say 11.5 screen.

    Offer that a $300-400 and they would get snapped up like nuts, if nothing else from all the posers that are too poor to buy a full unit but want to hang out with their buddies at Starbucks, and act all aloof like thier solving the probblems of the world on their laptop >:)

    I cannot however see using Mozilla as the GUI at this point, I use and Like mozilla, but if the performance of their desktop compares to Nautilus , ayyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeekkkkk.

    The market is there for these applicances, the right one just hasnt hit in my opinion...
    • The market is there for these applicances, the right one just hasnt hit in my opinion...

      Hypothetically, maybe the price could drop to say, $500-$600, and then more of the have-nots in this society would be interested in getting a computer. The disadvantaged people I've met would like a computer, but $800-$1200 is way out of their price range. Then just pre-install a copy of OpenOffice [openoffice.org] and you've got a winner.
      • Even the $500-$600 price range is still a bit too high. I should know, I am one of the 'disadvantaged people'. The only way I ever managed to get a computer to begin with was because it was an e-machines [emachines.com] from a year ago. For only $600 I got a celeron 600mhz with 64MB 100mhz SDRam, 17" monitor, i810 shared video, and a DVD player. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was one hell of a starter system for the price (after rebates it came out to $0, if you sign up with earthlink for 3years of 56k service)

        Not everyone out there needs to start out with a $1200 system. And I don't really see anyone paying even $500 on something that can only do internet browsing when for roughly the same price they can get a cheep pc that will do most anything Joe User needs to do.
        • Even the $500-$600 price range is still a bit too high. I should know, I am one of the 'disadvantaged people'.

          I had a feeling that I would get complaints about the price I gave. Ideally, I would give it $300-400 to make it affordable for most people, but the relatively new hardware makes that unrealistic. From the Newsforge article, the computer has:

          Pentium III 800 Mhz processor
          128 MB RAM
          24x CDROM
          CRT 17" monitor

          That's nice. I just don't see charging below $500 for that sort of hardware.

          I don't really see anyone paying even $500 on something that can only do internet browsing when for roughly the same price they can get a cheep pc that will do most anything Joe User needs to do.

          This brings up a good point: The name "Internet Computer" is misleading. If it is advertised as a computer that can only web surf, it will go the same way as Audrey [slashdot.org]. But if you read Roblimo's article [newsforge.com] again, you'll see it does more than just surf. It also has these capabilities:

          *writes and prints letters and homework assignments
          *plays downloaded MP3s or music CDs
          *plays games
          *has a built-in calendar
          *watch TV

          This will do everything Joe User wants with some nice equipment. It's relatively expensive right now, but lowering the price, in addition to some rebates, would bring it to people who otherwise could never afford something so cool.

          Oh yes, and it's an easy-to-use Linux machine.
    • Well at 799 its a bit on the pricey side.....

      Well, aside from clearance sales Apple never priced the iMac lower then $799, and they did sell 3 million of them. Not to many people on slashdot though :-)

      LAPTOP...Offer that a $300-400

      You don't pick easy targets do you? I think someone did try to sell a GEOS laptop for not much over $500, it sounded a lot like the specs on yours otherwise. It flopped big time. I don't think cutting the price $200 would help a lot, but who knows.

      • Well, aside from clearance sales Apple never priced the iMac lower then $799, and they did sell 3 million of them. Not to many people on slashdot though :-) They sold six million iMacs. Don't shortchange 'em. iMacs appeal to everyone who wants/needs an easy-to-set-up, easy-to-use computer. Despite the fact that many other computer manufacturers *cough*dell*cough* try to come up with a Wintel supplement to the iMac, they don't do so well. Apple is obviously doing something well, and, with the introduction of the new iMac, they're gonna do very well in the future.
        • They sold six million iMacs.

          Really? I coulda swore Jobs said 3mil on the 7th. You don't happen to have a reference do you? (I don't have one either, unless you count a ~2 hour QT feed)

          Don't shortchange 'em. iMacs appeal to everyone who wants/needs an easy-to-set-up, easy-to-use computer.

          For sure I don't. A number of years ago I helped my mom get a Winblows PC because everytime in the past I had recomended the technically better machine (Don't get a PC, Amiga is so much better!) it didn't work out. That thing has ben a royal pain. I had to drill a hole in counter top (with a drmel because I didn't think to bring a drill, and live 30 miles away), it's floppy failed, the software is hard to use, and bloddy things install themselves that she doesn't really want, and she can't get rid of. Plus people seel her cheap poorly working add ons (parallel port scanner -- who had to drill another hole?). And the bloody printer keeps failing (well, I think that is a problem on Macs too since they use the same cheep ink jets).

          My in-laws bought a computer recently (once again I was dragged along to help). This time it was an iMac. Other then not fitting in my car as well everything went far far better. I even had to set up a network for this one (no phone line close by) and it was still simpler. Oh, and they seem to have far less problems working it. Also as an added bonus I can use my laptop on their wireless network when I visit :-)

          So yeah, I think they are a great thing for people that want an easy to use machine.

          Despite the fact that many other computer manufacturers *cough*dell*cough* try to come up with a Wintel supplement to the iMac, they don't do so well.

          It's hard to do when you are stuck with Windows as a starting point :-)

          Apple is obviously doing something well, and, with the introduction of the new iMac, they're gonna do very well in the future.

          I'm not wild about the new one. Not just the styling (seeing it in person it's a lot nicer), but that it starts at $1299 which is not only $100 more then the iBook, but right at the old top-of-the-line price. Granted it is effectavly a larger display and faster CPU, but it is still above the magic $1000 price point, and well above the old $799 starting price, which was a hard sell vs. $500 crap-PC prices...

          It's a good thing Apple is keeping the CRT iMac in their line up, hopefully they will continue to do so until the LCD iMac can drop below $1000, and hopefully a lot closer to $500.

    • CDWert Wrote:

      "How about a LAPTOP sized appliance , No hard drive, network capablity, guts could be based on one of the small PDA units, for card compatibility etc, only with a full sized keyboard and screen, it's be LIGHT, CHEAP, and battery life could be pretty amazing. Do most anything you need whilst mobile. email, documents editing, etc. LINUX based of course :)"

      You are describing the batch of fullsize HPC WinCE device that came out in 1999 at the $1000 price point, the best of which were Vadem Clio [frogdesign.com] or the Sharp Mobilon Tripad [zdnet.com]. Generally they had a 640x480 screen, full size keyboard, touch screen, and all day battery life. On the down side they had slow processors and only 16 or 32 MB RAM (which you split between memory and storage) and WinCE as the OS but that at least could be changed [linux-vr.org]. While it didn't have a network jack, but it did have a PCMCIA slot.

      I haven't seen a refresh of this form factor come it out since, probably since the drop in notebook prices into the sub $1000 range has squeezed these out of profitably. It would be interesting though to see one of these with a lot more memory.

  • Even Google's cache [google.com] of the page seems to be Slashdotted. Yikes.

  • How long before.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by countach ( 534280 ) on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:14AM (#2832243)
    Taking bets on how long before someone hacks this
    latest internet appliance and puts Linux on it.

    Oh wait... Damn. What the hell use is it, it comes
    pre-cracked.

  • Error in NewsForge article (Score:3, Redundant)

    by jerw134 ( 409531 ) on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:14AM (#2832244)
    Now we come to a built-in feature Windows and Mac don't offer: a little button that allows OEone tech support to log into your computer directly and fix things remotely. CLICK! and they have access -- and they only have access when you do that CLICK! instead of owning a permanent backdoor into your computer. Linux sure is nice, eh?

    Actually, Windows XP does include this exact feature. You can get help directly from Microsoft, or even from a friend who also uses XP. I really like the feature, and it works great. But it's not something exclusive to the OEone computer.
    • Obviously hasn't played with OSX too much either.
    • Yeah, it's called VNC. They should try it sometime.
    • Actually, Windows XP does include this exact feature.

      Re-read the part where he says "and they only have access when you do that CLICK!" Roblimo, the author of the article, equates XP with "a permanent backdoor into your computer."

      steveha
      • Roblimo, the author of the article, equates XP with "a permanent backdoor into your computer."

        Hey, guess what!
        Roblimo's full of shit!

        C-X C-S
      • Well that equation is wrong. You need to give XP permission too. Just because it's Microsoft doesn't mean it's evil. You can also turn the option off totally. It just shows pure unfounded bias against Microsoft, and nothing more.
        • I'm sure his comment had something to do with the recent horrible security breach [cnet.com] found in Windows XP, one that lets an attacker totally take over an XP box.

          I'm also sure that Microsoft's patch has fixed that breach, although there will probably be others.

          If you like XP and want to use it, that's fine by me. It just seems odd to me that some guy got moderated up to 5 pointing out an "error" that wasn't. Oh well, it's no big deal.

          steveha

  • Compare to iMac (Score:5, Interesting)

    by brunes69 ( 86786 ) <`gro.daetsriek' `ta' `todhsals'> on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:31AM (#2832283)

    After reading the article, I saw alot of comments on the price of the item, along the lines of "Too expensive, I can get Internet PC X for $300/$400/$500". You are making the wrong comparison.


    This thing isn't an "internet device", it is a full fledged PC. Most of those internet devices you speak of have 16MB-32MB flash instead of a hard drive, and definatly do not have a TV tuner. You should be comparing the $800 pricetag to that of an iMac (which can range from $900 - $1100), and if you do you will see it is quite reasonable.

    • Maybe, but then the imac supports plenty of scanners/printers/other stuff you'll never need, and it is easy. If you're going to compare it to an imac I'd like to see what the hardware support is like - without resorting to standard linux utilities which would feel out of place on a machine where everything is xul based.
      Does anyone know how easy it is to get a printer/scanner/webcam working on it? (I hope it is easy, but i don't know - the reviewer seems to have completely ignored it) And before you say you don't need this on an internet computer, i'll want a webcam anyway, and give me a word processor and i'll want a printer.
      • If you're going to compare it to an imac I'd like to see what the hardware support is like - without resorting to standard linux utilities which would feel out of place on a machine where everything is xul based.



        And while we're at it, if you're going to compare this device to an iMac, let's specify OSes here. There's plenty of hardware that's MacOS-compatible--if you're talking about 9.2 or below. And some of that stuff won't work in Classic mode on 10.1.2.



        Macs, for the time being, now have something in common with Linux users--a great OS with a dearth of native apps. For that reason, I lump OSX in with what the ZDNet trolls lovingly refer to as "not ready for the desktop."

    • You should be comparing the $800 pricetag to that of an iMac (which can range from $900 - $1100), and if you do you will see it is quite reasonable.

      The bottom of the line iMac (similar specs) is $799. Do some research.

    • Re:Compare to iMac (Score:5, Insightful)

      by 90XDoubleSide ( 522791 ) <ninetyxdoublesid ... minus herbivore> on Sunday January 13, 2002 @01:08PM (#2832593)
      Compare to iMac, eh? Sounds fair, I'll compare it to the $799 iMac. The computers are very similar in some ways: both have a 20GB HDD, 128 MB RAM, 24X CD-ROM, 100Base-T, 56K modem, and 2 USB ports. The AIO benefits from a 17" display and a TV tuner (which is mostly useless; you could add one to the iMac, but I can't imagine anyone doing so). The iMac benefits from two FireWire ports, Harman/Kardon speakers, a RAGE 128 Ultra, and VGA out. I'd say that VGA out is better than a TV tuner, but having a 17" display offset's the iMacs video card and speakers. The iMac still offers FireWire, has a far superior software bundle (sorry, but giving people commercial software adds more value than saving them a few minutes of downloading) and most importantly, I can play popular games on an iMac, both because it has an OS that supports them and because it has a real video card. The iMac also has a full BSD subsystem, so the AIO has no real advantage being on linux. And lets not forget that the AIO is godawful ugly (it looks like they were copying a Compaq copy of an iMac, badly).

      So I think it's fair to say the $799 iMac has an edge over the $799 AIO. <sarcasm>This is incredibly shocking considering everyone knows Apple charges 4-8 times what their wintel competitors do</sarcasm>.

  • Analysis (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Eloquence ( 144160 ) on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:33AM (#2832288)
    Too expensive. The brand is unknown, and people are not going to spend $800 for something that just looks nice. This will likely come and go like the Internet computers before it. If they would market it as a versatile Net/multimedia station / PVR, maybe they would sell some units (however, the patents involved in PVR may create problems).

    Also, Mozilla 0.93 .. if I remember correctly 0.95 was the point where Mozilla became usable on a daily basis. 0.93 may not cut it and lacks some of the wonderful later features like tabs. They probably should have waited one more month before going public so they could present a mature product instead of hurrying something that still has many loose ends (the DNS requirement for dial-up ISPs is probably a major showstopper for newbies). So my strategy to place this thing on the market would be:

    • Make sure Internet setup is very easy with all configurations
    • MP3 and DVD playback are nice, but can be had very cheap nowadays. PVR is not so common -- this is therefore an essential feature that should be marketed accordingly
    • Get all software to the latest versions and use apt-get, apt-rpm or something like that to fetch the latest packages regularly
    • Eliminate stupid product registrations -- they hurt you more than they help you
    • Games: There are some nice, free open-source games like Armagetron (which I have yet to get working but the shots looked promising), Heroes, Freeciv, Tuxracer, ... These should be installed by default and easily accessible. It may be possible to cut a deal with Transgaming or Loki in return for access to their subscription services.
    • Community: People just love online forums, chat, weblogs and the like. The system should come with easy access to preselected chat rooms (IRC?) and forums (newsgroups?).
    • Down with the price. A "healthy" margin is a good thing if you're not planning to sell many units or if you're Apple.
    • Clever marketing. If you think the product is really good, donate some to various schools/libraries with an added prominent, non-removable "I want to buy a machine like this" link somewhere. Try to create as much hype for the product as possible.
    • Send a cleverly formulated "story" asking for more ideas to "Ask Slashdot" and choose the ones at +5 and -1 for preselection.
    It may be possible to create a viable product in this fashion. Oh yeah, I forgot: STEP 3: PROFIT!!!!!

    • Re:Analysis (Score:3, Informative)

      by inthehacker ( 207758 )
      The next version of the software, due out in a few weeks, is based on Mozilla 0.9.5. 0.9.3 isn't that bad, but 0.9.5 is a lot better.
    • You also have to remember that it doesn't use the mozilla UI much, its basically gecko with their own UI. The gecko engine itself has been pretty stable for quite a while now.
    • people are not going to spend $800 for something that just looks nice

      Hmmm, so what about the 3M people who bought the CRT iMac -- did they buy it on anything other then looks? (and yes, it's normally priced $799 to $1200, it only goes below $799 on clearance, which I think is about twice a year as Apple brings out a new high end model, or a few new models).

      Yeah, I know the iMac isn't an unknown nor is Apple, and it didn't have a lot of the other problems, but the fact remains may people were attracted to it merely for the looks (and lack o cables and the like).

      • I think you are underestimating the relevance of marketing. A lot of the cash people paid for the iMac was paid for their own manipulation, i.e. a massive media/hype campaign that was very effective. Together with the trusted Apple brand which has come to be associated with "easy-to-use computers" thanks to countless movies and hordes of fanatic fans, this has made the iMac a sure winner. When the iMac came out, a lot of people criticized its colors and looks -- without marketing, this might have remained the dominant viewpoint. It is not necessarily the actual design that is relevant, but the media context in which this design is presented. Plus, the design of the AIOERJUGIR or what's it called is no longer innovative.
        • I think you are underestimating the relevance of marketing.

          Not at all, it doesn't matter what made people think the original iMac looked nice, just that they do. So this similar looking object can cash in on some of that, wether it is because the original struck a chord in people, or because a massive marketing machine has beat it into people.

          I don't think that means this thing can succeed only on it's looks, just that $799 for a computer that makes it's looks a strong selling point, and everything else comes in second has been done before, and it worked.

          • Well, you may have a point here: The fact that the machine looks like an iMac may make it sell better, i.e. not that it looks good on its own, but that it looks like something people already know and think is good / pretty. Of course, this also has its downside, as other posters have pointed out...
            • The fact that the machine looks like an iMac may make it sell better, i.e. not that it looks good on its own, but that it looks like something people already know and think is good / pretty.

              Exactly. Plus it doesn't hurt that this look-alike is also intended to also target a "it's easy because it's not Microsoft" market.

              Of course, this also has its downside, as other posters have pointed out...

              Yep, partly that some people have seen the CRT iMac and don't like it, and partly that Apple now has the new LCD iMac as the "cutting edge". (personally I think the old iMac looked nicer, but having seen the new one in person it's actually plesent to use)

    • The brand is unknown, and people are not going to spend $800 for something that just looks nice.
      Looks nice!? This thing is the ugliest thing I've seen in my life since the last time future power copied the imac!

  • Office computers (Score:2, Insightful)

    by crimsonhead ( 542233 )
    A month ago I've written a comment [slashdot.org] about Linux for the office envieroment. If OEone will make an small office/enterprise version it might be Linux's way to mainstream.

  • Why? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ZigMonty ( 524212 ) <slashdot.zigmonty@postinbox@com> on Sunday January 13, 2002 @11:57AM (#2832365)

    The built-in speakers aren't great, but they never are in low-cost computers.

    That's a bit rich considering that the machine this is ripping off (the old style iMac), for the same US$799 price, has Harman Kardon (read: good) speakers.

    They proudly boast about how user friendly it is but then talk about using a terminal window to install a simple Office suite?! A web browser for the main interface?! Are they on crack? Why is everyone trying to do everything with a web browser these days. A web browser was designed to browse the web (shock horror).

    I love the idea of backing up data to a sever in case you delete the file. Here's a thought: make a copy somewhere else on the hard disk or copy it to a floppy. Who's going to waste their bandwidth? Do you trust them not to look at your files?

    I see this crashing and burning. Basically, for the same price you can get a real iMac. I thought rip offs were supposed to be cheaper? That's if Apple legal doesn't kill it first.

    • Re:Why? (Score:2, Informative)

      by inthehacker ( 207758 )
      They don't use a web browser for their main interface... They use Mozilla. And if you think that Mozilla is just a web browser, then you better wake up and smell the coffee. Mozilla is more of a development platform than a web browser. You can build really cool stuff in XUL, JS, CSS and XPCOM, as OEone has shown.
      • I know that the Mozilla guys want it to be called an application virtual machine [oreillynet.com]. I still don't think that Mozilla is appropriate for this, an ICQ client perhaps but not this. It'd be interesting to see how well OEone has done it. I can't see it being better than a purpose written desktop manager though. IMHO, this is between markets. It's too expensive to be an internet appliance and it's too limited to be desktop PC.
      • I agree; Mozilla actually has the potential to completely replace window managers and run the entire desktop. Those who argue different probably haven't taken the time to read the XUL and XP-COM specs (or perhaps do not have the background needed to appreciate them).

        This is some powerful stuff, and is reasonably well thought out. Plus, in the case of XP-COM at least, it represents someone stealing the best parts of a Microsoft design (OLE/COM) and doing an 'Embrace and Extend' to it. Delicious irony there!

        Personally I would really like to see the programmer community get behind Mozilla as an interface. With a little work Mozilla could become the greatest of all Microsoft nightmares: An application development platform which makes the underlying OS irrevelant. This *really* does scare them. Why do you think Microsoft worked so hard to own the browser market share in the first place?

        Jack William Bell, who likes Mozilla more than IE, but has to admit it is still pretty crashy...
    • I agree; a web browser is for browsing! But on the other hand, by using a browser, you negate the need for bloated desktop environments and window managers like KDE and Gnome.
    • While most web browsers were indeed designed to browse the web, mozilla was designed to not be limited to browsing the web. Each component of the mozilla browser (UI, rendering engine, javascript engine, etc) was created independantly of the other components. In fact, the glue that binds them together (xpcom) is itself a standalone component.

      One of these components is a user interface language called XUL [mozilla.org], or Cross-platform User-interface Language. Mozilla-the-browser (or Seamonkey [mozilla.org]) uses this language for all of it's UI, but don't make the standard assumption that mozilla == mozilla-the-browser. Seamonkey is merely the union of all of the modular subcomponents.

      A user interface that was designed with XUL and Javascript can be indistinguishable from that of the Windows, Mac, X, or even Star Trek interfaces. (Assuming of course that it's well-written.) There need not be the slightest hint that you are not using a native interface. In the case of new appliances such as this, they are trying to create their own native interface; something unique to their box.

      The advantage to using mozilla technologies for the UI is that the UI is not only easy to implement (it's xml-based), but it's inherently cross-platform. If they wish the next generation to be based on MS-Windows, and the one after that to be based on OS-X, and the one after that on HP-UX, they can do so with absolutely no effort. 0 UI redesign/porting effort. And even an extremely computer-literate person would never know the difference.

      I personally expect and hope to see many more companies using this technology in the future. So in short, when you hear "mozilla-based user interface", please do not assume that it is an html-based user interface being displayed in Seamonkey. More likely than not, your assumption will be incorrect.
  • Google's Image cache reveals this image [google.com]

    Karma Karma Karmameleon, it comes and goessss it comes and gooooee-ow-wow-wows.

  • ...and this may be the 'Net appliance that breaks the PC barrier to the Internet for the other half of the Canadian population not on the Internet.

    People should be able to get on the internet with this kind of ease. I'll always stick with a computer, but for many this is the perfect appliance to connect to the Internet with.

    It ain't cheap, but sounds perfect for people who want to connect to the Internet but don't want the hassle or complication of a Windows PC.

    Oh, and gotta love their use of Linux for this purpose - great thing is most people using it won't even notice linux, yet that's what they'll be using. That's the way it should be if Linux is going to be for the masses.

    And as a Canadian, it's appropriate a canuck based company should be thinking along the lines of an appliance like this. Canadians, if I'm not mistaken, are more likely to be on the Internet than Europeans or Americans.

    Hope it works for them.
  • Anybody have details on what sort of video card this 'internet computer' is packing ?

    The "ship to canada/usa" links seem to be horked... Soooo, how do they plan on making money anyways ?
  • We have one of those at the office. Similar to the old iMac, but a bit more useful. It had a floppy drive and a usable mouse and keyboard... I think they got sued over it though.
    • If it's got ethernet like the rest of the machines on an office network, and it can send e-mail, I fail to see how a floppy drive can be considered "useful", as it would probably never get used. I have an LS120 instead of a floppy drive because I made the mistake of thinking it might be useful. I've used it once in the last 2 years, when I was too lazy to find a blank CD to back something up onto. I've not used it as a standard floppy drive since shortly after I got it. It's faster and simpler to sending something through a network than it is to copy it onto a disk, then copy it onto another computer. And software comes on CDs, DVDs, RPMs and ISOs these days. I really can't imagine what i'd use a floppy disk for. Am I missing something?
  • Maybe I am getting old and need specs, but they really didn't get into the OS specifications apart from mentioning that it plays Linux - compatible games.
    If this is really supposed to be the Emachine / Imac for the Linux - Market, why not market it for it?
  • How many ISPs are supported in Linux, anyway? Maybe it's different in Canada, but most of the big US providers use executables that run on Windows or Mac, not standard ppp stuff. I'm especially thinking about (1) AOL, "so easy to use, no wonder I cannot find the button to go to usenet feeds," and (2) Prodigy, which the phone company here (Ameritech) pimps as their dial-up service for consolidated billing.
  • All in all, it's a pleasant package, well worth $799 for the hardware alone. And OEone claims this is not a "loss leader" price. I pointedly asked the company's finance v.p., Eddie Vlasblom, about this, and he assured me there was a "healthy margin" on each unit sold.

    A healthy margin?! Hardware should be free and under the GPL!
  • After seeing this article, I decided to go to As The Apple Turns [appleturns.com] and check out reruns about Apple suing imac copycats. There appears to have been three suits. Future Power, japanese company Sotec, and emachines. Sotec actually made the computers for emachines and themselves. emachines's called it the eOne, and Sotec called it the e-One. The only difference between the two is that they were sold in different parts of the world. Future Power was the first to make an imac look-alike, and probably claimed record for the shortest courtcase in history. if I remember correctly, Future Power had such a hard time defending it that they said it was different because it had a disk drive and therefore should be allowed to be sold. Of course, the judge didn't buy it. The Apple press releases about the Future Power and emachines suits were almost exact duplicates.

    There were still copycats after the fiasco was over. A year or to ago I was channel flipping and saw another imac look-alike on the Home Shopping Network. Looked exactly like an imac, but the price was attrocious. I forget what it was exactly, but it was around $1599 or $1799. They opened it up on stage and it was obvious why. It was a standard motherboard with a flatpanel display in it. I doubt that these took a serious bite out of potential imac sales.

    I don't think Apple will sue OEone. It doesn't use translucent polycarbonate plastics and right now no one really cares about the old imacs. It wouldn't be Apple's best interest to sue someone over an old design. It would probably cost more to sue than the sales they would lose, and seeing a press release saying "Apple sues OEone for copying old imac design" would distract from the excitement the flatpanel imac is trying to generate.

    Which brings up the question, who's going to try to copy the flatpanel imac, and what will it look like? The design is so "far out" and "out of this world" and other '80s phrases that it would be a challenge to get a copycat.

  • This looks like its possible one of the 1st internet appliandce/computer that doesnt need to be hacked right out of the box. It includes 100megs of server side storage, though it remains a mystery to me if it is local or remote storage. TV tuner cdrom and it plays linux games... it has a hefty pricetag for just being a IA.

    Hacking it would most likley void the warranty blah blah blah. but you could get a nice system out of for what im guessing would be a small cost.

    This one just may be sucsessful because it doesnt seem they are trying to force crap service on you and basically give you the device. Which many of the others did not do.
  • Bundling online backup is a great idea, I'd just like to see more than 100MB. Backup seems like a monster problem, particularly with typcial drives approaching 100GB. Or are modern drives reliable enough that the average person just doesn't care about the small risk of losing everything?

    Also, I'm surprised nobody has noted the involvement of Corel alumni Eid Eid [crmdaily.com]. Nice to see that a former Corelian(?) sees opportunity in Linux, despite Corel's failure to capitalize on that market.

  • Did anyone else notice that in the product's page? (https://homebase.oeone.com/store/index.php?SCREEN =items/1)

    I don't expect to see this outlast any of the other 'internet' computers (except the iMac).
    • "Games Linux and Flash"

      man, i wanna play linux too.
      or did i get that wrong? is this the new adventure game "Linux & Flash" ? sounds exciting, i guess linux is that funny penguin walkin around with a flash blowgun shootin the livin crap out of those iMacs (which are anyways just a lame copy of this *cool* FuturePower 17" AIO Internet Computer)
      strange, i found that Linux on my computer as well... or is it a virus (maybe a 2gb email attchment?)
  • This is just a PC. It doesnt come with windows, but it's a PC. Comon, 20 gig hard drive, CD rom, 800MHz Pentium3? I'll betcha it's got a pretty damn standered BIOS too. Don't be fooled tho, this is just a windowless PC. And easier to set up then an iMac? Please. Unless this thing comes with a teenage tech in the box, it's not going to get much simpler. Also, the original iMac is $799 [apple.com], the specs are pretty equal too, except for the iMac comes with a full fledged OS. Both would make very good cheap linux boxes. Almost any distro will run on both PPC and x86 hardware. Except this one [apple.com] Ok, you got me. That's a BSD. Still pretty damned nice.
  • ..is that they are offering a real product. Most of other stuff sround is just a major advertising campaing with no product behind.

    Let alone, giving one to some tester! Anf it runs Linux!

    Hats off.
  • Wow the OE is expensive for what it offers. Lets compare it to the $799 iMac.

    Hardware: Comparable processors, RAM and Hard drive. OE has leg up on Display size. But iMac wins by having 2 FireWire ports, a better graphics card, VGA output and very decent speakers... And of course, cooler colors (Blue Dalmation ;-)

    Software: iMac by a large large large margin. Presumably iMac can even run the OE software since it can run Mozilla, is based on unix and can do X windows....

    The iMac has a much better bundle. Quicken, AppleWorks, Mail, Quicktime, Explorer, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and three very nice games (Bugdom, Cromag rally and Otto-matic).

    The OE is pretty expensive compared to an iMac without any positives over the older iMac. It doesn't even hold a candle to the new iMacs...

    Roblimo's analysis sucks ass...
  • OK, there's a $799 imac alternative and it ships with linux. Why is there no mention of linux in the little /. blurb? It seems to me that the "linux factor" is the most interesting part of the story, especially to the slashdot audience!

    Anyway, the thing sure is priced right, and it runs linux, but I'm still weary of a company who so blatantly rips off other people's hardware designs. Can anyone here look at their picture [oeone.com] of the thing and tell me it doesn't look a whole lot like an imac? And didn't apple already sue these people for making a windows-based imac knockoff?

    I'm pleased there's a sub $1k consumer pc shipping with linux; I just wish it was coming from a more reputable company.
  • ... another copy in the endless stream of iMac look-alikes. Well, I think Apple Legal will leave these guys alone, since their advertising is zero and sales are likely to be close to that figure as well. It just wouldn't pay out more to go after them than they'd lose in legal fees. Plus, you can almost stick a fork in the old iMac- soon the new one hits store shelves.

    OEone should stick to what they do best (which does not include promising vapourware) and give the internet device market 100% instead of trying to copy Apple.
  • A Windows version of this design is available here [futurepowerusa.com]. Running Windows ME, though it couls probably be easily upgraded to Windows XP.

    The Video card is an onboard Trident Blade 3D using shared memory. It also has 1 AMR slot and 1 PCI slot.

    It's being manufactured by Future Fower, who settled their "trade dress" lawsuit with Apple some time ago. Another lawsuit over the same design is highly unlikely.

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