Nettops arrive in Australia

Nettops: low cost, low power desktop computers, have started appearing more in Australia. Two examples are the Medion E2010D Nettop-PC Akoya from Aldi for A$699 and the ACER e-Machine EL1600 desktop PC at JB HiFi for A$594 (after a 49 cash back). The ASUS EEE PC nettop has been available for some months, but only from a few stores. The ASUS unit may not have general appeal because it lacks a DVD drive and it was in too small a box: if you are buying a desktop computer you want to see you are getting your money's worth.

The Medion and ACER units have DCD drives and come in a slim tower case. These units also come with a wide-screen LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse. The ACER is the more conventional looking of the two with a larger case, standard keyboard and also external stereo speakers included in the package. Curiously, eMachines has its own Australian web site which does not appear to mention ACER.

The Medion is more interesting: it has a a very slim case (so slim it needs a stand to hold it upright) with WiFi and a compact keyboard. The Medion's speakers are integrated in the wide screen LCD display. While the Medion is the more elegant of the two, the ACER might sell better because it looks more like a "normal" desktop computer. The Medion could be good for cyber cafes and schools, as the slim processor and keybaord would not take up valuable desk space.

Both the Medion and Acer units are more highly specifid than needed for just email and web browsing. The DVD drives and some other components could be omitted to save A$100. But perhaps then no one would buy them.

Nettop-PC
MEDION® Akoya® E2010D

• Intel® Atom™ 230 processor 1.6 GHz, 512 KB Cache
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 on-board
• 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 160 GB hard disk
• Multiformat Dual Layer DVD/CD-Burner
• 8 Channel audio out
• Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 MBit/s
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
• Wireless LAN 802.11 n-Draft² with up to 300 MBit/s. 802.11 b/g compatible. For full performance an IEEE 802.11n-Draft router is required (not supplied), 300MBit/s gross, net max. 75MBit/s.
• 4-in-1 card reader SD, MMC, XD and MS/MS-Pro³
• Front connections: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Headphone, 1 x Microphone
• Rear connections: 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x LAN (RJ45), 1 x D-Sub VGA, 1 x AC adapter
• Audio: 1 x Microphone, 1 x Line In, 1 x Front Line Out, 1 x Rear Line Out, 1 x Center/Subwoofer Line Out, 1 x Surround Line Out
• Dimensions (without stand , without WLAN antenna): 300 mm (H) x 65 mm (W) x 270 mm (D)

Widescreen LCD TFT Monitor
MEDION® Akoya® E53002D

• Visible screen size: 18.5"
• Format: 16:9
• Maximum resolution: 1366 x 768
• Typical response time: 5 ms
• Typical contrast ratio: 1000:1
• Typical brightness: 250 cd/m²
• Multilingual On Screen Display
• 2 integrated speakers
• Connections: 1 x VGA In, 1 x Audio In, 1 x Power supply
• Dimensions: 344 mm (H) x 450 mm (W) x 195 mm (D)

Software Package:

OEM Versions, preinstalled and/or on CD/DVD or recovery DVD
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition (incl. Service Pack 3) preinstalled and on recovery DVD
• Microsoft® Works 9.0 ...

2 year warranty ...

EL1600

Intel® Atom processor
Operating system * Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
Platform * Intel® Atom™ processor
Chipset * Intel® 945GC Express Chipset
System memory * Up to 1 GB of DDR2 400/533/667 MHz SDRAM (single-channel support on one DIMMs)
Hard drive * Serial ATA hard disk 160 GB
Optical drive * SuperMulti with Labelflash™ technology
Graphics * Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Audio * Embedded high-definition audio
Networking * LAN: 10/100 Ethernet
I/O ports * Front I/O ports:
o Four USB 2.0 ports
o Multi-in-one card reader
o High-definition headphone and microphone jacks
* Rear I/O ports:
o Four USB 2.0 ports
o PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports
o Three audio jacks
o Ethernet (RJ-45) port
o D-Sub port
o COM port
o Parallel port

I/O expansion
* PCI Express® x1 slot

Software
* eMachines Recovery Center
* Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (Trial)
* Microsoft Works® 9.0 ...

Dimensions * 265 (H) x 315 (D) x 100 (W) mm (without bezel)
Power supply * 220 W ...

Adli Folding Bicycle

Aldi's Australia stores are offering a Folding Bicycle (described as a "Foldable Bike") in its weekly specials from 18 September 2008. At $199 this is about half the price of the cheapest folding bicycle previously available in Australia. It is described as having Shimano 6 speed gears, alloy rims and a high-tensile steel frame. The wheel size is not specified, but it appears to be 20 inch. There are mudguards and a carrier shown in the photo. This makes it comparable to my Dahon Boardwalk folding bicycle which cost $500. It is also less than I paid to have my folding bicycle serviced.

• Perfect to take with you on holidays
• Easy to store and move about
• Great for commuting to and from work
• Alloy V linear brakes
• Includes bonus carry bag for easy storage
• Folding pedals
• 95% assembled
• Folded size: 32 x 66 x 75cm

From: Foldable Bike, product 10/40, Aldi, 2008

Idyl at Lidl

When traveling all the new and exotic locations can be a bit tiring and you wish for something familiar and mundane. I found this in the Lidl discount supermarket in Thebes. Lidl is a competitor to Aldi, providing pallets of low cost house brands. The Lidl stores look very similar to the Aldi stores in Australia and so familiar. Of course the irony is that Aldi is a German based company.