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Archive for the 'eMachines' Tag

eMachines tries again with a $430 laptop

October 30th, 2008, 12:00 am by

Netbook-schmetbook. eMachines isn’t calling its first laptop in two years a netbook, which would imply that it’s smaller and cheaper than a traditional laptop computer. 

The Irvine-based brand, which exited the competitive laptop business two years ago, simply calls the new eMachines eMD620-5777 a notebook. And technically, only one feature makes it similar to a netbook: the $430 price tag.

Netbooks are cheaper, smaller but less powerful laptops. Nearly every PC maker jumped into the me-too ring this year. Netbooks weigh under 3 pounds, have 10-inch screens or smaller, cost below $500 and include an Intel Atom chip.

A key difference between most netbooks and the new eMachine is the chip. Read the rest of this entry »

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eMachines finally comes out with sub-$300 computer

October 10th, 2008, 4:55 pm by

eMachines, now part of the Acer computer family based mostly in Irvine, finally offers up a PC just $2 shy of $300. It’s a 25 percent price drop from its $399 price tag that eMachines slapped onto PCs 10 years ago, which changed the entire price scene of the PC market. Until now.

Its first small desktop computer, the EL1200 Desktop Series PC, is an interesting offering for the brand, which isn’t known for its pretty PCs. But this must be different. Even the press release calls it ‘stylish.”

eMachines has come out with sub $399 PCs before but those usually had lesser hardware and weren’t that interesting. The brand started in Irvine, was later acquired by Gateway, which in turn was acquired by Acer last year. eMachines and Gateway are now brands of Acer.

All I can say is – About time! eMachines should have led the latest trend of budget-priced PCs (see “Netbooks everywhere. Do consumers really want them?“). The small form factor has already been done by everyone else, including Gateway. Dell has really nice-looking ones in the $599 range.

Getting back to the latest machine … The EL1200 is “one-third the size of a traditional PC,” according to the company. It’s 40 to 55 percent lighter than eMachines smallest desktop. Yet, as with traditional eMachines, the series “pack as much computing power as most mainstream full-size towers.”

The goods?

It has a 64-bit AMD Athlon 1.5 GHz chip (OK), 1 to 2 GB of memory (can add more cheaply), NVIDIA GeForce graphics chip (not bad), 160 GB hard drive (the going rate) and a DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash technology (fun!)

A nice touch: a low-power 15-watt CPU that uses less energy than a standard desktop (let’s hope so).

Two versions are available now. The $298 is at Wal-Mart. The $349 version, which has a larger hard drive and faster chip, is at Best Buy.

The new eMachines EL1200 models are available now. The EL1200-05w, available at Wal-Mart, has an MSRP of $298. The EL 1210-01e can be purchased from Best Buy, and has an MSRP of $349.

Specs are after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

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Eee PC, MSI Wind: Smaller doesn’t always mean cheaper

July 9th, 2008, 3:20 pm by

At least two new laptops are now available with the new Intel Atom, Intel’s smallest chip ever.

The under-$550 computers from ASUS Computer and MSI Computer Corp. are both selling at Amazon, NewEgg and other online stores (see list after the jump). ASUS added the Eee PC 901 to its lineup of low-priced PCs that start at $299, while MSI  began selling its Wind NB U100 series (pictured below).

MSI Win NB U100 has Intel’s new Atom chip

Eee PC blackThese mini machines are also called Nettops, net books, mini computers or mobile Internet devices (or MIDs). Intel had said it expected such machines to be in the $200 to $250 range. But, apparently, not these two. MSI’s  is $480 while the Eee PC 901 (on right) is $549. Then again, these nettops are more loaded than some of the $299 desktop computers available from eMachines, Dell and HP.

Debby Lee, with ASUS, says its Atom PCs include Bluetooth, the more expensive and durable Solid State Drives of 12 GB to 80 GBs, plus a new scratch-resistant case. Comparably, the company’s $299 Eee PC has a mere 2 GB of storage, 512 MB of memory, Wi-Fi and not much else.

“From our point of view,” Lee said, “it is a mobile internet gadget.  It will not replace your desktop or laptops at home.”

Expect to see more of these smaller, cheaper laptops thanks to the Atom chip. I mentioned the Atom last April, when Intel stopped by to show it to me in person. Intel’s tiny new Atom chipIn the photo on right, the Atom is the little green and black square.

At the time, Intel said Lenovo’s IdeaPad U8, the Eee PC, a brand called “Thinno,” and a computer from Compal will also include the chip. Since then, I’ve also learned that TV maker Hannspree is planning an Atom-based computer. Read about “TV maker Hannspree to start selling low-priced laptops.”

Even more companies are coming out with nettops. According to the Intel Mobility blog, other MIDs spotted at the recent Computex tradeshow included BenQ, Clarion and Gigabyte. Check out the photos at the MIDs photo shoot. Read the rest of this entry »

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eMachines introduces line of low-priced PCs for students

July 3rd, 2008, 2:01 pm by

eMachines introduces new student PCs and LCDs

Irvine-based retail PC brand eMachines yesterday introduced a new line of affordable PCs targeting students heading back to school in the fall.

Gateway, which owns eMachines, says that the standard processors and multimedia features make the computers suited for both entertainment and educational presentations.

“These new eMachines desktop PCs offer a range of performance levels and features that not only meet the computing needs of students and families, but offer attractive prices that will appeal to today’s budget conscious consumers,” said Glenn Jystad, senior manager for eMachines desktops.

Here are short descriptions of the products in the new line: Read the rest of this entry »

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Vista PCs from the locals

January 30th, 2007, 9:49 am by

So many Vista PCs, how to choose? First, it’s good to know who’s offering them and, more importantly, for how much. Here’s the roundup from the OC computer makers. Cheapest first!

From eMachines:

$399: The eMachines T3604, a brand from Irvine’s Gateway Inc., is $349 after a $50 rebate. Specs: Intel Celeron D 356 Processor (3.33GHz), 512 MB memory, 120 GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD drive, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Windows Vista Home Basic.
NOTE: Vista Home Basic is pretty bare bones and doesn’t have the sleek 3D look and feel of the Vista you’ve seen in promotions.

emachineT5224, monitor not included

$449 ($399 after $50 rebate), the eMachines T5082 with a Intel Pentium 4 (3 GHz), 512 MB memory, 160GB hard drive, multi-format DVD drive, 15-in-1 memory card reader, ATI Radeon Xpress 200 with ATI Radeon X300 Based Integrated Graphics with DirectX 9.0 Support, Vista Home basic.
NOTE: Hmm… the integrated graphics card should get you the cool graphics of Vista, but again, this only comes with Vista basic so you’ll have to pay $159 to upgrade to Vista Home Premium.

$580 ($530 after $50 rebate), the eMachines T5224 desktop has a dual core Pentium 820 (that’s two cores running at 2.8 GHz each), 1 GB memory, 250 GB SATA hard drive, multiformat DVD drive, 15-in-1 memory card reader, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Vista Home Premium.
NOTE: Dude, this is pretty good deal! If you’re into rebates, this could show up at one of the office or electronics stores for even cheaper.

More PCs from OC:
Read the rest of this entry »

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