I Cancelled My Everun Order

Yesterday I cancelled my order for an Everun device. In the many weeks I’ve had to reconsider this device I came to the conclusion that it really isn’t the optimal mobile device for me. In many ways I was caught in an iPhone-like frenzy over the many extremely cool technical features of this device, but sanity has finally returned. I’m not knocking the Everun – it’s a really cool little computer that’s just not for me.

 What do I need? I need a mobile device that’s powerful enough to replace my Electrovaya slate tablet PC, but is smaller, lighter, and with a decent keyboard. It should have LOTS of memory, preferably 2 GBs, especially if it’s going to come with Vista. (The 512MB memory of the Everun is one of my biggest objections to this unit, along with it’s tiny keyboard). It should have at least a 7 inch screen. It should have at least 60GB of disk space. I don’t need a super powerful CPU because as a computer systems architect most of my work is creating diagrams and documents. However, good multimedia capability is important as I regularly watch movies and TV episodes on my computer while traveling. Long battery life, which I used to think was very important, really isn’t. 2 to 3 hours is sufficient for my actual usage scenarios. I spend most of my time plugged into an electrical outlet.

I’ve had my Electrovaya for over two years and it’s time for it to be put out to pasture. I’m finding that inking is a minor usage factor for me, although I do sometimes use it during presentations and working meetings, and that a good keyboard is vital for my work as  a consultant. So the slate format is really not the best for me.

So I’ve ordered a different computer which should arrive at my home in a week or two. Any guesses as to which device I picked? I’ll let you all know as soon as it arrives!

Everun / OQO Shootout

Hugo Ortega has put up a great 38 minute video on the Everun. During it he compares the Everun with the OQO Model 02 and makes some great points. Coincidentally the OQO Model 02 was actually my second choice after the Everun as my new mobile PC. I decided on the Everun for exactly the reason Hugo brings up for during his video – value. The OQO was about twice the price of the Everun, but I don’t feel it’s anywhere near twice as good as the Everun. Of course, time will tell once I actually have mine and have used it for a few months!

Boy, It’s Small!

Steve at the UMPC Portal Web site has a bunch of pictures comparing the Everun to cell phones, UMPCs, etc. The picture above shows the Everun compared to the N800. Wow, I never realized just how small this unit is until I saw this picture!

In any case, I’ve ordered the Everun S66HS (AMD LX900 600mhz, 6GB SSD, 60GB HDD Hybrid, 512mb RAM, WiFi+BT, Windows XP Home) and the Dynamism site shows a delivery date of late August. It’s going to be tough waiting that long for my new bright shiny gadget!

Everun Review

The UMPC Portal site has a very extensive review of the Everun at http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=757 Oh, by the way, I ordered one yesterday!

More Everun News – 1GB Model Coming to US (NOT!)

I just got off the phone with Dynamism. They now have pricing and availablity on their Web site (http://www.dynamism.com/everun/pricing.shtml) for some of the Everun configurations and a few accessories. However, they are still waiting for information on a 1GB model that Raon will be offering and the person I spoke with strongly recommended that I practice some patience and wait for the 1GB model to become available before ordering. I’m going to do just that! See comment below from Rudy of Dynamism – apparently a 1GB will not be available afterall! Nevertheless, the premlinary reviews I’ve read regarding performance of the 512MB model are leading me to order that model anyway.

The Heck with the Foleo – I’m Buying an Everun!

I finally decided to give up on the Foleo. In many ways it seems to me very much like the iPhone – a really nifty, fun gadget that simply fails in a whole bunch of ways to meet my actual requirements for that class of device.

Instead, right now I’m planning on buying a Raon Everun-66SH UMPC (http://www.raondigital.com/fnt_english/ev01.asp). I’ve been reading a couple of very interesting early reviews of this unit from Europe and Australia and it seems to me that here is a device that really meets my needs. It’s small, light, speedy, has amazing battery life life and has the potential to replace both my Nokia N800 and my Electrovaya Tablet PC as my sole computer for usage during my travels as an enterprise computer consultant.

I’ve been really noticing the foibles of my Electroya Scribbler Tablet PC in the past few months. In fact it’s become a desktop machine at my client site with monitor, keyboard, and mouse hooked up to it. My Nokia N800 is coming to meetings with me, instead of the Tablet. The Scribbler is relatively large, it runs pretty warm (especially when sitting in my lap during a meeting), and frankly I’m finding the whole inking experience to be slower and less reliable than I’d like. I’ve been missing the very compact Sony U-750P that was my primary traveling computer before the Electrovaya. The primary reason I replaced the little Sony was that its screen was really too small for inking and that it was SLOOOOOW!

The Everun looks like it might be the ideal unit for me. It’s small (about the same size as the U750P) and it’s got a keyboard so inking isn’t required for using it. Early reviews comment on how speedy it is and I’m planning on bumping it’s memory up to 1GB, which should further improve its performance (See comment below). Its battery life is reportedly even better than my U750′s (which has an extended battery) and the Scribbler’s.

I’ve spoken on the phone with Dynanism, the US importer of the Everun, and they say that they’ll have these units ready for sale next week. Unless something untoward happens regarding the final specifications or the price of the unit between now and then, I’ll be ordering one as soon as they are available.