A mysterious object, a tiny PC and a cool mouse caught Mark Gibbs’ attention this week.
First off, check out this article from Boston’s Universal Hub: Someone found an odd piece of DEC hardware but it seems no one knows quite what it is. Guesses include a CPU for the VAX 9000, an Alpha CPU module from the last DEC/Compaq system produced before the HP merger (although the dating of the thing in the photos would appear to preclude the latter), and a hyperdimensional slide-projector. Answers on a virtual postcard please.
Mysteries aside, I have a computer that I’ve been meaning to get around to for some months. It’s the VOT132 from Viewsonic (although it was originally produced by Foxconn).
Described by some people as a “Nettop” computer, an appellation I think is downright silly, this is a cool form factor although at its price of around $420 it’s a little on the “spendy” side.
Slightly larger than a paperback at 7.5-by-1-by-5 inches and weighing just under 1 pound, the VOT132 features a 1.6GHz, dual-core Intel Atom 330 processor with 2GB of RAM, a 320GB SATA drive, and sports an NVIDIA ION GPU, which will deliver video playback at 1080p.
This machine definitely qualifies for a “green” sticker: Being so small it takes less plastic and wire to manufacture and consumes far less power (a maximum of just 27W when it’s busy and about 17W when idle) than the average PC.
Connections include 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, six USB 2.0 ports, a multi-function card reader (SD, SDHC, MS, MSPro and MMC), DVI and HDMI outputs, SPDIF and mic in, SPDIF out and a stereo headphone jack. The device also comes with a VESA mount so you can bolt it onto the back of a display or, if you prefer, the package includes a stand.
The VOT132 comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, which includes Windows Media Center (which, I have to say, is one of the clunkers of media centers … really, is that the best Microsoft could do?).
I tried running Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) Netbook Edition (the Linux distribution I discussed some weeks ago) from a USB drive but, alas, no joy. It was odd that Ubuntu would zoom through the start-up process and then hang just as it started to create the desktop.
I really like the VOT132 despite it being a little pricey: It’s pretty fast, it’s really small and quiet, and its miserly on power. In fact, it’s a device that would be very useful for corporate desktops where the employee is only using basic productivity tools. I’ll award the Viewsonic VOT132 a rating of 4 out of 5.
Anyway, if you are going to use a media center driven by a PC then you’re going to need a mouse — but not just any mouse because if you’re sitting on the sofa nursing a quart of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, the last thing you want is a regular mouse (in the days of mechanical mice I once tried using a mouse by rubbing it on my chest, but unfortunately my chest hair got caught in the mouse …).
So, here’s the solution: The Loop Pointer from Hillcrest Labs.
The Loop is a ring-shaped device with controls on its upper surface that is, in effect, a wireless, mid-air mouse. You simply plug the provided receiver dongle into a USB port on your computer, slap a couple of AAA batteries into the Loop and, assuming your OS recognizes the mouse, off you go. By simply waving the Loop on the air from side to side or up and down the computer’s on-screen mouse will move.
This mouse (now available for around $70) works exceptionally well, particularly with TV screen-based applications such as media centers, because very accurate mouse control isn’t needed. Another benefit: It will also save your chest hair …
Gibbs is pointed in Ventura, Calif. Sharp comments to gearhead@gibbs.com.
