Yes. Size seems to matter.

Brooks_Van_Norman

@Karinabob:

So size does matter?

justinpe

Hrmm, I didn't even read it properly..... from his blog:

"A few blogs have linked here noting that Wal-Mart will be selling the product for $299. I've updated the post to clarify that $299 has been an entry price point for some products in the category and isn't necessarily the price of this product. Also, while Wal-Mart does carry Sylvania TVs, there's been no indication that Wal-Mart will carry this netbook."

So $299 isn't even the base price for this product line from Sylvania; just the base price he cited for this type of product.

Zadillo

I like real-sized laptops, myself. To each their own, I suppose.

Karinabob

From reading the article, they seem to point out that $299 is just the starting price... not necessarily the price for the product as described (with the Atom processor, 8.9" screen, etc.). For comparison's sake, MicroCenter carries the following Sylvania g network for $449:

[microcenter.com]

* VIA C7-M Ultra Low Voltage Processor
* 1024MB DDR-533 RAM
* 30GB Hard Drive
* 4-in-1 Media Card Reader
* VIA UniChrome Pro IGP
* 10/100 Network
* 802.11b/g Wireless Network
* 7" WVGA Display
* gOS Operating System

Zadillo

@justinpe: I'm guessing affordability.

Gann

Who buys this crap? Why not buy a $1200 laptop that is much more capable and will last 5 times as long?

justinpe

bleh.

waynoworlater

MESO horny... Me love you long time...

Sorry, had to get that out of the way...

Sylvania??? I was not aware they slapped their name on electronics anymore - thought they were strictly lighting and energy products...

Yznel

It's about time we get back to the concept of computing devices as utility - toaster -like appliances. Nearing the throw-away, recyclable vision is this one. WalMart and few others can push like this.

Brooks_Van_Norman

@daftrok: There may already be "Mozilla Firefox with an IE tab," but that works best on Windows. The typical person buying a laptop at Walmart isn't going to be messing with Wine.

dagwud

Aww, c'mon, Mark... I drive a Kia :'(

mcdonnr

@daftrok: I agree - I think we are quickly approaching a time when Windows market share will be quickly eroded by 'for web only' hardware. As mentioned by others, this type of unit will not be the primary computer in the house and has a niche to fill. Right now I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 in my living room that I use only to surf the web, for that purpose its bulky and heavy, a mini laptop would be much more practical.

Maksimir

buttrockz: What kind of weird dollar store do you go to that sells things for $5?

dr_lha

What the EEE should have been: Cheap (In more ways than one)

Then again, I'd be pretty embarrassed to be seen using something branded Sylvania; they're the company that makes the SUPER DJ MAX BASS headphones for 4.99 at the dollar store, along with their SUPER MEGA HEAVY DUTY AAA batteries, at $1 for four...

buttrockz

If you are buying an 8.9" laptop, I doubt it is your primary computer. You're not gonna be using it for extreme gaming or movie editing. So in other words, there is no real need for XP:
1) There's already Mozilla Firefox with an IE tab.
2) There's already Google Docs to make Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents.
3) Media Player Classic plays like every video and audio format.

Slowly but surely there will be less of a need for Windows once programs become more compatible with Linux. Eventually EVERY program will work on Linux and there will be no need to dual boot OS's anymore.

daftrok

While it may seem strange to see Sylvania on a laptop. I have to admit I bought a 15 inch tv from them that doubles as a computer monitor and it has worked very well. It is even HD. I am sure they are made overseas somewhere but so what. I bought it at K-Mart for 150 bucks on a closeout. I wouldn't even replace it. I use it in my workshop in the garage to watch TV and test homemade computers. Nice stuff. Sylvania used to be very good at electronics and even now they occasionally come up with a good idea. Still I would buy a regular size lappie.

hardenstuhl

@justinpe: Old people and college kids who can't afford $1200 dollar laptops, that's who. I'm going to buy several of these if that price point holds up. Of course, I'm just going to use them for my $1200 laptops to sit on...

And Mark, I too own a Kia. And it wasn't worth 60K until I dropped some solid gold rims on it. It's a mini-van. My kids be pimpin in their car seats.

Hectorvex

@dagwud: My Wal-Mart has quite a fine selection of cheap wines, bottled and boxed, thank you very much, sir.

Con Seannery

@buttrockz: Sylvania brand? That's what stickers are for.

jswilson64

I was going to say that this would lose out to the Dell E or whatever they're calling it these days, but I just checked and it has only a tiny 4 gig SSD. Now that could very well be a superior choice, power-wise, I don't really know, and I can't imagine using much more than that on a tiny machine like this (most stuff for my laptop lives on usb drives anyway) but customers would probably opt for the 80 gig over 4. This thing could do fairly well.

I'm still holding out for offerings from ECS and Dell but if this thing gets solid battery life it could be in the running.

mhlaxp

computing technology changes so much that i'd rather buy 3 $400 laptops (one each year) than buy 1 $1200 laptop each 3 years. 3 years ago a $1200 laptop would be worth, oh, $500 now. Its just not a great investment. Also, if you lose/break/some steals a $400 laptop its not that bad. As long as you back up your data (you should do it regardless of how much your laptop costs), the laptop itself is just a commodity and should be treated as such. If you think you are 'investing' in electronics, i've got a bridge to sell you.

Khamel

@buttrockz: If you're so concerned with how a Sylvania label looks, why not just buy a mac?

Now see, if you said that you wouldn't want to buy because you're worried about the crappy hardware installed because to your knowledge Sylvania doesn't make or use great mobos or video cards, or even cooling fans, I'd consider your statement about EEE and cheapness as a legitimate comment.

Instead, you sound like a Vista hater / Midori lover.

qbrad

@justinpe: On occasion....yes. Well, most of the time yes actually.

Karinabob

A couple of years ago, before the ASUS and Sylvania I bought a used HP Jornada to take on an overseas air trip. The Jornada is lightweight, has nine hours of battery life, allowed me to do some writing, play Solitaire and not much else. It was perfect! Had one of these machines - actually far more capable than the Jornada - been available, I would have bought it. Next time I take a long trip (more than a day in the air with several stops) I will probably buy a lightweight cheapie.

offyatindy