The Acer Aspire Revo R3600 is a very small, practically silent unit. The Linpus version comes with 1GB RAM, NVidia ION Graphics, Intel Atom 230 processor, 160GB HDD, 6 USB ports, HDMI port, eSATA port, VGA, ethernet port, built in card reader, microphone and earphone sockets and wired USB keyboard and mouse. The unit can be mounted on the rear of a monitor or TV (bracket supplied) or attached to a stand (also supplied) for desktop or floor use.
The Linpus system is on a 4GB partition, with an additional 2GB for tools, diagnostics etc. The system can be connected to a conventional monitor via VGA or to a HD compatible TV via HDMI.
The Linpus OS is underwhelming, allowing you a choice between email, web browsing, viewing images, listening to music or Skype. I was very quickly aching for more.
I installed Ubuntu 9.10 from a USB stick - the installation took around 20 minutes, but then booted into a fully functional system with the standard Ubuntu toolkit of OpenOffice, Gimp, Firefox 3.5 etc. After
enabling the NVidia ION driver (ver. 185) I was able to enable desktop effects with Compiz. All the hardware was detected and fully functional "out of the box", including the wireless adapter which I struggled to get working under Linpus. I then installed the ubuntu-restricted-extras package which enabled MP3 playback and MPEG video along with Flash and other restricted codecs.
The result was a fully functional system, quick and responsive and for the price - wow! This would make a great inexpensive family PC. It is so quiet that when attached to a TV it makes for an ideal Media Centre, and will play 720p HD video with stereo sound over HDMI very well. Plus you can connect wirelessly to your music collection and play or stream audio. I added XBMC's ppa and installed it giving me a fabulous interface to play video and music via my JVC flat panel TV and attached speakers.
I can see this unit (with a user-friendly Linux pre-installed, not Linpus) being a very marketable option for cash strapped families who need a fully functional home computer. The fact that it comes with OpenOffice and everything you need to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, edit photographs, play music, surf the web etc. without having to purchase additional software makes this a no-brainer. It would also be a very good way of enabling cheap community access to a wired or wireless infrastructure. It is easily upgradeable in terms of memory (max 4GB) and HDD requiring the release of one screw and voiding the warranty!
The Acer Aspire Revo is also now available with an Atom 330 processor (dual core) here for £169.99 (model R3610) and I'm seriously thinking of buying one for my mother. The unit blew me away - and the NVidia ION graphics allow for both the smoothness of HD video and the enabling of great eyecandy effects. This unit makes (with Ubuntu pre-loaded) a great first, second, or media centre computer. With the addition of a USB tuner you would have full PVR functionality and with 4 USB ports free you can attach printers, hard drives, DVD etc. The addition of a eSATA port allows for further expansion options.
In short - I like this unit. It is heartily recommended.Technorati Tags: acer, acer aspire revo, review, karmic, desktop replacement, affordable computing
The Linpus system is on a 4GB partition, with an additional 2GB for tools, diagnostics etc. The system can be connected to a conventional monitor via VGA or to a HD compatible TV via HDMI.
The Linpus OS is underwhelming, allowing you a choice between email, web browsing, viewing images, listening to music or Skype. I was very quickly aching for more.
I installed Ubuntu 9.10 from a USB stick - the installation took around 20 minutes, but then booted into a fully functional system with the standard Ubuntu toolkit of OpenOffice, Gimp, Firefox 3.5 etc. After
enabling the NVidia ION driver (ver. 185) I was able to enable desktop effects with Compiz. All the hardware was detected and fully functional "out of the box", including the wireless adapter which I struggled to get working under Linpus. I then installed the ubuntu-restricted-extras package which enabled MP3 playback and MPEG video along with Flash and other restricted codecs.
The result was a fully functional system, quick and responsive and for the price - wow! This would make a great inexpensive family PC. It is so quiet that when attached to a TV it makes for an ideal Media Centre, and will play 720p HD video with stereo sound over HDMI very well. Plus you can connect wirelessly to your music collection and play or stream audio. I added XBMC's ppa and installed it giving me a fabulous interface to play video and music via my JVC flat panel TV and attached speakers.
I can see this unit (with a user-friendly Linux pre-installed, not Linpus) being a very marketable option for cash strapped families who need a fully functional home computer. The fact that it comes with OpenOffice and everything you need to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, edit photographs, play music, surf the web etc. without having to purchase additional software makes this a no-brainer. It would also be a very good way of enabling cheap community access to a wired or wireless infrastructure. It is easily upgradeable in terms of memory (max 4GB) and HDD requiring the release of one screw and voiding the warranty!
The Acer Aspire Revo is also now available with an Atom 330 processor (dual core) here for £169.99 (model R3610) and I'm seriously thinking of buying one for my mother. The unit blew me away - and the NVidia ION graphics allow for both the smoothness of HD video and the enabling of great eyecandy effects. This unit makes (with Ubuntu pre-loaded) a great first, second, or media centre computer. With the addition of a USB tuner you would have full PVR functionality and with 4 USB ports free you can attach printers, hard drives, DVD etc. The addition of a eSATA port allows for further expansion options.
In short - I like this unit. It is heartily recommended.Technorati Tags: acer, acer aspire revo, review, karmic, desktop replacement, affordable computing
