Packard Bell launches £350 EasyNote XS ultra-portable based on Via NanoBook

by Julian Prokaza
on Mon 29 Oct 2007 8 Comments

Packard Bell EasyNote XSThe OLPC XO-1 and Asus Eee PC/ RM miniBook aren't even on sale yet, but there's now a third low-cost cheap-ish ultra-portable on the market in the shape of the £350 £500 Packard Bell EasyNote XS.

Based on the Via NanoBook UMPC concept that was unveiled at Computex back in June, the EasyNote XS has the same 7in (800 x 480) screen as the Eee PC, but uses a Via 1.2GHz C7M processor rather than an Intel 900Mhz Mobile Celeron.

The EasyNote XS has 1Gb of RAM, but uses a traditional 30Gb hard disk rather than the Eee PC's SSD drive. This may keep the cost down, but the inclusion of Windows XP Home rather than Linux bumps it back up again, and the EasyNote XS costs a good £100 £280 more than the entry-level (and admitedly lower-spec) Eee PC.

There's also built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, along with a DVI port for hooking up a larger monitor. The keyboard also looks a little larger than that on the Eee PC, though it's a little heavier at 950g.

The EasyNote XS will be available in November from PC World.

Update: The £350 price quoted in the press release was a mistake, apparently. As pointed out in the comments, PC World are selling the EasyNote XS for £500 -- which is far too much for a laptop of this specification. Stick with the ASUS Eee PC, folks.  

[ PC World]

Originally published on www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk, now incorporated into Broadband Genie
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Comments

  • neutral

    by at 21:59 on 1 Nov 2007Report abuse

    just checked pcworld, searched for easynote xs, and they list it as 500!

  • neutral

    by at 08:52 on 3 Nov 2007Report abuse

    Hm, agreed -- it's at http://tinyurl.com/ypy94y. Hopefully that price is incorrect (it's terrible value if it isn't) -- I'll check with Packard Bell on Monday and report back.

  • neutral

    by at 09:10 on 12 Nov 2007Report abuse

    PC world sell Packard Bell easynote xs at £ 499,99 and not £ 350,00 as mentioned in a few reviews. This is twice the price of the asus Eee pc 701 with linux os.

  • neutral

    by at 09:41 on 15 Nov 2007Report abuse

    Still waiting for confirmation on this price from Packard Bell. But at £500, it's *way* overpriced - stick with the Eee PC.

  • neutral

    by at 16:57 on 15 Nov 2007Report abuse

    Well, it turns out that the price on the original press release was an "error" -- it should have been £499. PC World won't be selling many at that price, I fear...

  • neutral

    by at 08:01 on 21 Nov 2007Report abuse

    Well the Packard Bell website originally showed the price at £349. Now it has strangely disappeared and no price is shown. Also of note is the Pick a Retailer option. It's a drop down list of shops in the Dixons Group. Phrases like "price fixing", "monopoly" and "cartel" come to mind.

  • neutral

    by at 17:01 on 21 Dec 2007Report abuse

    Is it just me or are all the places that retail this PC, all part of the same group: DSG retail group - owner of PC World, Currys and Dixons Online? Oh suprise suprise the price has gone up...

  • neutral

    by at 12:15 on 26 Dec 2007Report abuse

    Packard Bell is a DSG own-brand. These are PCs assembled for them to sell exclusively, so you can't shop around, just as you can't shop around for a Tesco's own-brand either. The different store names are kept alive to give an illusion of choice.

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