Everex's gPC mini is the third in its new lineup of cheap, Linux-powered computers. With smoothly rounded corners and a pearly-white paint job, it's like a Mac Mini from another universe. And that's certainly what its designers want you to think: At $500, it's a mass market PC that comes in a similar tiny form and at an even tinier price.
The specs are good for the price: Check our a comparison chart at the bottom of this post. Its Intel T2130 CPU is not as powerful as the Mac Mini's, and it has only 512MB of RAM to the $600 Mini's 1GB, but it has more storage (120GB vs. 80GB), a DVD burner and various useful trimmings like an S-Video port, front USB port and a card reader. Like the Mini, it comes standalone: Bring your own mouse, monitor and keyboard.
The full specs are as follows: Intel Dual-Core T2130 (1.86GHz), Intel GMA950, video chip (same as the Mac Mini), Realtek ALC268 audio, gigabit ethernet, firewire, 4 USB ports and standard Audio In/Out.
Having spent an hour with it to get some photos and a first look, its shortcomings were expected, given similar issues with Everex's recent subnotebook: gOS Linux just isn't ready for prime time as a mass-market alternative to Windows and OSX.
Though simple and straightforward, it immediately slapped down a typical Linux configuration conundrum -- something it's supposed to be the solution to. It wouldn't recognize the native resolution of the tested monitor. Worse, it would claim that it did, but simply revert to 800x600 after the mandatory logout. That's just not cricket for a machine destined for Wal-Mart's shelves. Adding Windows, of course, would bring the total price even higher than the Mac Mini's. Curiously, it has Bluetooth, but not WiFi; the lack of the latter is unusual these days, so I've asked for confirmation.
It otherwise worked fine. The desktop was responsive, with well-organized menus and lots of preinstalled productivity software. It ran quiet, though it does have a cooling fan.
I can imagine this being a great machine for geeks and others who want a readily available, tiny, cheap and cute computer the size of a hardback book, and who are prepared to get their hands dirty under the hood. How it stacks up for the rest of us, however, remains to be seen. Stay glued for Gadget Lab's full review.
