Commodore launches little laptop

The famous Commodore brand is to be attached to the lid of a Small, Cheap Computer. Commodore netbook Commodore's netbook: peek and poke Images courtesy NRK Beta The UMMD 8010/F will be based on VIA's C7-M processor rather than an Intel Atom, but its other specs are classic SCC. The unit will have a 10in screen, 1GB of …

[Joe K]

*checks calendar*

Its not April again already is it??

They really missed a trick here, if it was installed with AmigaOS, or even just dual boot into Amiga in a Box (http://aiab.amiga.sk), this thing would FLY off the shelves through nostalgia alone.

A C= branded machine running XP, perish the thought.

[Joe Montana]

Better name

They should call it the Commodore Amoeba...

I would buy one of these if it had a Linux option, i was a big fan of Commodore back in the days.

[K]

Nice design

Shame the keyboard color resemble and early C16.

[Alex Walsh]

A C7???

One of the new Via Nanos I could understand but why on earth put a C7 in there and then compound your failure by slapping a £300+ price tag on it?!

[Voice of Reason]

No thanks.

While I'm the first in the line for an Amiga laptop for all sorts of wrong reasons, that looks TERRIBLE. The design is like an 80s brick!

[David Arno]

Wot, no AmigaOS?

"There'll be no Linux option, apparently, only Windows XP."

If it came with a 2008 version of AmigaOS, then I might have got excited. Instead it's just another bland overpriced disappointment from a brand name that ought to have the grace to just die.

[Aaron Scully]

Just don't expect any support...

Would never buy another commodore product - their support is non existent (in this country at least). Just like Cowon...

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice

Release a proper Amiga hardware version with Workbench and you've got yourselves a sale.

[Richard]

There'll be no Linux option, apparently, only Windows XP.

You can always disagree to the Windows XP T&Cs, uninstall and claim the money back. It's happened before.

[Stuart Harrison]

WANT

OK, judging by the photos, it's no Macbook Air, but for God's sake IT'S GOT A COMMODORE LOGO ON IT! Will definitely up my street cred with the retro computing commuter crowd. The beige plasticy look of it is a nice retro nod too...

[Anonymous Coward]

If it's a Commodore

It'll be a notebook computer with a HUGE power brick that could warm a house - and a tape drive.

[Richard Kilpatrick]

ARGH!

£325. C7M. XP.

Why, dear god, WHY. What is the point of this?! It'll be slow as hell with the cache-crippled VIA CPU and XP, and the Commodore brand isn't even backed up with a comprehensive/well integrated emulator?

What is the point of launching this dreck when there are established, CHEAPER models?!

[Anonymous Coward]

No unix

no go.

Looks ok though, but it will run like the proverbial dog.

Now if one can get the windows tax taken off the price, that could be a goer.

[b]

talkin' 'bout the resolution!

10" screen = good.

1gb ram = soso

HD = bad (need SSD's you muppets!)

bbbut what's da res, baby?

cheers,

bill

stuff and nonsense: http://www.eupeople.net/forum

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, blimey, AmigaOs!

Gosh yeah, I'd love to see one of those released with AmigaOs, then I could, erm, well I'm not sure what I could do with it really.

Erm, I just kinda remember when computing was fun? - as clearly it's not anymore, is it?

I'm confused.

I'm going to get all nostalgic with my ZX-Spectrum - anyone got a bit of duct tape? - now this is fun...

[James Pickett]

Re C64

Are they still using the same batch of plastic to make the case?

[Anonymous Coward]

Commodore != Amiga

These days, both Commodore and Amiga only exist as brands owned by companies that hope to cash in on their brand recognition (much like Atari). The company that owns the Commodore brand is not the same one that owns the Amiga brand. "Commodore" these days seem to just make standard x86 PCs with pretty cases, while "Amiga" claims to be "a software company dedicated to creating applications and services to help people access and control the content of their unique digital environment. We call this Digital Living™". Bleugh.

[Paul]

a decidedly C64-beating £325

My C64 cost more than £325! ...before adding a display and disc drive ;)

[EnigmaForce]

Windows XP?

It ain't a Commodore, it's a shit sandwich.

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it at least come with...

Does it at least come with the V.I.C.E. emulator and a nice selection of C64 games preinstalled? How about an IEEE-488 port just for fun?

[Dave Bell]

At least it isn't Vista.

Microsoft have been pushing XP as the OS for this general class of computer, so I'm not all that suprised.

And everyone and their dog sells USB stuff with XP support. Linux, on the other hand, can be a trap. Even "Linux" on the packaging is no guarantee. And, because of that, supporting Linux can be a PITA.

But there is a very comfortable space between no official support, and not being able to easily run Linux. The stupidity is when a manufacturer sells a machine like this which cannot easily run Linux.

[Jolyon]

Ameagre.

I think my comment is in my other coat.

[shane fitzgerald]

Pointless

....its doesn't even have a run-stop key....

[P. Lee]

This brought a rush of nostalgia

Yep, it should come with c64/amiga emulators and a range of apps & games.

Paris - who doesn't understand it cos she was born too late.

[Faber foX]

Want the next one

I'll wait for the next revision and a bit of a price drop, but I'm really liking the commodore color combo.

SSD instead of HD will be welcome too, as is a no OS/linux version.

Oh, and come on, at least include vice + uae, with legal roms.

[Dean]

Anyone else notice..

that those two pictures feature different systems?

Note the rounded edges in the first pic..

[Joe]

Make one with Sinclair branding...

...and I might be interested!

[Mad Dog]

Nostalgia...

Come on everyone, the biggest problem with this thing is the price tag! If they sold it for 50 quid they could rock the entire industry and become a "cult" brand on the back of their current nostalgia value. Instead they hobble it and hock it off for £325? If only the accountants hadn't stuck their noses in...

Seriously though, what would be the problem with just wiping it and installing your own Linux?

[It'sa Mea... Mario]

<dream>Now I want an Acorn one..

With an ARM chip, that can duel boot Risc OS and Linux! </dream>

Acorn ruled in all they did.... 'cept marketing :(

Flames from (cheers Jolyon..) Ameagre/Atari/Anti-Acorn fanatics will be ignored so save you fingers..

[David Hicks]

Shame I just got the eee 901

Or this thing would be top of the list.

I loved my c64, and the logo alone would sell this thing to me.

[Mage]

ARM

Almost every portable device that is NOT an x86 laptop/netbook is ARM based

Nokia Smart phones

iPhone

Archos 6th Gen and new Archos net tablets

unlike the x86 camp the ARM is a core in a chip that does everything.

[p3ngwin]

shame on you nostaligia freaks

nobody caught the "peek, poke" reference to scanning and inserting memory data?

[Richard Kilpatrick]

Commodore Beige?

WTF? It's clearly white. The white balance on the shot hasn't been corrected for artificial lighting.

Again, price-wise - Acer Aspire One, 1GB/120GB, Linux, £229. 1024 x 600, decent 1.6GHz CPU. Asus machines are also competing on similar levels, as is the MSI Wind.

The Commodore shown here, the Maplin/Elonex machine... they're all exceptionally poor value by comparison.

Joe: I was tempted to stick Sinclair logos on my black Eee 701 ;)

Acorn stuff - well, the brand got snapped up. Make enough noise, I'm sure the current owners will be happy to market a subnotebook running XP on a crippled CPU as well.

[Andus McCoatover]

Nah..Marketing failure-

No pert tart on the beach (or bitch on my pert ...)

Ye'well. I was born in Chelsea. Pobody's Nerfect.

[Anonymous Coward]

to Richard Kilpatrick

"I was tempted to stick Sinclair logos on my black Eee 701" - now

thats a damn fine idea.... especially the nice main bar one.. I might do that on my black Eee 900

[Zmodem]

Nostalgia aint the word

if theyre going to sell that. they should keep it on the drawing baord. until they make it not look like something from the 80s, or they`ll be living on workbench patents for the next 15yrs

[tardigrade]

It's got FAIL written all over it.

It does what the Acer Aspire One does, only it costs more and doesn't look as good. No Linux and at a price point that is way above the Eee so it's not in that market either. Who is going to buy it?

[Bill]

MMMM, Commodore

Well, £325 is a little much for a C7 based laptop, and with only 1GB RAM, and 80GB HDD, it's not really worth it.

Shame they didn't use the Atom or the Nano in this and triple the hard drive size and double the RAM, then it would be a contender.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were counting on the Commodore branding to sell it.

Also it should come preloaded with a C64 Emulator and every game that was ever made for the C64.

[Steven Raith]

Underspecced, overpriced...

They seem to have gone straight back to the days of the Amiga 600 and CD32.

And if it's anything like my second generation C64, it'll be about as reliable as, er, something sentient with a nasty sense of humour. Although that might have been the tape deck being crap.

Still, nowt wrong with a bit of nostalgia...and my S1 C64/tape deck was much better in terms of reliabilty.

[I want my one in S1 C64 light grey with black keys [and the System keys - Win, Pause, PrntScrn et al can be dark grey. In a row. Down the side]

Lovely.

Steven

10 Print "Steven R is great";

20 goto 10

30 End

Raith

[Dave Morris]

Er....

Holy factual inaccuracy Batman!.

According to this: http://www.commodorecorp.com/repository/document/90.pdf factsheet from the Commodore website. Which is freely available and publicly facing, and should have been easily accessed by anyone. This machine comes with "MS WinXP or Linux Operating System."

Also note that this SCC has it's own girl on the first page. While not as scantily clad as the EEE girl, she's still quite attractive.

The guy on the second page, however, looks pretty confused; and well he should be.. why is he there.. he doesn't even have a computer.. just a cup of coffee or tea.

[Adrian Esdaile]

If it's got an HDD its not an SCC

If there's no SSD then its not an SCC.

I think I'll stick an old C64 sticker on my Asus and run Frodo on it, thanks.

[fred scuttle]

If it could run my 'Blue Meanies' cartridge I'd be sold!!

Flogged the Vic 20 on tatBay years ago - big mistake..........Nuff said...

Mines the one with the cream and beige pockets!!!

[Richard Kilpatrick]

@Dave

Yes, very enlightening. It doesn't specify the clock speed of that C7, the resolution of the display, the formats handled by the card reader...

What is does clarify is that:

The device is white.

The USB ports are in a stupid place.

FWIW, they may plan to offer it with Linux but are choosing to offer it with XP only for the time being. Not that El Reg is always accurate or even fair (see: FlipStart coverage), but they're only going to be as good as the information they're given when dealing with press released or third-party reports from shows.

[David Hayes]

Um....

The datasheet....

She's using a DELL laptop! And that guy's just begging for change, because he's not got enough money for "the train home".

I'd love nothing more than the nostalgia factor of a Winblows Amiga Laptop, but they can't even sort out their datasheet, then I'm out...

[Andus McCoatover]

Erm..Aint that...

...a Sinclair MK14 in a tacky case? Now, THAT was a real 'puter!

[Outcast]

decisions

Since when have Commodore or Amiga ever made good business decisions ?

btw.. AmigaOS is still alive and very much in development

http://www.hyperion-entertainment.biz:8080/news/2008-07-11

If a laptop/tot was released with Os4.1 > I'd be first in line to buy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSAhR7uXcCc

Regards

Outcast

Ps.. Paris.. Coz I reckon she's got better business sense than C= A.Inc Combined

[Jon Lamb]

Re: Um....

And two of the pics in the commodore PDF are EEE's ! Still want one tho.

[Anonymous Coward]

poke 36879,8

I'd wager none of you youngsters can remember what this did on a Vic-20.

[Alan Parsons]

Poke 36879,8

Sets the screen and border to black.

Damn I'm good.