Hercules eCAFE Could Be The Cutest Netbook Ever

GADGETS

Netbooks are a dying bunch.  Despite that, I’m almost certain there will always be a niche market for super-portable, under-powered computers and the Hercules eCAFÉ will undoubtedly snare some well-deserved attention.

Possibly the cutest netbook I’ve ever seen, the design is much closer to MIDs (or, actually, a Nintendo 3DS) than a conventional netbook.  The frame actually seems to suggest handheld use, although we can’t imagine how you’ll pull that off while having to use a keyboard and a trackpad.

The Hercules eCAFÉ comes in two models: Slim HD and EX HD.  They share the same design (the screen lifts up and leaves two bars on the side of the keyboard, which makes it look like a handheld console) and similar specs, with the main difference coming in the way of thickness.  The Slim HD is 0.8 inches thick, while the EX HD rises 1.2 inches but gets a slightly beefier battery module that’s rated for up to 13 hours of use.

Details of the netbooks include a 10.1-inch LCD screen (1,024 x 600 resolution), ARM Cortex A8 processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, 8GB of onboard storage, built-in webcam/mic, WiFi, Ethernet, 3 USB slots, 1 mini-USB port, HDMI and a bundled SD card reader (external-type).  It runs a modified flavor of Linux they call the Hercules eCAFÉ Netbook Edition Operating System.

According to Hercules, the eCAFÉ can run 720p videos and pipe it over HDMI with no problems, allowing you to use it as a serviceable home theater PC.  Both the eCAFÉ Slim HD and the eCAFÉ EX HD are available now, priced at €200 ($283) and €250 ($354), respectively.

[Hercules]

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5 Responses

  1. Hercules eCAFE sounds like being on the road to recovery as far as the breed of Netbooks is concerned. It is definitely worth the gamble from the makers to tinker with the design of the Netbook format, as some concrete attention seeking outlook is necessary to make some sort of an impact on the market. And if I were to make a judgement, it would most definitely be a ‘thumbs up’ to the handheld console like design of the Hercules eCAFE. It looks very attractive to say the least. I am particularly in awe of the white variant. Cuteness drips from the keyboard, courtesy the side bars of the Hercules eCAFE. It is easy to misunderstand the Hercules eCAFE for some sort f contemporary handheld device!

  2. It is a good respite from reading about the incessant tablet wars going on around the tech world. It is a great to observe that Netbooks are not yet out of the markets. And with the launch of the Hercules eCAFÉ with features like a 10.1 inch LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution and aptly loaded processing and storage abilities.

  3. With a customized edition of Linux (called the Hercules eCAFÉ Netbook Edition Operating System), this net-book is definitely something different and cool. The technical specs are impressive too, especially the WiFi connectivity and HDMI port. Entertainment freaks might just go for the Hercules eCAFÉ to double it up as home theatre PC.

  4. I am quite a loss to understand the logic behind unleashing two models that differ in just battery life, what is the buying decision going to be based on? Surely, good versus better is an easy puzzle to solve, right? The configuration of either of the Slim HD and EX HD models is impressive. The USP, however, remains the all new design with keyboard borders (or whatever you might like to call them).

  5. Before putting my point in, I might as well announce that I am a proud iPad owner. It happened a couple of weeks back as I was travelling on the weekend, and entered into a discussion with this geeky guy beside me. Apple, he said, wasted resources on making its products cute rather than useful. I found it better to nod my way out of the situation as I am not too aware of the technicalities of the new gadgets, though I excel at using them. It seems to me that the net-book makers are taking the so called ‘make them cute first’ bait as well!

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