After surveying the low-power computing market and requesting some 15 products, we ended up with the following eight systems for testing in ZDNet UK's labs:
For those products that did not ship with a monitor or have one built in (marked with * above), we used NEC's 15in. AccuSync LCD52VM, an XGA-resolution TFT display costing £105 (ex. VAT). For all power consumption tests (see next page), we set this monitor's brightness to 50 per cent, at which level it consumed 15 watts.
We examine a number of low-power desktops, thin clients and notebooks to find out which platforms are most suitable for deployment in developing countries... more
The Aleutia E1 is a creditable effort at creating a compact, low-power desktop computer. However, the current hardware platform seems a little underpowered for anything other than the most basic tasks... more
The Inveneo Computing Station delivers reasonably good performance for a low-power PC. It's small, but an untidy assembly means it could be more convenient to handle... more
NComputing's L230 thin client is an option if you need to add a group of low-impact users to an existing Ethernet LAN. However, you'll need to ensure that the host PC is adequately specified to deliver acceptable performance to the terminals attached to it... more
NComputing's X300 provides a cost-effective way to hang up to six terminals off a single desktop PC using low-power, secure, easy to administer and quiet access terminals. It's not for power users, but is well suited to schools, business workgroups, libraries, internet cafés and suchlike... more
The Asus Eee PC 701 is a great notebook. It's extremely affordable, attractively designed and highly portable. If you're looking for an ultraportable travelling companion or a cheap second computer, there are few better options... more
Aimed at students in developing countries, the Intel Classmate PC is an intriguing attempt at a low-cost notebook. We love the rugged design, but the small 2GB solid-state hard drive doesn't leave a lot of room for growth... more
A work in progress rather than a finished product, the XO has much to recommend it. However, there are substantive issues to address if it's to live up to its creators' lofty ideals in practice... more
The MacBook Air is not quite an ultraportable, but it is exceptionally thin. Retaining the same 13.3in. display as the current MacBook line, it tapers from 1.94cm thick to just 0.4cm. Apple calls it the 'world's thinnest notebook'.
The Time Capsule's hybrid 802.11n wireless router/networked hard drive offers some powerful data-backup features for Mac owners, as well as Apple's typically pleasing design
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