Raon Digital Everun Note Reviewed, Perhaps Too Compromised

6a00d83451c9ec69e2011279135cc728a4-800wi

Jenn over at Pocketables has one of her trademark detailed reviews out today. This time, it’s the Raon Digital Everun Note. I had a pretty good idea of how this one would go because I follow Jenn’s Twitter account. When she’s not teasing me about the local weather in Hawaii (we have a foot of snow today), she’s updating her device usage. I noticed Jenn was putting off her unboxing and then her review, which told me she wasn’t taken in by the device specifications to begin with. After reading her review, I understand why.

It’s not that the Everun Note isn’t well spec’d. After all it offers a 1024×600, seven-inch touchscreen, full keyboard, 8GB SLC SSD and 16GB MLC SSD and a relatively powerful 1.2GHz Turion 64 X2 from AMD. No, the issues seem to creep in with the number of compromises made, and mobile tech almost always means compromise. Some examples:

  • The full keyboard has several non-standard layout issues. Jenn found the period and comma keys too small. Most other punctuation keys are in the top row. The spacebar isn’t very responsive.
  • The touchscreen folds back flat, but Jenn can’t find a use for it in that situation. She rightly questions the lack of a swivel approach so that the Note could be used in a Tablet PC configuration.
  • The webcam is crammed in the device hinge, probably because there wasn’t room anywhere else. This offers a less-than-optimal viewing angle for a video-call recipient.
  • When running Windows XP on battery, the device underclocks the CPU. You only get the full processor power when the large AC adapter is plugged in. Jenn asks: what’s the point of having a powerful CPU if you can’t leverage it while mobile? Again, it’s a compromise between performance and mobile power.

For some, the Everun Note has all the right moves. For me, the $999 reviewed unit is too much compromise for the price considering other available choices. The review is worth the read, though, as everyone’s needs and value perceptions are different.

loading

Comments have been disabled for this post