The quiet launch in Shenzhen of the Lanyu LY-EB01, reviewed in Shanzai.com and referenced in JKontherun, spotlights the interesting quandary that can develop when a small platform goes downmarket. These days, one can make no assumptions that a product developed in China through ODM channels with minimal branding is going to be shoddy in manufacturing or feature sets. However, the fact that reviewers could not ascertain with certainty whether the ARM-based processor really came from Anyka or AMD, indicates the same could happen with peripheral chips or software packages.
Shanzai’s reviewer praised the eBook 1’s solid construction and 400 x800 7-in. display, but also warned of the limitations of both Windows CE, and the promised Skype and Opera applications which would not initiate. The unit’s 28-sec bootup time is indicative of the few problems in BIOS software and basics that manufacturers have, but how reliable is this unit?
Lanyu’s price in local markets is the equivalent of $98, single-unit quantities (OK, $106 with embedded Wi-Fi, but who’s quibbling?). When a smartbook can hit price points that are a fraction of a Flip video or iPod, market penetration for an Internet-connected device has the potential to exponentially grow. But will such a market start to blur the netbook and smartbook definitions we’ve set out elsewhere? Will this interfere with the baseline assumptions consumers make about battery life and broadband connectivity?
Shanzai.com will be following up with performance reviews, and we will want to analyze the power and communication concepts of Asia-based entry-level manufacturers carefully. When we appear to be too rigid in our definition of vertical market categories, it is important to remember Mao’s famous quote of letting 100 flowers blossom. But it’s equally important to keep “caveat emptor” warnings front and center.
Loring
