EMTEC Gdium Liberty 1000 10-Inch Matte Black Netbook GDNBL10USK006, 4 Hour Battery Life

by Emtec

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 9.8 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0027IS8AM
• Item model number: GDNBL10USK006
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,995 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 1, 2009

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Great design and peace of mind, at a price you can afford: that is EMTEC's mission. EMTEC prides itself on a 70-year history of creating innovative products that embody our spirit: to capture, protect and share the most valuable moments of daily life. Whatever the technology or media, EMTEC commits to providing hassle-free, secure and stylish solutions that make technology easy to use and satisfying to the consumer. Style and attitude are part of the EMTEC brand values. Our products are not only smart - their sexy, intuitive designs reflect the modern lifestyle you choose when you make the purchase.

EMTEC Gdium Liberty 1000 with G-Key

G-Key Bootable Storage Device Stores Entire Operating System and Personal Data

The Ultimate Netbook
The EMTEC Gdium combines innovative architecture entrenched in the Open Source world, an elegant and stylish design, and added security and mobility with the exclusive G-Key storage device. Gdium is an ultraportable computer that is one of the cornerstones of a wider environment dedicated to knowledge, communication and learning.

Gdium features a Linux Operating System, over 50 Open Source applications, a removable G-Key storage device, multimedia functions including an integrated webcam, and is packaged in an , reusable file box.

Ultraportable and Affordable
The EMTEC Gdium is the ultimate mobile computer, weighing in at 2.6 pounds. The Gdium boasts a compact size (9.8 x 7.2 x 1.25 inches) while still offering a web-optimized 1024 x 600 resolution on a notable 10-inch screen. It also comes equipped with a full, comfortable keyboard and multi-finger touchpad. Unique to the Gdium is the G-Key, a bootable USB key on which the Linux operating system, applications and personal data are stored. The G-Key allows each user to store their personal information and preferences securely, without leaving a trace on the computer.

The Gdium integrates an energy efficient processor and operating system. The processor, based on MIPS-64 architecture, is provided by ST Microelectronics, a tier-one top-quality chip maker. Designed to combine performance and low energy consumption, the Gdium runs on an optimized version of Mandriva Linux, specially designed for the 64-bit processor.

EMTEC Gdium is the Ultimate Netbook, with a Linux Operating System and over 50 Open Source Applications.

Gdium comes with an intuitive, user-friendly and elegant interface that you can easily customize. Gdium is pre-loaded with over 50 Open Source applications that allow you to create, read, modify and save all your standard files in the popular and usual file formats. The application package includes an extensive variety of programs such as Firefox internet browser, Thunderbird e-mail client, Evince document viewer, MSN instant messaging, The Gimp image editor, VoIP, security utilities, as well as a complete Open Office suite for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.

Gdium also has a dedicated website, which features an online social networking environment and provides multimedia resources as well as educational content aimed at students. The Gdium website provides a range of communication tools and services, from e-mail to chat forums, social networking, blogs and dedicated news forums in a safe, user-friendly environment.

Features

• 10" LCD screen
• 1024 x 600 resolution
• Operating system: Mandriva G Linux
• 900 MHz, 64 bits, Loongson 2F CPU by STMicroelectronics
• 512MB DDR2 RAM
• Removable 16 GB storage on G-Key
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Ethernet 10/100 MB/s LAN
• Silicon Motion SM502 16 MB video chipset
• 3 USB ports
• SD / SDHC card reader
• VGA output
• Sound card
• Speakers / Headset output
• Microphone input
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Slim, soft touch keyboard
• Multi-finger touchpad
• Up to 4 hour battery life
• Dimensions: 10 x 7.2 x 1.25 inches
• Weight: 2.6 pounds
• 1-Year Warranty
• 24 / 7 / 365 Phone Tech Support

What's in the Box
Gdium Netbook, 16 GB G-Key, Quick Start Guide, Protective G-Sleeve, Cleaning Cloth, Power Supply

Product Description

The EMTEC Gdium Liberty is the ultimate netbook. Combining innovative architecture entrenched in the Open Source world, an elegant and stylish design, and added security and mobility with the G-Key, the Gdium is an ultraportable computer that acts as a cornerstone of a wider environment dedicated to knowledge, communication and learning. Gdium features a Linux Operating System, over 50 Open Source applications, a removable G-Key storage device, multimedia functions including an integrated webcam, and is packed in an , reusable file box.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good choice, November 5, 2009

By 

trail - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: EMTEC Gdium Liberty 1000 10-Inch Matte Black Netbook GDNBL10USK006, 4 Hour Battery Life (Personal Computers)

For stability, ease of use and a good upgrade path, Linux can't be beat. My first criterion for a netbook was that it run a version of the Linux operating system. The Emtec Gdium fit the bill, so I took a closer look. Reviews gave it high marks for its usb stick based storage and good fit and finish. They panned it for sluggish performance and poor battery life. Since I was looking for a machine primarily to pick up email while traveling, I was not too concerned about the performance issues - when I am on vacation, I try not to do too much serious number crunching that would strain a processor. The battery life was more of a concern, but when I thought about it, I realized that I would usually be close to an AC outlet. The price was right, so I placed my order.

In four days, the machine was on my doorstep. I booted it up, and found an attractive and easy to use interface. Just for the heck of it, I fired up the wi-fi connection applet and it immediately located and connected to an unprotected hotspot. In minutes I was on the internet. Later I made some configuration changes to the interface, loaded some of my own files and deleted some programs that I didn't need. Like they say, even a cave man could do it.

The next day with a full battery charge, I unplugged the machine and started a slideshow to put a bit of load on the battery. Two hours later, the battery was on its last legs so I put it back on house power. The battery quickly recovered and was soon back to 100%, but still I was a bit disappointed at its lack of endurance.

I showed the machine to a friend who is a dyed in the wool Apple user, and she noted how much nicer and sleeker the Gdium looked compared to most netbooks. I have to agree with her, as a work of industrial design the Gdium far exceeds your average netbook. Not an Apple by any means, but if care and pride in design means anything to you, this machine exhibits it. The padded case provided with the machine is nicely ornamented and includes a little velcroed pouch inside with a screen cleaning cloth and room to carry an extra usb stick.

In addition to the machine and case, there is a dvd included that contains a copy of the operating system, so if yours gets a viral infection or is corrupted in any way, it is very simple to rewrite the usb stick from dvd. You can also make multiple boot sticks for each user if you are sharing the machine. That way each user can have their own configuration and keep their data private.

All told, I am quite happy with this machine. It is just what I need to check email and do some light browsing on the road. It also comes preloaded with Open Office, which I used to view a youngster's school power point presentation and a short story she wrote for English class. Despite the modest processor and extra overhead of data transfer from the usb stick, Open Office performed quite nicely - not quite as fast as the copy on my desktop machine, but no cause for complaint. All told, I would recommend this machine to a friend, even if they had no experience with the Linux operating system. It is easy to use, nice to look at, and fast enough to do most tasks.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Noble effort falling slightly short--but usable, June 29, 2011

By 

Michael G. Moore "Margrave" (Kotzebue, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: EMTEC Gdium Liberty 1000 10-Inch Matte Black Netbook GDNBL10USK006, 4 Hour Battery Life (Personal Computers)

The Packaging, fit and finish are excellent, perhaps the best I have seen for a plastic product.

Interoperability for data is good. I was able to transfer a 1 Mb .doc file to the G-Key from a windows computer and read it with the Gdium and Open Office, and save edits back for re-reading by Microsoft Word. (Anyway the newest versions of Office will read the native format of the software on the Gdium)

As soon as an internet connection is established, email and news feeds pop right up in small windows at the bottom of the screen. Nice as well as convenient. The email client is set up by clicking an icon on the normally displayed desktop, and it has a special setup for gmail. The Chat button opens Pidgin which is pretty universal, capable of connecting to most chats, from MSN Network and AOL to Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and even SILC (Secure Internet Live Conferencing) Internet calls are handled by Ekiga, a solid piece of free software that works. All good so far.

Moving from the G tab to the World symbol which has the subtitle SURF when you hover it, we find some future hopefulness. All the buttons work, but the one labeled Online Videos connects to Youtube, and lo and behold, you Need Flashplayer 9 or later to watch them. Unfortunately, as with most proprietary software, you cannot use it except for the platforms for which it is written, and it isn't written for this processor. You can see the video offerings just out of reach but you cannot play them. I suppose the designers are hoping that Adobe will see its way to compiling a version of Flashplayer for the MIPS processor, but I am guessing Adobe uses Microsoft tools to do its compilations, so I would not expect anything this century.

The LEARN TAB works well.

The WORK tab has spreadsheet and word processor and slide presentation programs that are interoperable. The desktop publishing is not interoperable with Publisher, but it is a heck of a lot more powerful. "Post to Blog" is a button you don't see that often, and it works.

The PLAY tab has a link to the webcam as well as a few entertainments. The music player is best employed on uncompressed files. Downloaded compressed files run directly (unzip and play) were a little jerky, and anyone with any ear for music will want to find a good set of headphones because the speakers are tinny.

The CONFIGURE Tab is rich with apps including one that made me think they're crazy. There was an anti-virus button. OK I had to investigate. Well, Linux is virus-proof even if not totally exploit-proof, so why have Clam TK there? The answer lies in the main menu where there are connectivity configurations for Nokia, HP Lexmark, Palm, etc. If a windows file is imported and sent to/through other devices to a windows destination elsewhere, then it is possible for this machine to recognize and stop the transmission of a virus or other exploit through use of Clam Tk. So I guess it makes sense.

The major flaw is playing musing from Jamendo--Jamplayer doesn't seem to work at all, and of course the lack of flashplayer for Youtube videos. Maybe Youtube will find a better way to process videos in their media kitchen or maybe Adobe will find some merit in supporting the MIPS and the hundreds of thousands of Silicon Graphics machines gathering dust as well as the EMTEC and Lemote noteebooks, but for now, the connectivity to YouTube is a flaw many users will dislike (4 stars instead of 5).

Finally what if you are a developer? Doubly good news... The menu has a run command and when you type "konsole", it comes up. (I am not a great fan of GNOME and glad I am that that one KDE app is there). From there the workings under the hood are all there. The other good news is that Gdium is featured in a program called OLPH, One Laptop Per Hacker, which includes specially priced Gdiums with extra G-Keys and a community. All you have to do to join is read their guidelines and submit a project that fits them (and a resume would not hurt).

Now why 4 stars instead of 5? Youtube unplayable and noisy fan and tinny speakers, and you have to restart for desktop theme changes to take effect (very weird for linux, though after the first change it responded better), and a weather desklet that seems locked on Paris (and will require work by a developer like me to change location). Everything else is shipshape.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made for Linux, March 5, 2011

By 

Jonathan S Kasten - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: EMTEC Gdium Liberty 1000 10-Inch Matte Black Netbook GDNBL10USK006, 4 Hour Battery Life (Personal Computers)

There's no substitute for running Linux on hardware made just for Linux.

If you want to run PC softare, buy a PC. If you want to run FOSS, this is it. Nice build quality. Rock solid stability. The boot manager is more flexible than to just use the included G-Key.