[img]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/22987 ... 38a0_s.jpg[/img]

Just some quick thoughts on the MX smarttop. One the ordering and delivery process was quick. It was shipped out the same day I ordered it.

When it arrived the outer box was a little crushed on the end but the inner box was fine. The inner box is well made and the internal content layout was well done. It made a good impression, the packaging group gets a 10.

The unit comes with a manual in several languages and a power supply and mine also came with a Jtag/serial adapter which is not on the list of things you should receive.

I have been playing around with a beagle board xm, and I normally run Debian on my desktop and laptop computers. The MX smarttop outer case looks good and clean, and the colour changing led in the power button is an interesting feature.

My first power up was a bit of a wait, it would be nice if in the manual they gave how long it might take in minutes, rather than it takes a while. The manual mentions an oem account but my first boot only took me to a Ubuntu create a user account script. The Ubuntu script ran and I supplied the normal name, password, location, keyboard etc. other then name, password I just took the defaults.
When I got to the normal user login and logged in I was then asked to change my password, and then asked about a unix login password, first time I meet this request.

Later I clicked on the wireless icon on the task bar and setup the WEP connection, and I was on the net and visited a few sites with Firefox.

Later a pop up came up asking if I wanted to do updates, which I declined, as this was not mentioned in the manual, and I was not sure if the update agent was setup right. Have bricked a few installs by saying yes to this request before checking where it is pointed.

Later a request for password for a keyring was made, again this is not mentioned in the manual, tried the last password I had changed to but it would not take that, but would take the first password I used when I created the first user account. Did not like pushing the power button to shutdown, so added a power shutdown icon to the task bar.

That is it for now, will get a chance to explore more on the weekend, first impressions are good value for money, but not something I would give Mom or a non Linux user to setup by them self.

Maybe a couple sheets of more detailed information could be made of the first boot with some pictures of what you would be seeing, could be added to the documentation. Most of the current manual seems to be the warnings from the legal department.

Also a link to a YouTube video showing the first boot process might be helpful for the first time user, if they have never setup a Linux machine before.

Carl

It's entirely dependent on the system image installed, it used to be very very slow, now it's faster, but adding encrypted filesystems can slow it down.

It should take less than 2 minutes to get into oem-config, first time. Subsequent boots will be faster.
The manual was written before we changed the system, but there are still events which can occur which require you to know that username and password (for instance if oem-config fails to run)
This is an imaging bug. Some Smarttops come out of the factory with an unconfigured system time, and sometimes the imaging process cannot set it before shipment (there's not an easy way to catch this problem).

Can you check your system time? It should be today, but if it's 1969.. you may have to image your system again.
That's because it's part of Ubuntu and we have little control over it. There should be packages from our repository to update; we would recommend taking any and all updates you can. It is correctly configured.
This never happen if the system has been imaged correctly.. there is a working power button in the taskbar already (up top next to your username and the time, if they do not exist you have a real problem).

Ubuntu will ask you for a keyring password at times; it needs it to authorize access to saved passwords. The best thing to do if you dislike the behavior is to go to Preferences->Passwords and Encryption Keys, right click the "login" item, and select "Change Password." Enter your old password and leave the new passwords blank.

This will, however, leave your passwords unencrypted in plain text on your system in some place or another.
Frankly I consider this rather redundant: neither Microsoft nor Apple provide a Youtube video to go through their oem setup routines, and they have exactly the same procedures when you buy a system from Dell or HP or reinstall MacOS (which is common enough).

The setup routine, to pick username, password, timezone etc. is by far simple enough for anyone to understand what they are doing.

_________________
Matt Sealey

Hi Matt
Did not see a 1969 date as you suggested might happen. I have fixed the password glitch by changing the password for the user account, using root permissions when doing the command.

Have also run the update manager as you suggested.

Was thinking of something like this when I made the youtube suggestion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5G1HZHB ... dded#at=48

Nothing fancy but add an intro and a trailer of what you get as default programs on the MX and you have a nice video you can run in stores to help sales, or train store staff about advantages of MX systems.
I agree Microsoft and Apple have not done this, and you have stores offering for a price to do it for you or you are out buying a book to help out when things do not work out. Or like my sister are making use of the support line service that came bundled to get it going properly. In the end it is your call, from my end just a suggestion.

It sure is nice not having fan noise when using the MX, and it has been working well with the wireless setup.
Cheers
Carl

Hi Carl,

Did you try 720p|1080p playback? Do you think to install any media center on it? XBMC?
How long does it book up? Is it capable to hibernate?

Thanks in advance

Hi Carl,

We do actually have a few things planned, and we definitely appreciate user feedback!

I've seen the glitch that you reported and we've taken steps to address this going forward, and typically you wouldn't see it, nor will you if you've connected to a network because by default it runs ntpdate when you connect and updates the date to the current date/time.

The distribution running on most machines is currently Ubuntu (and what we currently support) though other distribution's are also working on supporting them. I know first hand that Gentoo works well on them, and the Fedora project is also working on porting F13 to it (with a few different people reporting it works, although it's definitely not as easy to install as Ubuntu).

And yes, the silence is very nice. I run a few of them at home myself, and the Smartbook has been my main machine for development for quite some time. It's amazing what can happen when you spend a week in a room full of them, and then return home to a house full of x86/x86_64 machines with their GPU and CPU fans running constantly!

Thank you again for the feedback, and please let us know if you find anything else!

_________________
Steev Klimaszewski, Genesi USA Inc.
Senior Software Engineer

Do not do video playback so did not test for this or load XBMC.
Carl

Indeed, the packaging is gorgeous. Here it is, alongside some other gorgeous audio equipment:



One of the first things I did on it: Surf this site through my Palm Pre's 3G radio! It works out of the box:



Indeed, making this little computer run a full blown desktop operating system is insanely brave!

Hi Steev
Nice to see the support for a main Linux distribution out of the box, and the possibility of others later, my last pre-installed Linux box needed a dump of the manufacturers install and then a install of a regular distribution to get a workable unit. So I am very pleased with what you have delivered.
So has anyone tried a kernel build on one of these units? Saw on your website you had done an x-org server build.
Just installed PyChess, so will go play that for a while.
Cheers Carl

OK, I'm adding my first experiences to this thread as well! :)

Efika MX Smartbook Review, Part 1: "The First Encounter"

OK folks, here comes a short report with lots of pictures of my first-time experience from the Efika MX Smartbook from Genesi!

I'm also thinking of doing a follow up review after spending more time with it, but I won't make any promises! :) Here is my "First Encounter" report:

OK the Efika MX Smartbook has the following specifications:

- 10.1" TFT-LCD, 16:9 with LED backlight, 1024 x 600 resolution
- Freescale i.MX515 (ARM Cortex-A8 800MHz)
- 3D Graphics Processing Unit
- Multi-format HD video decoder and D1 video encoder
- 16GB Nand Flash
- External MMC / SD card slot (up to SD v2.0 and MMC v4.2)
- Internal MicroSD slot
- 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (with on/off switch)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- 2 x USB 2.0 ports
- Phone jack for headset
- Built-in 1.3MP video camera
- Built-in microphone
- Built-in stereo speaker

-Size: 276 x 181 x 21mm (with battery) / 10.87 x 7.13 x 0.83 inches
-Weight: 930 grams / 2.05 lbs

The Efika MX Smartbook comes in a nice cardboard box with a handle, perfectly suitable for store shelves or shopping windows (unlike those beige cardboard boxes more suitable for hiding in warehouses).

It looks really good! :)

Here it is, front and back:




The goods are carefully packaged within the box. The Smartbook is carefully wrapped in all kinds of protective plastics and films in order to protect its “Piano surface” and keep any scratches away:



And here are the complete contents of the box:



One Efika MX Smarttop computer
One 3-cell (I think) battery
One user manual
One transformer, coupled with (in this case) a European power cord

The battery goes in the back, as customary when it comes to Netbooks...



...but *before* you put the battery in place, you might want to observe two slots that will be covered by it:



To the left, we have a slot for the SIM-card, if you bought the model that has a built-in 3G modem (which I have).

In the middle there is a Micro SD memory card slot. The Efika MX Smartbook comes with a 16GB SSD. This is soldered on the PCB and cannot be replaced/upgraded. But in addition to that, the Efika has 2 more memory card slots. The first one is this (the "internal" one), and I reckon it’s meant for a more "permanent" upgrade to storage capacity, since it’s located behind the battery (which you usually won’t remove unless you have to). There is a second, more easily accessible memory card slot as well (read on).

To the right it’s just the battery connector.

Anyway, this is how the Smartbook looks, once you have attached the battery! :)



Look how my windows are reflecting in the "Piano surface" :) But while the finish is very nice, it’s *not* very *practical*. It doubt it will look this fly once you have put your fingers all over it after eating a bag of potato chips! ;) Anyway, I can live with that...

OK, let’s continue “the tour”!

On the left side, you will find (from left to right)...



...a switch to physically turn off the built-in radio (WiFi (and Bluetooth and 3G?)). Then there is a connector for the power cord, followed by an Audio Out connector, and then the second Memory Card slot.

OK, let’s move to the other side. There you will find...



...two USB 2 connectors, usable for external HDD’s, scanners, a mouse or whatever you need and want! :)

And that concludes the “Connectors and Slots” guided tour!

Let’s open the lid! Then you will find the following (click to enlarge somewhat):



The touch pad has left/right “mouse buttons” built-in underneath it; you press down the lower left (or right) corner of the pad itself in order to click the corresponding mouse button. This is instead of having two physical buttons below the pad. An effective way to squeeze in functionality in a limited space! :) However, In My Humble Opinion, you have to press a bit too hard for it to be really convenient. But it works just fine!

Naturally, all electrical components have the proper CE (and whatever) markings:



The user’s manual comes in four languages:



OK, that concludes the “What’s in the package” tour. Let’s fire it up! :)

When you start it for the first time you get struck by the fact that it’s *completely* noiseless. Not “ultra silent” or yada yada, what I’m talking about here is *nada* sound! Not one single moving part in the whole computer. Not the ever so silent little fan, not “the most silent HDD ever made”, there *nothing* that makes noise! The only thing you hear is your fingers tapping the keyboard. I thought I had had silent computers before (and silence has always been very important to me), but there has always been some noise from PSU, HDD’s or whatever. But here it’s “void”! I can’t really explain it, you must experience it!

Anyhow, you are greeted by the Genesi logotype, and after a few seconds the OS (Ubuntu 10.10 “Maverick”) begin its set-up procedure. This is done only on the first boot, which makes this one take a little more time than subsequent boots. The procedure is similar to most other OS set-up procedures; you create a user account, you specify language, keyboard, time zone and so on.

The keyboard identification guide concluded I had got a Romanian(?!) keyboard. OK whatever, I changed it to a Swedish key map later on anyway. Speaking of that, there are (currently) 16 keyboard nationality configurations available, unfortunately no Swedish/Scandinavian variant. But who is looking at the keys when you’re typing anyway, right? ;-)

The display offers a crisp, bright and colorful experience at 1024 x 600 pixels. The LED Backlight can be changed from very bright to much less so if you want to save energy. And you can make the usual customizations to energy savings settings (like having the display dimming down after x amount of idle time when running on battery, etc).

Wi-Fi was configured in a very quick and easy manner. It just worked! And on the Web I was! :)



Then I ran the system update tool to get the latest fixes.

In the update tool settings there is a link to Genesi’s Efika MX site, so that the mainstream Ubuntu update packages is complemented with Efika MX specific packages directly from Genesi. Works flawlessly!



I have been using it for a couple of days now. It’s not the fastest computer in the house, but it’s the fastest booting, except perhaps my Mac Mini with MorphOS. But this is so very *ultra mobile*! I don’t have to sit at my desk and boot up some stationary computer, just to browse my regular websites and check my mail! The Efika MX Smartbook is so small and ultra light-weight and easy to just pick up, throw yourself in the sofa, and fire it up!

I also have a HP Mini netbook with an Atom processor, and I haven’t used it one single time since I got the Efika. Maybe I’ll do a follow-up on this review later on and compare the two?

I am thinking of adding some videos as well, to show the real world performance. I’ll have to borrow a video camera though...

To sum things up: I think this is a very nice product, especially when it comes to the HW. It’s no power horse, it’s “Efika” (you might want to Google that Esperanto word! ;)). In my opinion the HW leaves a *very* complete and solid impression, courtesy Pegatron (ASUS development company) I guess.

Maybe the SW isn't quite there yet though. Don't get me wrong, it's a perfectly usable system for most normal Internet usage (Web and Mail, etc), and I have used this computer more than any other in my house for "checking the news" online. There is no Flash however, but I don't *really* suffer from that in MorphOS either. I suppose some (media) HW acceleration and some other stuff isn't quite there yet as well (correct me if I'm wrong)?

But it comes with a rather complete SW package installed (and you can of course easily download and install SW by simply a few clicks on the mouse); I used Open Office to open and work with some Excel files I got e-mailed to me from work, for example. Worked flawlessly, it connects very nicely to my home LAN with NAS servers, etc! :)

Anyone interested can follow the developments on the Efika MX Blog:

http://blog.efikamx.info/

More info about the product is here:

http://www.genesi-usa.com/
http://www.genesi-europe.com/

:)

Thanks for the great post Stefan, both here and on the Amiga forums, we appreciate the kind words, and look forward to part 2!

_________________
Steev Klimaszewski, Genesi USA Inc.
Senior Software Engineer

Can Part 2 be here first and Amiga.org later? :)

_________________
Matt Sealey

I'm reading this on my work's computer, running Ubuntu 10.10 netbook edition from a live CD, and scratching my head a lot...

Desktop and Netbook editions of Ubuntu are, as of the next release, identical. We chose not to use the Netbook edition as it seems to work much better with touchscreens and some behaviors and performance are actually lower than the standard GNOME desktop.

tmhg: thoughts on battery life? Let it run while you're using it and show us the graph from the battery manager showing charge status over 6 or 7 hours?

_________________
Matt Sealey

Oh. But I thought that the netbook edition, with its "Unity" user interface, was better for a less powerful computer. It isn't?
Sure, but it's also usable with a mouse, as I checked yesterday.
So it would be also a bad choice for a regular netbook? I mean, it demands as much as the desktop version? Then, I don't understand the Ubuntu guys, the first consideration in a netbook is that it's less powerful than a desktop.

It makes better use of screen real estate and removes the need to do dragging operations or handle pulldown menus which are annoying on a trackpad.

But it's not faster.
It demands different things but tries to take best advantage of the hardware available..

Maverick has Desktop and Netbook Live images. Natty will have a unified (unity, get it?) image for both and you pick your desktop, which will be some variant of Unity or the Classic GNOME desktop, all installed at once..

_________________
Matt Sealey