enano computers: Little, Green, Different
by Tim McGee, Helena, MT, USA on 03. 6.07
Although we don't think about it much, our computers are big, noisy, hot, and consume far too much energy for our needs. My mother doesn't need a 3D graphics workstation to shop on eBay or buy airplane tickets. Mirroring the automotive industry, agriculture, and real estate, the computer industry now recognizes that there is more to life than bigger and cheaper. But, the large manufacturers are still mostly stuck with big boxes, hot chips, and loud fans to cool the whole thing off. That is the ideal environment for a niche player to innovate- enter enano. I sat down with Jorge Ruiz de Castilla, the CEO of enano computers, to discuss his little wonder.
If your curious about the name, his son was born premature (don't worry- the little guy is fine) but Jorge nicknamed him enano (little or tiny in Spanish). His son, who is now much older and bigger, is delighted that his dad named a computer company after him. Enano's name certainly brings about connotations of little in English as well Spanish, but enano is more than a stylish, small form factor computer. Consuming less power, producing less heat, and designed to fit into your mobile life, enano computer understands we don't always need 500GB, and 140W of power. And enano isn't stopping with just a desktop, they are working on innovations across the board, from laptops to servers, enano has something for those of us who want more than just power- how about style, mobility, scale, and efficiency?
The enano desktop runs at about 20-25 Watts for average computing, far below a normal desktop- my MacBook runs about 23 Watts while writing this article. The maximum power drain for the enano only goes up to 45W (the model I saw didn't go above 40W during heavy load, while my MacBook goes up to 48 under medium-high load), which is WAY below where most desktop computers climb these days. In fact the desktop far exceeds the new (smarter) energy star requirements for desktop computers (it might exceed the laptop specifications too).
The company is committed to providing a different option that fits into a more mobile, increasingly compact life. Without the huge box, heat, and noise the enano can be a part of any room in the house, wireless included. Imagine an enano tucked away under the desk, behind your TV, or even in the kitchen. You can now feel free to extend broadband computing anywhere you can think- with the worlds smallest (greenest?) desktop.
My first instinct was to compare the enano with the Mac mini - and it is hard not to compare the two. Both are small, sleek, and quite. However, after visiting the company I was impressed by their commitment to the concept of efficient computers, their work on laptops and especially their server. They see a growing divide between what people want, what people need, and what is available. Enano hopes to fill that vacuum and provide an alternative with smart, efficient, computers.
Using proven technology, in a smart package, enano delivers power saving advantages over the big box competitors, it might not save the world, but it is at least a step in the right direction. Right now, enano is a small company, developing a rapidly expanding niche market. They are quick, nimble, and dedicated to providing a more sustainable future. If you want a computer with a small form factor, customized options, produced by a company that considers efficiency an important aspect, then it might be worth your while to consider enano. ::enano computers
It seems that despite the spin in this article, this has been done a bunch of times before and what was missing wasn't industry recognition of the problem but customer acceptance of the solution. The biggest example that pops into my mind is the whole Transmeta business a while back. There was a good product and a bunch of solutions developed around it but virtually no customer interest whatsoever. It seemed that unfortunately people were more strongly swayed by bigger numbers than rational arguments about fitting their needs, and the competitors managed to match the prices with traditional systems as well.
It looks about the size of a Mac Mini to me.
Irfon-Kim Ahmad ::
I Agree. My parents are just now getting into this whole green thing (they're very much enjoying the Worldchanging book). They needed an upgrade on a computer. Their old one was an 850 mgz Pentium that was on the verge of death.
And when you're shpoing for a new computer it's hard not to go for the biggest, fastest and brightest. I had to keep telling them that the only thing he would need to run is quickbooks and firefox when he asked me about the best 3d card for in his budget. They ended up getting a laptop, on sale, with several components they don't need in it.
"They see a growing divide between what people want, what people need, and what is available"
Well, I think that is a nice summary. Perhaps the difference in attitude to smaller PCs now is the green angle, and certain consumers accepting they don't need the latest and greatest. My Pentium M underclocks when needed and from what I see it runs at about 850Mhz 90% of the time. If you run a slower PC you just learn to be patient!
Perhaps if the software engineers could write more efficient code.......
Me too. O went with the big numbers, but have fallen back on my 12 inch ibook because of it's so easy to have around. The big numbers, and bells and whistles that seem so mandatory can be beaten by marketing the big savings the little computers offer, and their companonable nature - my ibook goes eveerywhere with me, if I could find a smwller web browsing, word processing beastie I'd be tempted.
As long as people can buy a full size pc for the same same price a full pc will win everytime.
It would be nice for someone to take the ultra-thin market seriously and put out truly thin device at a truly thin price. I would love to see a device that basically only ran a browser had ethernet and maybe wireless connectivity for less than $100.
It would replace a large number of second and third pc's and would be a first device for many that are still uncomfortable with a "pc". They could do email through a webmail service, view family pictures etc. It would be the perfect device for my mother-inlaw or an additional device in the kitchen in my home.
Okay, to compare some apples to some oranges ... (since you did it in the article) ...
Enano eC4208 - $752.86 without monitor (cheap LCD = $140.00), keyboard ($20.00), mouse ($15.00), speakers ($25.00), mic ($15.00), camera ($60.00), etc ... for a total package price of about $1000.00, not including all the extra shipping and handling from ordering items from a range of stores.
Apple 13 inch MacBook - $1099.00 including all of the extras (because it is a laptop) with a faster processor and free shipping.
I admit that this is not a completely fair comparison, but if I had to make a choice to fit my lifestyle (with at least part of the choice based on the energy-efficient nature of the computer), I would go for a low-end Apple (especially since with an educational discount, I can get the MacBook for $50 less).
On top of that, mini-form factor computers are not a new idea (see the Mac Mini or, for the PC crowd, see Mini-ITX) and considering that Mini-ITX has been pushing small form, low power computing for over FIVE years, Enano seems to be a late-comer to the party.
(Plus, on a personal note, I like what the Mini-ITX people do with their computers a lot more ... check out the Mod Galleries where they turn just about anything into a computer!)
Or reuse the old computers that won't run Vista that everyone is bitching about. Install Linux and reuse it for another 5 years.
I think the general trend is that people are buying more laptops than desktops these days, mainly b/c of convenience and the fact that unless you specifically need a desktop, there's no real point in having something taking up all that space and sucking all that power when all you do is check email and surf the web. The great collateral benefit is that laptops generally use less energy and less materials to make.
So, basically, this enano is nice, but it's still not as compact as a laptop. And, talk about a ripoff of Apple: enano? Come on, people. Can the marketing team come up with something a little more creative than that?
Pity it's only integrated graphics, with no option for a discrete card--maybe there's no room?
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Authors Note: They noted that most people don't need a card for the majority of apps, as the integrated graphics can handle most things - but the parent company -The Chip Merchant- does create custom builds- and I think they mentioned something about another model that has a graphics card option.
enano --> 20-25 Watts / 45 Max
MacBook --> 23 Watts / 48 Max
This makes the enano seem more efficient, but the power usage for the MacBook includes monitor and speakers. So unless you can get a monitor and speakers that run on less that 3 watts total, the MacBook is more efficient.
That being said, I do encourage Enano and wish them success as I do not think we need to bash any company who is helping in a green effort just because they come in 2nd or 3rd. This company seems to be doing more than some other multi-million dollar internationnal corporations.
I was thinking the same thing as Patrick. The MacBook has to power a display w/ backlight. And it comes with the keyboard, speakers, etc., whereas the enano is just the CPU. And I'd still rather get a Mac mini. :)
This is an Aopen built mini-PC that has been on the market for more than a year. All this guy did was get a version of the plastic lid stamped with enano.
Yeah, this is just an Aopen miniPC. You can get them preloaded with Ubuntu from System76. I love mine.
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Authors Note: I had no idea about the Aopen miniPC- it looks like a great product. But the value I see from enano is that the product is pre-built, ready to go, with customer support, for a larger consumer market.