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Max Introvert · 03-31-2011, 08:09 PM

NewEgg's recent sale of the mini piqued my interest, but upon further reflection, I wonder if the Lite might be a better choice.

I like the form factor and battery setup of the mini, and would love to see if I can overcome its main limitation, file formats.

Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information as to the hardware of the mini. The specs hint that there is a completely different CPU under the hood as opposed to the Lite. My best guess says that it's probably some type of microcontroller attached to a NOR flash. (what else could pull 90 operating hours on AAA batteries?)

If true, it's a far cry from the Lite's (supposed) 200 MHz ARM9, and explains why the functionality and file format selection are so meager compared to the Lite.

At any rate, the mini may be $69, but I can get the Lite for $89. The difference in runtime bothers me, but I do have rechargeable NIMHs, and I think I'd have a much better time hacking things with the Lite's hardware config than the mini's. Given that the Lite supports more formats anyway, one would wonder why, but I'm an engineer. It's in my blood.

03-31-2011, 08:09 PM	#1
Max Introvert Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2007 Device: Sony PRS-T1	jetBook mini or Lite? (Hacking slant) NewEgg's recent sale of the mini piqued my interest, but upon further reflection, I wonder if the Lite might be a better choice. I like the form factor and battery setup of the mini, and would love to see if I can overcome its main limitation, file formats. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information as to the hardware of the mini. The specs hint that there is a completely different CPU under the hood as opposed to the Lite. My best guess says that it's probably some type of microcontroller attached to a NOR flash. (what else could pull 90 operating hours on AAA batteries?) If true, it's a far cry from the Lite's (supposed) 200 MHz ARM9, and explains why the functionality and file format selection are so meager compared to the Lite. At any rate, the mini may be $69, but I can get the Lite for $89. The difference in runtime bothers me, but I do have rechargeable NIMHs, and I think I'd have a much better time hacking things with the Lite's hardware config than the mini's. Given that the Lite supports more formats anyway, one would wonder why, but I'm an engineer. It's in my blood.