ECS i-Buddie 4 Pentium 4 1.6GHz

We've said it once and we will say it again: the gap between desktop PCs and notebooks is shrinking. The speeds of some high end desktop replacement notebooks are rivaling the speeds of fairly high end desktop PCs. The tend is not limited to one aspect of computing of another; even the 3D rendering speed of desktop replacement notebooks are approaching the speed of fairly capable desktop systems. With this in mind, it should not be too surprising to see many professionals trading in bulky desktop systems for mobile systems that can not only get the job done, they can be transported from work to home and back. In fact, some may go as far to say that the laptops of today will become the desktops of tomorrow.

There are, of course, inherent differences between desktop and notebook systems. Notebooks have size restrictions which often play a big role in determining what can go inside a notebook. Notebook screens are smaller, their keyboards more cramped, and their speakers tiny. But the compromises made in the name of portability do not stop there. Notebook solutions are forced to use less power hungry components and these components are almost always less powerful than their desktop counterparts. As a result we have yet to see a mobile solution that can compete performance-wise with the latest and greatest desktop solutions. Clearly there exists a line between notebooks and desktops.

But what happens when this line is blurred? What would happen if a company took a desktop system, squeezed it into a package that could easily be carried around, and attached a screen and keyboard to it? Would you have a notebook with desktop components and no battery or would you have a desktop in a small case with an integrated keyboard, mouse, and screen? One of ECS' latest products, the i-Buddie 4, gives us the opportunity to answer this question.

Today we take a look at a portable solution that is part desktop, part notebook, and all new: the ECS i-Buddie 4.