Hacks and Modifications: Everex Cloudbook

I have been asked to talk about hacks and mods possible with Everex Cloudbook.. So here you are..

Continue reading..

Please remember: the second you start opening your new device, you have to understand that your device may end as spare parts for your next device.. you have to accept that before starting.

Memory

Upgrade to 1gb. It does not support 2Gb

Internal USB

This is the first thing you should do if you are thinking adding extra features. You should start looking for one now, so you have it stripped when your Cloudbook arrives. Look for small one.
As there is no evidence of internal usb pins, you need to route your hub from wifi, bluetooth or webcam cables. You need to route power from mainboard.

Storage

There are plenty of bigger drives, upgrade to bigger one if you need the storage.
If you want it to be fast and durable, go for SSD. They cost a lot but if your main goal is to use it while mobile, it's the best choice.

There is also CF to ZIF adapters, which you may want to use if you don't want to spend too much for real SSD. If you choose this way, remember that normal flash wears in OS use. You should commit all rewrites to RAM disk


Wifi

Buy new wifi antenna for it. Current antenna is inside the base unit so it is not that good for signal strength. Place new one inside the screen frame.


3G HSDPA/EVDO

There is plenty of room inside the screen frame for usb modems. You could even have one of the small ones there without taking the modem apart.

GPS

Again, a lot of space inside the screen frame, small GPS module would fit easily.


Touch screen panel

It's easy to ad, it makes your screen more durable and it's very nice to use. Do it!

Screen

As Cloudbooks uses LVDS, it is relatively easy to find screen for it. If you need higher resolution, you should look for Kohjinsa/Samsung 7 inch screens. You would need some expertise to swap it, but it is fully possible.

There are also bigger screens, but you would need to make new "face plate" for it. If you really want to go big, try to find 8.9 inch LVDS LED backlighted screen. Toshiba and other use them. 8.9" 1280 x 768 would be nice! Remember first check the real specs, you want to see the pinouts before buying. You could also use older non LED screens, but they would eat your battery faster and you would need to find place for the inverter.


Operation system

There are plenty of Linux flavors to choose, but you should check the availability of drivers first. XP installation is easy. I'd buy a external cd drive to make it the easiest way. Vista will also run on Cloudbook, but 1Gb is a must for it. MAC OSX doesn't like VIA. I haven't heard anyone been able to make it work on this platform.. This is what OSX says about VIA:



Are you going to do any?

You could always just wait for their next models.
Paul C. Kim, Director of Marketing at Everex, has unvailed their plans:

SSD drives ( when they get cheaper )
Touch screen ( developer version coming )
Feminine Colors ( pink? )
Larger screens ( 9 inch, and even 22 inch ??? )


Cloudbook at FCC


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