SlashGear

It’s not getting much better for Raon Digital’s dinky little Vega almost-UMPC – after an initial flurry of positive vibes it’s now coming in for some major criticism.  We’re not just talking “oh, that power button reminds me of a nightmare I had when I was three, I hate this computer!”, it’s seriously lacking in wireless connectivity (think: no WiFi or Bluetooth), lacking in graphical grunt and the OS is less than preferable.

In fact, these are the exact concerns of the latest review at UltraMobileGeek, who tried the Vega out for size as a carputer and – having had his experience of using the device as a portable PC soured by the absence of Tablet OS (it runs XP Home) – media player.  GPS navigation (via a Bluetooth dongle and separate receiver) worked well, but the mediocre specs of the Vega prevented their in-car front-end software from running.  As a PMP, when compared to the iPod, Zune and Zen Vision M they conclude that “the primary disadvantages compared to the above products are size, price, boot-up time, and the tendency to run warm after long video playback times” – a pretty serious list if you ask me!

So where can Raon Digital go now?  Is it all over for the Vega?  Well, no; I agree that in-built wireless, a spec boost and either a switch to the Tablet PC OS or some sort of concession to using the device with a finger/stylus, all wrapped up in a sub-$600 price tag, would be enough to catapult the Vega to stardom.  I just doubt that the company will manage to tick all those boxes.

The Raon Digital Vega: Compromise for Size [UltraMobileGeek]