Just a few years ago, if you said, ‘computer’ it meant ‘big’ in every way from the tower cabinet to the (CRT) monitor.
Then came desktops that were just half the size, and computer makers touted them as sleek and sexy. And, just when you thought it couldn’t get smaller, the miniaturization wave hit the desktop computing industry. ‘Mini’ desktops – just the size of a small cake box – have made an entrance into the market during the last year or two.
 Joining the league of the ‘minis’ is Viewsonic’s VOT series of computers. At the top of the VOT list is the VOT550, a comp that comes pre-installed with Windows 7 (but the review unit we got came with only an evaluation version of Windows 7, with nagging pre-programmed warnings from Microsoft). Considering its miniature dimensions, what can it offer compared to your average desktop? Everything!

In the box

First off, the VOT550 is packed with all sorts of ports. It has six (yes, six!) USB 2.0 ports, DVI-I (HDMI capable) Ethernet LAN, e-SATA, SPDIF out and microphone and earphone jacks. (A SPDIF - Sony-Phillips Digital Interface sound port connects to an external home theatre audio system, providing digital output and the best signal quality.)
 Powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo T6660, a 2.2GHz Dual Core FSB 800MHz processor, the VOT550 has 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM and a generous 500 GB SATA hard disk drive. Since the pre-loaded Windows 7 OS comes with Media Center, the VOT550 comes with a remote control too.
 Viewsonic has positioned the VOT550 as a digital media centre, which also doubles up as a computer. It is an interface device that can perform in a home-office and in the living room.
 So, the VOT550 is also offered with a Blu-Ray-R – DVD-RW combo drive as well as a WiFi antenna. What the Mini PC is not bundled with are a monitor, a keyboard, speakers and mouse.
However, the VOT550 is boxed with the cables for a monitor and a DVI to HDMI conversion adapter. We thought Viewsonic could have included a direct HDMI out (instead of providing an adapter) as it claims the 550 is “ultimate in digital media experience”.
 Further, there is a certain degree of signal loss during the DVI to HDMI conversion process. The DVI output can be put to good use if you have a big (above 21”) monitor.
 The VOT550 is very portable and weighs only around 1.5 kg. Viewsonic has made thoughtful provision for a Kensington lock because of the small form factor, which makes it a sitting duck for thieves.

Performance

The VOT550 is available only in black and the top has a polished look and the Viewsonic logo. The unit is so small that Viewsonic claims ‘it uses 50 per cent less plastic and 45 per cent less energy’. On the front are the slots for the Blu-Ray-DVD combo and two USB ports. The sides are free of any ports and sport a clean look. The rest of the ports and jacks are at the back. We felt the headphone and microphone jacks could have also been provided in the front.
 Though the instrument is small enough to easily access the jacks at the back, we felt the provision of the two jacks in the front would have reduced the clutter behind.
 Once you connect it to a monitor, mouse and keyboard, the 550 takes just about 30 seconds to boot (of course, we must consider that there wasn’t much pre-installed software in our review unit, including Microsoft Office). You can even access the menu with the remote, but it is cumbersome. The remote is best used for controlling media when you use Windows Media Centre.
 The package includes a Wi-Fi antenna, which looks totally out of place because not much thought seems to have gone into its design. It literally sticks out like a sore thumb and all our efforts to make it stick to our table were unsuccessful. An in-built antenna would have been better.
 Viewsonic could have done a better designing job, if the small form factor was not the only focus.

Final verdict

Viewsonic is quite a late entrant in the PC / media interface market, but has been trying to come out with products that keep up with technological advances and innovations. The VOT550 is one such. Viewsonic has managed to pack quite a bit into the small box – right from the Intel Core 2 duo to the 500 GB hard disk and 4 GB RAM.
 Being a brand that synonymous with displays, Viewsonic could look at bundling the unit with packages like a monitor, mouse and keyboard so that the consumer need not purchase them separately.
 The VOT550 is quite a small wonder and is a step above the VOT530 that Viewsonic has put out into the market.

Feedback: dinakaran@thehindu.co.in