Everex gPC Mini started making waves these days, because of its low price, and by the fact that it's powered by a Linux distribution, gOS. I don't consider it a competitor of the Mac Mini, because the latter is targeted to a different audience. From my point of view, the gPC Mini can be useful to Linux users who need a space-saving PC and who want to tinker with a small machine.

The small computer looks something like Mac Mini, but with different hardware and - of course - software specifications. Those related to hardware are:

• 1.86GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core Mobile Processor T2130 (1MB L2 Cache, 1.86GHz, 533MHz)
• 120GB Hard Disk Drive
• 512MB DDR2 667 SDRAM
• DVD+/-RW
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GMA950
• Realtek ALC268 High-Definition Audio
• One 10/100/1000 Ethernet Port
• One DVI-I Port
• One S-Video Port
• One IEEE 1394 Port
• Four USB 2.0 Ports
• One 4-in-1 Media Card Reader
• One Headphone/Line-Out Port
• Two Microphone/Line-In Ports

The tiny machine is loaded with software that lets you surf the web, send/receive emails, use instant messengers and VoIP solutions and much more. Its applications come from Google, Mozilla, Skype, OpenOffice.org, and others, making your computing experience a simple, powerful and pleasant one. Here are some of the pre-installed and linked applications and services:

• Mozilla Firefox
• gMail
• Meebo
• Skype
• Wikipedia
• GIMP
• Blogger
• YouTube
• Xing Movie Player
• RythmBox
• OpenOffice.org 2.3

Now, if you want to buy the Everex gPC Mini, you should know that it costs $500, and the company will also provide you 1 year limited warranty and 24/7 technical support. I think the only drawback of gPC Mini would be the amount of RAM - only 512. If a variant with at least 1 GB of RAM was available, Everex's number of customers would increase in a rapid pace, just like the number of vendors.