Asus stuns Computex with £100 laptop
Submitted by libervisco on Thu, 06/07/2007 - 21:02.
Since we sometimes cover the OLPC project this seems quite interesting as the parallel to OLPC is quite obvious.
"Asus chairman Jonney Shih sprang a surprise during Intel's Computex keynote today with the announcement of a $189 laptop.
The notebook measures roughly 120 x 100 x 30mm (WDH) and weighs only 900g. We saw the notebook boot in 15 seconds from its solid-state hard disk. The huge auditorium then burst into applause as Shih revealed the astounding price tag. Dubbed the 3ePC, Shih claimed the notebook is the 'lowest cost and easiest PC to use'. As the crowds rushed the stage, we sneaked off to the Asus stand to take a closer look." -- Read more
Since little is known about this device, I'll comment on what it looks like.
It looks as if it could have been in "2001: a space odyssey", which is cool, but at the same time it looks unfinished and fragile at the edges of the keyboard. If they fix the latter, I'm quite sure it will sell, if only as a geek fashion acessory :) .
It's good to see more and more light linux-based laptop-like devices. The era of big, expensive and power-hungry PCs is over, here come the cheap, frugal and portable internet terminals!
... said the guy whose mobile is always switched off
Well, you know, I would sure buy one for carrying around. It's cheaper than Neo1973 will be, and it is still pretty much a real laptop. :)
Libervis Network
technical details can be found here
From what I read elsewhere, linux will be preinstalled, but it will be possible to install ms windows. That probably means it will be possible to install a different linux than the vendor-supplied one too.
I'm curious about the interface they put on the thing, since it is mentioned to be windows-like it might be using icewm.
Also, I'm curious if the thing can hibernate and how much boot time that would save.
Things to note:
- NO cd or dvd drive, but for sure it will be possible to connect one through USB
- Look at the lower left corner of the keyboard. What is the evil logo doing there?
... said the guy whose mobile is always switched off