it all started by OLPC (laptop.org).
then, the issue that OLPC will have MS Windows in it.
then, MS said they're working on cheap laptop with via processor. (not Intel!)
then, Intel said they're working on cheap laptop with Linux inside! (not Windows!)
Engadget on Via Nanobook
VIA unveils OpenBook subnotebook reference design
Tue, 27 May 2008 07:14:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
VIA's trying its hand once again at the "mini-note" form factor, with a new OpenBook reference design. Its first go round, the
NanoBook, was generally panned in light of the ultra-successful
Eee PC, but certainly wasn't ignored. The new design is right in line with the new wave of subnotebooks, with an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 screen, connection options including WiMAX, HSDPA and EV-DA, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, a 4-in-1 card reader and front and back 2 megapixel webcams. There's also room for 2GB of RAM and a 2.5-inch HDD, and you can run Vista, XP or your Linux flavor of choice. It's all based around a new VIA VX800 chipset running that trusty ol' C7-M ULV processor, with some video acceleration tweaks to make multimedia possible. You'll be able to get about 3 hours of juice out of a 4-cell battery. The entire design is being distributed as a CAD file under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license, which means OEMs can take these designs and run with them -- and also means that we'll be seeing plenty of versions without all the trimmings mentioned here. The real test of this new unit might come down to price, and since that's up to manufacturers VIA isn't saying where it'll land just yet, but it'll probably be closer to $600 than the $300-ish price points of the last gen.
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Everex's CloudBook arrives in Japan with touchscreen, Bluetooth
Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:40:00 EST
The FIC manufactured Everex
CloudBook has finally made its way to Japan. What's interesting is not its US-rooted Everex branding but the fact that the ultra-portable picked up a 7-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, and 802.11a (to augment the existing b/g WiFi) along the way without any change to the CE1200J model number. All the other specs remain true to the original right on down to the 1.2GHz VIA C7-M proc and 30GB hard disk. We'd chalk this up to a typo(s) if it wasn't for the new, tax-inclusive price of ¥59,800 or about $600 -- a stiff bump from the $399 touchscreen-less, Stateside model. Let's see if the March 22nd release in Japan brings the additional options for North America and
Europe.
[Via
Impress]
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Everex's Cloudbook postponed for "tweaks"
Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:02:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
Remember how
we told you Everex's little
gOS-sporting
Cloudbook was headed to Wal-Mart this month (today, to be specific)? Well hold your check book, friend-o -- they ain't done with it. According to the company's director of marketing, Paul Kim, the system requires, "A couple of last minute software tweaks," before it's ready for prime-time. There's no word on when it will make an appearance, though we're inclined to think this won't be a major delay... but you never know. Should shipments alight, we'll be the first to share the good news.
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Maxdata Belinea s.book 1 Mini-Note powered by Via C7-M
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:11:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
German hardware outfit Maxdata have converted Via's simply named
NanoBook prototype into the awkwardly named Belinea s.book 1 Mini-Note, powered by Via's miserly 1.2 GHz C7-M processor. But just because it's short on electricity (and branding smarts) doesn't mean it's totally watered down: you've got an 840x480 screen, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and a DVI port all prettied up in a 2.2-lb., €629 ($924) piece of kit measuring a svelte 9-inches by 6.75-inches by 1.16-inches. But that's not the best part: we're
still digging that detachable Skype handset. Hey, 1995 called. It wants its mobile phone design back.
[Via
The Inquirer]
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Everex's Cloudbook coming to Wal-Mart by month's end
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:30:00 EST
Filed under: CES, Laptops
Well folks -- it's official. The Everex / Packard Bell / FIC Nanobook / Cloudbook / CE260 (phew) that we recently
got some face time with is actually coming Stateside... to Wal-Mart. That's right, the Eee crown-threatener will be available on January 25th of this year, featuring a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, and a 800 x 480 display for the extra-affordable price of $399. The system will be sporting Everex's
gOS Rocket, the Google-ified version of Ubuntu which powers the company's cheapo
desktop. Watch your back, front, and sides, ASUS.
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Hands-on with the Packard Bell EasyNote XS / Nanobook
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:37:00 EST
Filed under: CES, Features
Well, we've finally gotten some face time with the Packard Bell EasyNote XS / Nanobook / Cloudbook / FIC CE260. Sure, it's hard to keep tabs on the various re-brands and name changes of this thing, but one thing is for sure -- it's got the potential to give the Eee a run for its money. The ultraportable feels pretty good -- if a bit plastic-y -- in your hand, and it seemed to handle XP with relative ease. We kind of wish we'd seen some gOS on this puppy -- but hey, you can't have it all. Check the gallery below and see it yourself.
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Everex's Nanobook becomes the Cloudbook, gets gOS
Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:16:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
While we haven't heard much more about the
gOS laptop with the
$300 price tag, word is that
Everex will be equipping another portable model -- the 7-inch,
VIA-based, ultra-portable
Nanobook -- with a $400 MSRP and its Google-themed Linux OS. The device -- apparently being referred to as the "Cloudbook" -- is rumored to be launching at the CES in January, and will become available to the public the following week. Specs include a VIA C7 ULV 1.2GHz CPU, a 30GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, WiFi, a card reader, two USB ports, and a DVI out. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but there seems to be ample information supporting the rumors. Just give us multiple colors, an SSD, and tell us where exactly the trackpad is and we could be in
serious like.
[Via
jkkmobile]
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Everex's CE260 / CE261 ultra-portable tracking for Q1 release
Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:43:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
Remember that
other ultra-portable announced during the month of the Eee Pc and Palm Foleo? Right, the 7-inch Via /
FIC (parental unit to
Everex) collaboration first shown as the NanoBook reference design or
CE260 / CE261 when touted by FIC. Having already cleared the FCC, FIC is saying that US and European shipments of the VIA C7-M device will begin in Q1 of 2008 and will include either Windows XP or Linux preloads on that 1.8-inch 30GB disk. It's supposed to be priced similar to the Eee PC which has carved a nice little niche for itself in the ultra-portable market. With any luck, it'll show up at Wal-Mart with a
sub-$300 price tag sporting Everex's lovely new
gOS.
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FIC's CE260 and 261 UMPCs get the FCC treatment
Sat, 01 Sep 2007 11:31:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
We'd
heard that Everex /
FIC was going to be the Stateside OEM for
VIA's
NanoBook, and it looks like that hunch was right on the money -- two NanoBook
variations, the CE260 and 261, have just shown up the FCC's all-seeing database with FIC branding. Nothing revolutionary in the docs -- and no word on what's to come for that expansion bay -- but we've always liked the NanoBook's design, and we're stoked to see it finally hit the US.
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iDOT shows off two more variants of VIA's NanoBook
Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:32:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
VIA certainly seems to be attracting OEM attention with their
NanoBook Ultra Mobile Device reference design -- they've lined up Packard Bell in the Europe, Engadget Chinese
confirmed that Everex would be selling them here in the States, and now Taiwanese outfit iDOT Computers is showing off two variants of their own at Computex: the CE260 and CE261 (pictured). Specs for the CE260 are the same as all the others we've seen, but the CE261 ditches that goofy expansion bay next to the screen for a webcam, classes it up in black, and, uh, loses the touchpad. Seriously, it was small to begin with, but we don't see any kind of pointing device in that photo. Confirmation on that and the rumored internal 3G option will have to wait until we get our hands on one of these -- which could be a while, since there's no word on when and where iDOT is planning on selling these things.
Read - iDOT UMPC CE260
Read - iDOT UMPC CE261
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Engadget on Asus Eee
ASUS kicks out four new XP-based Eee PCs for Taiwan
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:37:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
We know it's been a tough few days since the
last Eee PC launch, but ASUS has now thankfully come through with four more ever so slightly different models to feed your questionable appetite, this time for Taiwan. Those include the 1000HD XP, 904HD XP, 901 XP and 900 XP (16G), each of which, obviously, run XP, and at least two of which (the 901 and 900) come in some of the same eye-catching colors that Korea got a taste of the other day. Somewhat curiously, only the 901 XP is listed as having an Atom processors, while the others are simply described as packing an "Intel Mobile" processor. Otherwise, you can expect the usual range of specs found on countless similar models, with prices coming in at the local equivalent of $444 to $539.
[Via
Slash Gear]
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ASUS launches Eee Storage, takes your Eee PC to the cloud... kind of
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:23:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops, Storage
Apparently Jerry Shen and the homegirls / boys at ASUS want to get a slice of that sweet cloud pie. According to a report, the computer-maker has launched a service called Eee Storage, which provides
20GB of online storage for Eee PC users, as well as access to downloads of around 3,000 pieces of free software and games. The company hopes to expand the service -- which uses a drag and drop interface for file management -- into a full blown "store" where users can download music and "various other content." In the picture above you can see Jerry demonstrating the service to a group of bemused high school reporters.
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ASUS gets official with Eee Stick
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:59:00 EST
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
ASUS has hardly been keeping this one a secret, but the company has only just now finally gotten completely official with its
Eee Stick gaming controller, and it's taken the opportunity to drop a few new details about it. That includes word that the device will be "bundled exclusively" with "certain models" of the Eee PC and Eee Box (which doesn't exactly narrow things down), and that it'll come with a collection of games that have been designed specifically for it (we're not getting our hopes up there). Otherwise, ASUS has confirmed that the device operates on the 2.4GHz frequency, which could be interesting depending on what other wireless devices you have nearby, and that each stick will require a pair of AA batteries, which ASUS says will give you three days of continuous use, and no doubt a good deal longer if you want to avoid a trip to the hospital.
[Via
Shiny Shiny]
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ASUS Eee PC 900A specs leak out, reason for existence still a mystery
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:44:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
We're not even going to pretend to know what's going on with whoever's in charge of approving Eee models at ASUS, but maybe they just like rubber-stamping things, because that's really the only thing that explains the
Eee 900A. The newest member of the
overflowing Eee family, the 900A continues the
mix-and-match product development trend -- it's basically a 901 in the case of 900, but with a crappier webcam (.3 megapixels) and no Bluetooth. Yep, same 1.6GHz Atom proc, 1GB of RAM and 8 or 16GB SSD as the 901, just in the case of the 900. Why would anyone want to spend €299 ($465) on this? Totally unclear -- just like the entire Eee PC lineup.
[Via
jkkmobile]
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New images point at Atom-based ASUS Eee PC 900A
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:17:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
Whoa, wait a second. Is ASUS about to plop another Eee PC onto the totally numb-to-this-brand public? As confident as we are that ASUS wouldn't dare hesitate to
dilute its once meaningful Eee moniker even further, we're still taking this with a morsel or two of salt for now. Spotted on French site
Blogeee, a host of new images depict the
Eee PC 900 (with a design occasionally preferred over the
901) with an "A" bringing up the rear. It doesn't take an Intel engineer to guess what
that might mean, now does it?
[Via
thegadgetsite, thanks K.C.]
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ASUS Eee Box gets... unboxed!
Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:18:00 EST
Filed under: Desktops
We've already seen the
Eee Box out and about
getting demoed and
ripped apart, but if you've been waiting for a taste of the full box to Box experience that may be in your future, you can now hit up PC Authority for a suitably thorough gallery of pics. That helpfully not only includes the usual pictures of the always-fascinating unboxing process, but some comparison shots with an Eee PC 901, which is about the same size, and a PlayStation 3, which could crush the Eee Box without so much as breaking a sweat. Hit up the link below to see for yourself.
[Thanks, Geller]
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ASUS loops all the way around with the Eee PC 701SD
Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:42:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
Hey, you remember the
Eee PC 701, right? The original
netbook, before the category even had a name? The machine we all just called the Eee PC before ASUS booted out an insane array of lightly-differentiated models with a somewhat random naming scheme? Yeah, well, it's still around, even if the 901 has taken over as the Eee of choice, and if those
slides from earlier are to be believed, it's getting a spec bump. Laptop says the new 701SD will get an Atom processor to go along with a minor case redesign, and come in a few flavors (of course): 701, 701SD, 701SD(30GB HD), 701SD-4G. Sadly, there isn't any info about pricing available, but with cheap netbooks headed toward
$299 and
below, here's hoping ASUS gives us a reason to love the 701 once again.
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Keepin' it real fake, part CXXVI: Jointech's $99 JL7100 rips Eee PC in spectacular fashion
Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:46:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
The
Kira 100 was a decent Eee PC knockoff, but at just north of $475, there was literally no purpose in picking it over the genuine product. The Jointech JL7100, however, really makes ASUS' darling look mighty unnecessary. Okay, so maybe the fact that this thing relies on WinCE 5.0 rather than, you know, a bona fide laptop operating system is a bit disappointing, but there are sacrifices to be expected here. As for other specifications, you'll supposedly find a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, Samsung chipset, 64MB (yes, megabytes) of internal storage, 64MB (yes, megabytes) of RAM, a VGA output and three USB ports. We can hear your stifled laughter from here, but your tune may change upon hearing the $99 (USD?) price tag. Told you so.
[Thanks, Sean]
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Engadget on Intel Classmate
Intel shows off next-gen, convertible Classmate PC
Date Published:
Description:
Filed under: Laptops
Intel wasn't exactly all that forthcoming with details about its next-gen Classmate PC when the subject
last came up (describing it only as having
both hardware and software upgrades), but it looks to have dropped its guard at this week's
IDF, with it not only dishing out details, but an actual unit as well. As you can see, this one's a convertible, but Intel is quick to point out that it's not the Classmate 3.0 some have been expecting -- it'll apparently exist alongside the current generation model. Also, as you might have guessed, there's not a lot of surprises in terms of specs, with it boasting the same 1.6GHz Atom processor as every other netbook out there, along with an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 display, an SD card slot, a pair of USB ports, and an SSD drive of unspecified size. Intel is apparently still promising to provide a few more details a bit later on but, in the meantime, you can bide your time by digging into the pics available at the link below.
Update: Check out a video from Intel after the break, and even more pics at
jkkmobile.
Continue reading Intel shows off next-gen, convertible Classmate PC
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Portugal signs up for 500,000 Intel Classmate laptops
Date Published:
Description: 
Looks like Intel's clearing out all its Classmate inventory in preparation for that new model -- it just inked a deal with Portugal for 500,000 of the chubby gray laptops. The Classmates will be manufactured in Portugal as part of the deal, and the final subsidized cost to students will vary based on each family's income, with a max of €50 ($78). Kids should be getting their new machines at the start of the new school year, so it looks like things should be moving along quickly here.
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Daewoo Lucoms hops in low-cost laptop game with Lukid
Date Published:
Description:
Filed under: Laptops
Daewoo Lucoms is no stranger to building
smallish computers, but it seems to have taken a few obvious design cues from Intel's
2go PC when crafting its own Lukid. According to the firm's site, this kid-friendly PC includes a 900MHz Celeron M ULV processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 9-inch display, 30GB hard drive and Windows XP Home Edition. There's also two USB jacks, audio in / out, WiFi, Ethernet and a rather unsightly (though quite useful, we imagine) carry handle. Expect this one to land in South Korea for around ₩549,000 ($531), though we haven't heard a peep in regard to availability elsewhere in the world.
[Via
AVING]
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Mobo gets rebadge happy with two new low-cost subnotes for Brazil
Date Published:
Description:
Filed under: Laptops
It looks like folks in Brazil are soon going to have a few more low-cost subnote options to consider, with Mobo announcing two new but curiously familiar-looking models. That includes the Positivo Mobo (pictured above), which appears to almost certainly be a rebadge of
Airis' Kira 740 Eee PC lookalike (or a rebadge of whatever that is a rebadge of). That likelihood is further backed up by the nearly identical specs, including the usual 7-inch display, Via C7-M processor, 1.3-megapixel webcam, and built-in WiFi, although this particular model appears to come with 2GB of flash memory in place of the Kira's standard 40GB hard drive. Set to be released alongside it is the company's Mobo Kids laptop, which is just a straight up rebadge of Intel's
Netbook platform (a.k.a. Classmate 2), with it boasting the same Celeron M processor and presumably all the same specs seen in other incarnations like
CTL's 2go PC. Look for both of 'em to pack the same R$999 price tag (or $590), with the Positivo Mobo hitting stores first on May 23rd and the Mobo Kids following sometime in July.
[Via
Zumo Blog, thanks Leoberto]
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Windows XP to live until 2010... on the Eee
Date Published:
Description:
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
We puzzled over Microsoft's cryptic statements at CeBIT that the Eee's "
other requirements" would lead to an adjustment of the Windows 7 timeline, and it looks like our first guess was spot-on: Microsoft will be making Windows XP available for Eee-class ultraportables until 2010, and possibly later. Demand for XP on devices like the Eee and Intel's Classmate machines has prompted MS to reconsider
axing XP entirely this June: the company will now sell XP Home through at least June 2010, and for one year after the
release of Windows 7 -- which means sales of XP could stretch into 2012. There's no word on if the build of XP Home targeted at the ultraportable laptop set will be different from regular XP builds, but we doubt there'll be many changes -- it'll be awfully sad if people are still clamoring for XP more than a decade after its initial release, though.
[Thanks, JP]
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$50 Teachermate PC launched by Chicago nonprofit
Date Published:
Description:
Filed under: Handhelds
As you've probably figured out from all the
OLPC XO and
Intel Classmate news we've hit, computers aimed at students are a pretty hot topic these days. A Chicago-based nonprofit called Innovations for Learning has joined the fray with a new $50 entry dubbed the Teachermate. The small PCs come equipped with a 2.5-inch LCD display, 512MB of RAM, an SD slot, and built-in microphone and speaker. The systems are being rolled out to a whopping 500 Chicago elementary schools over the next two years, with the aim of having a unit in the hands of every child. The kid-friendly computers will come with a special case that allows charging and data-sync of 30 units at a time, allowing teachers to collect score-data quickly. If you absolutely must have one, it looks like they're going to commercially available on Amazon, so you
will be able to add it to your collection.
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Forget the OLPC XO: India working on $10 laptop
Date Published:
Description:
Filed under: Laptops
While Nick Negroponte and the crew over at OLPC struggle to offer the XO for its original target of $100 (it now costs around $175, before factoring in support costs), India's Ministry of Human Resource Development is planning to completely leapfrog three-digit price tags with a machine that is already spec'ed at $47 and may cost only ten bucks when manufactured in bulk. With two potential designs having already been submitted by a researcher and engineering student (neither of which is pictured above) and a critical meeting scheduled for later this month, the "TDL" project seems to be well underway, and officials hope to have a product out the door within two years. India's plans for uber-cheap hardware come almost a year after the country rejected the XO as "pedagogically suspect," and several months after yet another competitor in this space -- Intel's Classmate -- was loosed on Brazil. And so the race to charge absolutely nothing for computers continues unabated, foretelling a day in the not-too-distant future when we'll be churning through PCs like daily-wear contacts.
[Via Slashdot]
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Engadget on OLPC
Windows XP tested on the OLPC XO, as slow as you'd expect
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:37:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
Here's the surprise of the century: Windows XP runs excruciatingly slowly on the OLPC XO. We're shocked, simply shocked. The folks at Laptop Mag got to kick the tires on this
fruit of the XO and Microsoft partnership, and while to their credit they've manage to build a computer that works and runs real-world applications, it's not a pretty sight. Sure, most of the hardware is (or will be) supported just fine, though
Sugar's mesh networking is absent, but boot time off of the 4GB SD card is 1 minute and 24 seconds, and once booted into XP you don't have access to the data on the XO's 1GB of internal storage. Internet Explorer 6 took a mere 5 seconds to start, but Word 2003 takes 42 seconds of thumb twiddling. Even more disconcerting is that the system is pretty much locked to running one app at a time, since things just get too sluggish after that. The upshot of this is that the OLPC folks are considering a new edition of the original machine with more RAM and a new processor, but we certainly feel sorry for kids to who this existing machine will be their first taste of computing. Well, only a little bit. Back in our day...
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Bender goes bipolar: OLPC's Sugar UI tweaked for Intel's Classmate PC
Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:40:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
We know he's just thinking about the children but damn, if
Walter Bender's latest move doesn't smack of retribution for Negroponte's
XP-lust. Having successfully spun himself out from under NickNeg's OLPC, Bender's UI now owned by his non-profit Sugar Labs might just end up on Intel's
Classmate PC. Right, the same competing platform the OLPC camp had
lambasted,
repeatedly, for its "shameless" and "half-hearted" behavior in the educational marketplace. Nevertheless, Bender is quoted in an interview saying, "A community volunteer is working with Intel on Sugar for the Classmate PC. Sugar Labs helped to expedite the relationship." We assume Bender's loftier goals act as a lithium-salve to what must be a palpable internal turmoil.
P.S. That's our mockup, Intel declined to comment on the usage of Sugar.
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OLPC XO-2 to include multitouch and possibly haptic screen from PixelQi
Tue, 27 May 2008 19:42:00 EST
Filed under: Displays, Laptops
PixelQi, an OLPC project spin-off headed by Mary Lou Jepsen, certainly has its work cut out for it with the
OLPC XO-2, due in 2010. Not only is the laptop supposed to support dual touchscreens and consume a mere 1 watt of power, but Mary Lou is also promising better readability, multitouch, and potentially even pen usage and haptic feedback. Interestingly, the projected price for the laptop is $75, which is exactly the pricepoint
PixelQi claimed to be working on when it split from the foundation. She remains coy on which OS the new laptop will favor, merely stating: "The display can use whatever software OLPC chooses." As for partners outside of OLPC, Mary Lou won't name names, but she says PixelQi is "working with large, tier-one laptop, cell phones, and e-book makers." Forget 2010, give us a full color e-book tablet by the end of the year and we'll forget all this XO nonsense entirely.
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OLPC unveils first prototype of XO 2.0
Tue, 20 May 2008 12:27:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
Just when it looked like OLPC was finally getting at least one foot firmly grounded in reality with the
upcoming Windows XP version of its low-priced XO, Nick Neg takes things back into the stratosphere with the unveiling of the XO 2.0. Due in 2010, the new laptop will employ dual sunlight-readable touchscreen displays in a smaller, folding e-book form factor. Sure, it looks totally amazing, but we'll believe it when we see it. As if that weren't ambitious enough, Nick calls a $20 pricepoint per display not out of the question, thanks to the ubiquity of LCD screens for DVD players, with a final laptop price of $75. Sure Nick, but 2010? Let's work on getting the XO down to $100 first, shall we? Oh, and speaking of the XO, the
Give 1 Get 1 program will be started back up in August or September of this year. There's just never a dull moment with these folks.
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Displaced by XP, Sugar Labs goes it alone
Fri, 16 May 2008 09:47:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
While OLPC tries to wise up to the real demands of the market and build a cheap laptop that people actually want --
which means Windows XP for most -- Walter Bender, OLPC's former president of software and content for the project is taking his open source Linux-based Sugar OS and has started up a new non-profit to aid its development. Bender still has the vision of an open source learning OS, and plans to give Sugar full support for other low-cost platforms like the Eee PC. Ooh, burn.
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OLPC XO officially gets Windows XP, children of the world to be assimilated
Thu, 15 May 2008 20:02:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
It's been a
controversial decision, but it looks like the
OLPC XO has completed its
transition from revolutionary education project to just another
tiny Windows laptop with a
useless keyboard -- albeit one with a pleasantly whimsical design. Yep, it's official: Microsoft and OLPC just put out a joint press release saying that XP-loaded XOs will be available starting in August or September, with some countries to get the machines as soon as next month. Users will get all the regular functionality of XP -- it's basically the same build as on the Eee and other ultraportables -- but Microsoft's spent over a year developing specialized drivers for the XO's various features like e-book mode, the writing pad, and camera. (We're pretty certain that doesn't include mesh networking, but WiFi is supported.) XP is too big for the built-in 1GB flash chip, so it'll come preloaded on a 2GB SD card, leaving just about 1.5GB free total for apps and media. It seems like Microsoft is thrilled about this partnership, but it's a not going to make NickNeg's
search for new vision at the top any easier. As for Sugar? You'll still be able to get it, but we have a sinking feeling about its future. Demo video after the break.
Continue reading OLPC XO officially gets Windows XP, children of the world to be assimilated
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OLPC reshuffles, gets new president and COO
Sat, 03 May 2008 20:23:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
There's been a
rash of
defections at OLPC lately, with NickNeg himself
looking to leave soon, so it's nice to hear that the charitable endeavor is filling in the vacancies. Only it's not, really. Although Negroponte has said that's he looking for someone "similar to Kofi Annan" to lead the project, it looks like he's just shuffling people around, instead promoting part-time CFO Charles Kane to President and COO. Negroponte is going to focus on fund-raising and promotion, while Kane will handle the day-to-day matters of actually manufacturing and distributing the laptops. That's certainly a good first step -- and perhaps Charles Kane is really Kofi Annan's long-lost twin -- but with developers suddenly miffed over Negroponte's
overtures to Microsoft and talent leaving from the top, it seems like OLPC would do well to bring in some fresh vision and leadership, no?
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Walter Bender speaks out about leaving OLPC, de-emphasis of radical projects
Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:54:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
What do you know? The former OLPC head of software and content did indeed
resign at least partially over NickNeg's
growing fondness of Windows XP. In a recent soul-spilling interview with
xconomy,
Walter Bender made clear that he resigned his post at the non-profit due to the general de-emphasis of "radical projects like
Sugar," the innovative XO user interface which Mr. Bender was unsurprisingly neck-deep in during his stay. Essentially, he felt as if the outfit had stopped trying to "be disruptive" and started "trying to make things comfortable for decision-makers," hence Walter darting out "to do his own thing." Needless to say, the lead developer of Sugar isn't satisfied with seeing his work forgotten, and while details have yet to be worked out, he is looking to "find a new central home for the community of educators and software developers who have been creating Sugar-compatible applications."
[Image courtesy of
The New York Times]
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OLPC head of software and content resigns, possibly over transition to XP
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:28:00 EST
Filed under: Laptops
The recent
shakeups at the top of the OLPC hierarchy have apparently claimed another victim, as OLPC News is reporting that Software and Content chief Walter Bender has just left the project. Rumor is that Nicholas Negroponte is going to transition the OLPC XO entirely to Windows XP to spur sales soon, and Bender is reportedly unhappy about that. What makes this all the more interesting is that when security director
Ivan Krstić left the OLPC project last month, he specifically said he was unhappy that the restructuring no longer required him to work with Bender, and said that he could no longer "subscribe to the organization's new aims or structure in good faith." Looks like something's afoot at OLPC, and the old guard isn't happy about it. What say you, NickNeg?
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Even with Express Gate installed, it took ASUS' Eee Box a good 35 seconds before an application could be used. On this particular Eee PC 1000, it took around half a minute for the entire system to load. The secret? An ultra-speedy 40GB SSD packed within. Hop on past the break for proof of the feat, but don't blink for an extraordinarily long period of time.
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