Intel Plans Huge Update To Classmate PC Netbook Line
The Intel Classmate PC is getting some updates, including new Pine Trail CPUs and a sleek redesign by Intel. Designated the Convertible Classmate, Intel’s school-centric netbook currently features a 10.1-inch swiveling touchscreen.
The new Atom CPUs are 60% smaller and 20% more efficient than the old versions. The netbook will also feature optional 3G and WiMax connectivity. Larger screen sizes could be in the works for the Intel Classmate PC.
The Classmate PC began in 2007 as a response to and competitor to the OLPC XO netbook. It was redesigned once in September 2008, but this time around, the netbook could feature better graphics and 720p video.
Intel says Argentina is going to buy 250,000 Classmate PC netbooks later this year, to be delivered to 1500 schools by the UN. Brazil and Turkey have purchased Classmate PCs as well.
Via PCWorld, image via CrunchGear.
Moblin 2.0 Netbook OS On A Classmate PC
Christopher Dawson of ZDNet recently installed Moblin 2.0 on his Classmate PC, and had a few things to say about its performance
- Installation took about 25 minutes, but didn’t recognize existing Windows partitions. That means no dual booting.
- The touchscreen didn’t work, which is a major selling point of the Classmate PC, but Dawson thinks a bit of tweaking could fix that problem. Some feedback from Moblin users will likely fix that problem as well as the non-functioning wireless.
- The Moblin UI proved as interesting as advertised, featuring “stackable spaces for various functional groups and automatically hiding toolbars,” which “[made] much better use of the minimal screen real estate than Windows does.”
- Moblin was responsive and quick, and acting as a prime example of the efficiency Linux users are so proud of.
The Clutter Interface in particular sounds amazing on a touchscreen, so I’d be interested to hear more about Moblin 2.0 on touchscreen-enabled netbooks.
Via ZDNet.
Gachapin The Dinosaur Invades Japanese Netbooks
Who knew the day would come when Bandai would take a dip into netbooks? If I’d heard that a few months ago I’d have absolutely no idea what to expect, but given the lengths to which Japanese manufacturers will go to produce a machine with copious branding (see: Hello Kitty netbook), nothing is unexpected anymore.
And thus comes the latest in a line of hilariously flashy, eccentric, and extremely Japanese netbooks: the Gachapin and Mukku Ultramobile PC.
If you can bear to tear your eyes from the retina-burning neon green of the netbook, you’ll notice the glum-looking face in the wallpaper. That’s Gachapin, the green dinosaur whose sing-along antics have attracted the love and money of the latest generation of Japanese children. The horrified-looking furry thing is Mukku, Gachapin’s red Yeti sidekick.
The machine is designed to be kid-friendly, in classic OLPC style. I highly doubt any adult could get serious work done on such a garishly-bedecked device, anyway. Japan really loves cute branding, and who can blame the CEOs responsible? If netbooks were around when I was seven, I’d have taken Gachapin over the comparatively boring Classmate PC any day of the week.
The netbook isn’t kiddie when it comes to hardware, though. Beneath the cutesy exterior lie the components of a competitive machine, running the “N270 Intel Atom processor (1.60 Ghz), a 120GB HDD, Wifi, a webcam, a One-Seg digital TV tuner with an antenna, a webcam and a 8.9 TFT screen with 1,024×600 resolution.”
From the moment you boot up the netbook, Gachapin’s voice will boom from the speakers in an effort to propagandize you into being more efficient: “Goood morning! Goooood morning! Let’s try to work hard today!”
The Gachapin and Mukku Ultramobile PC will be out in Japan this March, for a pricetag as frightening as the monster himself: US $880.
Via CrunchGear.
One Laptop Per Child Creator To Open-Source Netbook Technology
Yesterday at the TED Conference, Nicholas Negroponte delivered a speech about the rise of and future of netbooks. He is the founder of One Laptop Per Child, and claimed that this very program was responsible for the netbook category’s immense upwards trajectory.
OLPC has half a million devices out today, being used in many cases by children to teach their parents how to read and write.
He had some things to say about the influence commercial markets have had on One Laptop Per Child, saying they have competed with the project meanly. Similarly, he decried the fact that netbooks haven’t replicated OLPC’s emphasis on sturdy construction and specialization for kids.
Negroponte’s generalizations aren’t completely correct – one might note the possible exception of the Classmate PC, which was as hardy as he prescribed. Similarly, the Victorian Government bought netbooks for Australian children but didn’t invest in the toughened-up ones of OLPC – instead they used netbook technology from Lenovo and Acer.
So, what’s he going to do about it? Nicholas intends to open-source the OLPC hardware, inviting competitors to mimic it and improve on it. His hope is a philanthropic one: three years from now, he wants 5-6 million OLPC-type netbooks in the hands of the world’s children three years from today.
What will open-sourcing do for his One Laptop Per child netbook technology? We’ll have to wait and see, but hopefully anything using the same model as the rampantly successful Linux should greatly expand OLPC.
Via Gigaom.
Victorian Government Drops $9 Million On Student Netbook Program
It’s a big day for netbookers everywhere. The Victorian government, in a fit of technological experimentation, planned to spend $9 million on a three-year trial to deliver Lenovo and Acer netbooks to over 10,000 school students.
In case you weren’t sure, Victoria is a region in the southeastern corner of Australia.
“The netbook pilot will open the door for thousands of students at more than 344 schools in regional and traditionally lower socio-economic areas to keep pace with all the benefits of modern learning by making 24-hour online access possible for just $1 per week… The government has made a commitment through our education blueprint that we don’t want to see any student left behind when it comes to education, no matter where they live or their social circumstances.”
Interestingly enough, the netbooks will be given to children as young as 5 and 8 years old. The machines should be on the way by late February.
The Australians weren’t stingy about boosting the netbooks either, adding in protective covers, webcams, six-cell batteries, and 28 educational programs – bumping the machines’ price up to about $900 each. Victoria’s netbooks will come with “Microsoft Office, Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium, animation program Kahootz, computer aided design program Google SketchUp and a range of other free open source multimedia programs.”
The plan is to have schools own the machines, but to allow students to purchase the netbook they’ve been using in the last year of the trial program. The government isn’t being stingy, though – kids will be able to bring their netbooks home in the mean time. After all, mobility’s the point.
Bronwyn Pike, the Education Minister of Victoria, said that the goal is to “deliver affordable access to technology for thousands of Victorian families who will save hundreds of dollars on computer software.”
This state-funded program is a huge step for the netbook world, one that demonstrates netbooks’ potential for improving the learning of children worldwide in a low-cost way. It’s likely Intel is ticked off that the Victorians didn’t choose their Classmate PC, which was specifically designed for student use, but there’s not much they can do – the market has spoken.
Via AustralianIT.
CES: Price of Intel Classmate PC Confirmed
The retail price of the Intel student-based tablet netbook system, the Intel Classmate PC, has been confirmed. It is now available from CTL in the USA for $549.
The price is a bit higher than we’d hoped for, as it is a device meant for wide distribution among students and other low-end consumers. Hopefully this big number was worked into Intel’s plan for hawking the device, because if it wasn’t, the Classmate PC will surely sink. We definitely laud Intel for putting the new tablet netbook out there, but praise is less important than price when it comes to getting the thing sold.
Be sure to check out our feature on the Intel Classmate PC for all the specs.
Via Hexus.
CES: Intel Releases Classmate PC Tablet Netbook
The new Classmate PC by Intel has been getting some press as a student-ready tablet meant for the modern age. The netbooks come in a convertible and clamshell version, the first of which has a flexible 180-degree swivel design and has touchscreen capabilities.
Lila Ibrahim, general manager of the Intel Learning Series-supporting Intel Emerging Markets Platform Group, is walking the high road with this netbook. “Education is one of the best ways to improve the future for individuals, villages, or nations,” he said. “There are 1.3 billion school-age children around the world and of those only 5 percent have access to a PC or the interner. The IT industry has a huge opportunity to contribute to how technology can improve students’ learning and students’ lives. With our announcement today, Intel continues its long-standing commitment to advancing education through technology to transform lives around the world.”
The Classmate PC is truly a school-ready netbook. It comes with a lower-power Intel Atom CPU, to drive the cost down, and is light enough for a child to tote around. It is specially designed for ruggedness, and can take solid bumps or liquid in its water-resistant keyboard. It also has the unique “palm rejection” feature, which allows the child to rest his palm on the touchscreen for more comfortable writing. The netbook also features software from the Intel Learning Series program.
Intel says local manufacturers including “CTL, Equus and M&A in the United States, MDG in Canada, CMS in the United Kingdom, NEC in France, Olidata in Chile, ASI in Australia and Hanvon in China” are going to be offering Classmate PCs in their respective countries. Both the clamshell and convertible tablet Classmate PCs will be offered worldwide.
At CES this week, Craig Barrett (the chairman of Intel) focused on Intel’s intent to provide educational content to children everyqhere. “Technology can be used in tremendous ways to impact people’s lives on the ground,” he elaborated. He mentioned that 3G, 4G, and WiMax would hold a big role in helping do so, especially for developing countries.
Release dates and costs aren’t available yet, so check back soon.
Intel’s Classmate PC: A New Take On Netbooks
Intel’s newest project is the Classmate PC, a student-based netbook to be officially announced at CES this year.
The netbook is in the tablet style, with a touchscreen and compatibility for both landscape and portrait modes.
Laptop.com recently got the chance to mess around with an “almost final” version. Their conclusions? Even though the Classmate is built for kids, the touchscreen features are well-implemented, and other netbook manufacturers should take the hint.
They also liked the blue and white color scheme, the webcam, and the friendly interface. The Classmate can also tell if your palm is grazing the screen while you use the stylus. That way you won’t accidentally click other icons, something that personally irks me about my laptop’s touchpad.
The Classmate PC is an interesting take on the netbook theme and we hope to see some more interpretations soon.
Via CrunchGear.
