Intel's Netbook revealed as the 2go PC

Finally, something solid on the recently-rumored Netbook... or should we say, the 2go PC. The little laptop, manufactured by CTL, will clearly be aimed at the education market, though the specs imply that this will be destined for more than just the classroom. The 2go features an Intel Celeron M CPU on top of the 915GMS chipset, 512MB of RAM (upgradeable to 1GB), a 9-inch, 800 x 480 LCD display, 40GB hard drive, 802.11b/g, SD / MMC reader, and a full complement of standard ports and jacks. The systems natively run XP (though Linux appears to be an option), feature a VGA webcam, and are expected to go about three hours between full charges. Our contact says these will be on shelves in less than 60 days, and will retail for around $400. We're working on getting our grubby mitts all over one of these puppies, but in the meantime, check out some more pics after the break.

[rcastrousa @ Mar 24th 2008 2:59PM]

not bad , not great but good start for intel...asus is still nicer looking but this aint bad...just needs to be

[phanbouy @ Mar 24th 2008 2:54PM]

it "just needs to be"

holistic laptop?

[ADemoncC @ Mar 24th 2008 2:50PM]

well since it is for little kids i guess i cant say to much

[phanbouy @ Mar 24th 2008 2:48PM]

sure about that?

[Chuckles McGee @ Mar 24th 2008 3:28PM]

Stop being so childish.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Mar 24th 2008 4:54PM]

My local Staples blows out "real" laptops for $250-350 all the time. Paying $400 for something like this feels like I'm getting ripped off. It reminds me of a 2003 HP ZE4400 . . . .

[Homeboy @ Mar 24th 2008 2:50PM]

It doesn't............fit in a manila envelope. Further more, does it come with pepper spray?? With this device in the hands of children walking home after a hard day at school they will become easy targets of mugging.

[Ekauq @ Mar 24th 2008 2:52PM]

maybe that's where the design comes into play

[Jon Doe. @ Mar 24th 2008 3:07PM]

One word...backpacks

Plus you get enough of these the likelihood of being a target becomes less. think herd mentality around a lioness. :-)

[Mr Teacher @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:37PM]

this technology would be for in-house use not take home. When we buy laptops we can place them on mobile carts; making a mobile lab. More students have access this way.

[ClaMs @ Mar 24th 2008 2:51PM]

Well at least the specs are good enough to play DOOM.


...sorry sorry sorry I just had to. :)

[Montusama @ Mar 24th 2008 2:54PM]

Correction, you'll find someone to OC it to play Doom 3 or even Crysis :P

[phanbouy @ Mar 24th 2008 4:33PM]

stick to walking over cracks in the sidewalk

[Abuzar @ Mar 24th 2008 7:01PM]

OMG, other people do that too. I thought I was the only one!

It's just so addicting, I can't stop walking over those things.

[Stephen @ Mar 24th 2008 2:59PM]

Is it just me, or is the little handle a stupid feature? I think the EeePC feels much less like a toy without one.

[Dan @ Mar 24th 2008 5:05PM]

Yea, this looks like a laptop i get for my 4yr old nephew.

I got myself the EeePC 4th gen and i love it man, just upgrade the ram to 2 gigs, get a SDHC card, put xp and you got yourself a awesome on the go laptop that doesnt look like it was made from Fisher-Price toy company.

[Jon Doe. @ Mar 24th 2008 3:55PM]

Its just you. This is for children. Children are clumsy and they drop crap...hence the handle.

[Nate @ Mar 24th 2008 2:53PM]

I wonder how tough this thing is.

Based solely on the pictures, it looks like it could take a beating.

[ridestp @ Mar 24th 2008 5:24PM]

Dude, even my dick plays doom

[eseiber @ Mar 24th 2008 2:54PM]

Ok finally something I might be interested in. A screen large enough, xp or linux and a real hard drive. Hmmmmm. This is going to be an interesting couple of months deciding between the competitors.

[bun @ Mar 24th 2008 3:49PM]

Sure it's big, but at 800x480, I'll hold out for the next tiny lappy.

[Abuzar @ Mar 25th 2008 12:48AM]

"Sure it's big"

That's what she said!

[Jamma @ Mar 24th 2008 3:01PM]

I don't get it..."they" want us to recycle our old ugly 1990's PC components.....and then they release something this ugly to show us what happens to it. Not the best environmental movitator ever, intel

[David Vogt @ Mar 24th 2008 3:07PM]

Good god, as much as I hate to say it, this looks like a portable toilet.

[happy_penguin @ Mar 24th 2008 3:10PM]

Which is fine since the students will likely treat it like shit.

[Matt @ Mar 24th 2008 7:08PM]

Yes. It is ugly, but lets hold our total judgement until we see how ruggest these little things are. If they can take a beating I can get over the way it looks and see some good uses for it.

[fusion @ Mar 24th 2008 3:11PM]

IS IT MADE BY VTEC, OR FISHER PRICE

[phanbouy @ Mar 24th 2008 3:35PM]

THAT'S CLEVER. YOU'RE CLEVER.

[Zach @ Mar 24th 2008 3:38PM]

vtec

[cc-accountant @ Mar 24th 2008 4:01PM]

do you want cams on laptops for kids?

[Julian @ Mar 24th 2008 4:15PM]

That is a really good point. That opens up a whole can of worms and world of potential trouble in regards to protecting children from internet predators and simple things like classroom management/harassment concerns. However, as these technologies becomes more pervasive (camera phones, and other connected devices) is it even possible to protect children by excluding a camera? I imagine as with most things, teaching children how to use these tools responsibly is the key. Plus a simple camera can be a great learning tool too; student can take pictures of projects, or just make silly faces, either way not harmful.

[Yuri @ Mar 26th 2008 11:18AM]

I think it's a good learning aid.

Kids need to be taught to just not be stupid. It's like telling a kid not to talk to stranges, and then letting them go out and play with friends.

We can't constantly shelter kids, and it's better to educate the child than to shelter them from it.

[Mike Street @ Mar 24th 2008 3:33PM]

$400 is perfect for the kids.

[mobilebomb @ Mar 24th 2008 3:39PM]

This thing is already on sale in Thailand. For 9,900 baht (about US$300), you get 512MB RAM and 2GB Flash.

It's sold as SVOA, Thai local brand.

[Bamboo @ Mar 24th 2008 4:26PM]

Hey, $300 aint bad if it is that price I'm considering buying it for my cousins age 11, and 12.

[retro77 @ Mar 24th 2008 3:40PM]

Coming to nurseries everywhere!

[Morgan @ Mar 24th 2008 3:43PM]

Eh, I'm not impressed. I'd still prefer an EeePC for the no moving parts, the fact that it's made for linux (the Intel machine "supports" linux but the Eee was made specifically to run linux), and let's face it, this thing is uglier than the XO. Besides, I'm not allowing another keyboard in my home with a "Windows" key on it. Call me silly but it's just a preference.

[derX @ Mar 24th 2008 3:58PM]

Seriously, you think the XO looks better than this?
*does not compute*

To each his own, I guess. The integration of Windows, to me, is the computer's saving grace. This is a greater starter laptop--it's cheap, looks durable, and has the essentials.

-------

As a sidebar, I remember looking at spy pics of this--please don't ask why, for argument's sake, they just materialized on my screen--and saw the handle and wondered what new species of ugly this thing came from but looking at it closed, it's actually not that bad.

Again, to each his own.

[Morgan @ Mar 24th 2008 4:01PM]

It's not so much that I think the XO looks "better". They are two different kinds of ugly to my eyes, this one just seems so...padded. I guess it would look/feel okay to someone used to carrying around a leather-bound attache case, I just have my own preference is all. I like clean lines and shiny plastic.

[Yuri @ Mar 26th 2008 11:18AM]

But honestly, this notebook wasn't made to look good.

It was made for some 8yr old kid to perhaps take to school, or for schools to distribute to little kids.

It can take a beating, and that I think means much more than a good looking notebook in the eyes of an 8yr old.

More or less, they'll probably cover it in stickers or something anyways =\

[Hax Or @ Mar 24th 2008 3:51PM]

2go Please!

Yes I will take fries with that!

Yes I am pulling forward now!

[whatishalo? @ Mar 25th 2008 12:13AM]

I can see the Saturday morning commercials now:

"Hey! Lego my 2go!"

[matt @ Mar 24th 2008 3:55PM]

I dont get it, you can already get better lappys for less if you wait a week or two for the ads at bb, cc, or dell. to actually put these things in mass out into the wile they really need to drop the price by 200 IMHO, otherwise they appear to me to be worthless

[Jon Doe. @ Mar 24th 2008 4:02PM]

That gets what? Maybe an hour or two of battery life at most. So I guess we are expected to have our kids cluster around an outlet between classes eh....look at the specs, ULV. Your typical Best Buy special is using some AMD crap chip that doesn't cost much but isn't very power efficient either. My money is on INtel making this thing highly miserly. Why do you think they are talking XP or Linux not Vista.

[Jon Doe. @ Mar 24th 2008 3:59PM]

Get it through your heads guys. This isn't for you. This isn't even for someone in highschool, who BTW wouldn't be caught dead with this, its for grade schoolers and below. So instead of mom and dad dropping a grand on a laptop that may get broken in a week they drop $400 on a semirugged laptop that can take a beating. Dear god I'd hate to see what an Eee PC would look like after a week in the hands of an 8 year old.

[PEZ @ Mar 24th 2008 4:35PM]

That dosnt look so bad. I would like to see a size comparrison between this and the other tiny lousy laptops!

[Tony @ Mar 24th 2008 4:22PM]

Ah, the hideousness, it burns... That thing is ugly srsly.

[Brian @ Mar 24th 2008 4:24PM]

Foam-filled pleather handle ftw!

[ethana2 @ Mar 24th 2008 4:28PM]

If you can choose between XP and linux (hopefully Ubuntu), then that's awesome. Choice is awesome.

[Abuzar @ Mar 25th 2008 12:51AM]

Really? Choice is awesome? What if you had to choose between getting your head chopped off by a blunt axe or burning to death?

Choice isn't so awesome anymore, is it?