Intel's Netbook revealed as FTEC SmartBook, mystery solved

Finally, the Intel Netbook mystery is solved with the official unveiling of the 7- and 9-inch low-enders in Malaysia. The ruggedized laptops for kids (at least, initially) are manufactured by Malaysia's own FTEC and will carry a SmartBook moniker. The term "netbook" is generic, Intel-speak for highly-portable, Internet-centric laptops which Intel plans to target at young children, first-time buyers, seniors and housewives. Both of the 7- and 9-inch laptops feature 512MB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, a USB 2.0 jack, Intel Celeron ULV processor, Linux OS, and water-resistant keyboards. The 7-inch will retail in Malaysia for RM1,199 ($377) and include a 40GB disk with optional, $31 Windows XP pre-load. The RM1,299 (about $409) 9-inch offers just 2GB of flash storage, integrated webcam, and optional theft control feature using network issued digital certificates. Shame that 9-incher is limited to just 2GB of storage, eh?

[Thanks, Simon Y]

Update: Intel's Netbook is sounding more and more like a genre or reference design of PC to be built by many manufacturers under many different names -- we saw this under the "2go" moniker just yesterday. There's also word it might in fact be the Classmate 2, but we're still waiting on some more clarification from the Intel folks.

[fusion @ Mar 25th 2008 7:30AM]

IS IT MADE BY VTEC OR FISHER PRICE

[phanbouy @ Mar 25th 2008 1:34PM]

YOU POSTED THIS YESTERDAY. EVEN CLEVERER TODAY.

[The Dude @ Mar 25th 2008 1:50PM]

OMFG YOU FAIL. IT'S MADE BY HASBRO 'CAUSE THEY MAKE AND GIVE EASY-BAKE OVENS TO THE GIRLS AND NETBOOKS TO THE MENS.

[generally @ Mar 25th 2008 7:49AM]

I'm sorry to be the party-pooper... but am I the only one who thinks kids having a laptop free roaming on the internet is a bad thing? If Intel is going to pitch this primarily on kids, they better be relying on one of two things: state-of-the-art internet-blocking software; or the stupidity of their parents.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 25th 2008 8:23AM]

-getting on myspace, youtube, pornotube, or gamespot all day long

[Hax Or @ Mar 25th 2008 10:52AM]

Yer a luddite

[Mic2000 @ Mar 25th 2008 7:51AM]

Anyone wants some more toasties? (see previous article about the NetBook)

[bob e @ Mar 25th 2008 7:53AM]

Good deal on XP for $31!

The suits look much more interested than the kids.

[mymaclife @ Mar 25th 2008 8:12AM]

'Water resistant keyboard'!

FFS forget the kids - don't these people realize we drink beer while using our laptops, this should be standard on any laptop not just one for kids!

[Homeboy @ Mar 25th 2008 8:02AM]

Can anyone explain the logic behind equipping the 7 incher with a bevy 40GB drive and the 9 incher with a mere 2GB flash based storage??

[mymaclife @ Mar 25th 2008 8:13AM]

They tend to apply Moore's Law when dealing with any logic issues at Intel. If you want to know more about it then 'Logic in Computer Science' by Michael Huth is a good book. ;)

[apeguero @ Mar 25th 2008 8:47AM]

It's exactly what I was asking myself. Why on earth are these hardware manufacturers wasting our time with these puny little SSD drives? Just thrown in a 1.8 inch 40gig hdd in there and leave any SSDs that are less than 32gb out. Although I'm sure we could just pop out that 2gig SSD and put in a real HDD but why would I want to do this? Why would I want to spend $400.00 on a laptop to then pop out it's useless main storage drive and replace it with another hard drive? I don't have an extra one lying around in my house so that means I'd have to buy one. And then it won't be a $400.00 lappie anymore. It'd be a > 400 dollar laptop. Plus I'd probably void my warranty doing this. Dumb move Intel. But I have a solution: add a HDD option to the 7" model where the buyer could chose between SSD and HDD.

[Magallanes @ Mar 25th 2008 10:44AM]

It's about energy, a 7" lcd will spend A LOT LESS energy rather a 9" lcd. Ok, may be not much less but just enough to think to save some energy using a flash storage rather a conventional hd.

Anyways, 2gb for a kid is too much space.

[eric seitz @ Mar 25th 2008 8:27AM]

I am a US ex pat living in rural Brazil, this whole notebooks for kids movement is INSANE.

porn, countersrtike, msn, orkut, bebo.....great, bring the internet to the uneducated masses. Make sure they have a webcam so they can start recording their own exploited, molested, woeful lives.

I guess there is no money in education, real education for the masses. Not to mention health issues and hunger. These kids and moms do not need tech, they need literacy and a full belly.

If you must wire the world, then how about some focus on content, that is lacking, void will be filled by the above mentioned diversions.

[mymaclife @ Mar 25th 2008 9:14AM]

Shame you're out the US Eric with a speech like that Obama wouldn't have stood a chance!

[Eddie W @ Mar 25th 2008 11:14AM]

I agree, especially at these prices. There are much bigger needs around the globe on the education front. I am all for classroom access to internet, but we seem to forget that just throwing tech at children is not real education. I'd put teaching training/salary and curriculum way above this. Tech is expensive and it ultimately falls apart. A good education lasts a lifetime. Eric, thanks for your comment.

[Blaine Oliver @ Mar 25th 2008 9:07AM]

'Shame that 9-incher is limited to just 2GB of storage, eh?'
The gauntlet may have been thrown down, but its just not an EEE, is it?

[Sascha @ Mar 25th 2008 9:30AM]

oh come on guys what kinda mystery are you talking about?
the mystery of an OEM device that got branded by a Malaysian company?
i am pretty sure that we will see a dozen different names for this device in the next couple of months and it will be released on a dozen emerging markets from a dozen of different companies and i am soooo looking forward to another dozen "mystery solved" news ;)

sorry engadget but this.... oh well :\

[Alex Kirby @ Mar 25th 2008 11:20AM]

Have they really thought about the senior angle? I can tell you with 100% certainty that my grandmother would not be able to focus on a 9inch, let alone 7, screen for too long.

[mymaclife @ Mar 25th 2008 12:51PM]

It's probably been some years since you grandmother had to focus on a 7", I could imagine a 9" would kill her!

[ghostparticle @ Mar 25th 2008 12:32PM]

okay...isnt it a bit expensive for a kiddie-top with such low specs. the cheapest dell here goes for MYR 2099 (~USD690)...which includes -sigh- vista.
http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=my&cs=mydhs1&l=en&s=dhs

[phanbouy @ Mar 25th 2008 1:26PM]

at least put your spam at the bottom of your message

[dvdivx @ Mar 25th 2008 1:30PM]

Did anyone else notice that only one of the kids is even looking at the screen yet all the adults are?

[The Dude @ Mar 25th 2008 1:33PM]

Except for the one kid in the middle who must be checking out some pr0n, the other kids look terrifically UNDERWHELMED. Can't say I blame them.

[phanbouy @ Mar 25th 2008 1:55PM]

Donnie, you're out of your element!

[The Dude @ Mar 25th 2008 2:20PM]

You know it's like Lenin [Lennon] said, uh...

I am the Walrus?