Pegatron's Ubuntu-equipped netbook spotted in the wild

It's been a hot, hot minute since we've seen anything noteworthy from the lads and ladies over at Pegatron, so it's not shocking that we're super tantalized by the prospect of yet another netbook flooding the oversaturated market in the near term. All unnecessary snideness aside, the sub-$200 price point that's being floated about definitely has us interested, though the Ubuntu operating system is likely to fend off any non-adventurous would-be buyers. The machine was spotted at ARM's Connected Community Technical Symposium 2009 over in Taiwan, and while the actual internals remain a mystery, snoopers were told that it'll boast instant-on capabilities and a low power draw. Huzzah?

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 23rd 2009 12:05AM]

Wow, looks like a real piece of crap. Yawn.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 23rd 2009 12:07AM]

Please, what's this "oversaturated netbook market" you speak about? It's a term that I have heard more than once in two days (or actually read, whatever). Yes, there is a lot of them. No, most of them might look the same but there are subtle differences (some go Atom, some go Atom + ION, some go ARM), size is another factor, battery life, and oh well the fact that there's not a lot of them running Ubuntu.

Why does this matter? Because if it's sub $200 and delivers the same usability and capabilities of the above $450 Windows counterparts, then it's DIFFERENT.

[lamerz Posted Nov 23rd 2009 12:08AM]

Think different, biatch. Once you go Mac, you never go back.

[lamerz Posted Nov 23rd 2009 12:07AM]

Wow, looks like a real piece of crap. Yawn.

And what's with the fuckin adverts running across the page?? What is this, 2003?

[mjones41 Posted Nov 23rd 2009 12:23AM]

If everything works out of the box, skype, web cam, mic, multimedia codecs, etc then I think it could be a winner.

The biggest drawback to Ubuntu so far has been the level of knowledge needed to make it work 100%.

I say thumbs up

[TheGZeus Posted Nov 23rd 2009 3:01AM]

I think the problem with Ubunuu is that you _can't_ make it work 100%, if your idea of 100% is different from theirs...

[alberth Posted Nov 23rd 2009 8:06AM]

I'd buy. At £200 (~£150) for a 10" portable that can do basic stuff plus media.With fast boot it would be ideal for when a little bit of browsing is needed.
I epxect my positive attitute is partly due to running Ubuntu on my main desktop at home so getting Ubuntu on a smartbook isn't that big a leap.
I know how to use it and like it.
Changing the processor and other bits makes no difference.
Think of all the Mac folks who went from PowerPC to Intel.
If the apps work and I can do what I want to do then there is no problem.

From a getting it to work 100%. If these are OEM with the OS installed at manufacturing then it will work 100% from the start.

[xxxsam Posted Nov 23rd 2009 7:16PM]

@Questionmark: ARM architecture is old compared to what exactly - x86, which debuted in, er, 1978? Hmmm.... (ARM started in 1985, making it a whole 7 years newer than Intel's architecture. Or you could count the latest revisions but what's the point? Both platforms have been updated regularly.)

Anyhow, Flash runs on ARM already (whatever Apple might have you believe). I'm just wondering whether the associated graphics processors - many of which are capable of accelerating video playback - are, or will be, supported.

[ChamPro Posted Nov 23rd 2009 5:15PM]

Please oh please bring this netbook/laptop/webbook out Pegatron! Maybe in time for Christmas?

[xxxsam Posted Nov 23rd 2009 7:17PM]

@(Unverified): Reply fail, sorry. (Not mine; Engadget's.)