As should be clear by now, OLPC's Nicholas Negroponte is never one to shy away from discussing the competition (among other things), and he's now made some of his opinions on Intel's new Classmate 2 laptop (a.k.a. Netbook) and other low-cost laptops known in a brief interview with Laptop Magazine. On the updated Classmate, Nick Neg was able to bring himself to say that Intel "made many steps forward" and says that he's glad they adopted mesh networking, but he adds that the display is "still really very weak" and that "480 lines does not work" (no complaints from us there). He also doesn't mince words about Intel entering the domestic laptop market with the Netbook, saying that he's "astonished" that it's doing so and he "cannot imagine that Dell, HP, Lenovo and others will keep any allegiance to a supplier that competes with them." Nick Neg further adds that it's "fine" that others are entering the low-cost, educational laptop space, and that "kids will benefit," although not necessarily those in the poorer countries OLPC is targeting, where he's still promising to deliver a $50 laptop sooner or later.

From what we've seen thus far, Intel's Netbook isn't exactly the prettiest piece of kit. But apparently, the unit we've been shown looks nothing like the Netbooks of the future. At the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, the company was showing off an upcoming design that looked awfully thin (and awfully attractive). As it stands, all we truly know about the lappie was that Linux was under the hood and the Atom will likely power things whenever it escapes the trade show floor and ships en masse. Still, if the price is right, we can certainly see this slab being desired by more than just schoolkids in various corners of the world.

[Image courtesy of Impress]

Here we go, the official launch of Intel's second generation Classmate PC. After watching it trickle out in Malaysia, there's not much left to say about the rugged, Internet-centric platform of portables Intel is now calling "netbooks." However, if you're in the 95% of the world's children said to be without PCs or Internet, you're surely stoked at the prospect of your government handing you a 7- to 9-inch laptop with 6-cell battery, 512MB of memory, 30GB disk loaded with XP or Linux riding a Celeron M processor -- not Intel's newest Atom (though that's coming in future Classmates according to Intel). Then you can get started tweeting like your "more civilized" netizens.

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.

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.

One of our totally awesome tipsters got his hands on some more pics of Intel's forthcoming (we hope) Netbook, or as they call it, the Eco PC. These shots are way clearer than the previous pictures we've spied, and showcase the TI-99-esque keyboard that has at least one member of the Engadget team pretty darn excited. Take a look after the break at a few more photos, and hit Min Thu's Flickr gallery for the whole tour.

We're not exactly sure what to make of this one just yet, but the photo above seems to indicate that Intel may be hopping on the quickly growing sub-$400 laptop bandwagon. Reportedly spotted at an undisclosed OEM facility, the so-called Netbook would weigh less than three pounds, arrive in June and feature a 900MHz Celeron processor, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, 9-inch display, built-in WiFi / Ethernet and a convenient carry handle à la Eduwise. We know, you've no idea how you're going to contain your excitement over another budget priced lappie, but feel free to tap the read link for a couple more snapshots.