LowCostLaptop
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Uruguay becomes first nation to provide a laptop for every primary school student
Uruguay's been a huge fan of the One Laptop Per Child initiative for quite some time, and while we're still unsure if it's the entity's biggest customer, the aforesaid nation is certainly doing some serious business with Nicholas Negroponte and Company. After the first swath of youngsters received their green and white XOs back in May of 2007, the final smattering of kids have now joined the proud group of laptop-toting tots in the country's circuit of primary schools. You heard right -- every last pupil in Uruguay's primary school system now has a laptop and a growing love for Linux, and we're told that the whole thing cost the country less than five percent of its entire education budget. So, who's next?[Via Digg, image courtesy of oso]
PeeWee debuts drop and spill-resistant Pivot Tablet Laptop
At first glance, PeeWee PC's Pivot Tablet Laptop is a formidable rival to the long-standing OLPC XO. Unfortunately, the lofty price tag puts it in a class of its own, but it's still a solid machine for those looking to a learn a bit (or just give their kids a wholesome distraction). Debuting today, the three pound convertible tablet boasts a spill and drop-resistant shell, a carry handle, a presumed 10-inch touchscreen display and a 6-cell Li-ion battery. Within, you'll find a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, two USB 2.0 ports, a 60GB HDD, 1.3 megapixel camera, Ethernet, WiFi, Windows XP Home, a proprietary security suite to keep kids from picking up a new favorite stalker and ten age appropriate software and game titles. If your kid's been bugging you for a new netbook, you can quell the squealing by snapping one of these up today starting at $599.99. Full release is after the break.
Low-cost laptop overload arranged in digestible list
In case you've been camped out under a nearby boulder for the past six months or so, you'd realize that low-cost laptops have swarmed the market. Granted, only a handful are actually available for purchase today, but just in case you're trying to arrange your options in order to make the best purchasing decision in the future, Liliputing has assembled a stunningly comprehensive list of everything that's out there. From now shipping to darn-near-vaporware, all the details you need to know are lined up perfectly in the read link. Wipe that sweat from your brow, vaquero -- the hard work's been done for ya.
New shots of Intel's Netbook / Eco PC uncovered
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.
NorhTec prepping sub-$300 Linux-based laptop of its own
Sheesh -- as if the Eee PC, ONE, Cloudbook, G10IL and countless others weren't enough, now we've got one more low-cost laptop to keep track of. Aiming to arrive just a hair below that magical $300 price point, NorhTec is reportedly gearing up to introduce its Gecko laptop to the world, but the machine itself will be designed / built by Quanta. So far, we're hearing that it'll tout a 1GHz Via C7M ULV processor, an optional PATA hard drive, integrated graphics, a 7-inch display and the Linpus Linux Lite operating system. According to NorhTech's president Michael Barnes, "Linpus Lite is very similar to gOS," which we aren't exactly sure is something you'd really want to trumpet. Nevertheless, said bigwig also implied that the formal announcement of this here lappie would be happening soon -- let's just hope it actually stays under three bills.[Via Eee Site]
Everex's $400 VA1500V laptop now available
If the bargain priced Cloudbook was just a touch too small for your tastes, open wide for Everex's 15.4-inch VA1500V. Available now at NewEgg, this 5.3-pound rig features a 1.5GHz VIA C7-M processor, WXGA+ (1,440 x 900) resolution panel, half a gig of DDR2 RAM, a 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, DVD combo drive and a lackluster integrated graphics set. As expected, you'll also find the firm's gOS v2 "Rocket" operating system, an Ethernet port, 802.11b/g WiFi, three USB ports, VGA out, audio in / out and a 3-cell Li-ion sure to last an eternity. Still, you can't kvetch too loudly for $399.99, now can you?[Via Laptoping]
Acer prices themselves right out of "low-cost" laptop game
Acer's little low-cost laptop plans just emerged from the rumor closet. Chairman J.T. Wang says they'll launch a cheap-o, 7- to 9-inch laptop in Q2 or Q3 of 2008. That puts the world's number 3 computer maker in direct competition with the Eee PC and CloudBook in the burgeoning low-end laptop market. However, Acer should really re-think their expected price point of "around $470." After all, Dell's full, 15.4-inch laptops start at just $499.
