Topic: $98 Netbook

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

HiVision makes the worlds cheapest Linux laptop at $98 using a new cheaper MIPS based processor, WiFi, 1GB flash storage, it runs Linux, has 3 USB ports, Ethernet, SDHC card reader, audio in and out, voice-chat, skype, multi-tabbed Firefox browser support and Abiword for word processing. Automatic and secure online software updates. Their current model is running a smooth and pretty snappy Linux user interface.

[Dash Jones]

Thanks, upon reading it I immediately went looking for HiVision, but couldn't find the link to buy the laptop...otherwise I'd probably already have a copy of one of those $98 Linux laptops on the way!

[Nemesis]

I'm hoping they really can and do bring it to market at that price.  I'd love to see these things being sold in blister packs as nearly disposable computers. 

So far you have all the information I have seen on it.  I'm assuming that it isn't yet on sale anywhere and this is a "preview".  The same happened with the eeePC with previews online months in advance (the actual price went up then so don't be surprised if this one rises too). 

[toasty0]

Wasn't this a big deal back in late spring of this year?

[Nemesis]

To the best of my knowledge this is just coming on the market.  You might be thinking  of the eeePC which (along with the OLPC) started the category. 

Until this unit they were all (I believe) x86 based systems (this is MIPS) and capable of running at least Windows XP (and are the reason Windows XP Home was not discontinued).  There are now versions of these with screen sizes ranging from 7 - 10 inches some with flash drives others with HDs. 

Some think of them as being updated versions of the Psion.  Myself I think that they are an example where Microsoft was too early with a product line.  How many people remember the "Jupiter machines" that Microsoft promoted?  Back when Microsoft first started to compete with the Palm Pilot they promoted 3 categories of machines to run WinCE (an unfortunate acronym).  One was a clear Palm Pilot clone, the 2nd was a mini clamshell design very similar to the old Atari Portfolio, the 3rd was the Jupiter Machine, very like these.  The problem they had is the cost of flash memory was still far too high and so were the screens.  They were priced way too high (4 figures rather than 3).  Now with the tech having advanced they are practical and Microsoft had forgotten them.