Norhtec's new low-cost laptop computer

This one is manufactured by the same factory (Quanta) that builds the OLPC project's XO laptop computer. It's built for a company called Norhtec, which has been making low cost micro PCs for some years now. The laptop is called the "Gecko". An excerpt from Linux Devices:



Low-cost laptop runs Linpus Linux

[...] The Gecko resembles several other newly launched sub-notebooks, including the Everex Cloudbook and the Asus EEE PC. Like the EEE PC, but unlike the Cloudbook, the Gecko runs a Linux OS that is actually tailored for use on small-screen displays, and it has a fairly conventional laptop trackpad.


Norhtec's MicroClient Jr.

Bangkok-based Norhtec has previously shipped several ultra low-cost Linux thin clients, including the MicroClient JrSX, as well as an earlier $100 PC called the MicroClient Jr., which runs Puppy Linux. The goal for the Gecko was to create a laptop affordable enough to sell in poorer nations, Barnes said. "We are bidding the laptop on several large developing country projects," he wrote.

Taiwanese manufacturer Quanta has some experience with laptops aimed at the developing world, having won the contract to produce One Laptop per Child's Linux-based XO-1 laptop. According to OLPC, XO-1 laptops started shipping in November, and they continue to roll out around the world, albeit at a slower pace than expected. Meanwhile Intel is selling a rival "developing-market" laptop called the ClassMate PC, and a nonprofit group called Literacy Bridge is working on a Linux-based laptop for developing markets that will serve as an audio library for a low-cost Talking Book audio player that is billed as a $5 iPod.

Availability

According to Barnes, the formal announcement for the Gecko Laptop will happen soon, and the laptop will sell for under $300. More information on Linpus Linux Lite can be found here.

It's not restricted to using Linpus, other operating systems, even Windows, can be installed on it. I think this machine will be another welcome entry in an expanding market niche. See the rest of the article for more photos and links.

Are the next generation of PC's already here?

I don't mean the latest new technology; I mean existing technology used in more efficient and smarter ways. I think that is what you will find if you look at what a Bangkok company called NorhTec is offering. There is an article about one of their products at Linuxdevices.com. Below is a link, with some excerpts:

Tiny, sub-$100 PC runs Puppy Linux

A Bangkok-based company is shipping a tiny, sub-$100 PC capable of running Puppy and other lightweight Linux distributions. NorhTec's MicroClient Jr. measures 4.5 inches square, draws 8 Watts, and has a 166MHz Pentium-compatible processor with three integer units. It targets thin-client, kiosk, and electronic signage applications.

The tiny MicroClient Jr. fits in your hand.

The MicroClient Jr. appears to the smallest of several extremely small, energy efficient PCs and servers offered by NorhTec, which in four years of operation, has supplied PCs to such big-name clients as McDonalds of Canada, according to its founder, Michael C. Barnes. Barnes says he built the company specifically to produce sub-$100 PCs, explaining, "When I founded NorhTec, I knew that in a short period, computers would drop below $100.00 USD. When that happens, it will shake up the industry because none of the major players are set up to afford their infrastructure selling computers at $100 each."

The MicroClient Jr. saves cost in part by booting from CompactFlash, rather than a hard drive. Barnes explains, "We have been selling a product called the MicroServer General Purpose for four years now. The unit was revolutionary when it was introduced, but the price point is a bit too high because of its reliance on hard disks. Most of our customers use very little drive space, and we were spending $80.00 just to boot the system."

Barnes adds, "We also wanted to be able to add components such as WiFi, RS232 ports, and an additional NIC." [...]

NorhTec MicroClient Jr, front and back.

The article goes on to give more details about the units, which have no cooling fan or moving parts. Read the whole article for complete specs and more information about the company.

I've used Puppy Linux, it's an amazing Linux distribution that is small and compact, yet will let you do most of the things people use computers for.

If however, you have greater requirements, NorhTec offers a whole range of products to choose from, including machines with even greater capabilities.


Related Link:

Here is a photo of the French Linutop PC.

There are a whole slew of "Thin Client" PCs that are comming onto the market now. Below is a link to a listing of many of them:

The Linux Thin Client Showcase