Intel says it's for schools, but if the EeePC was any indication, geeks will be all over this thing like a rash. Oh, and it's waterproof.
Intel today announced the second-generation Classmate PC. The initial specs look as basic as it gets, but it's likely to be cheap as chips and potentially a great option for the long commute on trains and buses.
In a neat move the new Classmate is described as being "waterproof". It also has wireless, a 6 cell battery and is "shock resistant". Major changes include a larger 9in screen size, 512MB RAM, multiple designs and inbuilt webcam. Storage is a 30GB HDD or up to 4GB flash drive.
We saw the new Ubuntu version of the classmate, with an inbuilt webcam, and a model running Windows XP without a webcam included. Interestingly there was no special interface on the Ubuntu machine we saw, as there is for the EeePC.
The new design runs a range of education specific software -- we got to see science software made by PASCO demonstrated that allows students to measure volume and an Egyptian-designed game made by ISIS software for students.
The Classmate also capable of video. We saw three student computers running a video being played from a separate machine. The computers are able to reconnect and carry on with a presentation even if the wireless connection drops mid-stream.
The big question is how it will be sold. Intel is deploying the machines as part of the educational Intel World Ahead Program, though in Australia Optima provides Classmate PCs for schools, and we should be seeing a retail launch of the second generation Classmate PC later this year.
Here are the specs:
- Intel® Celeron® M processor (future Intel-powered Classmates will come with Intel Atom processor)
- 802.11b/g and "mesh" network capabilities
- 6 cell battery
- 512MB RAM
- 30GB HDD, or up to 4GB
- Webcam
- 9-inch LCD
- Windows XP and variants of Linux (the demo machines we saw had Ubuntu)
