Averatec preps 10-inch Android netbook
updated 08:10 am EDT, Tue April 28, 2009
Averatec Android Netbook
Averatec is poised to make a significant change to its netbook strategy with Google's Android as its likely foundation, based on an interview with company chief Tae-Hyun Cho. While not naming it explicitly, he indicates to CNET that the TriGem sub-brand's upcoming 10-inch system will have a "surprise" OS that is a "merger of cell phone and PC technology;" Android is one of the few platforms to match the description. The design itself will also be more noticeably upscale and, in a teaser shot, is seen as particularly thin.
The software has already been picked by new PC builder Skytone for its own ultra-budget netbook, now believed to cost $250 for a US release, but is increasingly under scrutiny by more established PC veterans such as MSI as well as Dell and HP. Android can run on as little as a 200MHz ARM processor and lets companies both run on very inexpensive hardware as well as offer a low-cost Linux operating system which is still easy to use.
The new netbook is due sometime in August or September and hasn't been given a price, though if it uses Android it should fall significantly below the typical $399 price for Windows-based netbooks at the same size.
