Lenovo has teamed with Intel to deliver the next generation Classmate+ netbook for education. Based on an Intel Learning Series reference design, the netbook is designed to be school-friendly in both its pricing and ruggedized design. A feature of the platform for schools is that it comes pre-loaded with educational software and a variety of teaching resources.
Intel on Tuesday announced it will soon launch a second-generation Learning Series Classmate PC meant for young children. As expected, the new computer will have a larger 10.1-inch LCD screen with 1024x600 resolution instead of the 8.9-inch screen of the original. Processing power again comes from a low-power Intet Atom CPU, though which one is not detailed, and there is also built-in Wi-Fi, but newly optional is a GPS sensor, 3G communications and WiMAX connectivity. Also new is a swiveling camera, while run time is extended thanks to an optional six-cell battery that endows the netbook with up to 8.5 hours of life.
MPC Corp has quietly revealed that it plans to shut down its operations permanently. The long-time PC maker says an attempt to save itself during Chapter 11 bankruptcy has failed and that it will drop 147 jobs immediately. The firm likewise plans to keep a core of just 51 staffers for an unspecified number of months until it can completely wind down its operations. A tough economic climate gives the company no other choice, an official claims.
MPC this morning hopes to extend the reach of Intel's Classmate PC to a wider audience with the TXTbook, the first North American version available for individuals. The design is largely unchanged from the second-generation model and is small enough with its 8.9-inch screen to be used comfortably by smaller children but durable enough to handle most common drops. The system boasts a speed improvement over the original by switching to a 1.6GHz Atom that also gives the small notebook up to five hours of battery runtime on an expanded capacity battery.
Early talks are underway to bring the Sugar interface from the One Laptop Per Child project's XO notebook to different PC builders, according to news from former OLPC executive and now Sugar Labs Foundation head Walter Bender. The spin-off company is now said to be discussing the use of Sugar with four "ultra low-cost" notebook makers who would use the front-end on top of the underlying operating system for computers targeted at children.
The One Laptop Per Child project has revealed that Intel has resigned its position from the non-profit group, ending any further teamwork on future projects. Although it had only joined the group in July, the company has been forced out of the group over its refusal to abandon projects that would directly compete with the XO notebook, which forms the backbone of the OLPC team's efforts. Systems like the Classmate PC are considered unacceptable by OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte both because they may take sales from the OLPC and because they use software other than the XO's custom Linux interface, Intel claims. The Classmate normally uses either a standard version of Linux or Windows XP.
Microsoft's Unlimited Potential group will test the One Laptop Per Child project's XO system with Windows XP, the company has announced. As part of a program to establish the guidelines for using the OS with budget notebooks with flash storage, including Intel's Classmate and the ASUS Eee PC, the software developer says it will run a field trial to see whether it can provide a "high-quality" implementation of Windows on the system, which runs an ultra low-power AMD Geode processor and typically runs a version of Linux to reduce costs and performance overhead.
