First Android Netbook Costs Just $100
Here it is, the first Android netbook.
We’ve been waiting for Android to hit a device that’s anything but a mobile phone for a while now, but more specifically, we’ve been waiting for an Android-powered netbook. Figuring such a device would make some kind of splash, the first low cost notebook/tablet running Google’s open source OS nearly slipped by us unnoticed.
China-based Skytone this week added the Alpha 680 to its website and presents itself as 7-inch ARM powered, Android netbook that also doubles as a tablet. Specs-wise, it’s not all that impressive, but then again, netbooks aren’t supposed to be impressive machines. You’re looking at a 800x480 7-inch LCD, 128 MB DDR2 (up to 256 MB Optional), 1 GB SSD (up to 4 GB Optional), an ARM11 533 MHz 32bit CPU as well as a capacitive touchscreen.
Judging from the pictures, it also comes in some pretty garish colors, including yellow. While there’s no price on the website (or shipping date for that matter), rumor has it this will cost just $100, which is more than alright for a very low-end netbook.
Check out the Skytone website for more pictures.
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Ok, good. Now will we be able to run a different Linux distro for it?
This would make a great project Netbook that you could hack and make a photoframe,etc.
Ok, good. Now will we be able to run a different Linux distro for it? This would make a great project Netbook that you could hack and make a photoframe,etc.
That's what every manufacturer wants to hear, "Man, I would hack this laptop and turn it into a MEAN picture frame!"
Hmmm....my Dell Axiom X3i with a 400mhz ARM (XScale) 64MB Ram, 3.5"screen cost >$350...more speed, more memory, added storage, bigger screen and a built in keyboard for $100...I could go for that. I got a ton of work done on my X3i (including taking notes in class with the folding keyboard add-on)...now show me some GPS love for it and I'm sold.
Haha, seriously...but for $100 I'd be willing to try a lot of things with this netbook, especially considering that it's a tablet netbook! Wait, I just looked at the website and it doesn't say anything about being a tablet, or having a touch screen besides the fact that it has a rotating screen. Is that enough to assume that it does have a touchscreen? I'd say by the looks of the controls on the front it won't be a touchscreen. Maybe I'm just skeptical of a $100 netbook with a touchscreen though...but you can always hope, right?
Well, what fits in 1gb ssd? Is 553mhz and 128mb supposed to be fast? Does 800x480 look good? NO! I think they stopped making these things many, many years ago. Its true that a netbook isn't supposed to be anything impressive, but something like wouldn,t have been impressive at all 10 years ago. For me, it ain't worth $100, not even with a new unseen OS(on pc) like Android.
Haha, seriously...but for $100 I'd be willing to try a lot of things with this netbook, especially considering that it's a tablet netbook! Wait, I just looked at the website and it doesn't say anything about being a tablet, or having a touch screen besides the fact that it has a rotating screen. Is that enough to assume that it does have a touchscreen? I'd say by the looks of the controls on the front it won't be a touchscreen. Maybe I'm just skeptical of a $100 netbook with a touchscreen though...but you can always hope, right?
The specs page (right at the bottom) lists a capacitive TouchPad.
According to their site, it comes with a "Better" instead of a "Battery"! I have to get one now.
The specs page (right at the bottom) lists a capacitive TouchPad.
Yes but that refers to the MOUSE TouchPad aka a trackpad, not the screen.
I like this one. Who cares if the specs are low end , there are plenty of Linux distros and software that will run just fine on this thing. Check out something like DSL Linux or Puppy Linux.
Besides I'm thinking you can get even full featured Linux distros working on this by using some external storage ( fast 8 GB USB stick is like 10 $ ) and the RAM at 256 MB should do.
It's great that it's Android powered I mean it's cool but other than that I find it pretty useless. Maybe Android is OK for phones but in a laptop I'd rather have a Linux distro with some decent software.
That's what every manufacturer wants to hear, "Man, I would hack this laptop and turn it into a MEAN picture frame!"
I love DIY and that just sounds wrong, people do what them want, comments like that only show that you don't know your readers.
If it's well marketed I think it will have a bit of impact in the netbook market because if you think what netbooks were born to do this one will do it just fine. I myself wouldn't buy it because my needs are a bit more specific. But i'm with barturtle on the GPS that with a 3G internet connection would be wonderous, it could be marketed as a car nettop XD
Yes but that refers to the MOUSE TouchPad aka a trackpad, not the screen.
It does show a pen on the "zoom in" page...I can totally deal with a tablet netbook with a pen (like a do on my tablet laptop and my Wacom desktop)
This is cool.. I want one just for hell of it...
The specs page (right at the bottom) lists a capacitive TouchPad.
TouchPad =? Touchscreen? Its okay Jane... a lot of us have read into things when we wanted something really bad. Mistakes happen.
Heck I'd be willing to buy it for $100 and use it as a garage computer.
Feels like I'm back in 1998. At least it isn't 3 inches thick.
At $100 bundling becomes a reality. If Windows 7 was ported to ARM and the specs of this device increased a bit, it would be conceivable that in a retail box of Windows 7 you could find a "free netbook".
Awesome. I've been waiting for some ultra cheap ARM based netbooks.
ARMs are only good when it comes down to power consumption
sounds like crap, 7", god one laptop per child, toy thingy, has better hardware and bigger screen ;-)
I'd grab one at a hundred bucks, perfect cheap digital notepad, maybe.
for 100usd i would buy one for sure.
This thing in combination with FreeBSD or DSL could make me an awesome and cheap small radio spectrum analyzer on top of that it would be perfect for war driving and i could do some minor tasks on it.
Basically anything i would consider a netbook for though up till now i think they are to expansive and unbalanced in the value for money scale.
The "alternative" structure (read: anything but x86 compatible) is an added bonus in my opinion.
This thing sounds cool; and the picture frame idea seems even better...
A great start!!
Now pimp up the visual, screensize, disksize,and allow 2GB SoDimm DDR memory to be used, and a price of around $200 and it would sell like hot cakes!
We need a device like this, but that is not super underpowered, having a storage space smaller than a $10 SD card.
Create a black device, without the fancy colors, and a larger resolution, and for sure I'm willing to buy!
I think we understand you can't buy a device decent enough for $100 that will excite you, but perhaps double the price and see what you can make for that!
Even today I thoroughly enjoy my EeePc 701, and it's only flaw is that it wasn't a 9" screen.
An EeePc901 look alike would be great, but for $200 to $250; powered by ARM technology, should give it quite some battery life.
this thing just souds like a kids toy. i mean wtf would you do with it yahoo chat with a chatroom open and 4 people msging you would probably hoze ya up
yahoo status msg
"please don't send me a pic or enable IM environments"
lol
I kinda thought this was just a piece of junk. But thinking about it, it may have a purpose. It may not have a built in sata controller, and it's questionable if it really has an adsl modem built in, but with 2 usb ports, one could hope for the option to attach a 2.5" harddrive via the two usb plugs and use it as a car audio system instead of the piece of junk it actually is.
TouchPad =? Touchscreen? Its okay Jane... a lot of us have read into things when we wanted something really bad. Mistakes happen.
I figure along with the fact that they list a "better" instead of a battery, as well as the pictures showing it off as a tablet, assuming they meant touchscreen is a fair jump to make but I'll be the first to admit defeat if it's all some kind of cruel joke. I promise!
I kinda thought this was just a piece of junk. But thinking about it, it may have a purpose. It may not have a built in sata controller, and it's questionable if it really has an adsl modem built in, but with 2 usb ports, one could hope for the option to attach a 2.5" harddrive via the two usb plugs and use it as a car audio system instead of the piece of junk it actually is.
Don't forget it's also got an SD slot if you're looking to add more space...
Ye an sd slot for up to 4gb .... that means the card reader is even older than the sdhc standard ... which in turns means it's so slow it'd be foolish to even consider. If anything they should've added a 32gb cf card to the mix for storage.
Ye an sd slot for up to 4gb .... that means the card reader is even older than the sdhc standard ... which in turns means it's so slow it'd be foolish to even consider. If anything they should've added a 32gb cf card to the mix for storage.
Um, no...the SSD is up to 4GB, the card reader spec says:
Now I wonder if that slot supports SDIO.
okay. I might've been too quick to read the specs then. In that case, I suppose one could still use it as a media player for the car if it ends up in retail outside asia.