Netbook mystery is solved with the official unveiling of the 7- and 9-inch low-enders in Malaysia. The ruggedized laptops for kids (at least, initially) are manufactured by Malaysia's own FTEC and will carry a SmartBook moniker. The term "netbook" is generic, Intel-speak for highly-portable, Internet-centric laptops which Intel plans to target at young children, first-time buyers, seniors and housewives. Both of the 7- and 9-inch laptops feature 512MB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, a USB 2.0 jack, Intel Celeron ULV processor, Linux OS, and water-resistant keyboards. The 7-inch will retail in Malaysia for RM1,199 ($377) and include a 40GB disk with optional, $31 Windows XP pre-load. The RM1,299 (about $409) 9-inch offers just 2GB of flash storage, integrated webcam, and optional theft control feature using network issued digital certificates. Shame that 9-incher is limited to just 2GB of storage, eh?
[Thanks, Simon Y]
Update: Intel's Netbook is sounding more and more like a genre or reference design of PC to be built by many manufacturers under many different names -- we saw this under the "2go" moniker just yesterday. There's also word it might in fact be the Classmate 2, but we're still waiting on some more clarification from the Intel folks.