| Windows goes on a diet for mini-laptops |
Nov. 02, 2007
 Mini-laptops are suddenly in season. After months of anticipation and rumored shipments to Brazil and Mexico, Intel's ClassMate PC has been sighted "in the wild" by U.S.-based reviewers, and Asus's much-heralded Eee PC made its debut in the U.S.
This week, Asus launched its anticipated Eee PC, a 2-pound, $400 device that initially shipped with Linux, but is expected to ship with a version of Windows by the end of the year. The diminutive Eee already is claimed to be a commercial success, selling initially at the rate of one every six seconds.
In contrast, Intel's ClassMate PC was not intended to be sold directly to consumers. Instead, it is part of Intel's "World Ahead Program," which also includes efforts to train 10 million teachers in 30 different countries.
The ClassMate PC includes education-specific features, such as a leather cover, rounded corners, a water-resistant keyboard, and software that lets a teacher monitor a student's work. Nonetheless, it is remarkably similar to the Eee PC in other ways.
 
Similar beneath the skin -- Intel's ClassMate PC (left) and Asus's Eee PC (right)
Features and specifications shared by both mini-laptops include:- 900 MHz Celeron M processor
- 7-inch color TFT display with 800 x 400 resolution
- Solid-state storage in place of a hard drive
- Dual speakers for stereo sound
- 10/100 Ethernet
- 802.11b/g wireless networking
- USB ports and SD card slot for expansion
Certain features do set the Eee PC apart, such as three USB ports instead of two, a VGA output, and a maximum of 1 GB RAM instead of 512 MB. Similarly, the Eee PC comes with twice the flash storage (4 GB) as that in the Classmate PC (2 GB).
Yet, it is this very issue of storage that intrigues. Asus says the Eee PC will be offered by the end of the year in a "Windows" configuration, raising initial questions as to how well the desktop operating system would fit on 4 GB of flash.
However, the ClassMate PC squeezes what Intel terms Windows XP Professional onto 2 GB of flash, reportedly leaving 500 MB free for user data. The system even includes Microsoft Office 2003, according to Intel.
In a CNET.com review of a ClassMate PC, we learn, "It was surprising to see Windows XP run so smoothly on a system with only 256 MB of RAM. Surfing the Web was a breeze, but opening multiple Web pages and office documents at the same time finally slowed the system down a bit."
The low consumption of RAM and disk space hints at the use of Windows XP Embedded (XPe) -- the componentized version of Windows XP Professional -- although this remains unconfirmed by either Microsoft or Intel.
Microsoft is believed to restrict XPe licensing to special-function, pre-programmed devices such as thin client terminals or set-top boxes. However, allowing XP Embedded to be installed on the ClassMate PC -- which is not intended to compete with consumer or enterprise laptops in any case -- could be a useful marketing tool for Microsoft. As the CNET reviewers point out, "We especially liked that the Classmate can provide kids with the chance to get accustomed to the actual Microsoft software they're likely to encounter later in life."
 Such a use of XPe might result in a "Trojan-horse" effect feared by advocates of Linux and other open-source software. Skeptical of the ClassMate PC, they prefer yet another mini-laptop, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) device (pictured at right), famously created by MIT's Nicholas Negroponte but only just beginning to ship. (The Linux-powered mini-laptop device was originally aimed at a $100 price point and is now being offered at $400, in a "Give 1, Get 1" promotion that starts Nov. 12, according to OLPC.)
Reflecting lighter hardware and software requirements, the OLPC will use a customized version of Linux with a special GUI (graphical user interface) called Sugar. It employs an AMD Geode LX-700 processor clocked at 433 MHz, featuring an integrated graphics controller that drives a 7.5-inch, 1200 x 900 screen. The device has 256 MB of RAM, 1 GB of flash storage, and built-in wireless networking.
CNET's review of the ClassMate PC running Windows XP Professional is available, here. Another review of the device by Jim Rapoza of our sister publication, eWeek.com, is also available, here.
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