$100 Laptop to Come from China
At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany, (August 29-September 3), Chinese hardware vendor HiVision showcased a Linux laptop that is to cost a mere $98.
The dream of Professor Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT's Media Lab, had been a $100 computer for children in developing countries. His dream became the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative, also known as the Hundred-Dollar-Laptop project. No one up to now has been able to meet this goal, but it sparked a trend toward developing smaller and more affordable machines.
It seems now that a Chinese company, HiVision, has stepped up to make the $100 magic number a reality.Based in Shenzhen, the firm is known for its digital displays and Ultra Mobile Laptops (UMPCs) sold in 40 countries worldwide. At the IFA, they presented a Linux-based laptop currently selling for $120 and expect to enter the market with a model NB0700 in October having a reduced price of $98, according to the Techvideoblog hardware portal.
From Chinese vendor HiVision, a $98 laptop.
At first glance the features of the super-affordable device with a 7-inch monitor are comparable to those of competitors Asus EeePC and Aspire One. Corresponding with HiVision's claims, their machine should com with a Via C7-processor, at IFA the test machine was presented with a V MIPS processor. Standard features for the HiVision laptop include WiFi and Ethernet, 512 RAM, three USB ports, an SDHC card reader, and an integrated speaker and mic. The device weighs in at 32 oz. inclusive of the 3-hour lifespan rechargeable battery. According to their website Windows XP and Vista versions are also promised. Along with its diminutive model, the company will also be producing ones with 8, 9, or 10-inch monitors.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.