Via Technologies released the hardware design for a low-cost laptop with WiMax support under an open-source license on Tuesday, says the NY Times. It’s intended to make customization easier and shorten design time.
The CAD files for the OpenBook reference design can be downloaded for free. They’re made available to anyone under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license.
The OpenBook (above) is based on Via’s 1.6 GHz C7-M processor and VX800 graphics chipset. The design includes an 8.9-inch 1,024 pixels by 600 pixel screen, 80Gig, 2.5-inch HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, a 4-in-1 card reader and front and back 2 megapixel webcams. There’s also room for 2GB of RAM and you can run Vista, XP or your Linux flavor of choice.
The basic wireless module included in the design supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Optional modules include Assisted GPS (AGPS), WiMax, and support for high-speed cellular networks.
The OpenBook design is similar in appearance to Everex’s CloudBook Max unveiled at the CTIA 2008 in April, but the two designs are subtly different, with design changes made to suit the requirements of Sprint, which commissioned the CloudBook Max.
VIA isn’t saying how much yet, but it’ll probably be closer to $600 than the $300-ish price points of the last generation, says Engadget.
Via isn’t the first company to release a hardware design as open source, explains The Times. In March, Openmoko released an open-source smartphone design, the Neo 1973. That handset runs Linux and supports GSM, GPRS and includes Bluetooth and AGPS.
.gif)
