Spanish company iUnika is set to launch next month a $200 netbook that runs on solar power. The Gyy won’t be a gaming netbook; it runs on a 400Mhz MIPS processor, has an 8-inch screen (800X480 resolution), only 128MB of RAM, 64GB solid-state storage, 3 USB ports, Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
The solar panel on the back of the Gyy charges the internal battery and you can check the state of the battery via the small LCD display on the lower left corner of the netbook. Initially the Gyy will be available only in Europe in June.
Meanwhile, NorhTec announced a netbook that operates on eight AA batteries and runs Linux on a 1GHz x86-based SoC (system on chip). The “Gecko EduBook” has an 8.9-inch display, has an easily reconfigurable modular design, and will cost under $200, says NorhTec.
NorhTec says with 8 NiMH rechargeable batteries, it should have a runtime of up to 4 hours. Claimed to use just 1.2 Watts while running at 1GHz, the Xcore86 is a rebranded version of the Vortex86MX introduced by Taiwan-based DMP Electronics last December.
Internally, there is a SD socket which can be used as a low cost boot or storage device as well as an external SD card socket. There is space for a 2.5 inch hard disk. There is no bulky power adapter. The power supply is built inside the Gecko so that all you need to carry is a power cord. The price for the laptop starts at $200 for the basic configuration.
The One Laptop Per Child Gen 1.5 Laptop will include a VIA C7-M 1GHz processor. The memory will be increased to 1 GB of DDR2 SDRAM, and the built-in storage will be 4 GB of NAND Flash with an option for 8 GB (installed at manufacture). The goal is to match the Gen 1 XO-1 in power consumption and in price (while changing to components which are more likely to decrease in price). The VIA VX855 Media System Processor has hardware acceleration of H.264, MPEG-2/4, DivX and WMV9.
The One Laptop Per Child/Sugar community helps to:
- Develop speech-to-text applications for deaf children
- Use the XO as a highly portable disaster response solution
- Use the XO as a low cost sensor to detect pathogens and contaminants in food, water and soil
- Code for the XO to be an Internet-enabled, real-time citizen journalism tool used in the developing world to help earn a livelihood
- Improve porting, and developing math and science activities for students and teachers
The original XO has a power draw of around 6 watts. XOs need a DC input ranging from 11 volts to 18 volts to charge the battery inside, far more flexible than most portable devices. People in least developed countries on average spend 6% of their income on batteries ($24/year) – if people in developed countries were to spend the same that would amount to $2331/year.
