[clug] US$200 Freescale netbook reference design released at CES. Products promised this year

[steve jenkin]

A friend sent me a Google News link on this:
<http://news.google.com/news?client=opera&rls=en&sourceid=opera&oe=utf-8&um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&nolr=1&q=freescale+netbooks&btnG=Search+News>


Some links on Freescale at CES.
<http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200902/2721/CES-Freescale-looks-to-pull-the-Netbook-rug-from-beneath-Intel-s-Atom>
<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Freescale-Entering-Netbook-Market-with-SystemonaChip-Design/>
<http://www.designnews.com/article/161656-Freescale_Rolls_out_NetBook_Reference_Design_at_CES.php>

CPU is 600Mhz to 1GHz.
'SOC' - System on a Chip - implementation.

===========

Are they large SmartPhones or small Notebooks?
I reckon people will buy them as an *extra* device, but they will
prolong the life of 'main' PC's/laptops (less wear & tear, a 'fast',
disposable machine when & where you need it).

And MSFT can't follow to Freescale.
If they go Intel, have to drop license fees.

Maybe the biggest change will be putting Linux in the hands of most
everyday users - without branding it Linux (but 'fast boot').

============
<http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/netbooks-the-musthave-gadget-of-2009-1331668.html>

"The news that both Samsung and Dell are planning to unveil 12-inch
netbooks – the same size as a standard small laptop – has only made
Intel more nervous. Dell's Inspiron Mini 12 will run on an Atom chip,
but the Samsung will use the cheaper Nano chip, which is made by Intel's
rival Via. Meanwhile, fellow chip manufacturer Freescale will drive
costs down still further with its new i.MX515 processor, designed
specifically for sub-$200 netbooks."

"Processor producers aren't the only ones concerned about the netbook's
cannibalisation of the laptop market. Launching Hewlett-Packard's $499
HP Mini 2140 netbook in Vegas last week, company spokesman Mike Hockey
was at pains to emphasise that the device was a "companion" for a larger
PC, not a replacement. The more people buy HP netbooks instead of
laptops, the smaller his company's profit margins will become."
============

(Response to my friend)

> > Have you heard the buzz around the Freescale-based sub$200 netbooks?

<http://news.google.com/news?client=opera&rls=en&sourceid=opera&oe=utf-8&um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&nolr=1&q=freescale+netbooks&btnG=Search+News>

Nope, that's BIG.

They are going to a place that MSFT can't follow:
 - cheap
 - small
 - fast (boot)
 - portable (not Intel)

This article talks about 'instant on' - like your SmartPhone.
<http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/156879/instanton_pcs_could_take_off_with_netbooks.html>

It's a game changer putting free O/S (linux) under/beside Windows.

This one (on a $200 Freescale netbook) is the successor to the original
ASUS Eee - tiny, light, cheap. An *extra* device, like a big SmartPhone.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5065PS20090107>

cheers!
steve




-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin