Sub-$100 Laptop Now Does Android
Cherrypal, maker of the $99 (Linux) and $118 (Windows CE) "Cherrypal Africa" laptop line, has gone and released another low-priced notebook, this time built around Google's Android platform. It's called the "Cherrypal Asia" and comes in either a basic version with a 7-inch screen, or a 10-1-inch widescreen version.
"Android is the ideal operating environment for the ultra-low-cost laptop market," said Max Seybold, Cherrypal's founder. "It combines the stability and flexibility of Linux with the very intuitive user experience of Android. It seamlessly fits into our ongoing cloud computing initiative. More and more applications are going to be consumed in a hosted 'application-store-like' environment rather than stored locally. The 'Africa' (Windows CE) as well as the 'Asia' (Android) product line are the ideal systems for our partners in the developing as well as industrialized world; low cost, 'good-enough' user-experience and last but not least above average quality in order to address the digital divide and make green computing available to everyone."
As would be expected in an ultra low-cost notebook, the specs aren't going to knock your socks off. The 7-inch Cherrypal Asia comes with a VIA ARM9 processor clocked at 533MHz, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of local storage, three USB 2.0 ports, and a full-sized keyboard. The 10.1-inch sports the same spec sheet with the addition of a 1.3MP webcam and sells for $148.
"Android is the ideal operating environment for the ultra-low-cost laptop market," said Max Seybold, Cherrypal's founder. "It combines the stability and flexibility of Linux with the very intuitive user experience of Android. It seamlessly fits into our ongoing cloud computing initiative. More and more applications are going to be consumed in a hosted 'application-store-like' environment rather than stored locally. The 'Africa' (Windows CE) as well as the 'Asia' (Android) product line are the ideal systems for our partners in the developing as well as industrialized world; low cost, 'good-enough' user-experience and last but not least above average quality in order to address the digital divide and make green computing available to everyone."
As would be expected in an ultra low-cost notebook, the specs aren't going to knock your socks off. The 7-inch Cherrypal Asia comes with a VIA ARM9 processor clocked at 533MHz, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of local storage, three USB 2.0 ports, and a full-sized keyboard. The 10.1-inch sports the same spec sheet with the addition of a 1.3MP webcam and sells for $148.
