Intel rolled out Atom, the company's smallest and lowest power processor targeted at pocket-sized mobile Internet devices (MID), during its Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Shanghai earlier this week.

At the same event, the MPU kingpin unveiled its second-generation Classmate PC, a sub-$350 laptop that Intel is dubbing a “netbook” based on its Internet-centric qualities. The PCs have 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and mesh network capabilities, water-resistant keyboards, and have longer battery life and are more shock resistant if dropped compared to the first-generation Classmate PCs, according to Intel’s description.

The Classmate PC is part of the Intel World Ahead Program, a global initiative aimed at spreading digital accessibility and educational opportunities. Intel began working on the Classmate PC after differences of opinion between it and the XO One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) association arose, causing Intel to officially resign from OLPC in January.

“Only 5% of the world’s children today have access to a PC or to the Internet,” Andrew Chien, VP of Intel’s corporate technology group and director of Intel research, said in his IDF keynote statements. “Education is one of the best examples of how technology improves our lives. The Intel-powered Classmate PC is one of the ways we support the IT industry in spreading the benefits of technology in education for children around the world.”

As reported by Electronic News in March, the second-generation Classmate PC will be based on the Intel Celeron M processor and will make a global push, expanding the low-cost laptop’s reach beyond developing nations to emerging economies in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Intel said in its statements from IDF this week that the top range of the second-generation netbooks includes a 9-inch LCD screen, 6-cell battery life, 512 MB memory, 30 GB HDD (hard disk drive) storage, and an integrated webcam. The Classmate PC supports Microsoft1 Windows XP and variants of the Linux operating environment. Software and content will be available in more than eight languages, Intel said.

Withholding specifics, Intel further said that more than 80 software and hardware vendors, content providers, educational services providers, and local OEMs have been working with the company to develop a complete infrastructure that supports the Intel-powered Classmate PC.

Chien said future Classmate PCs will be built with the Intel Atom processor because it is an energy-efficient, low-cost computer chip designed to provide wireless capability to small mobile computing devices such as netbooks. Atom processors range from 800 MHz to 1.86 GHz in speed, consume between 0.65 watts and 2.4 watts of power, and are priced between $45 to $160 per 1000 units.

By: DocMemory
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