The Classmate now includes a 9-inch LCD display, a six-cell battery, 512MB of memory, a 30GB HDD, and an integrated webcam.Hmm, that sounds exactly like the Classmate 2 for sale in Pakistan.The second-generation Classmate PCs are built on the Intel Celeron M processor with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and mesh-network capabilities; future Classmate PCs will be built with Atom processors. Of course, the Classmate PC still supports Microsoft Windows XP, but variants of a Linux-based operating system will also be available.
Luckily, American consumers can now try out the Classmate 2 also. CTL will be selling the 2Go PC, the commercial version of the Classmate 2, directly to consumers. Look for it today on Amazon.com for $400.
We also have a number of 2Go Classmate PC comparisons:
- Laptop Mag's review of CTL's 2go PC: The 2go PC may not be a stellar performer, but considering its intended audience and price, it doesn’t have to be. Its rugged design, long battery life, and lightweight chassis all add to this mini-notebook’s appeal.
- Classmate 2Go Vs. OLPC: But other than those few classroom tools, the Classmate hardly feels like a leap forward in educational hardware as much as a gray, shrunken version of any typical Intel-powered laptop.
- Intel Classmate PC (9-inch): The bottom line: Intel tweaked the Classmate PC in its redesign to appeal to first-world schoolchildren, and it offers an experience on par with mininotebooks from Asus and HP.
Eh, it looks much better than the original Classmate and it's a much better choice for wealthy and privileged, private school kids than the XO-1.
It'd be nice if OLPC and Intel reconciled so the low end Centrino Atom can live in a wished-for XO-2. It'd be nicer if Intel and other sub-notebook makers didn't think they needed "cute" names to "compete" with OLPC and the EEE.
Amazon still states "Sign up to be notified when this item becomes available." for these products in both the Windows and Linux pre-loaded versions.
As to "cute" names, 'Classmate' is not a very wise choice. Useless for googling, or ebay. Eee is a cleverer moniker.
Branding! Name recognition!
I partially agree. Eee is clever and sticks in the mind. That's why Asus is using the brand for other low-cost electronics. XO-1 is better than 2B-1, CM-1 or whatever OLPC was going to call it before and it works perfectly with their logo.
2Go is much worse than Classmate. It reeks of trying too hard. You're right that it's unique and it's already the 5th result on Google for 2Go but it sounds...silly. Finally, the name makes little sense in languages other than English. A truly universal name (EEE, XO, Dana) is free for the company to invent whatever meaning it wants. 2Go seems to rely on English knowledge to get their "cleverness".
Then again, get me one of these with Mary Lou Jepsen's screen and a Centrino Atom and I shall call them Marketing Geniuses and Good for the World. I'll even consider parting with my XO-1. Yay, bribery!