Nevermind HP and Acer’s plans for an Android-based netbook. Chinese firm Skytone beat them to the punch. It published specifications for the Alpha 680, an Android netbook that may arrive as soon as this month. And while the specs are pretty underwhelming, the expected $100 price tag leaves many wondering if it could be a surprise hit.
Wired’s Charlie Sorrel reports that the Alpha 680’s specs are so strange that “they are either made up or just plain weird.” And they borrow much from the smartphone world. For example, the CPU is a slow 533MHz ARM-11, it has just 128MB of RAM, and just 1GB of storage (upgradeable to 4GB). But it’s also designed for power network computing in that it has three USB ports, an SD card slot and even WiFi and Ethernet support. And it also comes with integrated gaming controls on either side of the 7-in swivel touch screen. As Sorrel says:
Weirdest of all is the inclusion of a couple of gaming controls, a D-pad and four buttons, on either side of the screen. This machine is nothing if not schizophrenic.
Agreed. But $100 is a pretty attractive price point for a netbook. And the fact that it comes in pink, yellow, red, black and white is sure to turn heads.
* * *
Like this post? Visit the Google Subnet home page for more news, blogs and podcasts.
More blog posts from Google Subnet:
Twitter jumps the shark
Why is Google’s Schmidt still on Apple’s board?
Developers get early taste of Android 1.5
Google Health may make you sicker
Quiz: Are you a Google expert?
Sign up for the weekly Google newsletter. (Click on News/Google News Alert.)
