Liliputing NorhTec Gecko Edubook netbook giveaway

We’re digging deep into the vault for the next entry in the Liliputing 2012 Holiday Giveaway. The NorhTec Gecko Edubook is a netbook with an 8.9 inch display, a low power keyboard and a nifty trick up its sleeve: It runs on AA batteries.

That makes it easy to replace the batteries if they die without relying on a proprietary battery. In fact, the whole laptop was designed to modular and easy to replace. You can pop out the CPU module and replace or upgrade it, or unplug the WiFi dongle tucked away in the case and swap it out for any other USB peripherals that you can fit in there.

Norhtec Gecko Edubook

NorhTec sent me a demo unit to test a few years ago, and I hung onto it for a while to see if the company ever got around to releasing a CPU upgrade. Since that never happened, I figure it’s time to clear the Edubook off my desk and send it to a Liliputing reader.

To enter this contest, please read the rules below. But first, let’s talk about what you’re trying to win.

About the Edubook

The Edubook has a 1024 x 600 pixel display and can use an internal SD card or 2.5 inch hard drive for storage. It has a relativelytiny touchpad and keyboard, but features a good range of input and output ports including 3 USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, and mic and audio jacks.

The netbook has a 1 GHz Xcore86 processor that uses just 1.2 watts of power. I’ve tested this laptop with Windows XP, WattOS Linux, and Puppy Linux. While it can run Windows, it feels pretty sluggish. It runs much better with Puppy or other light-weight Linux operating systems optimized for low-end hardware.

You can find support for NorhTec’s Xcore86 products at the DeviceOnChip website, including details on supported operating systems and drivers in the forums.

This particular unit comes with 3 different 8GB SD cards. One has Windows XP preloaded (but no activation key), one has WattOS (if I remember correctly), and the other has Puppy Linux.

While Windows XP might be more versatile for many users, Puppy is blazing fast on this netbook, while Windows is… freezing slow? I don’t know, what’s the opposite of blazing fast? Either way, Windows is kind of painful to use on this little computer but Puppy runs quite nicely.

Adding a hard drive might help a bit… the 8GB SD card Windows is running from has pretty low read and write speeds.

You should also be able to install almost any operating system you like. This contest is aimed at folks who are willing to tinker a bit.

The demo unit I’m giving away came with 8 rechargeable Ni-MH AA batteries… but apparently they died sometime in the last few years. The laptop still runs fine when plugged in, but you may need to supply your own batteries if you want to use it on the go.

How to win: Leave a comment by 5:00AM Eastern, 12/10/2012

This contest is only open to residents of the continental US. International shipping is expensive, so if you’re not in the US, you might want to wait until we’re ready to give away the MK802 III which comes in a small box and which we can afford to ship.

If you are in the States, just leave a comment before 5:00AM Eastern time, December 10th, 2012 and make sure you’re cool with the following:

Please leave only one comment. If you leave more than one, all of your entries get thrown out.
One winner will be randomly chosen from all valid entries.
You have 48 hours to respond after you receive notification that you’ve won. If I don’t hear back by then, I’ll pick another winner.
If you’ve won anything else from Liliputing in the past 30 days, please don’t enter again… we’ll just toss out your entry.
Writers for Liliputing, as well as their friend and family members are prohibited from winning.

Please make sure we have a way to contact you. If you login to leave a comment with your email address, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, that should do the trick.

Thanks again to NorhTec for providing us with this demo unit, and for agreeing to give it away to as part of our 2012 Holiday Giveaway!

Posted on Friday, December 7th, 2012, 12:00 pm by Brad Linder | 176 Comments

http://twitter.com/jeremiahburt Jeremiah

Let’s do this thang!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1236514655 Jason Wilkins

This is a comment.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1338294959 Rob Roberts

Yes please thank you!
Eric Busse

In for one… Thanks!
http://www.facebook.com/theclivec Clive Chang

I see lots of costco packs of batteries in my future!
Kyle Platt

Such a novel computer, really want to play with it.
Nahie

Sure why not.
Jacek Bajor

I am in
http://twitter.com/markntravis markntravis

I like tinkering.
http://www.facebook.com/matthew.carlino.3 Matthew Carlino

As it turns out they did in fact release a upgrade module. It was a little over a year ago iirc.
Nathan Schlehlein

Hot dog.
http://www.facebook.com/naoyuki.murakoshi Naoyuki Murakoshi

Nice Gecko!
http://twitter.com/Tron_67 Sam Scholten

I have GOT to try this out!
john

Like the common battery solution – saves the day in out of the way places.
cy1clown

Add me to the list. So retro.
w5t1h7

This is so awesome! count me in
http://www.facebook.com/people/Shawne-Beeson/100000728451467 Shawne Beeson

They should do this with more computers
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=768522715 Doug Fiedor

Looks like fun to play with.
jb82

Blast from the past
Matrim1170

add me to the drawing
anon

This unit would be great to have for our non-profit to use for accounting. Did it have the XP OS on it that comes with it too? There should be a new CPU out in the early part of next year… don’t know if that release will be plug-in-compatible with this older unit?
john4228

I always learn something new when I tinker.
http://geeknjoy.com/ Чубака Иванович

I’m not an american, so I hate you all
http://www.facebook.com/caseus.viridis Xin Wang

I’m in.
Apple Orange

Looks like a fun toy!
Chris Jones

Im in..
DancesWithRobots

OK. Here I am. Batteries? Hmm. . .
John Ruschmeyer

I love oddball quirky computers… I want this!
http://www.facebook.com/richard.allison.73997 Richard Allison

I’m in.
Bradley Gillett

yes please
Sleerts

Please!
djm

This would be fun to tinker with!
rub

very cool with the aa
http://www.facebook.com/kmf17 Katie Firth

The AA batteries seem like they may be more cumbersome than helpful.
Walter_Maxman

You can count me in.
Mike Labrow

Wow, I remember when you reviewed that thing originally.
The One

Looks like a fun challenge. Count me in. Thanks.
Bill Smith

Please count me in.
Mark Holder

This is a device I find intriguing. Count me in!
http://rct.me.ht/ crashsuit

Neat! I had an old Apple 1400cs I converted to run off rechargeable AA batteries. Too bad about the lack of CPU upgrades.
jacob019

A laptop that runs on AA batteries, YES PLEASE!!! I will load slitaz and use it every day.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brett-Peugh/100000339234726 Brett Peugh

Count me in please.
Jonathan Urbanus

sure, why not
http://www.facebook.com/julien.ouy Julien Ouy

hello, please santa !
srirams

I want to win!
1wenter1

would love to win it
http://twitter.com/mm715 Alan L. Hanson

This would be a nice way to check out Linux distributions.
KatieK

My first tinkering was with a Commodore 64 – that’s 64K for non-history buffs – so playing with any minicomputer would be a blast. Retiring after a career stuck with Microsoft, it would be fun to play with any other OS.,,
http://www.facebook.com/tifany.oslin Tifany Oslin

Oooo that would be fun to play with!
George

Wow, for once, a laptop that doesn’t rely on proprietary batteries. They should build more of these.
web

that computer would certaintly fun to tinker with, if it does not work out i will donate it to one of my customers kids who would need it more than me for xmas or new years
http://twitter.com/MrSelatcia Coach B

Huh, interesting
http://profiles.google.com/lieutenant.sneer Michael Thom

I wonder if rechargeable AAs work with this..
G Lowe

Sounds alright
Mark

Very cool!
ILikeAndroid

This sounds like a fun tinkerer laptop.
http://profiles.google.com/ruining Adam Ruining

Funny enough, I’ve got a spare 40gb laptop drive laying around I could pop in, get a decent Linux flavor up and running, and then donate to my local community center.
http://twitter.com/Jason13L Jason Lassourreille

This is one of the most quirky laptops I have seen in a while. should be a blast to mess with!
JR

This would be a great machine for a low budget college student I am related to. Put me on the giveaway list please.
http://www.facebook.com/da6d.f David Fierbaugh

Love the stock batteries and hack-ability. Would love to see this under the Xmas tree.
omar b

Id love this little netbook
Cedric Rose

Very cool. Love the “modularity” and battery option.
otis

Which way to the beach.
Phissith Ottha-Hekenon

This thing will strike up conversation, I like it. It has a cheap cool factor to it. Let me win!!
Guest

Always had my eye on this little guy. Too bad they never developed it into a viable product.
http://www.facebook.com/JoelAdamsLSMO Joel Adams

My 5th grader uses Google Docs at school. This would be a fine machine for him to do his work at home. Maybe ChromeOS will work on this box.
Jake Parker

I kept waiting for an improved version of this unit to enter the scene, since I love the idea of using AA batteries for power.
http://www.facebook.com/cassidy.nicholson.7 Cassidy Nicholson

What an interesting device. I could let my kids use this for learning.
Manuel Arguelles

would love to win it
Jason Emerton

In.
http://www.facebook.com/quisicosa Benjamin Ortiz

This looks perfect for tinkering. Then I can pass my current tester on to my wife or son…
https://plus.google.com/103434912225114093828/about gwmckee

Cool idea. Shame they abandoned it.
drjayphd

Ah, what the hell. I’m in too.
Adrian

I would love to have to take along to Ghana where it would be very useful if there is a power shortage.
Onyros

Bring on the Norhtec
Ermete

That’s quite a reliable piece of notebook. It qould be great to have it. P.s. i’ll pay shipping cost!
strider_mt2k

So cool!
That looks like a ton of fun to tinker with!
http://twitter.com/MortyFieldmouse Morty

count me in
nate edwards

This is a sweet giveaway.
Connoed

Please enter me in the give away. Retired on social security this hits my target price point – free
Howard Truesdell

I think Robots stole my luggage…..
Kyle

Thanks for the give aways
Carlos Vargas

I’ve never wanted something so bad as this unit, count me in!
cirruscfi

Looks interesting to me!
Goran

Well, here it goes…
David Li

computer running on AA batteries, so cool
ron k

me me please.thank you.
http://www.facebook.com/john.keating.3304 John Keating

Neat idea with the AA batteries, but what does that puppy weigh?
Do they still make tham and what is the price point?
http://www.facebook.com/lisa.violet Lisa Violet

It’s so cute! I’d love to have one.
Clair G

It runs on batteries? I have those!
JMBadger

Looks cool.
Dr. D

Another one for Ghana
https://plus.google.com/u/0/117122893301740361427 Steven Baumann

Cool, Count me in.
Might get one even if I don’t win.
http://www.facebook.com/scott.dunn.1044 Scott Dunn

It’s like the matrix
Wm Armbruster

I, too, thought the battery idea was great, the modularity even better – but only if they would issues new modules. Time has show that they don’t. Too bad. I’ll give it to the neighbor kids. (if I win, which I doubt.)
MikeB

Would love to take it for a spin, count me in!
rom

weight of this unit?
Omkar

Count me in for this…. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this.
Paxq

AA+!
Harry

Wow! First time to read a computer that runs on AA batteries. I could finally have a dedicated Internet computer with this device.
http://twitter.com/Joseph73 Joseph Procopio

Neat. Count me in.
http://www.facebook.com/dennis.j.holland.1 Dennis J Holland

Please pick me!! thanks
Shawn

Very cool
http://www.facebook.com/morsetlis Phu Tran

Haha omg.
http://www.facebook.com/trencher41 Greg Schultz

Bingo!
eldon

looked quit cool!! want one…
Jamie

Would make me a very happy camper!
Chris Lee

Great for camping!
http://www.facebook.com/tsoi.leonid Leonid Tsoi

Count me in
Craig Cunningham

I would love this!!! Puppy Linux rocks and who wouldn’t want a netbook that doesn’t require a proprietary battery. Send it my way…
Andrew Santos

Count me in
Matt Continisio

I’m in.
Steve DeNeefe

wow… that is an interesting little device.
Timmymac

This looks like a very cool retro laptop for light use!
cben

Yes that looks like fun. Better get a dozen recahargeables.
Adam

Very cool
jon

get at me!
James Brown

Go ahead make my day!!
http://twitter.com/ScoomerBlog Scoomer

Awesome review thanks for all the photos. I would la la LOVE to win!!
http://twitter.com/affordablesmm Mike P

Looks cool
Serhat Orbay

cool netbook with AA batteries
Alex Pawlowski

Looks super cool!
sheepfish1

I’ll take it!
Crumwell

Can u believe a 72 yr old wud like to have it?
Adrian Fita

I’m in, I hope I win.
UIW

This could help me out alot where I go.
http://www.facebook.com/Imwussie Aaron Nash

I can find a great use for this!
c-los

Merry x-mas I would love to have this under my tree
mjdinsmore

I bet the batteries make it weigh a heck of a lot more!
Graffer

The NorhTec Gecko Edubook would solve all my problems – Tiny Tim Cratchet
Jeffery Lenz

Here’s hoping
Not A Chance

Looks like it should be given away…with all of our technology, one would want more than AA.
ARXD

Can it run Ubuntu?
Hopeful

This would make my Christmas.
Szilárd Németh

Likely
MonkeyKing1969

I’d be the only person on my block with one… that’s for sure.
tweetyscute

This would be so awesome to have
David Brink

In
Danny O.

Hi
jimscraft

Definitely a very interesting netbook. I’ve been trying to find a laptop or notebook with Linux, but have wanted something that was inexpensive, like the NorhTec Gecko Edubook.
Doris

Please, count me in!
Eric

Cool to win this! And your review was very thorough.
http://twitter.com/luvx143 LuVx143

amazing giveaway! thanks for the chance!
KC Kim

I would love to try Puppy Linux on this netbook.
Brit Mansir

Have enjoyed following the posts for quite a while now, thanks.
jamesfk

Here’s to winning!
josh rose

like i said i can never win any thing but here I try again,,,tnx for the opportunity
Robert Schaefer

Better stock up on batteries!
chris615x

It would be nice to win once, just so I can find out if I’m entering the drawing correctly.
charting

That reminds me — I need to buy more AA batteries, anyway!
This looks useful for the kids. Has anyone looked for these on eBay?
teejaycard

Hello hello hello!
http://drivinginertia.com/ Paul David Olson

Fingers crossed.
frank

I want one
jbzorg

I would love to have this one—reminds me of my old Dell Mini 9. That had a lot of snap-in replacement capabilities as well.
sarath Vejandla

Hi…I will Win this Give Away….
finkbinder

I like it!
Robert Kim

haha WINRAR
mike

nice little machine. 8 batteries is too environmentally unfriendly though
ahumansomewhere

It’s a shame they never released a replacement CPU module – I thought that was a brilliant idea.
Seth Burrows

All those AA batteries are giving me bad Game Gear flashbacks.
http://www.facebook.com/gary.smith.961 Gary Smith

Looks like what I need
james1221x

I’m gonna win this one I can feel it.
http://www.facebook.com/DocSims85 Darryl Sims

This seems amazing, i’d love to throw android on it and just have a little net book…
luis

I want!;!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=683030093 Jerry Minor

I will date myself here, but my TRS-80 Model 100 was a great machine mainly due to the fact that AA battery use meant that I never had to find a place to plug it in. Since most disaster scene logistics officers ensure that pallets of AA batteries are available, having this machine would ensure that I can continue to communicate even if there is no AC power.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1229313956 Bill Woeppel

That is a fascinating machine. I’ve wondered why they didn’t standardize on replaceable batteries by now. Even if AA batteries are lower voltage, they’re smaller than the usual 18650 cells that are used in most run of the mill laptops. Great little machine for Linux, I’d love to see first hand how it manages with Debian instead of Puppy.
http://www.facebook.com/sefu.fuller Sefu Fuller

count me in.
Cappydog

I love puppy linux…this would great to have. This little guy looks and reads very interesting..Count me in
houseoftrash

OMG, “stylishly geeky”? AA batteries?? It’s adorable. yes please…
Wakawaka8

I love the batteries!
rpjacobs

Me too.
dr. burro

Another great gift for the kiddo
patrick171x

I would like to try this.
Wayne

Hello! I love this, and tried to get one at one point (but NorhTec was out of stock at the time). Amazing that now I might have another chance!
http://twitter.com/snowbrdrfreak Andrew Hughes

this would come in handy to configure servers and switches
John

I would give this PC a loving home – ideal for my struggling home business. I cannot afford to upgrade from my 10 year old laptop.

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