Intel’s Classmate PC platform may have started out as the company’s answer to the OLPC Laptop, but over the past few years about twice as many Classmate PC models have been deployed in classrooms around the globe as OLPC XO Laptops. As of this week, Intel says more than 4 million of the small rugged netbooks with child-friendly software have…

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The next generation of Intel’s Classmate PC design looks a lot like the second generation in that the netbook has a rugged design, an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU and runs Windows XP. But there’s one major difference: It has a touchscreen display that can swivel 180 degrees and be folded down so…

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While mainstream netbooks like the Asus Eee PC, MSI Wind, and Dell Inspiron Mini continue to capture the imagination (and cash) of consumers, it’s nice to see that low cost laptops are  also fulfilling one of their original purposes, and getting into the hands of children in developing countries. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this weekend announced that his country would purchase a…

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Intel has finally developed a version of the Classmate PC that I actually want to own. Granted, the Classmate PC and the Classmate 2 aren’t really designed for me or for you. They were designed for educational markets. But that hasn’t stopped companies like CTL from selling computers based on the Classmate design directly to consumers. But the Classmate tablet…

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It seems like just yesterday that Intel announced a major update to its OLPC-not-quite-killer, the Classmate PC. Now the company is poised to shake things up for a second time this year. PC World is reporting that Intel will announce details of the Classmate 3 laptop next month. While the Classmate 2 has a larger screen, more storage, and a…

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While plenty of web sites have put the HP Mini-Note, Asus Eee PC, and other low-cost ultraportables through the paces with benchmarks, comparisons of video performance, and startup times, the folks at Laptop Magazine have been asking another crucial question: Which ultraportable has the best keyboard? Laptop happens to have access to an Eee PC, Mini-Note, and a CTL 2Go…

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