The NorhTec Gecko Edubook is one of the most innovative netbooks around when it comes to hardware design. It runs on rechargeable AA batteries, making it easy to find replacements pretty much anywhere in the world. The OS and all the data is stored on an SD card, making it easy to upgrade. And the CPU and RAM are on…

Read more »

The NorhTec Gecko Edubook is unlike pretty much any other netbook on the market right now. Sure, it has an 8.9 inch. 1024 x 600 pixel display and a small keyboard. But it has an unusual 1GHz XCore86 CPU which can be popped out and easily replaced. The entire OS runs from an internal SD card, which is also removable….

Read more »

The folks at NorhTec just sent me an interesting netbook to play with. You can check out my unboxing and hands-on video after the break, as well as a peek beneath the hood. But first, here’s a bit of info about why the NorhTec Gecko Edubook isn’t like other netbooks. I mean sure, it has an 8.9 inch 1024 x…

Read more »

Asus isn’t the only company working on a device that packs a whole computer into a slightly chunky keyboard. NorhTec, makers of the low cost, low-power Gecko EduBook netbook plan to bring a new device called the Gecko Surfboard to market. The Surfboard uses a low power x86-compatible system-on-a-chip that combines processor, graphics and memory functions. All told, the computer…

Read more »

Remember when we used to call the OLPC XO Laptop the $100 laptop? OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte overpromised and underdelivered when it came to price and the XO now costs closer to $200. That’s still pretty impressive, all things considered, and the XO really did launch the netbook revolution. But the price never dropped to the promised $100 level, and…

Read more »

The folks behind the Nohrtec Gecko Edubook are looking to make their AA-battery powered netbook available for $200 soon. The company’s unique netbook features a 1GHz Xcore86 CPU, which is x86-compatible and capable of running Windows XP or Linux. This week, the Nohrtec team posted a video on YouTube showing the Edubook running WattOS, a light weight Linux distribution based…

Read more »

The NorhTech Gecko Edubook is a cheap, somewhat modular netbook that runs on AA batteries. The netbook first hit our radar in early May, but the folks behind the project have posted some updated information, as well as a nice little surprise: You can order one today for $199 if you’re willing to pay for shipping from Thailand. In a…

Read more »

I managed to get a few more details about the NorhTec Gecko EduBook netbook. You know, the one I told you about yesterday that can run on AA batteries. First, it looks like being able to run on AAs isn’t the same thing as being able to run on alkaline batteries. The netbook will be designed to use either NiMH…

Read more »

NorhTec is preparing to launch a new netbook that stands out from the crowd in a number of ways. First, the Gecko EduBook (PDF link) will feature a low power 1GHz Xcore86 CPU that can run Windows XP while using just 1.2 watts of power (although by default it will come with Ubuntu Netbook Remix). Second, this laptop doesn’t use…

Read more »