A few months ago, the mobile tech net was abuzz with news that a Chinese company called HiVision had produced a sub-$100 netbook. Last week I had a chance to catch up with HiVision at CES, and I think I can safely say that there was a slight misunderstanding. The company isn’t looking to sell a $98 computer directly to consumers, but rather is looking for distributors who may be able to place bulk orders for the product at that price and sell it at a small markup. That still means the company’s 7 inch netbook could be available for under $150, but you probably won’t find it for $100 anytime soon.Â
HiVision is also bringing three new netbook models to market, with 8, 8.9, and 10.2 inch screens respectively.Â
8 inch model:Â
- OS: Windows XP
- CPU: 1GHz PDX-600Â
- RAM: 512MB
- Storage: 8GB SSD
- Display: 8 inch, 800 x 480 pixels
- Expansion: SD card slot
- Connectivity: WiFi, 3G W-CDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SDCMA, WiMax(opt)
- Battery: 3400mAh
- Weight: 1.9 pounds
8.9 inch model
- OS: Windows XP
- CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
- RAM: 1GBÂ
- Storage: 120GB HDD
- Display: 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
- Connectivity: WiFi, 3G W-CDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SDCMA, WiMax(opt)
- Camera: 0.3MP
- Battery: 3 cell, 3 hours
10.2 inch model:
- OS: Windows XP
- CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 160GB HDD
- Display: 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
- Connectivity: WiFi, 3G W-CDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SDCMA, WiMax(opt)
- Camera: 1.3MP
- Battery: 3 cell, 3 hour
- Weight: 3.1 pounds
There’s no word on pricing for the new models yet, and probably won’t be until some distributors commit to rebranding and selling the netbooks.
Looks like they have uparrow-shiftitis, but, at this price, who cares? We could just swap the key assignments of the up-arrow and shift keys.