Intel has been pushing its Classmate PC designs for student-oriented netbooks for the past few years. Basically it’s Intel’s answer to the OLPC XO Laptop — a semi-rugged computer that can stand up to the wear and tear of a primary school environment and a student backpack. Oh yeah, the computers also have Intel chips and are designed to run Windows.
While around 3 million computers based on the Classmate PC design have been deployed in schools around the globe, we haven’t seen a lot of Classmate laptops from big name PC makers… until now. Lenovo is partnering with Intel to launch a kid-friendly netbook called the Classmate+ PC.
The Classmate+ PC has a 10.1 inch display, an Intel Atom N455 processor, a 1.3MP camera, flash card reader, and WiFi. It runs Windows 7 and has a durable plastic case with a handle built into the body of the laptop for easy carrying.
Lenovo will be selling the Classmate+ PC to educational institutions and governments rather than end users. The company has already signed a deal to ship 158,000 units to students in Argentina this spring.
via Engadget