CherryPal's Bing Netbook to Explore New Territory
by Sam Dean - Jan. 22, 2009Comments (0)- Related Blog Posts
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A few days ago we reported on efforts from Freescale, Asus and others to take netbooks--many of them running Linux--down to the $200 range. CherryPal may be approaching that price with its new Intel Atom-based "Bing" netbook (shown) that runs either Linux or Windows XP. The price is undisclosed until it ships in March, but this week only CherryPal is offering it and its C114 "green" nettop system in tandem for $400, as LinuxDevices reports. The price for the combo, given the C114's normal $250 price, imply that CherryPal is exploring how low portable computer prices can go.
CherryPal isn't skimping on components. The Bing netbook has the following specs, according to the company:
- a 1.6-GHz CPU, 1 GB DDRII memory, 160 GB HDD
- 3 USB 2.0 ports; 1 earphone
- SD/MMC/MS card socket
- Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g) built-in
- Built-in microphone and dual speakers
- 10.2” TFT display with 1024 x 600 resolution, wide-screen
- 1.3M Pixel web camera, weight 3 lbs, 5 hours battery
CherryPal is also claiming that the Bing gets a whopping five hours of battery life. If the battery life claims are to be believed--five hours is a lot to claim for a machine with a 10.2-inch display--and this system does arrive near the $200 range, it could represent an interesting challenge to netbook pricing models.
CherryPal has an unusual approach to delivering software applications, storing data, and subsidizing the costs for its hardware devices. The CherryPalCloud is a managed cloud computing environment, including storage, that is paid for by advertising rather than monthly fees. Software applications for the Bing include many open source titles, including Firefox, OpenOffice, and more.
Depending on how obtrusive or inobtrusive the advertising is in the CherryPalCloud (I assume you can avoid it, storing data and running applications locally), the company's strategy of subsidizing hardware costs and keeping prices low may prove interesting. I'm not going to be surprised to see many different strategies for subsidizing the costs of netbooks, in addition to the arrangements already appearing involving two-year data service plans. Subsidies, plus Linux and open source software, can take hardware prices significantly down from where they are now.
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