Android + ARM Processors for low-cost Netbooks

Nixon Wu, co-founder of Guangzhou Skytone Transmission Technologies Co. of China told Computerworld that his company will soon release an Android-powered netbook computer.  The Alpha 680 will weigh about a pound and a half and will be small enough to fit into a handbag.  It will run on the super energy-efficient ARM chip.

From Skytone:

ARM produces 32 bit micro-processors commonly used in mobile phones.  According to the ARM website, the ARM11, the processor being used in the 680, can be split into up to four processors, has a “unique ‘cork-screw’ cache memory design” making cache allocation fast and process efficient, and with further regards to energy-efficiency; the ARM11 is capable of completely shutting down any unused resources.  Any processors not in use can be set to go completely dormant and shut down.

ARM processors have found application in digital cameras, television sets, portable media players, and hand-held gaming devices.

The battery life for the Alpha 680 will be about 2-4 hours, a little above average for a laptop.  It will be Wi-Fi ready with a nifty 7″ rotating display.

Skytone is anticipating release in about 3 months.  Wu informed Computerworld that it was undergoing final testing.

Skytone, founded in 2005, began working in low-cost PC’s in 2006.  Its Alpha 400 was the first mobile computer with a pricetag under $200.  The computer is slow and has been criticized for its poor quality, but had a fairly good run of 100,000 sold.  Improvements are in the works for the 400, along with several other similar products.

The Alpha 680 will not be a feature-rich device, but its expected $250 pricetag, size, and efficiency will make it very useful to some.  Nixon Wu’s claim is that the netbook is not necessarily meant for affluent Westerners, who likely won’t be very impressed with it, but as a practical means of internet access for the rest of the world.  The 680 is only a step in the direction of diminishing pricetags for fast, efficient portable computers.  When larger competitors adapt the technology behind the 680 prices shoud keep going down.