The gPC TC2502 is one of the first Linux-based desktop machines to be offered for sale by a retailer. The energy-efficient PC also has pre-configured links to Google applications such as Gmail, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, Google Calender, Blogger, Wikipedia, and a free OpenOffice.org 2.2 productivity suite, which includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications.
The gPC includes a gOS operating system and a 1.5GHz processor manufactured by Intel clone maker Via Technologies. It also includes a 1.5GHz via C7-D processor, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive expandable up to 2GB, an Ethernet port and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive.
The PC consumes only two to 20 watts of power, and provides users with a CPU, keyboard, and a mouse for $199, although the price does not include a monitor.
Elsewhere in the low-cost PC market, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization is gearing up to launch its green and white XO laptops for $399. Other low-end economy computers include Asus’s $300 EeePC laptop and VIA’s $600 Nanobook. Everex’s gPC beats these prices, however, and is also cheaper by $100 than the lowest-end models offered by Dell or HP.
Another version of Everex’s gPC that runs the basic edition of Microsoft’s Windows Vista is on sale at Wal-Mart for $298.
Source: ComputerWire daily updates
