Stories about: Everex

For some users, the new generation of ultraportable notebooks comes close to embodying the Holy Grail for road warriors. Their laptop-like keyboards make them more usable for typing tasks than smart phones, but they are lighter and cheaper than traditional laptops. The original Asus Eee PC, for instance, cost about US$400 and weighed about two pounds when it was introduced last October.

Via Technologies released the hardware design for a low-cost laptop with WiMax support under an open-source license on Tuesday, a move intended to make customization easier and shorten design cycles for system makers.

Microsoft sees the ultra-low cost PC market as a significant opportunity and plans to pursue it with vigor, according to Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer.

Linux, long the laggard to the Windows desktop, is pushing into emerging markets, onto mobile devices and other client form factors, and is poised to give Microsoft something to really compete against, according to attendees at the annual Linux Foundation Summit.

If you're a dedicated user of MySpace without a lot of physical space, a compact desktop PC from Everex could help. Everex has launched MyMiniPC, a compact desktop that provides easy access to MySpace features, making it easier for friends to connect and communicate on the popular social-networking site.

Microsoft Thursday confirmed swirling rumors by announcing that it is extending the availability of Windows XP Home Edition until mid-2010 for a fast-emerging class of tiny, cheap laptops led by the Asus Eee.

As the release of low-cost laptops based on Intel's upcoming Atom processor draws near, Microsoft is getting boxed into a corner. The software company plans to stop selling most Windows XP licenses after June 30, yet most of these low-cost laptops won't be powerful enough to run Vista when they arrive later this year.

Jim Zemlin is the executive director of the Linux Foundation. Formerly executive director of the Free Standards Group, Zemlin also has served as vice president of marketing for Covalent Technologies, providing products and services for the Apache Web server. Zemlin has also been a keynote speaker at industry and financial conferences including Gartner's Open Source Conference and Linux World.

Wal-Mart has stopped selling Everex's Linux-based PC in its stores because of a tepid response from customers, although it will continue to sell the product online, the retailer said Tuesday.

Everex is refreshing its Cloudbook line of ultraportable, Linux-based notebooks with redesigned models that may eventually include low-power Intel Diamondville processors, bigger screens and more storage.

Intel's low-power processor code-named Diamondville will initially be available as a single-core processor, but the company is planning a dual-core version, said a source familiar with Intel's plans.