Intel's First Impression at Classmate Pc's

Intel recently sent a demo unit of their educational line of netbooks, dubbed Classmate PC, for review. I was excited to check out their offering if only to see what One Laptop Per Child’s biggest competitor was up to. While I was initially skeptical, what I found was an ecosystem that focused less on the stand-alone experience and more on the classroom.

At face value, Intel’s Classmate PC looks like a standard netbook. But the internals are ruggedly constructed and resistant to the drops and rough handling kids are known for. Also notable is the nice large external handle for moving the unit around. Spec-wise, the unit sports a 1.6 Ghz Atom processor, 1 GB RAM, a 8.9″ wide screen at 1024 x 600, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and an integrated web cam. Additionally, my demo unit had a traditional 60 GB hard drive, but solid-state drives are optional. Individual units can be purchased online and retail for around $480