Houston Community News >> Chinese PC Maker Offers 129 Dollar Computer
2/7/2007 SINGAPORE -- A Chinese
PC maker today introduced a low-cost PC designed for customers in rural China
that can be used with a TV as a display.
Sichuan Sinomanic Technology LLC in Chengdu developed the $129 Tian En GX-2,
which is being pitched as a low-cost system that can help narrow the "digital
divide" between China's rural and urban areas.
The GX-2 is based on a 400MHz MIPS processor from Raza Microelectronics Inc. It
runs either a version of the Linux operating system or FutureAlpha, a
Chinese-developed operating system. The GX-2 has 128MB of DDR (double data rate)
DRAM, one USB 2.0 port, a 10/100Mbit/sec. Ethernet adapter and a 1GB Secure
Digital memory card to store data.
The PC, which does not include a monitor, has a VGA output for computer monitors
as well as a TV output. This capability could help some users save money as TVs
are found in most homes across China.
Software that comes bundled with the GX-2 includes an Internet browser, a
Chinese-English dictionary and a calendar application for managing appointments,
among others, Sinomanic said.
The price of the GX-2 is roughly the same as the laptop developed by the One
Laptop per Child project, which the group recently said costs about $130. That
system is expected to enter volume production during the third quarter of this
year.
(Contributed by Reuters)