convertible classmate

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Does inexpensive have to equal cheap?

The Acer Aspire One I recently acquired and largely raved about has developed what appear to be motherboard issues. It sometimes won't boot, sometimes won't make it past the BIOS, sometimes won't recognize USB disks, will only occasionally boot from USB, and generally just isn't working very well. ...

Tags: Acer Inc., Netbook, Convertible Classmate, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Hardware, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-05-06

Additional Resources

No Apple tablet? Too bad, but not why you think

A while back I wrote that an Apple Tablet, no matter how innovative or cool, would be a non-starter in education without educational content to drive adoption. Now we're hearing that it won't be introduced at Apple's September event, despite a nearly constant churn of rumors about its existence. ...

Tags: Apple Inc., Tablets, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-08-18

Intel Summer Tech Day (or "Why couldn't I live in California?")

Despite our non-stop rain this summer, long winters, crippling ice storms, and plagues of mosquitoes and black flies, I really love New England. The people are pragmatic and would give you the shirts off their back at least once they get to know you and here in Massachusetts, clam...

Tags: Intel Classmate PC, PC, Intel Corp., Tablets, Desktops, Public Relations, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Marketing, Corporate Communications, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-08-04

Laptop or desktop netbook for back to school?

Laptop or desktop netbook for back to school?ExactlyPrecisely my opinion. This way, everyone benefits. The student, because he has more powerful hardware at his disposal, has some computing redundancy if one machine breaks down, and has to carry less weight around. The teachers, because they can make normal eye contact...

Tags: Netbooks, nettops & MIDs, Notebooks, Desktops, netbook, laptop computer, desktop, back-to-school

Discussion threads 2009-07-28

Laptop or desktop+netbook for back to school?

It's almost August, folks. We all know what that means, right? If you don't already have a computer for school, you need to get one, PDQ. For some of you in K-12, your school might have a 1:1 program and you'll take a laptop home with you...

Tags: Desktop, Laptop Computer, Netbook, Computer, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Productivity, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-07-27

ARRA, affordability driving interest in Latitude 2100

Not long ago, I wrote a post concerning what I saw as a high price and somewhat limited value for Dell's new educational netbook, the Latitude 2100. It seems, however, that a lot of school districts disagreed. According to a brief on Yahoo News, "more than 500 U.S....

Tags: School District, Dell Latitude, Netbook, Computer, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Productivity, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-06-29

So what's it worth to you?

I spent a lot of time talking with people at last week's Intel Classmate PC Ecosystem Summit about "value propositions". I know that's marketing jargon, but as I sink deeper into the Twitterverse, I'm beginning to embrace a bit of marketing voodoo. What does that phrase really mean, though,...

Tags: Software, Netbook, Intel Corp., Classmate, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Tablets, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-06-23

I've discovered a reason to like Windows: Chrome

My youngest son stole my Ubuntu-loaded convertible Classmate last week and is primarily using it so that we can email each other and talk on Skype while I'm in Miami. It also has his RTI software loaded on it, so I figured I'd grab one of the Windows Classmates...

Tags: Ubuntu, Web Browser, Chrome, Microsoft Windows, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Operating Systems, Web Browsers, Software, Hardware, Internet, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-06-15

Differentiating Classmates

I received my first OEM Convertible Classmate PCs late last week from CTL Corporation. My previous Classmates had been various demo units supplied by Intel with one still going strong running Ubuntu and the Intel Linux software stack; these 6 "2go PCs" were standard fare and are being used...

Tags: Intel Classmate PC, PC, Procurement, Intel Corp., Purchasing & Procurement, Engineering, Microsoft Windows, Desktops, Business Operations, Operating Systems, Software, Hardware, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-06-11

A case for rugged laptops?

I'm not a gentle laptop user. They get tossed in my car, jammed in my bag, and slid off my lap. My white MacBook is only white in a few spots now (the keyboard and wrist-rests a fairly disgusting shade of gray). Kids, however, make me look downright...

Tags: Hewlett-Packard Co., Laptop Computer, Netbook, Computer, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Notebooks, Productivity, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-06-03

Eating my own dogfood?

So I love Ubuntu Netbook Remix on the Classmate. Not really a surprise since regular readers will know that I really like the Classmate PC, I really like Ubuntu, and I'm not wedded to any particular interface, be it Apple, Windows, Linux, or otherwise. However, if...

Tags: Netbook, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Tablets, Microsoft Windows, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Operating Systems, Software, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-05-26

Forget Moblin! Ubuntu Netbook Remix rocks on the Classmate

Last week I fired up the latest beta of Moblin, the open source netbook/MID/nettop operating system originally spearheaded by Intel, but now shepherded by the Linux Foundation. I've already discussed my first impressions of the OS running on a Convertible Classmate PC, but the most important take home messages...

Tags: Ubuntu, Intel Corp., Classmate, Microsoft Windows, Tools & Techniques, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Operating Systems, Software, Management, Hardware, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-05-26

Did you get my little computer back yet?

That's what my youngest son calls the Convertible Classmate that Intel has given me on long-term loan to really put through its paces in a variety of real-world settings. For the last month it has been with an autistic kindergartner and generally passed around the younger grades at my...

Tags: Computer, Tablets, Productivity, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-05-20

Update on the Latitude 2100: options=sticker shock.

So the new education-oriented Latitude netbooks are up for order now on Dell.com. The good news? Ubuntu 8.10 is an option, saving you $30 upfront for a $369 base price. More good news? Getting the system up to a gig of RAM from its 512MB base...

Tags: Hard Drive, RAM, Dell Latitude, Netbook, Ubuntu 8.10, Built-in Camera, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Keyboards, Hardware, Peripherals, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-05-19

Is the new Dell Latitude educational netbook worth the price?

While nothing seems to have made its way to the Dell K-12 store in terms of their new Latitude 2100 netbooks, there are plenty of details floating about online. A few new bits of information have emerged since I mentioned this education-oriented netbook a while back, but I'm afraid...

Tags: Dell Computer Corp., Dell Latitude, Netbook, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-05-18

Is there a better place to host video than YouTube?

Last week, YouTube announced the opening of its Edu channel, giving a single destination for a lot of educational content: Do You EDU? Educational Hub Launches: Using YouTube as a vehicle to democratize learning is one of the coolest, unintended outcomes of its existence. YouTube EDU is...

Tags: YouTube Inc., Video, YouTube EDU, K12, TeacherTube, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-03-30

Childtopia adds functionality to Classmates (and more)

A couple weeks ago I wrote about using the Classmate PC with very young kids. I concluded that the Classmate was definitely better suited to the K-6 and even secondary school set than it was to much younger kids. This isn't actually a bad thing since there simply...

Tags: Netbook, Kid, Childtopia, Classmate, Childtopia Software, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Games, Hardware, Personal Technology, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-03-25

Another Classmate expedition

My 6-year old isn't thrilled, but the Intel Convertible Classmate is off on another expedition today. It will be spending the next few weeks with another 6-year old at his school. She is autistic and types quite a bit better than she writes. I'm hopeful that the...

Tags: Touch Screen, Accommodation, Durability, Netbook, Computer, Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Keyboards, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Monitors & Displays, Productivity, Human Resources, Gender And Diversity, Hardware, Peripherals, Components, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-03-25

Too young for the Classmate?

My 6-year old was thrilled to have the convertible Classmate back in the house this weekend. It had been with a couple of coworkers and their small children to see just how it would stand up to the pre-school set. My youngest is obsessed with the Nintendo game...

Tags: Kid, Classmate, Keyboards, Productivity, Monitors & Displays, Tools & Techniques, Games, Hardware, Peripherals, Components, Management, Personal Technology, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-03-15

Screw licensing OS X - Give me an iPhone-based netbook

Jason Perlow wrote a great piece tonight on why Apple should license OS X to netbook builders like Asus, Dell, and HP. This certainly hasn't been a strategy that has gone well for Apple, nor is it anything they're likely to do any time soon. However, it's the...

Tags: Apple iPhone, Brand, Apple Inc., Apple iPod Touch, Netbook, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Apple Mac OS X, Branding, Hardware, Operating Systems, Software, Apple Mac OS, Marketing, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-02-22