Gecko EduBook: The Tinkerer Netbook

Thailand based NorhTec Corporation take the DIY Netbook concept one step further with their Gecko EduBook. To keep costs low the netbook can be shipped in pieces to be assembled in the countries they are delivered to.

The barebones system in a quantity of one is announced to cost US$150, dealers who want to order more units can request a price quote on NorhTec's web site.

Non-tinkerers can order the assembled version of the EduBook for US$200 plus shipping costs. This comes with Ubuntu Netbook Remix pre-installed, but will also support other Linux distros as well as Windows XP, as demonstrated in NorhTec's video, for those who want to run a more dated operating system.

The EduBook product page offers detailed information on this energy efficient fanless netbook. More of the features that set the EduBook apart from many netbooks are:

• The EduBook runs on 8 NiMH AA batteries with a battery life of up to 4 hours.
• Batteries are recharging while the netbook is connected to an external power source.
• There is no power adapter, the power supply is built in the EduBook.
• The Xcore86 CPU running at 1GHz uses only 1.2 Watts.
• CPU and RAM are on a replaceable module allowing for easy upgrades and reuse.
• A bright LED backlit 8.9" screen with a resolution of 1024x600.

The two videos below from jkkmobile and Netbook News recorded at COMPUTEX 2009 offer additional information on the EduBook.

EduBook at COMPUTEX by jkkmobile

EduBook at COMPUTEX by Netbook News