$200.00 Desktop from Wal-Mart
As a possible alternative to the $400 one hundred dollar laptop, check out these specs on the Everex TC2502, a so-called Green (desktop) PC available for $200.00 at Wal-Mart.
The basic rundown on the system:
Key Features & Benefits:
1.5 GHz Via Technologies C7-D processor
Preinstalled Software: OpenOffice.org 2.2 (includes WRITER, IMPRESS, nMATH, DRAW, CALC and BASE)
gOS Software Applications and operating system
DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive
512 MB of DDR2 system memory (expandable to 2 GB)
10/100 Mbps Ethernet
80 GB hard disk drive
See a detailed review written from the perspective of Ben Crowell as he opened the box and set up the computer with his daughter.
His bottom line (though, by all means, do read his well-considered review):
My overall impression of the gPC’s hardware was that it was very good, for a non-gaming machine, although its supposed environmental friendliness was overblown, if you compare with other non-gaming machines. The software, however, seems very raw and unpolished, and I wouldn’t recommend gOS to anyone as a Linux distribution. Anyone who prefers Enlightenment as their WM can simply install Enlightenment on a standard Ubuntu system.
According to the Wikipedia entry on gOS the following applications are either standard (built-in) or compatible online:
Firefox Webbrowser, Google Mail, Google News, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, Froogle, the Blogger YouTube and Facebook online communities as well as Meebo to online chat with a.o. Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger users, Rhythmbox (ITunes like program for music and radio), Skype, Wikipedia, and the Xine media player. The rightmost icon is for Faqly a system developed for gOS to offer a built in on line community based help system. Other programs can be added to the Dock as well.
(Crowell review via Slashdot)
