Third-generation Classmate PC on its way
Intel is working on the next version of its low-cost laptop, which could be ready in the next month or so, according to a report in PC World.
The current version of the Classmate PC, to be updated by Intel soon.
(Credit: Intel)There are no pictures, and very few concrete details on what changes are in store for the device, which is intended for school children. Intel would only say it will have a "new look and feel," and will get both hardware and software upgrades.
We may already have a clue as to what tweaks the software might be getting. Last month, Sugar Labs, a spin-off of rival low-cost laptop maker One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), said it would develop a version of its Sugar interface for the Classmate PC.
The version currently shipping runs Linux and just got a spec bump: It now contains a 1.6-gigahertz Atom processor and 1GB of memory.
Though originally intended for education applications in developing nations, earlier this year Intel began making the Classmate available at retail in the U.S. and Europe.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
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