Meet the cheapest laptop in the world
From credit card debt and school loans to rising gas prices and adjustable mortgages, there are plenty of reasons why consumers in the developed world can't afford a laptop. Not to mention the fact that underfunded schools and underprivileged kids also exist in the developed parts of the world. Enter the Medison Celebrity laptop. It's a $150 laptop from Swedish company Medison that's available through the Columbus, Ohio-based online reseller 2Checkout.com.
(Credit:
Medison Europe Limited)
With Nicholas Negroponte's OLPC hovering around $175, and Intel's Classmate PC expected to cost more than $200, the Medison Celebrity laptop can lay claim to being the cheapest laptop in the world. And it boasts an impressive feature set for the money. For starters, it features a large, wide-screen 14-inch WXGA display and weighs a reasonable 4.8 pounds. Powering the Medison Celebrity is a 1.5GHz Intel Celeron M 370 processor and 256MB of memory. You may scoff at such a meager memory allotment considering all the reviews out there that complain whenever a PC serves up less than 1GB these days, but the Medison Celebrity doesn't have to power Vista or any other flavor of Windows. Instead, it uses Fedora Linux, which requires less muscle to run than a Windows OS and no Microsoft licensing fee. Rounding out the specs are a 40GB hard drive, an integrated Via PN800 graphics chip, and 802.11g Wi-Fi. You also get stereo speakers, three USB 2.0 ports, and a PC Card slot. Medison backs the laptop with a one-year warranty but offers little detail about the terms.
Medison takes orders in a variety of currencies, and it claims it will outfit the laptop with the appropriate keyboard. The company estimates it'll take four to six weeks to ship, but "availability of the Medison Celebrity model depends on how many orders we get per day." It also lists additional charges above the $150 price as $6.45 plus 5.5 percent "and extra" for its partner, 2Checkout.com.
Is this $150 laptop too good to be true? Could be--I've tried all morning to place an order, but I keep getting an error message before I can even enter my credit card info and address. I'll keep trying, but it looks like Medison isn't quite ready to bestow Celebrity status on anyone with an extra $150 kicking around. I'll update this post should I get my order to go through.
UPDATE: I successfully completed an order. And wouldn't you know, the $150 laptop ended up costing an even $150. Shipping was free, and no taxes or other charges were applied. I'll let you know when it arrives.
HAH, quoted from their site on why their laptop is so cheap:
"We see this from a democratic point of view where we believe everyone should be able to afford to have a laptop."
so i guess democracy lets you take big losses and sell things at impossible prices, screw those other communist companies huh?
I'd say wait until this cnet editor gets his laptop or not, on every other forum i read nobody has recieved one
HAH, quoted from their site on why their laptop is so cheap:
"We see this from a democratic point of view where we believe everyone should be able to afford to have a laptop."
so i guess democracy lets you take big losses and sell things at impossible prices, screw those other communist companies huh?
I'd say wait until this cnet editor gets his laptop or not, on every other forum i read nobody has recieved one
So, let's see how this one comes out. If it shows up on the doorstep (and I hope it does) consider downloading OpenOffice 2.0 (free suite) and see how it runs on there, then you'll have an AWESOME system!
And yes, what an awesome system: an uncompatible OS with a feature-lacking (e-mail client, for instance) productivity suite.
So, let's see how this one comes out. If it shows up on the doorstep (and I hope it does) consider downloading OpenOffice 2.0 (free suite) and see how it runs on there, then you'll have an AWESOME system!
And yes, what an awesome system: an uncompatible OS with a feature-lacking (e-mail client, for instance) productivity suite.
Here's hoping it's not! I've ordered mine.
Someone on cnet.co.uk reckons they've already received theirs....
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49291844,00.htm
If you can, then I'd wonder just how slow or fast it is.
I once bought a "cheap" (for then - it was $599) laptop on Tigerelectronics.com and BOY it WAS SLOW. When I called them up about their "BLAZING FAST" computer, they said, "what do you expect for that money?" I never could use it. It took forever to do anything.
SO, caveat emptor, but maybe it really is a good deal. Can't wait to see.
From the Visa website (merchant rules):
"Deposit Time Limits
Deposit your Visa transaction receipts within five calendar days of the transaction date. The sooner you deposit transaction receipts with your merchant bank, the sooner you get paid! For card-not-present transactions, the transaction date is the ship date, not the order date."
Just an FYI :)
Here's hoping it's not! I've ordered mine.
Someone on cnet.co.uk reckons they've already received theirs....
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49291844,00.htm
If you can, then I'd wonder just how slow or fast it is.
I once bought a "cheap" (for then - it was $599) laptop on Tigerelectronics.com and BOY it WAS SLOW. When I called them up about their "BLAZING FAST" computer, they said, "what do you expect for that money?" I never could use it. It took forever to do anything.
SO, caveat emptor, but maybe it really is a good deal. Can't wait to see.
From the Visa website (merchant rules):
"Deposit Time Limits
Deposit your Visa transaction receipts within five calendar days of the transaction date. The sooner you deposit transaction receipts with your merchant bank, the sooner you get paid! For card-not-present transactions, the transaction date is the ship date, not the order date."
Just an FYI :)
Not saying it is, but that $150 gamble may cost you many, many times more
if it is one.
Personally, this product doesn't even pass my rudimentary sniff test.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, run don't walk away.
Good luck in any event!
Not saying it is, but that $150 gamble may cost you many, many times more
if it is one.
Personally, this product doesn't even pass my rudimentary sniff test.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, run don't walk away.
Good luck in any event!
Anyway your comments are interesting. We pay about US1000 for a laptop, and then the warranty expires on payment of the invoice. Same deal, if I buy one I don't eat for a week.
Ooaroo
You have a good grasp of the English language, better than some American and British folks.
- Just to mention...
- by H4N5O1 July 26, 2007 10:15 AM PDT
- Someone said that is almost impossible to have a working laptop with this specs for that price. Well, maybe if you live in Europe, but us less fortunate who are living in Serbia, it i is not impossible at all. With one catch - you can build this kind of laptop (or even better) for less then 150$ becouse: Almost all components we can buy here in Serbia are or a) noname from china b) B class or worst from famous producers. So it is possible. But dont expect something .... let's say fenomenal. However if they give warranty - my opinion is that it will be one of the best selling computers in Serbia and surrounding countries ever. Or maybe in the world? :D (To make this clear enough - We work here whole month for 200$ sallary .... Finaly we can buy a (less) decent computer for one paycheck :D ) Sorry for bad english and many many greets from Belgrade, Serbia.
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- Owyagonmateorright?
- by Scruffy-1 August 1, 2007 9:03 PM PDT
- Yes your English is not so flash, but English stinks too. Don't worry about it, Americans can't speak it or spell it either. The only ones got it right are us Strines. Ours is very advanced English where we drop out the spaces between the words to save time when we talk and save ink when we write. Makes Strine a bit hard to learn, but gedinthereandavago, g'donyamate and avagoodwegend.
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- Your English was fine.
- by Qwerty Cake August 2, 2007 4:39 AM PDT
- The above, and that's pretty interesting. So could someone order the same American name brands like HP or Acer from Siberia for a lower price? Is it really worth having the cheapest laptops ever though, for the small paycheck?
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- Last time ...
- by colinhay August 2, 2007 4:51 AM PDT
- Last time I looked, Serbia WAS in Europe ...
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- Good luck
- by nyabdns August 2, 2007 6:50 AM PDT
- on your quest to get a laptop.
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- by Shrude February 9, 2009 1:46 PM PST
- Zdravo drug
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Showing 1 of 18 pages (435 Comments)Anyway your comments are interesting. We pay about US1000 for a laptop, and then the warranty expires on payment of the invoice. Same deal, if I buy one I don't eat for a week.
Ooaroo
You have a good grasp of the English language, better than some American and British folks.
Your English is perfectly fine just check my serbisk!!!!
I have lived in Belgrade for four years and still I can't conduct a conversation fully in Serbian !!! Though I can vouch for what you said is absolutely true. There in Serbia peoples creativity is still respected and you can simply compile your computer up to your taste! And that is a first world in my opinion... So cheer up mate wish I were ther now..