Computersight -

Next to all the commotion weither a 100-dollar laptop is usable or not there are also manufacturers that hit the market with their own 100-dollar computers. One of them is NorhTec, a Bangkok based company that manufactures tiny computers that costs less than 100 dollars. The so-called MicroClient Jr. measures 11.5 by 11.5 centimeters with a height of 3.5 centimeters and weighs somewhat more than 0.5 kg.

With a purchase of a thousand pieces or more the price per piece will be 90 dollars. For this ridiculous price the buyer gets a tiny computer with a SiS550-chipset, that consists of a 166MHz clocked x86 based-cpu, northbridge and southbridge, memory-controller, AGP4X-videocard, sounds card and a soft-modem. Furthermore there is a module of a 128MB SDRAM present of which 8MB can be assigned to the gpu. There are also network cards and necessary in and outs, and for more money there are also various extras to built in the console. To save on the expenses the computer has no harddisk, but it uses a Compact Flash-memory. However this has to be bought separately. The fan-less configuration requires 8 watts to work; the SiS-chipset exchanges quarter off that into heat.

According to NorhTec, the MicroClient Jr. Is compatible to Windows 98, CE and XP Embedded. A short test of LinuxDevices.com learns that the mini computer is also excellently suitable for light Linux-distributions that aren’t based on ‘heavy’ frameworks such as Gnome or KDE. NorhTec-founder Michael C. Barnes together with the interim Puppy Linux-chairman Raffy Mananghaya managed to install this light operating system. This Linux-version is small enough to be loaded in the working memory, so that the processor is extra relieved during the working of the pc. NorhTec promotes the MicroClient especially as a cheap, small and not temperature-sensitive solution to for instance a firewall or an access point. Puppy Linux advises to use the pc as a so-called woopwoop : a small, portable computer for light activities and games.