$200 ARM Smartbook with Ubuntu

[SemiExpert]

ARM-powered Android netbooks, essentially. It's even less meaningful than the word netbook itself. I don't even know whether something like the ARM-based Transformer Prime would count as a smartbook, or if it has to be a non-touch-based, low-cost gadget. (Prime apparently runs Ubuntu now, though. That's cool.)

The term Smartbook applies to ARM clamshell devices, not just Android. As to whether or not an ARM Android tablet with a keyboard dock is a Smartbook is a matter that is open to interpretation. The term Netbook seems to currently apply to 11.6 and smaller notebooks with Intel Atom and AMD Brazos (both C and E-series) processors. Confusingly, if an 11.6 inch notebook has a Sandy Bridge processor, it's not a Netbook. So a Thinkpad X120E with an AMD Fusion E-350 chip is a netbook, a Thinkpad X121E with an Intel Core i3-2357 CPU isn't a netbook.

As far as the Asus Transformer Prime, it's not a product that I'd buy, or advise buying, even if I could be confident of running Ubuntu without bricking it. Not a big Asus fan, not all that confident about Asus products or Asus support.

[Copper Bezel]

There's no risk of bricking, as it's an Asus-provided alternate bootloader designed for dual-booting with Android.

And the last time you had the Asus / netbook conversation here was also with me. = P

[dpny]

Curious for the review. For $200 it's almost an impulse buy.

[nutrapi]

i just thought i'd throw this out there and see what people have to say.

https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/12

and there's a customized ubuntu distro here:

http://www.powerdeveloper.org/platforms/efikamx/linux



anyone have any experience with that processor and know what it is capable of? Not looking for people who only look at its clock speed...that's pretty much useless speculation.

nice