Intel unveils touchscreen Classmate

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 21 Aug 2008 at 11:52

Intel has unveiled a touchscreen version of its Classmate PC for developing nations.

The chip company has been tight-lipped about its plans for the Classmate, but sprung a surprise at IDF by unveiling not only details but a test unit.

Intriguingly, rather than simply bulking up the Classmate with a faster processor and more RAM Intel has revealed the latest Classmate will feature a 8.9in, 1024 x 600 touchscreen display and the ability to swivel into a tablet design, which should please Microsoft which has long championed the form factor.

The Celeron M processor of earlier models will be replaced by a 1.6GHz Atom, while storage will be taken care of by a solid state drive, though no size has been specified yet.

The laptop will also feature an SD slot, two USB ports and a video output.

Intel has released a video of the Classmate here.

The Classmate has so far proved a successful product for Intel which recently shipped 500,000 to Portgual.