Intel shows "OLPC-killer" down under

THE INQ attended the "IT CEOs keynote" at EXPOCOMM 2006 yesterday, where Intel abused the opportunity to do a live demo of its "classmate PC", Chipzilla's response to MIT's $100 PC running on an AMD CPU and Linux.

One of the two engineering samples of Chipzilla's "Classmate PC" shown at EXPOCOMM

Intel's Galuzzi, moderator, Dell's Majdalani, and Sun's Sorgente

On the "CEOS keynote" were Esteban Galuzzi, Intel's general manager for the "Southern Cone" region, Gustavo Sorgente, GM at Sun Microsystems for the "Latin America South" region, and finally Diego Majdalani, GM at Dell Computers Argentina. Each of the execs took turns to voice their own personal monologue on the direction of the IT and telecommunications industries. Questions were only allowed at the end, and surprisingly not by using a microphone but ironically for a telecomms exhibition by scribbling little paper notes that were then rushed to the moderator who read them aloud for the relevant exec to answer it.

Packed auditorium

What was said there was something surprising for me: we got supposedly-hardware company Intel talking about "ease of use" and friendly interfaces, and we got an exec from software king Sun -of Java, middleware and OpenOffice fame- talking not about the importance of open standards -as opposed to VIIV's world of closed-source Windows and Windows Media codecs and the often present DRM infection- but about the joy of modern electronics integration and miniaturization, ethics, and what Iran plans to do with its nuclear power -I kid you not-.

Intel's vision - a locked "affordable PC" resembling a projector -that light is the power button-
and a cheap PC for education in the developing world, $200 more expensive than MIT's

While Sun's exec talked about the past and his visions of the future, Intel's Galuzzi used the opportunity to do a big PR campaign on Intel's VIIV menace, and the company's new "friendly" PCs for emerging markets -I suppose he means the Third World-, with slides showing Chipzilla's "Affordable PC", -a black closed box that cannot be opened or user upgraded-, and the "Classmate PC", Intel's answer to MIT's $100 PC part of the "One Laptop Per Child" educational programme. MIT's machine will run on AMD processors and Linux, while Intel's offer will run Windows and according to Intel's Galuzzi, will cost around $300.

Another photo of the Classmate PC

Esteban Galuzzi, Intel's general manager for the "Southern Cone" region
Promoting Intel's VIIVision - No mention about the dangers of Microsoft's closed codecs and the DRM-infection

I won't go into detail into the mind-numbing VIIV sales speech by the Intel exec, because I don't think it's worth it. But the camera flashes hammered Mr. Galuzzi when he changed subject and showed a live working "engineering sample" of the Classmate PC. Then bringing up a second one to the desk. Since part of our work here at the INQ is asking the annoying and difficult questions that corporations do not like being asked, I wrote down my own surprise question to Mr. Galuzzi: "can one run Linux on a Classmate PC?". His answer was: "well, it's a PC, so you can run any PC operating system you want on it". Not that Chipzilla is going to pre-load it to annoy the company's partners in crime at the Vole, I guess. But hey, the hardware won't be locked to only allow the Vole's OS, it seems, judging by the words of the Intel exec. µ

L'INQS
M.I.T.'s Media Lab and the $100 OLPC programme
Argentina government commits to but MIT/AMD's $100 PC
Intel's Otellini takes subtle swipe at the Vole
OLPC screen is clever, but very odd
Intel's VIIV is stupid and broken
DRM is a complete lie
ZDNet: "DRM a load of C.R.A.P."
Intel's VIIV: Victory of who?

See also:
Intel to create software development centre in Argentina
Argentina, reversal of fortune
An IT/Telecomms expo where?
EXPOCOMM Argentina 2006 coverage (updated list)
EXPOCOMM Argentina 2005 coverage
EXPOCOMM Argentina 2004 coverage