14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that even devices not meant to come into existence for months have decided to rear their heads ahead of time. No doubt consumers weren't really surprised by the multitude of tablets, laptops and gaming hardware on display at Computex, since previous leaks and rumors had already removed most of the suspense. Nevertheless, not all items were looked out for by market watchers, which means some surprises still came, though they may not have taken the form one would have expected them to.
One of the biggest joys of the month, for children and young people at least, is the fact that the summer vacation is about to start. Naturally, during such times, locking up textbooks and throwing away the key is on top of such individuals' to do lists. Nevertheless, the grim reality that this is just a temporary respite remains, and HP seems to know this somewhat better than most. In fact, the company is preparing for when students go back to school.
Engadget took a stroll around the Novell booth and was surprised to see an HP Mini among the electronics on display. The prototype had a somewhat non-charming white plastic enclosure and a gray chiclet keyboard. No doubt this color theme will be just one of multiple color options. In addition, there was a handle at the back, which should let most people easily carry around this 10-inch machine wherever they go. No specific child-oriented features were hinted at, but it can be assumed that the final product will come with at least a few personalization options.
As far as specifications go, only the SuSE Linux 1.1 was discovered. No doubt the exact Atom CPU, along with the rest of the memory, graphics, connectivity and software options will be made public once the device actually reaches stores. When this is set to occur is still unknown though, as is the price.