As we mentioned in several of our previous articles, these days, you can find netbooks by the dozen, and most of them are basically built on the same platform, with some even being a replica of an already established model (as is the case with MSI's Wind and its over 23 clones worldwide). It is, however, hard to find a netbook that isn't based on the same Intel Atom platform as most of the other low-power, small-sized portable PCs on the market.

One such system comes from Apricot, a company that most have probably never heard of and which has recently taken the wraps of its 8.9-inch netbook that, surprisingly, isn't based on the Intel Atom-supporting platform, as other, similar devices on the market.

As a matter of fact, Appricot's Picobook Pro is actually based on VIA's OpenBook platform, which basically means it is featured with VIA's C7-M processor, running at 1.2GHz. The 8.9-inch display can output images at a maximum resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels, with the help of the built-in VX800 integrated chipset from VIA.

Other technical specifications include 1GB of 400MHz DDR2 memory, 1.3MP webcam, 60GB hard drive, 4-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard slot, two USB 2.0 ports, 10/100 Ethernet, wireless 802.11 a/b/g connectivity and Bluetooth. Also, you will get a 2200 battery and a weight of just 0.98 kg, all for a price tag of £299, which is approximately US$474, well within the range of 8.9-inch netbooks.

The Windows XP-powered version of the Appricot's Picobook Pro netbook has been tested by the guys over at Register Hardware. The verdict was that, for a netbook, the VIA-powered Picobook Pro is rather nice, offering some nifty features as 802.11a connectivity and ExpressCard slot but, unfortunately, it doesn't stand out from other similar devices.