14 DAY TRIAL // Shuttle has announced it will launch a new product in its Linux-based desktop PC offerings, the Shuttle KPC. Introduced back at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the Linux machine is "a first for any computer at this price point".
The company's product comes in right after mobile computer vendor Elonex announced its $180 Elonex ONE rugged sub-notebook. Shuttle's newest product will become available as a barebones system for just $99, but a fully-fledged system will be soon sold for $199. Apparently, not only Asustek and Everex are amongst the PC manufacturers that are obsessed with the lowest price tag, and Shuttle did nothing but comply with the standards. Low-cost manufacturers are constantly dumping performance in favor of low prices.
Shuttle has released only a few technical details about the $ 199 KPC package. According to the specifications, the cube measures 11x7.5 x6.7-inch. The cubic shape is pretty common amongst the mini PC maker's other offerings. The system is built on an Intel Celeron 420 processor and comes with 80GB of hard drive space and 512MB of memory, that can be extended to a maximum 2GB. Should the storage space not be enough, users can add more hard-disk drives with a maximum total storage capacity of 1.5 TB on two hard drives.
The KPC (Korporate Perfect Cube) is not only inexpensive, but it is also energy-efficient. The low-end hardware components have modest energy requirements and the aspect has been quickly promoted as the company's concern to the environment. "In order for us to support this new green movement, Shuttle launched the new KPC K45", hinted Gary Lee, Director, Product and Marketing Division of Shuttle Inc, while David Yu, Chairman of Shuttle, said that "each resident of our global village has the responsibility to use eco-friendly products to help reduce carbon dioxide".
Shuttle also claimed that the KPC is even smaller than the "toaster-sized XPC", and comes with a customizable front bay. The system ships with a Linux-based operating system, but it will be able to run either Windows XP or even Windows Vista.