14 DAY TRIAL // Netherlands-based PC retailer Van Der Led has just pre-announced its latest ultra-portable creation in its portfolio, called the Jisus. The new device is alleged to compete on the low-cost notebook market that is currently dominated by Asustek's Eee PC.
The computer's specifications are almost in line with the rest of the offerings from other manufacturers. Its technical details are still scarce, but it is for sure to come with an 8.9-inch LCD display able to deliver a maximum resolution of 800x600. The unit is built around a less-familiar processor in the Loongson family, that ticks at a clock frequency of 1 GHz.
Those of you who are already trying to figure it out where the processor belongs to, rest assured: it is an obscure model created by ST Microelectronics in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The chip is also known as Godson or Dragon, and comes with a 64-bit superscalar micro-architecture, and minimal power requirements.
Other technical specifications include 512 MB of system RAM memory, 4GB of flash storage, 802.11b/g, stereo speakers, two USB 2.0 ports, and an 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connector. According to the manufacturer, the Jisus will descend with a pre-installed version of Ubuntu operating system, although users could switch to either a distinct Linux distribution, or even to Windows XP.
Van Der Led claims that the sub-notebook will hit the European retailers' shelves on April 25th at an estimative sales price of about ?299 ($470). The unit will be available in a plethora of casing colors and designs, perfectly suitable for a business notebook (that is, if you're three years old).
This Jisus had rather have some miracle up its sleeve if it wants to survive the ultra-mobile PC sharks that have shoveled quite some models lately. Let's not forget that HP's 2133 Mini-Note UMPC comes at an extremely competitive price tag ($499), and is appealing for both business and regular users.