14 DAY TRIAL // ARM seems to be gathering a lot of stream lately as its chips managed to make their way into a wider product range every passing day, the One Laptop per Child Project showcasing during the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, their upcoming XO-1.75 laptop that is powered by an ARM-based chip.
Design wise, the XO-1.75 doesn't look that much different than its predecessors, sporting the same industrial look as the XO-1 and XO-1.5 laptops.
However, its insides have gone through a major change as the laptop is now powered by a Marvell Armada 610 SoC that is based on the ARM architecture and runs at 1GHz.
Opting for this chip allows the XO-1.75 to run on only 2W of power, compared to the 5W required by the previous generations.
Discussing power consumption, OLPC CTO Edward McNierney said, "The biggest obstacle has been power," noting that, "we are pretty excited about getting a lower power laptop out there".
The new laptop is meant to replace the canceled x86-based XO-2 and takes a step in the direction of tablet computing as the motherboard as well as all the other hardware components are placed behind its 8.9-inch touchscreen.
This leaves the other half containing just the keyboard and lithium ferrous phosphate battery, easing the transition towards a slate design.
Previous OLPC laptop models were based on x86 chips developed by AMD and VIA.
Following the XO-1.75, OLPC will develop the XO-3 tablet that is supposed to come with a 9.7-inch touchscreen (the same size as that found in the iPad), a virtual keyboard and a camera on the back.
The XO-3 will also be powered by a Marvell chip, but, this time, its power consumption is going to be reduced at 1W.
According to H-online, the XO-1.75 is expected to start shipping in the second quarter of this year.