Well, probably not the only future – but ‘really small with nearly instant booting’ is definitely an avenue worth going down. Sharp have taken a cue from their own back catalogue and put together a mini-netbook that is a dead ringer for their old Zaurus PDA.
Like the Zaurus, the NetWalker runs the Linux operating system. Unlike the Zaurus, the NetWalker is toting the bang up to date Ubuntu Linux, which is a properly usable desktop OS you will find on many ‘full size’ netbooks
The NetWalker (also known as the PC-Z1) sports a 5″ 1024×600 (WSVGA) display , 800MHz Freescale processor and 512MB of RAM. 4GB of SSD storage comes as standard, expandable via microSDHC card.
So far, so ordinary – but just look at the size of it. The NetWalker is a titchy 161.4×108.7×19.7mm and weighs just 409 grams and sharp claims a ten hour battery life for the little fella. Recognizing that being able to quickly whip a PC from your pocket isn’t much use if you have to wait five minutes for it to start up, Sharp reckon that the Ubuntu OS should be able to boot in under 3 seconds, making a quick stop to check your email a much more appealing prospect. Now, if only this thing had 3G too..
It is anyone’s guess if this will ever be available outside Akihabara or Hong Kong’s computer markets but there is some hope: though some sites report the Freescale chip inside it cannot legally be imported to the US, the company has confirmed there’s nothing stopping gizmos rocking it from making their way to either side of the pond. Fingers crossed.
TBC | £TBC | Sharp (via BB Gadgets)
