HP Makes Netbook for Grade School Students
Netbooks have been the computer of choice for many college students simply because they fit into a student budget better than anything else. Now HP is targeting an even younger student demographic with a new netbook for grade schools.
The HP Mini 100e takes the inherent affordability of the netbook and tweaks it for educational purposes. For instance, the Mini 100e comes with a spill resistant keyboard and learning software such as Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Math and Microsoft Security Essentials. An LED indicator clearly displays when the netbook is connected to a network, for easier monitoring of when students are connected to the Internet.
"HP is committed to helping schools adapt to students' changing needs and to creating solutions that provide better interactivity, connectivity and learning," said Dan Forlenza, vice president and general manager of Business Notebooks and Personal Systems Group at HP.
Aside from the specialized education features, the Mini 100e is actually a pretty standard netbook : 10-inch screen, Atom 455 processor , 1GB of RAM. It can come preinstalled with Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter depending on the needs of the school network.
Perhaps most important to schools and students, though, is the price for the Mini 100e. HP promised in the Mini 100e announcement that it is "not expected to exceed $300 per unit," which should be good news for school districts with tight budgets. In other words, all of them.
Schools can also personalize the Mini 100e with the school logo, motto, images or identification. The Mini 100e is scheduled to launch worldwide in July.
