Little known and obscure laptop manufacturer Hercules have today rolled out a couple of new ARM netbooks into the UK market dubbed the “Slim HD” and “Ex HD,” touting Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
They’re a wee bit garish to look at, but the “world’s slimmest netbook” weighs under 2 pounds and is less than an inch thick, although the 88% real-size keyboard may leave your fat fingers yearning for more.
The specs are pretty bog standard for netbooks these days, except for the processor. The Slim HD and Ex HD sport a Cortex A8 ARM processor and a tiny (by today’s standards) amount of RAM, so it’s understandable that Hercules have opted to ship them with Ubuntu rather than the more demanding Windows 7 or XP. (Can you even get XP anymore? Don’t answer that.)
Coupled with zero licensing fees, Ubuntu Netbook Remix circa-2008 seems like the perfect option for budget netbooks.
Surprisingly, they come with HDMI out although the likelihood of successfully rendering 1080p video on a 50″ flatscreen is probably equal to the likelihood that I’ll get a gold jetski with spinners on for Christmas.
Pick them up in the UK for £180 for the Slim HD or £230 for the Ex HD.
Looking for more info? Check out Netbooks Review.net’s article on it.
Specifications
- LED screen: 10.1 inch, 1024*600, high brightness
- Storage: 16Gb extendable
- ARM Cortex A8 Freescale i.MX515 @ 800 MHz processor
- RAM: 512 Mb
- HDMI output
- WiFi N technology
- Battery: 6800 mAh (7.4V) for 13 hours + for EX HD, 2400mAh in Slim HD
- Comfortable “chiclet” keyboard with flat, separate keys — 88% of a standard keyboard
- 0.3MP webcam with built-in microphone
- Connections: 3x USB, 1x Headset, 1x Microphone, 1x LAN RJ45, 1x DC-in 12V, 1x External card reader: SD/MMC/SDHC, 1x Internal card reader: SD/SDHC
- DIP Switch
Thanks to Kamal DS via Tip Form