Wal-Mart Sells $199 Linux Computer

NEW YORK (AP) — Linux, the free operating system that's a perpetual underdog in the desktop market, is showing up in computers in Wal-Mart stores this week for the first time.

About 600 Wal-Mart stores will carry the $199 Linux-powered "Green gPC" made by Everex of Taiwan, Wal-Mart said. It was available online on Wednesday.

A comparable Everex PC that comes with Windows Vista Home Basic and more memory costs $99 more, or $298, partly because the manufacturer has to pay Microsoft Corp. for a software license. Both computers come with keyboard, mouse, and speakers, but no monitor.

Linux is maintained and developed by individuals and companies around the world volunteering on an "open source" basis, meaning that everyone has access to the software's blueprints.

Linux is in widespread use in server computers, particularly servers that host Web sites. But it hasn't yet made a dent in the desktop market. Surveys usually put its share of that market around 1 percent, far behind Windows and Apple Inc.'s OS X.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien said it is stocking the gPC in about one in eight stores to test the demand for an open-source product.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. sold Linux computers online — but not in stores — starting in 2002 at prices as low as $199. Computers from several manufacturers were available for several years but they didn't find much of a market, and they're gone now.

The variant of Linux on the gPC is called gOS and is derived from the popular Ubuntu variant. It's heavily oriented toward Google's Web sites and online applications, like YouTube, Gmail and the company's word processing program, all of which can be used only when the computer is connected to a broadband line.

Google's push into desktop applications is relatively new, and gOS, the Los Angeles-based startup behind the software, sees it as crucial in overcoming consumers' reluctance to leave the familiar Windows environment.

"We feel the timing is right for open source because of that," said gOS founder David Liu. The company has fewer than 10 people on staff but gets help from volunteers in the Linux community.

Whether value-minded shoppers who would be enticed by a $199 PC will also be interested in making the jump to Linux remains to be seen. The operating system isn't known for ease of use and mainly attracts the tech-savvy, though Liu said his aim was to make the gPC something his mother could use.

The gPC has a low-end processor from VIA Technologies, plus 512 megabytes of internal memory, an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a combination DVD drive and CD burner.

Everex says the processor is very energy efficient, meriting the "Green" part of the name.

ap.google.com

Wal-Mart to carry $199 computer

Scattered among the $500 to $1,000 desktop computers available at Walmart.com, one machine stands out. It doesn't have a unique design, but its price tag looks like a typo: $199.

Prices for consumer electronics goods, ranging from HDTVs to mobile phones, drop consistently, but few products have more potential to impact a person's ability to learn or find work than a computer.

The cheap computers -- sold beginning this week at 20 Illinois Wal-Mart locations -- are offered at a time when charitable efforts such as the "One laptop per child" program intended to provide portable computers for $100 to children in developing countries, have struggled to achieve results. That laptop will now cost $200, but the program has yet to deliver a product.

The computer for sale at Wal-Mart, on the other hand, can immediately put an affordable machine into the hands of anyone from students in low-income households to senior citizens on strict budgets, thus addressing the critical social issue of a so-called "digital divide" in the U.S. between those with access to computers and the Internet and those without.

"What this will do is make it affordable to have a computer, or even multiple computers, at home," said Mohsin Dada, assistant superintendent for business at the Schaumburg township community school district.

The computers do not include a monitor, but those can be bought for less than $100, and the price could encourage more families to buy computers, said Sharnell Jackson, the chief e-learning officer for the Chicago Public School system.

"This is a good thing for digital equity and digital excellence," she said. This effort will provide an "alternative for families. We need options."

According to a 2006 Chicago Public Schools survey, 72 percent of students said they use a computer at home. The remaining students have access !! to a computer at school, a library or at a friend's house.

The cheap price reflects Wal-Mart's buying power as the world's largest retailer and an aggressive gambit by a Taiwanese company that has carved out a niche at the low end of the computer market.

To get to $199, the company, First International Computer, had to forgo software made by Microsoft Corp. or Apple Inc. and try the little used open-source computer platform.

"There are $60 to $90 savings on every single computer sold just by getting away from the Microsoft products," said Paul Kim, Everex's director of marketing.

Open source software programs are developed using code that is available to anyone, typically free of charge. The most notable open-source platform is called Linux, and it has become widely used on corporate server computers.

But consumers, other than hobbyists, who use Linux and open-source software are rare.

Whether people are comfortable with open-source software, or even aware it exists, these computers ship with an array of familiar software: a Web browser, word processing, programs for presentations and spreadsheets, e-mail, instant messaging, and media-playing software for music and movies.

Even an iPod will work, said David Liu, the founder of gOS, the California start-up that built the open-source operating system the PC runs on.

The gOS operating system -- the "g" does not stand for Google -- has six Google applications loaded directly onto the PC. The "g" doesn't stand for anything, Liu said.

Those programs include Google's e-mail product, Gmail, as well a spreadsheet application, a calendar, maps, news and a direct link to videos on YouTube.

The so-called "gPC" will be sold online at Walmart.com and in about 600 Wal-Mart stores nationwide. The PCs have started arriving in some stores, said a spokeswoman for the Arkansas-based retailer.

"That's about one-eighth of our stores," she said. "It's a test of market demand for open source software. It's very limited."

At the Wal-Mart store in Princeton, Ill., one of the 20 in the state selling the $199 computer, an assistant store manager said the product should sell well, even if it lacks an operating system people are familiar with.

"For that price, our customers will want one," she said.

Al Gillen, an analyst who covers operating system issues for technology analyst IDC in Framingham, Mass., said the low-priced computers "could be disruptive" for the computing industry but more importantly it has the potential to expand the market.

"When you look at the people who take photos with their cell phones, it did not diminish camera sales," he said. "The photo quality is not good [with phones] but it enabled the adoption of a technology that was never addressed before. So the opportunity here is to serve a market that has never been served before."

Kim, from Everex, would not clearly define the target market for this computer. "It could attract both older people and kids," he said, adding that the affordability factor is a clear lure for low-income consumers.

Software programs are shown as icons on a bar that sits on the bottom of the computer screen, much like how the "dock" looks like on Apple's OS X operating system. Hence, users click on an icon, such as the one for Firefox that allows for Web browsing, and the application opens.

For it's part, Google supports the open source movement and encourages developers and consumers to experiment with its offerings.

"Our goal is to connect people with the information they are looking for as quickly and easily as possible," said a Google spokeswoman. "We're also excited to see that companies like Everex are making information more accessible to more people by building affordable, open-source PCs."

Yet despite the $199 price point, Gillen is skeptical that Wal-Mart will help spread the open-source software movement.

"The problem we've seen with Linux adoption as a consumer operating system is that it has not been big at all," he said. "It's not even a measurable market share at this point."

Plus, Wal-Mart has sold an open-source computer. In 2002, it tried to sell a $199 PC that used the Lindows operating system. But the PCs were poorly reviewed and there were compatible issues working with peripheral devices, ranging from printers to digital cameras. Gillen said those hurdles will need to be overcome with this effort.

"Are there adoption blockers here," he asked. "If there is any kind of updating or installation required, it could be a challenge. Will you be able to install driver software for an old HP laserjet printer? Or will you have to buy a particular printer to work with this device?"

To ease some worries, the "gPC" has a 1-year warranty and a 24-hour help line.

"We want people to accept this as a mainstream product," Liu said. "The operating system will continue to grow. There will be upgrades."

Dada, the Schaumburg educator, said a "$199 computer can level the playing field for a lot of people. We should make every effort that there is no digital divide."

ebenderoff@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

Almost the Google PC: Everex gPC available at Wal-Mart

The $198 Google-approved Web 2.0 gPC.

(Credit: Everex)

On Thursday, WalMart begins selling the Everex Green gPC TC2502, a $198, low-power, Linux-based PC designed primarily for running Web 2.0 applications.

When users first fire up their gPC, they'll get a Mac-like desktop with a series of program icons "docked" across the bottom. The icons are bookmarks to popular and useful Web 2.0 services from Google and other vendors. There are icons for Google Docs, Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube, for example, as well as Meebo, Facebook, and Wikipedia. Sprinkled into the lineup are some non-Web-based apps, like Skype and Gimp, but the novice user won't know, initially, which are local applications and which are Web services.

Isn't that as it should be? An app is an app, so why should users know or care if it's running on their local PC or in the cloud?

The gPC icon dock

(Credit: CNET)

Unfortunately, using the gPC's Web apps isn't as transparent as we'd like, although that's not Everex's fault. Web apps still run in a browser (and the gPC won't ship with Adobe AIR or another runtime platform that runs online apps in their own windows), so each time a user clicks on one of the icons that's pointing to a URL, it will fire up Firefox or a new tab in it. Also, Web apps require their own online logins (though if you're logged into Google, you have to worry about that only once per session). And, of course, there's the question of where one's data is stored. The gPC has a hard disk, but users of the Web apps won't be putting files on it. (It also has OpenOffice installed on it, but users will have to dig to find the suite.)

My criticisms are aimed mostly at Web apps in general, and this is nonetheless a great product. It costs less than $200 and you don't have to buy one for a child you've never met to get it (not that that's a bad thing, but it would drive up your cost). It will do what most of us need, thanks to all the Web 2.0 sites and services that are available now and that don't require the equivalent of a Cray supercomputer to run acceptably fast. The gPC, which Everex is selling with Google's blessing, gives us a look at what a Web PC should be: A much cheaper but almost-as-capable alternative to a regular PC or Mac. This is the closest thing I've seen to a Web appliance that might actually sell.

The gPC runs a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor and ships with 512MB of RAM and a 80GB hard drive. The operating system is gOS, from a new company of the same name. It's a version of Ubuntu 7.10 with the Enlightenment window manager. The $198 price tag does not include a monitor. But it does include 24/7 800-number tech support.

The gPC will be available at Walmart.com and at these Wal-Mart retail stores.

See also these interesting Linux-powered products from Everex competitor Asus: The P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP motherboard with embedded Firefox, and the Eee PC 4G, and low-cost Linux laptop

The gPC runs all the Web apps you'll need as well as several useful Linux-based desktop apps.

(Credit: CNET)
news.com

Everex delivers $198 Google-friendly PC

Everex has teamed up with open source players to create a $198 PC (sans display). The Everex Green gPC TC2502 runs a Linux OS and is loaded with (or has links to) free applications, including Gmail, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google Product Search, Google Blogger, Google YouTube, Google Maps, Google News, Meebo (instant messaging), GIMP (image editing), Firefox, Xing Movie Player, RhythmBox (iTunes substitute), Faqly (tech support), Facebook, Skype and OpenOffice.org 2.2. The gPC will be available in Wal-Mart stores and at walmart.com this month.

“Sub-$200 is magical price point for impulse buyer, and we can deliver 65 to 95 percent savings with open source software,” said Paul Kim, Everex director of marketing. Everex will have about 20,000 gPCs in the pipeline this quarter, he added.

Somehow the $198 gPC become the $199 gPC

The target market is people looking for a cheap, easy to use desktop platform. “Initially we thought of first time users,” Kim said. “We did some studies and found a lot of the older generation were interested.” Everex wil provide free telephone support for gPC customers.

With the name gPC and all the Google software, you could think that this is a Google PC. Everex is careful to state that applications from Google are an integral part of our product, however, gOS is an entity entirely independent from Google. Everex did get approval from Google to use the icons and trademarks on its gPC.

Besides green, the “g” stands for the gOS, the Ubuntu 7.1 Linux desktop developed by an open source startup of the same name. “The gOS is an alternative operating system that makes it apparent that Google is your entire computing experience,” said gOS founder David Liu. “When you make Linux look pretty and put ton of Google apps on it, you pacify it for consumer. You could say gOS is Google inspired but not official stamped.” gOS uses the Enlightenment window manager and has taken cues from Apple in designing the interface.

According the Kim, the gPC costs about $170 to make, giving Wal-Mart and Everex some margin. A comparable Vista machine could cost a few hundred dollars more. However, the gPC isn’t going to deliver a great multimedia experience. It comes with a low power 1.5 GHz Via C7-D processor and chipsets, 512 MB of SDRAM, an 80 GB disk and a DVD/CD-RW drive. Connectivity to the Internet is via Ethernet–no built-in wireless option.

It appears that Google will be working with a host of hardware partners to bundle its software on systems as a way to spread the Google gospel.

Everex is working on an ultra-mobile gPC and other configurations the Google-oriented, Apple-flavored systems, Kim said. The company also plans to introduce a Spanish language version of the gPC.

gPC’s software is free, but the company is exploring advertising and other ways to monetize its open source desktop, Liu said. Free open source software wants to be free, but developers need to eat…

zdnet.com

Everex $200 Linux gPC Hits Wal-Mart, Bowls Rednecks Over

Can the masses be wooed by Linux? Second-tier PC maker Everex teamed up with a startup called gOS to build the gPC TC2502, a $199 VIA-powered Ubuntu 7.10 Linux system with an Enlightenment E17 interface. Although they assure us that the "g" doesn't stand for Google, the PC's productivity will be almost solely derived from Google apps accessed through Firefox: Mail, Calendar, News, Maps and Documents & Spreadsheets. It will also come with OpenOffice.org 2.2 and some other freeware Linux faves. But again, the question is, will the Wal-Mart crowd bite the bait?

It turns out, 5% of people buying a PC at Wal-Mart are buying one for the first time, yes, in 2007. That means that for them, there's no brand allegiance, there's no OS that they are already comfortable with, there's nothing but functionality ("Does it have the e-mail and the pretty ladies on the World Wide Internet?") and price ("I'm not gonna pay no $300 for no damn computer!"). This meets both, and looks enough like some kind of Macindows hybrid for the more computer savvy relatives to help out the new buyer. There are some omissions in the early stages: Picasa didn't quite work right, so it's not there yet. (GIMP is there, but not a lot of people like GIMP.) There's Skype, but I don't think it can do video yet. There are apps for working with iPods, but I am worried that people who want to use an iPod will be frustrated with the lack of iTunes.

The funniest thing is that Everex deliberately built a large box, even though there's not much under the hood. This is a pure psychological play to woo the pickup truck set, who believe a Chevy S10 is a sure sign of sexual inadequacy. The system will pack a 1.5GHz low-wattage VIA C7-D processor (pitched as a "green" machine). It will have 512MB of RAM and an 80GB HDD. It won't even have a DVD burner, though they are now practically free. And as for the monitor you've come to expect in a bundle, it's gonna cost you extra. (Speakers, mouse and keyboard are included.)

All in all, though, I like to see things get shaken up. This is apparently replacing a Windows model at that price point or slightly higher, and the approach is different, and probably smarter, than the teeny tiny subscription-based Zonbu (of which Everex is also a manufacturing partner).

The whole FOSS (free open-source software) movement really should be aimed at newbies and non-power users. After all, the generalist can do all that they can dream up on any machine out there, whereas the specialists are the ones who are truly locked to one OS or another. And they don't buy their PCs at Wal-Mart. [Wal-Mart]

gizmodo.com

$200 Ubuntu Linux PC Now Available at Wal-Mart

Everex's TC2502 gPC is the first mass-market $200 desktop computer, featuring a custom distribution of Ubuntu Linux and headed for selected Wal-Mart stores.

"It's $200, with no gimmicks or subsidies," Everex spokesman David Liu said.

The gPC aims to joins a popular gang of low-end economy computers leading into the holiday season, such as Asus' $300 EeePC Laptop and VIA's $600 Nanobook. Unlike these machines, however, Everex's latest model is a full-size desktop, and $100 cheaper than even the slightest models from Dell or HP.

Touted as a "green" machine, it has a 1.5 Ghz VIA C7 CPU embedded in a Mini-ITX motherboard, 512MB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive. Normally, this would simply mark it as unacceptably low-end for use with modern software. By using the fast Enlightenment desktop manager (instead of heavier-duty alternatives like Gnome or KDE), the makers say it's more responsive than Vista is, even on more powerful computers.

"It's almost like a Google PC," Liu says, pointing to the desktop's rack of pre-configured links to all of Google's online applications. It is, he says, the mass-market Linux PC we've all been waiting for. "That's our dream. ... we go the final step to make it work out the box, to go the whole nine yards."

The gPC also has a DVD burner and, for those not drinking the web-app cool-aid, OpenOffice and lots more local software. There's free phone support and a regularly updated app called "Faqly" that contains the latest tech support info for folks stuck offline.

If users want to install Windows on it, they can, though Everex cautions that Vista will not run well without a RAM upgrade. Recent games will not run well, if at all, on the gPC: the requirements of even humble titles like World of Warcraft exceed the system specifications.

Even at the low end, however, image is everything. The gPC is built using tiny components, but put inside a full-size case because research indicates that Wal-Mart shoppers are so unsophisticated they equate physical size with capability.

The machine is, technically, little different from sexier, geekier basic models like the Zonbu, only pitched to a different crowd. It does, however, offer a complete, upgradeable system for the lowest possible price, making the gPC a great candidate for home file/media servers and other "experiments." Everex says it wants advanced users to "play with it" and make suggestions for further development.

If nothing else, you get a ready-to-roll Mini-ITX system ready to be hacked into a CarPC or any of these weird and wonderful SFF designs.

The team working on the gPC has about 10 members, including volunteers from the open-source community. With the limited release, Everex expectes to sell "under 10,000 units" at first — a limitation perhaps related to the need to provide good tech support for less savvy users unfamiliar with Linux's conventions.

Everex TC2502 Green gPC w/ Via C7-D Processor [Wal-Mart]

Everex's Product Gallery [Everex]

wired.com

$200 "gPC" Launches Today at Wal-mart

PC maker Everex rolls out a budget desktop PC today that costs $200 and combines the Ubuntu Linux kernel with Google applications and open source software.

The Everex gPC, goes on sale tomorrow at Wal-mart and is being touted by the company as a close collaboration between the PC maker, the open source community and Google that is intended to "bring Linux to the masses."

The machine uses a 1.5GHz Via C7-D processor, Via UniChrome Pro IGP graphics core, and comes equipped with 512MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, and has built-in Ethernet.

But the real secret sauce is a software suite that begins with what the company calls its "gOS," which turns out to be a customized Ubuntu Linux kernel. The software bundle includes open source desktop applications highlighted by OpenOffice, GIMP photo software, the Xing DVD and video player, and Rhythmbox music management software.

Additionally, the PC's user interface includes icons pointing to popular Google applications such as Documents and Spreadsheets, Calendar, News, and Maps. Also pre-installed is the Firefox web browser, Meebo IM, and Skype.

Obviously, experienced PC users can create shortcut icons to the web applications, including Google's, that are pre-installed on the machine, and many download sites offer free open source software that is equal to, and in some cases, better than what is on the gPC.

But the company believes that combination of solid desktop software, Web 2.0 applications and the low cost of the machine will be very appealing to its target market.

pcworld.com

Everex PC Goes Linux, Low-Cost

PC maker Everex has announced a low-cost Linux PC for the masses that it hopes will succeed where others have failed. The $198 price tag might help.

The Everex gPC will hit Wal-Mart shelves tomorrow and is designed to attract new PC users. Running on Ubuntu Linux 7.1, the gPC is a mini-tower system that comes with a Via C7-D low-power x86 clone running at 1.5Ghz but drawing only two watts of power. Under full load, the PC requires only 20 watts of power, a tenth of what most PCs use. The machine also comes with 512MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive and a CD-RW recorder.

"If you look at it by Vista standards, it seems bottom of the barrel," said Paul Kim, director of marketing for Everex. "But running in the Linux environment -- it's pretty powerful."

gPC

The gPC's user interface called Enlightenment, which replaces the more comprehensive Compiz Fusion UI -- a standard in Ubuntu Linux. Enlightenment's developer, gOS, is behind the gPC's OS, also called gOS.

The gOS has a distinctly Mac OS-like look to it, which isn't too surprising as gOS founder David Liu is a Mac fan, but there were some things he didn't like about it. "On the developer side it's closed, and on the end-user side it's not affordable. So we wanted something inspired by Mac OS in look and feel and ease of use but centered around the Google apps family," he told InternetNews.com.

The gPC comes loaded with Google's suite of applications, such as Gmail, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google Product Search, Google Blogger, YouTube, Google Maps, and Google News. Other free apps include Meebo for instant messaging, GIMP for image editing, Firefox, Xing Movie Player, RhythmBox, an iTunes substitute, Facebook, Skype and OpenOffice.org 2.2.

"In the Linux community, your standard distribution may or may not have all the apps you need, and most Linux people are savvy enough to go online and get what they need. We recognize most users are not savvy enough to get all that stuff and install it," said Liu.

There have been previous attempts at low-cost Linux PCs for the masses, such as Linspire, but they failed to make a sizable dent in the market (although Linspire was hamstrung by a protracted legal fight with Microsoft that had nothing to do with the product).

Liu thinks gPC can succeed by making the system easy for beginner or inexperienced PC users.

"Our target is first-time users and someone who wanted a simple experience," he said. Everex tried to anticipate as much consumer need as possible in loading all of the free software on the computer. "There is some value to integration. We want the out-of-box experience to be as seamless as possible.

Kim added that while the Google name and logo are used, this is not a Google-endorsed product. While it's full of Google apps, the goal of both companies was to create an out-of-the-box Web 2.0 experience, he said.

Whether the gPC will have luck in Wal-Mart when other efforts have failed remains to be seen. IDC analyst Richard Shim isn't so sure about the U.S. market but said overseas presents a better opportunity. "In this market there are already established players and they are likely to move into that space as the market becomes more commoditized," he told InternetNews.com.

For instance, Dell, a much bigger player than Everex, is also in Wal-Mart with a $359 computer that has sold well. Shim said Everex is better off looking in other markets than competing against Dell.

"If you go somewhere with lower penetration rates, there's more opportunity, both from lower expectations from the customers and from a lower market penetration standpoint."

internetnews.com

Almost the Google PC: Everex gPC available at Wal-Mart

On Thursday, WalMart begins selling the Everex Green gPC TC2502, a $198, low-power, Linux-based PC designed primarily for running Web 2.0 applications.

When users first fire up their gPC, they'll get a Mac-like desktop with a series of program icons "docked" across the bottom. The icons are bookmarks to popular and useful Web 2.0 services from Google and other vendors. There are icons for Google Docs, Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube, for example, as well as Meebo, Facebook, and Wikipedia. Sprinkled into the lineup are some non-Web-based apps, like Skype and Gimp, but the novice user won't know, initially, which are local applications and which are Web services.

Isn't that as it should be? An app is an app, so why should users know or care if it's running on their local PC or in the cloud?

The gPC icon dock

(Credit: CNET)

Unfortunately, using the gPC's Web apps isn't as transparent as we'd like, although that's not Everex's fault. Web apps still run in a browser (and the gPC won't ship with Adobe AIR or another runtime platform that runs online apps in their own windows), so each time a user clicks on one of the icons that's pointing to a URL, it will fire up Firefox or a new tab in it. Also, Web apps require their own online logins (though if you're logged into Google, you have to worry about that only once per session). And, of course, there's the question of where one's data is stored. The gPC has a hard disk, but users of the Web apps won't be putting files on it. (It also has OpenOffice installed on it, but users will have to dig to find the suite.)

My criticisms are aimed mostly at Web apps in general, and this is nonetheless a great product. It costs less than $200 and you don't have to buy one for a child you've never met to get it (not that that's a bad thing, but it would drive up your cost). It will do what most of us need, thanks to all the Web 2.0 sites and services that are available now and that don't require the equivalent of a Cray supercomputer to run acceptably fast. The gPC, which Everex is selling with Google's blessing, gives us a look at what a Web PC should be: A much cheaper but almost-as-capable alternative to a regular PC or Mac. This is the closest thing I've seen to a Web appliance that might actually sell.

The gPC runs a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor and ships with 512MB of RAM and a 80GB hard drive. The operating system is gOS, from a new company of the same name. It's a version of Ubuntu 7.10 with the Enlightenment window manager. The $198 price tag does not include a monitor. But it does include 24/7 800-number tech support.

The gPC will be available at Walmart.com and at these Wal-Mart retail stores.

See also these interesting Linux-powered products from Everex competitor Asus: The P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP motherboard with embedded Firefox, and the Eee PC 4G, and low-cost Linux laptop

The gPC runs all the Web apps you'll need as well as several useful Linux-based desktop apps.

(Credit: CNET)