August 25, 2009 at 19:44Intel ClassMate PC Netbook Review - Part 1
Intel Classmate PC - a compact gray-blue machine, made in shockproof housing. This is the third generation of schoolchildren's specialized computers: the new CMPC (Classmate PC) netbooks, in addition to the usual netbook configurations, are equipped with a handle for easy carrying, a video camera and a rotary display that is sensitive to the touch of a pen. It is these computers that go to schoolchildren under the “1 student: 1 computer” program - inexpensive durable machines that can be used to teach almost any subject in a simple and clear way.
The rough plastic, which is scratch-resistant and easy to clean, eliminates the appearance of the laptop: neat, discreet, thorough, as befits any school tool.
A convenient pen that makes the computer easy to carry to school turns the CMPC into a small briefcase.
Both the pen and the ridiculous blue lid deprive this cute computer of the impressive seriousness of any office equipment, the CMPC looks more like a comfortable toy. However, the appearance is deceptive - under the hood, the CMPC has a completely modern filling.
On the left is a VGA port for connecting an external monitor, a USB port, an SD card reader closed by a sleeve and a pull-out on / off button (do not accidentally press!) On the right is an Ethernet connector, a second USB port and two audio inputs for connecting headphones and a microphone. At the back there is a power connector and a hole for installing a lock. There is a recess in the handle with a transparent shutter into which you can insert the name of the owner - it can be seen that CMPC was carefully designed, so this small, convenient little thing makes it easy to distinguish computers from different students from each other.
The lid not only rises, but also rotates - the CMPC easily turns the tablet. On the right side of the netbook, a stylus is inserted into a special socket; It is designed to work conveniently with the CMPC touch screen.
At the top of the lid is a rotatable camera and microphone.
Inside - the Intel Atom 270 processor (1.6 GHz) on the Intel 945GSE chipset . Half a gigabyte of RAM is inserted into one of two slots: you can install additional RAM into the computer. The computer is clearly designed for shaking and bumps, so instead of a hard drive, a 16-gigabyte SSD-drive is resistant to overloads.
In Max Performance mode, the CPU Free Benchmark 2.2 test runs in 75.17 seconds. For comparison, the new "adult" ASUS EeePC 1005 netbook with a slightly faster I ntel Atom 280 processor (1.66 GHz) passes this test in 71.31give me a sec; and the closest competitor, the ASUS EeePC T91 convertible tablet, is much slower in 85.24 seconds. In other words, inside the CMPC, this is a completely adult machine, easily competing with the most modern models of familiar netbooks.
Battery life is approximately 4 hours, which is enough for most of the student’s school day.
A fairly specific set of programs is installed inside the machine in a converted version of Windows XP: a simple Windows interface with the help of the Intel Quick Launcher and other improvements is turned into a lightweight and simplified operating system for a student with large icons and clear settings. Touch screen and stylus provide both convenient drawing and handwriting. By the way, the computer is equipped with a position sensor, so if you turn it around, then the CMPC can be used as a notebook or notebook.
Intel Network Manager allows you to easily configure access over a wireless network, and Intel Power Manager - a mode of operation and energy saving of a computer. The ArtRage 2 graphics editor that comes bundled with many tablets is a great program for easy drawing.
Features CMPC and special software for parental / teacher control. In the child’s profile, you can specify the level of his computer literacy, allow access to certain programs, specify desktop widgets (sticky notes, games, calculator, clock), enable or disable the inclusion or restart of the computer. Great idea - bonus points for training programs and penalties - for ugliness like games.
However, the CMPC video card is an Intel 945GME adapter built into the chipset with 8 megabytes of memory, so you won’t be able to run some complex games: it’s still a school computer.
In the “combat” form, CMPCs are deployed in a small network, tied, on the one hand, to school WiFI, and on the other, to a teacher’s computer, with which the teacher can control the educational process: give students tasks, collect results, enable or disable those or other programs and so on.
The next part is about how CMPCs are used in practice.
The rough plastic, which is scratch-resistant and easy to clean, eliminates the appearance of the laptop: neat, discreet, thorough, as befits any school tool.
A convenient pen that makes the computer easy to carry to school turns the CMPC into a small briefcase.
Both the pen and the ridiculous blue lid deprive this cute computer of the impressive seriousness of any office equipment, the CMPC looks more like a comfortable toy. However, the appearance is deceptive - under the hood, the CMPC has a completely modern filling.
On the left is a VGA port for connecting an external monitor, a USB port, an SD card reader closed by a sleeve and a pull-out on / off button (do not accidentally press!) On the right is an Ethernet connector, a second USB port and two audio inputs for connecting headphones and a microphone. At the back there is a power connector and a hole for installing a lock. There is a recess in the handle with a transparent shutter into which you can insert the name of the owner - it can be seen that CMPC was carefully designed, so this small, convenient little thing makes it easy to distinguish computers from different students from each other.
The lid not only rises, but also rotates - the CMPC easily turns the tablet. On the right side of the netbook, a stylus is inserted into a special socket; It is designed to work conveniently with the CMPC touch screen.
At the top of the lid is a rotatable camera and microphone.
Inside - the Intel Atom 270 processor (1.6 GHz) on the Intel 945GSE chipset . Half a gigabyte of RAM is inserted into one of two slots: you can install additional RAM into the computer. The computer is clearly designed for shaking and bumps, so instead of a hard drive, a 16-gigabyte SSD-drive is resistant to overloads.
In Max Performance mode, the CPU Free Benchmark 2.2 test runs in 75.17 seconds. For comparison, the new "adult" ASUS EeePC 1005 netbook with a slightly faster I ntel Atom 280 processor (1.66 GHz) passes this test in 71.31give me a sec; and the closest competitor, the ASUS EeePC T91 convertible tablet, is much slower in 85.24 seconds. In other words, inside the CMPC, this is a completely adult machine, easily competing with the most modern models of familiar netbooks.
Battery life is approximately 4 hours, which is enough for most of the student’s school day.
A fairly specific set of programs is installed inside the machine in a converted version of Windows XP: a simple Windows interface with the help of the Intel Quick Launcher and other improvements is turned into a lightweight and simplified operating system for a student with large icons and clear settings. Touch screen and stylus provide both convenient drawing and handwriting. By the way, the computer is equipped with a position sensor, so if you turn it around, then the CMPC can be used as a notebook or notebook.
Intel Network Manager allows you to easily configure access over a wireless network, and Intel Power Manager - a mode of operation and energy saving of a computer. The ArtRage 2 graphics editor that comes bundled with many tablets is a great program for easy drawing.
Features CMPC and special software for parental / teacher control. In the child’s profile, you can specify the level of his computer literacy, allow access to certain programs, specify desktop widgets (sticky notes, games, calculator, clock), enable or disable the inclusion or restart of the computer. Great idea - bonus points for training programs and penalties - for ugliness like games.
However, the CMPC video card is an Intel 945GME adapter built into the chipset with 8 megabytes of memory, so you won’t be able to run some complex games: it’s still a school computer.
In the “combat” form, CMPCs are deployed in a small network, tied, on the one hand, to school WiFI, and on the other, to a teacher’s computer, with which the teacher can control the educational process: give students tasks, collect results, enable or disable those or other programs and so on.
The next part is about how CMPCs are used in practice.