Data Evolution, which recently acquired AMD's low-cost Personal Internet Communicator (PIC), is offering the device at the discounted price of $99 without an OS. The “DecTop” is based on an AMD Geode GX processor, includes a 10GB hard drive, and supports both Linux and Windows CE.

Data Evolution announced in January that it had acquired the assets associated with AMD's Personal Internet Communicator (PIC). AMD unveiled the PIC back in 2004 as part of its 50×15 program, which aims to provide 50 percent of the world's population with Internet access by 2015. However, after failing to generate “material revenue” from the product, the company quietly killed the PIC late last year.

AMD touted the PIC as a compact, low-cost “consumer appliance”

Key features and specifications of the DecTop are said to include:

• Processor — AMD Geode GX processor; clock rate unspecified
• Memory — 128 MB SDRAM; boot flash unspecified
• Mass storage — internal 3.5-inch 10GB hard drive
• Networking:
  • 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
  • Internal 56 Kbps ITU v.92 Fax/Modem
• 4 USB 1.1 ports (2 front, 2 rear)
• Video — supports resolutions up to 1600×1200 at 85 Hz
• Sound — AC'97 audio with stereo in/out jacks
• Dimensions — 8.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 inches
• Weight — approx. 3 pounds

The DecTop features a fanless design and a rugged, two-piece aluminum case. Data Evolution claims the device to be “virtually impermeable to dust and rugged enough to be used in environments normally found in developing regions of the world but which would be inhospitable to other computing devices.” Additionally, the two-piece enclosure design enables it to be opened and “snapped together” easily, facilitating assembly, maintenance, and disassembly for recycling, the company says.

According to Data Evolution, the DecTop supports both Linux and Windows CE.

The DecTop appears to be immediately available. Further details may be available on the company's website.

 
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