HP Rocks the Schoolhouse
HP announced today that the Mini 100e Education Edition will be available in July for schools.
The Mini 100e will be sold at a price point not to exceed $300, but each deal will be unique. I’m assuming that a school might buy 20-30 at a time to equip a computer lab (or a mobile computer lab) and spend $6,000 to $9,000, or perhaps a middle school would require that each of it’s 500 students buy a computer, and perhaps they’d get a lower price?
Here’s what excites me about the HP Mini 100e, a spill resistant keyboard. We all know that classrooms are food and drink free zones, but in real life kids sneak stuff in. In real life kids have sticky gross hands, and sand practically drips out of their shirt sleeves. Here are the specs straight from their press release:
Created to seamlessly integrate into education environments, the HP Mini 100e features a practical clamshell design starting at only 3.19 pounds. Its 10.1-inch diagonal LED-backlit WSVGA display, 92 percent of full size QWERTY keyboard and an integrated carrying handle allow for maximized comfort and efficiency in the classroom and on the go.
It also includes separate headphone and MIC ports to allow the Mini 100e to easily connect to other devices, along with a VGA webcam(4) that offers enhanced sound quality and reduced echo in virtual conferencing, language courses and interactive multimedia classroom sessions.
Built with added durability features for the classroom environment, the HP Mini 100e includes strong metal alloy hinges with steel pin axles. The Mini 100e also features a customizable back panel, keyboard deck and bottom case – exclusive to HP Minis – allowing customers to personalize their units with their school logo, motto or a picture for added security and personalization.
The HP Mini 100e boasts a wide array of technologies in a tiny package, including a low-power Intel® Atom N455 processor(5) and Intel NM10 Express chipset, enabling the unit to run cooler, use less power and help improve battery life compared to its predecessor. It offers 1 gigabyte (GB) of DDR3 memory for faster data transfer, along with optional flexible battery solutions, including three or six-cell battery options.(6)
Catering to varying education environments, the HP Mini 100e offers Windows® XP Home, Windows 7 Starter(7) or SuSE Linux (SLED 11) operating systems.
A variety of accessories are also available for the HP Mini 100e, to further improve the productivity of students in the classroom and on the go, including:
- HP Slip Case
- HP Optical Mouse
- HP Combo Lock
- HP Student Edition Youth Backpack
- HP External USB Optical Drive
I don’t get excited specifically because this is HP, but I am excited that someone besides Apple is trying to get computers into the classroom. My kids are at a school where Apple is in the classroom from Kindergarten to 8th grade, but I feel like they’re missing out on an awful lot of learning because they aren’t using PCs.
I mean Apple is great if you’re a film maker, a musician, or a child. I have three Apple computers right here in the room, but most of the world uses PCs, and PCs are much less expensive.
I’ll be watching HP’s new launch. I find this fascinating.