Skytone’s Android-based netbook is either bunk or junk. The specs of the Chinese company’s Alpha 680 read as if they are either made up or just plain weird. Take this, for example: “Internet Connection (Optional): ADSL, WiFi,（ GPRS, CDMA,EDGE,WCDMA”
What? The big news is that the OS is listed as being “Google Android”, and the product page is indeed peppered with pictures of the Android logo. But if we delve closer into the specs we see hardware that has more in common with a cellphone than even a modest netbook. The CPU is a slow 533MHz ARM-11, RAM is a ridiculous 128 MB and storage is poor even for a pen-drive at just 1GB (apparently upgradeable to a whole 4GB). There is, though, a trio of USB ports and an SD card slot, and flipping to a second spec page tells us that the Alpha actually comes with Wi-Fi and ethernet.
A webcam is optional, and the “User Interface” consists of “built-in keboard and mouser pad”. Finally, the netbook kicks it Eee-Old-Style with a little 7” display, although it does spin to make a tablet-style unit without, it seems, an actual touch screen.
Weirdest of all is the inclusion of a couple of gaming controls, a D-pad and four buttons, on either side of the screen. This machine is nothing if not schizophrenic. Finally, the talk says that this could cost as little as $100, which would firmly kick the ass of the OLPC. The inclusion of Android and these low, low specs make us think that this has more in common with an old Psion Series 5 than with a modern netbook. If Skytone gets the keyboard and battery life right, this could actually be a surprise hit.
Product page [Skytone via Laptop Mag and Liliputing]
