 Have you ever thought about all of the places Linux has been popping up lately? It's not just in your computer anymore. Linux is powering mobile phones, handheld gaming consoles, GPS systems, e-book readers, and more. Personally, I'm waiting for the Linux refrigerator, the Ubuntu frigidaire, which will be fast, cold, and powerful enough to churn out ice cubes like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately, this article isn't about the next generation of refrigerators, but it is about another common household electronic device that we use everyday: our television set. Asus, creator of the world popular Eee laptop, has made the announcement that they will be pushing out three new products, one of which is a Linux-powered TV.
Asus made the announcement that they will be coming forward with a new product line, including a 42" LCD TV powered by Linux, called the E-TV. With Linux functionality in your TV set, you'll be able to browse the web with your TV, download movies directly to your screen, and just about anything else imaginable one could accomplish with what is essentially a PC that looks like a TV. Asus is planning on pricing these TVs no more than $200 above the average price of the same size TV. This means that for only a couple hundred dollars more you'll have the full power of a Linux operating system at the click of your remote. In addition to the LCD TV, Asus will also be releasing the E-DT, a desktop PC expected to ship in Spring of 2008; it will initially run on an Intel Celeron chip and later run on the Intel Shelton platform. Asus is expecting the lightweight PC to cost under $200, excluding the cost of a monitor; this will put them right alongside some of the newest Linux computers on the market, such as the Everex PC, the upcoming Everex Cloudbook, and the Sears Freespire PC. Also, Asus will be releasing the E-Monitor, an all-in-one PC contained within a monitor. It will roughly retail for $500, and it will sport a 19-inch or 21-inch screen; this puts Asus in direct competition with Apple and its iMac; it's likely that while running Linux, the new E-Monitor will run smoother and faster than the Apple alternative (not to mention, it will be hundreds of dollars cheaper). While I continue waiting for that Linux refrigerator to hit the market, we at LinuxHow2 are going to continue our excitement for the line of Asus products hitting the market. It's likely that the E-TV and E-Monitor will both begin shipping in early Fall, while the E-DT will come sooner in the Spring. Asus is clearly banking on the huge success of their Eee laptop. It wouldn't surprise this writer if Asus' newfound popularity will send it clear past some of the other lightweight PC and Laptop manufacturers, and now with the E-TV, it might even go careening fast forward into the burgeoning flat screen television market. This is a huge win for Asus, a huge win for Linux, and the possible beginning of a world in which Linux has assimilated itself into all of our home electronics. Check back frequently; we're going to keep an eye out for the Ubuntu Refrigerator, the OpenSUSE microwave oven, and the Gentoo clothes dryer. Only registered users can write comments.
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