FTEC SmartBook

FTEC today launched their first netbook PC in Malaysia, the FTEC Smart Book. Unveiled at FTEC’s TecAsia,the FTEC Smart Book is targeted at children from all ages as young as those in pre-schools as an educational tool and aims to provide them with access to mainstream technology.

The FTEC Smart Book is highly portable and includes a set of unique features that cater to the needs of young children who will be entering kindergarten and the primary grades. The ruggedized netbook is equipped with a water-resistant keyboard and an advanced theft-control feature using a network-issued digital ID certificate, and is capable of running many applications including educational software. It is ideal for Internet-centric usage models, such as Web-browsing, email, instant messaging, social networking, online video viewing, photo viewing, VoIP, and playing basic online games.

“We believe that early access to computers help children learn and we hope to see a positive impact of using computers in the building of the child’s critical thinking skills, communication and digital literacy. Through exploring computer experiences, these children build memory skills and learn how to seek out information,” said Mr. Tang Boon Koon, Managing Director of FTEC, at the launch.

The FTEC SmartBook is available in two prices RM1,299 and RM1,199 based on their different specifications. Read on for more info.

“As the cost of children’s education continues to be one of the most important aspects for Malaysian families, the launch of the FTEC Smart Book in Malaysia which retails from only RM1199.00 marks a first step toward breaking the barriers of affordability for millions of PC users, putting into reach many more parents and guardians who may not have been able to afford one before,” Tang continued.

Net books are highly portable PC devices that are optimized for Internet-centric uses but are also ideal for those who already have a PC and plan to use a netbook as a companion device. Intel anticipates that netbooks will be first targeted at the following high volume segments: education, young children, first-time buyers, seniors and housewives.

Navin Shenoy, General Manager, Intel Asia Pacific who was present at the launch said, “Intel in close collaboration with FTEC is extremely excited to announce the first version of netbook PC in Malaysia. With personal computing increasingly going mobile and the computer industry rapidly developing new classes of products to connect the next billion people to the Internet, Intel believes the demand for a new category of highly affordable, Internet-centric mobile computing devices dubbed “netbooks” and basic Internet-centric desktop PCs dubbed “nettops,” will grow substantially over the next several years.”

FTEC will also be collaborating with SMART Board interactive whiteboards to create an interactive teaching method and hope to see this tool adopted by pre-schools such as kindergartens and other children centres around Malaysia. As the Smart Books are all Wi-Fi enabled, it can be easily integrated with today’s technology-enabled classrooms. The teacher can present lesson activities on the SMART Board by touching the surface of the Board while the students follow the lesson material on their respective Smart Books. This allows the teacher to demonstrate and interact with that student’s SmartBook for the rest of the class to view.

The FTEC Smart Book will come in two models offerings either a 7-inch or 9-inch color LCD TFT display. The specifications are as follows:

9-inch FTEC SmartBook Recommended retail price: RM1299.00	7-inch FTEC SmartBook Recommended retail price: RM1199.00
Intel® Celeron® M processor Ultra Low Voltage Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g 9-inch Color LCD TFT 512MB RAM, 2GB NAND Flash Webcam, USB 2.0, Linux OS Optional: Theft control feature	Intel® Celeron® M processor Ultra Low Voltage Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g 7-inch Color LCD TFT 512MB RAM, 40GB Hard Disk, USB 2.0, Linux OS Optional: Add RM99 for Windows XP Starter Edition