Moblin™ Zone

MSI and Novell recently announced that MSI’s soon-to-be-available U135 netbook will be the first to come pre-loaded with Novell SUSE Moblin.  The device, which is powered by a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, is targeted at consumers and enterprise users who want rich Internet experiences without having to sacrifice battery life.  It also provides everyday users with all the benefits of Linux without all the usual complexity.

The MSI U135 uses the optimized performance and power management capabilities of the Atom chip, Moblin v2.1, and other enhancements to achieve about 7.5 hours of battery life.  The netbook includes a 10-inch display, 2 GB RAM, a 160 GB hard drive, Bluetooth support, and WiFi connectivity in addition to a built-in web cam, microphone, and speakers.  It is also WiMAX capable.

Sam Chem, director of Global Marketing at MSI, said in a press release that the combination of MSI netbooks and SUSE Moblin provide “an innovative interface and robust computing capabilities” at an attractive price point.   Toward that end, SUSE Moblin leverages the enterprise-class capabilities of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, but is optimized for Internet use, social media interaction, and web-based collaboration.

Intel and Novell have been working together to refine Moblin v 2.1 for Netbooks to speed boot times among other things.   Markus Rex, general manager of Novell Open Platform Solutions said in a statement that a joint goal of Novell and MSI is “to make SUSE Moblin the most user-friendly Linux netbook option for consumers”.

The MSI U135 was demonstrated by MSI at the 2010 Consumer Electronic show (CES).  It will be generally available in February 2010.