Free PC With French Broadband Connection 245
robson writes "Neuf Cegetel announced the purchase of AOL France, an ISP that counts 500,000 broadband subscribers and the arrival of 'the box,' an Internet access terminal. Code-name: Easy Gate.
It's a computer, working under the Linux OS. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one.
Easy Gate will be available from November, the actual 'box' consists of: an Intel 852 GM, 6 ports USB 2.0, 512 Mb of RAM and 512 Mb of Flash memory."
Re:French this, French that (Score:2, Insightful)
Cool (Score:4, Insightful)
"PC"? (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, so then it's not a "free PC", it's a "free internet access terminal". I doubt anyone's going to be running half-life or photoshop on that thing.
This Thing Is Pathetic! (Score:2, Insightful)
Bubblepack computing (Score:4, Insightful)
What will be interesting will be when the
Re:2006 is the year of linux on the desktop... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:It's not M$, so no BSOD... (Score:3, Insightful)
Not for you, maybe (Score:2, Insightful)
And no, these people will not blame Linux if things don't work right, because they probably won't even know that their computer is running Linux.
Re:2006 is the year of linux on the desktop... (Score:1, Insightful)
parents and grandparents being shot, sent to concentration camps
etc. "Heard the one about the plane which flies into the side of
a building
Something probably as cool as the Freebox (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes this box looks like a big breakthrough for not so computer literate people looking for getting in touch with friends and relatives using today's technology.
However, this almost comes like shadow over the Free Telecom's new Freebox [broadcastbuyer.tv] which comes with router, Wifi-MIMO connection, HD TV tuner and something like 50 free channels and a total of 200, including all the international ones like CNN, BBC and many others, a VoIP phone system with free calls to landlines all over Europe [adsl.free.fr] (free calls to Australia, the US and Canada for instance!)
I keep going: Possibility to watch TV on your computer using VLC or use it as a multimedia player [adsl.free.fr] to send video and audio stream to the box that then displays it on your TV and sends the sound to your HiFi system through the Optical connection. Ah yes also video on demand with films that you can replay and fast forward for 24hours just as a DVD.
Of course it can provide very fast Internet connection (28Mb/s), obviously runs Linux and all that comes for the ridiculous price of 30 per month (they just lend the box to you!!!)
All that to say, with such as competition on the ADSL market in France, no wonder why Neuf Cegetel is trying to catch with such an offer...