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In case you missed it (we all have our off days, it’s fine) we got our hands on a mess of leaked CrunchPad photos yesterday, and we have to say — the device looks pretty damn good. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, a certain Michael Arrington has shed a little light into what’s going on over there at CrunchGear HQ. He says that the “significant step forward” for the device has been in regards to the software stack — it’s now entirely customized, including the (Linux) OS and browser. It also sports an Intel Atom chip; previously, the device has been running Ubuntu on a VIA chipset. “The total software footprint is around 100 MB,” he writes, “which is a solid achievement.” And last but not least, the industrial design and hardware for this bad boy is being done by an outfit in Singapore called Fusion Garage. It looks like the project is in good hands. But anything beyond that — including, sadly, a timeframe — is still anyone’s guess.

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We’d guess that Acer wouldn’t intentionally put itself in any sort of contretemps, but its actions are proving otherwise. As ASUS did (and continues to do), it seems that Acer is moving closer and closer to obliterating any semblance of separation between its Aspire netbooks. Shortly after hearing of the 11.6-inch Aspire One comes an ever-so-tweaked variant that reportedly caters to professional and business users. Granted, we’re not so sure what suit can sufficiently load those 40 task bar applications on an presumed Atom CPU, but we digress. The always insightful macles has it that the so-called AA1 Pro will sport a more industrial design, a Linux-based OS (Windows optional) and your choice of HDD or SSD. Check the read link for a few more angles, and go ahead and bank on Acer coming clean with the full slate of specs here soon.
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By Andrew Liszewski

The first time we brought you one of Parvus’ wearable wrist computers was waaaaay back in 2006 with their Zypad WL1000 model. While that version was targeted torwards the consumer market, their latest model, the WR1100, seems more suited for those in the military or law enforcement fields. Powered by a custom Linux OS, the WR1100 features a 3.5-inch 640×480 touchscreen with an automatic contrast mode allowing it to be used even in direct sunlight. The fiberglass-reinforced nylon/magnesium alloy case is designed to be extremely durable yet lightweight, and the unit is rugged enough to withstand water, dust, extreme temperatures and other harsh operating conditions.

Functionality-wise, the Zypad features everything from GPS to Wi-Fi to even Bluetooth and Zigbee support allowing the device to communicate with other users and other electronics while you’re ‘in the field’, wherever that may be. At 23 ounces it’s probably not the lightest thing you’ll ever strap to your wrist, but if you don’t want the hassle of digging a PDA out of your pocket while hanging off the side of a cliff, this is probably your best option. And on a side note, it’s also suitable for Leela cosplay.

[ Parvus Zypad WR1100 ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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We just came across this video showing the Linpus Linux Lite OS in action. Aimed squarely at netbooks and the Splashtop crowd, the operating system comes to life pretty quickly on the pictured Acer Aspire One. Unlike Splashtop, however, this isn’t part of the BIOS, “just a very very minimal customized Linux version, installed on the hard disk,” as the guy in the video points out. We would, however, love to know what error message is being generated when he opens the media player. See for yourself after the break.

[Via Netbook News]

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It’s not every day we see an all-new angle on the laptop form factor, much less a netbook with aims at innovation. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that a company dubbed “Always Innovating” is trying to spice things up a bit. The Touch Book is an ARM-powered netbook that weighs less than two pounds and claims battery life of 10 to 15 hours, but the real magic happens with the removable screen — it slides right out of its keyboard dock and acts as a fully functional touchscreen tablet. When docked, the screen can lay out flat, and the keyboard can even be folded all the way under into an “inverted V” shape. There are other oddities like internal USB plugs to cut down on dongle mess, and the whole screen is magnetic for mounting on a fridge. The machine is running a Linux OS with a touchable 3D UI. The only press shots right now are these sketchy-looking renders, but Always Innovating is currently previewing the Touch Book at DEMO 09 in California, and plans to ship in Spring of this year with a starting pricetag of $299.
Gallery: Touch Book from Always Innovating harbors removable tablet, netbook pricepoint