Sears.com to offer $199 Linux PCs 21 January, 2008 By Vanessa Ho

Available now, the $199 Linux PC (after a $100 mail-in rebate) features a 1.6GHz Intel Celeron processor, 1GB memory, 80GB hard drive, Freespire 2.0 and free CNR software delivery service.

"It is breaking price point barriers," said Larry Kettler, president and CEO of Linspire."It was extremely important [for us] to show how far the [Linux] OS has come and how useful the OS is for average users."

Other features of the Linux PC include a card reader, a modem, CD-RW, keyboard, speakers and mouse. As well, it offers out-of-the-box file type and multimedia support, such as MP3, Windows Media, Real Networks, Java, Flash, ATI, nVidia and WiFi.

Freespire 2.0 also adds legally licensed proprietary drivers, codecs and applications in its core distribution, to provide a better overall user experience. Freespire is a community-influenced, Ubuntu-based Linux distribution that is designed to be powerful enough for sophisticated Linux users and developers, yet easy enough for someone new to Linux.

CNR.com is a free one-click software delivery service requiring no registration to use. CNR.com users can search for applications by title, popularity, user rating, category and function. An open source client for each supported distribution is then used to add the one-click installation as well as auto-updating functionality.

Michelle Warren, senior research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group, said that while the $199 price tag is really aggressive and good, the Linspire Linux PC is not for everyone.

"Looking at the specs, this is a low-end entry level machine. What this can do is help bring people who are not power users or not online all the time but just want to test out PCs a low financial risk to enter the market in terms of technology," she added. "The irony is it is available only online and is targeted at people who are not necessarily online."

Warren also cautioned consumers that the $199 Linux PC doesn't include a monitor. Kettler said that purchasers of this machine would already have a monitor or if they dont, they can buy one at Sears.com. Warren added that this can be a great way for Sears to make additional revenue on peripherals such as the monitor and printer from the Linux PC.

Despite the exclusion of the monitor, Warren said that offering a Linux PC for $199 gives people a chance to test Linux.

"One of the major challenges [of Linux] is getting people to try it out because Microsoft owns so much of the market. $199 is not a painful thing to pay for many people. And as we expect a downturn in the U.S. economy in 2008, systems like this will become increasingly popular as disposable incomes shrink."