Emtec announces strange new netbook with removable OS drive

Emtec is largely just a supplier of laptop peripherals, but they are jumping into the Netbook game with the Gdium.

Interestingly, it doesn't contain a built-in hard drive, which probably explains its slim, attractive looks: instead, it runs from a 16GB removable USB thumbdrive, which I'm guessing will allow you to boot your netbook's OS and files from your desktop or laptop, if you so choose.

With such a weird configuration, don't expect this to run XP: it's using a flavor of Linux called Madriva, and will ship with Open Office, Firefox, Thunderbird, Pidgin and a blog editor.

The sole product shot certainly looks attractively svelte, and I like -- in theory -- the ability to load my netbook's OS on another computer without a hitch. But that all adds up to a package that's going to be too confusing for most consumers... expect to stop hearing about this one quick.

The GDIUM should cost $400 when it is released, which is pricy for a netbook effectively without a hard drive, and come in black, white or pink.

Entec debuts Linux-based netbook with removable SSD [Crave]

[#1 posted by bazzargh , January 28, 2009 6:23 AM]

Interesting. Cue Jason Bourne/Jack Bauer plotline, where the TSA confiscate his laptop at the airport, only to find the removable USB drive is an innoccuous spare, containing nothing of value. Meanwhile, our hero walks into an airport retailer, walks out with a new laptop, slots in his drive, and walks away.

Of course this necessitates eating your USB drive first, along with plenty of roughage.

[#2 posted by 23 , January 28, 2009 6:41 AM]

I am guessing you mean *Mandriva*, which has been around for a while and never really neared the top of the heap.

[#3 posted by factor , January 28, 2009 7:53 AM]

The virtue of such systems is their relative incorruptibility. Load the operating system, then remove the thumb drive before connecting to anything. Any spyware, viruses, and session information is lost when the switch is flipped off. The cost is having to save any desired information either in your wetware or a separate usb drive.

[#4 posted by Rodney , January 28, 2009 8:47 AM]

@3 And I'd expect viruses to start hitting Linux really soon, thanks to the explosion of netbooks.

[#5 posted by Abi , January 28, 2009 10:00 AM]

Well, few netbooks are still on Linux. It was the first move from Asus, but models ever since have migrated to MS. Today, let alone this one, they all look the same and have the same specs.

[#6 posted by owza , January 29, 2009 1:28 AM]

They should have made it with an easily removable SSD pod?

[#7 posted by owza , January 29, 2009 1:32 AM]

To clarify, PCI Express not USB.