Computer Solution

Intel has revealed the design for a tablet version of its Classmate PC, a low-powered netbook designed for use in primary schools.

The tablet-format Classmate, which was unveiled on Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will let manufacturers build Classmate PCs that can be used either as a standard clamshell laptop or — with a 180° swivel of the display — as a touchscreen tablet. As with most netbooks, it will run on Intel's Atom processor.

"Education is one of the best ways to improve the future for individuals, villages or nations," Lila Ibrahim, the general manager of Intel's emerging-markets platform group, said in a statement on Friday. "There are 1.3 billion school-age children around the world and of those only five percent have access to a PC or the internet. The IT industry has a huge opportunity to contribute to how technology can improve students' learning and students' lives."

Ibrahim's division developed the reference design for the convertible Classmate PC based on ethnographic research. Child-friendly features include a water-resistant keyboard and a sturdy frame. Another feature is dubbed "palm rejection" — in tablet mode, the user can rest their palm on the touchscreen while writing, without the screen registering the palm's pressure as input.

The original Classmate, which appeared in 2006, is widely seen as having kicked off the 'netbook' concept even before Asus released its popular Eee 701.