HP snubs Moblin, rolls out Mi Linux-Atom netbook

In a pre-emptive strike against the expected onslaught of ARM-based netbooks running Google Inc.'s Android operating system, Hewlett-Packard Co. on Tuesday announced a new Intel Atom netbook that will run HP's custom version of Linux and cost just $279 upon its debut.

The HP Mini 110 will avoid the Moblin Linux operating system developed by Intel Corp. and backed by Novell Inc., in favor of the Mobile internet (Mi) desktop environment HP built on top of a Ubuntu Linux core, said Jonathan Kaye, director of marketing for consumer notebooks at HP.

The Mi interface is a smartphone-like user interface that bundles some simple apps such as mail, and uses large customizable icons for easier navigation. It was first offered late last year in the HP Mini 1000.

"We do think we offer a very simple experience for users that enables them to have this 'Internet snacking,'" Kaye said.

Those are similar benefits as touted by supporters of the Android OS that is emerging on smartphones today and is expected to debut in a number of netbooks in the second half of this year.

One Chinese maker, Guangzhou Skytone, has already announced its intention to release a 1.5-pound, $250 Android netbook using the ARM processor that is dominant on smartphones today. More announcements are expected from the Computex conference in Taipei next week.

But HP's 2.3-pound Mini 110, expected to be available in the U.S. as early as June 10 via the HP Direct Web site, will cost just $29 more than that, while sporting a faster Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz CPU.

Kaye declined to comment on how quickly HP could cut prices on the Mini 110 in order to match Android netbooks, which many predict will quickly dip to under $200.

Independent analyst Jack Gold called HP's custom Mi Linux "interesting," though he doesn't expect it -- or any other Linux distro, including Moblin and Android -- to gain dominant market share in the near term.

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