NetbookShow

Genesi is giving the Efika MX Smartbook a pretty serious price cut. When the company introduced the ARM-based mini-laptop in September, it was priced at $349. Now you can pick one up for $199.

The Efika MX looks like a typical netbook with a 10 inch display, but where most netbooks have an Intel Atom chip, this model has an 800 MHz Freescal i.MX515 ARM Cortex A8 processor. Since Windows isn’t yet available for ARM-based chips, the Efika MX runs Linux, although it’s probably possible to port Android to the platform.

The mini-laptop has a 1024 x 600 pixel display, 16GB of storage, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional 3G (which drives up the price by about $50, Bluetooth2.1, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a 1.3MP camera, mic and headphone jacks and a speaker as well as a microSD card slot for expansion. It supports 3D graphics and HD video playback and weighs just over 2 pounds. The computer uses less than 12W of power.

Genesi has also lowered the price of the Efika MX Smarttop, a tiny desktop computer with similar specs but no monitor or speakers and just 8Gb of storage. The smartop runs on 5W of electricity or less.

Want to get your hands on a smartbook with an ARM-based chipset but don’t feel like waiting for Toshiba or HP to bring their models to the US? Genesi USA has you covered.

The company has launched a mini-laptop with a 10.1 inch display and an 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 ARM Cortex-A8 CPU. The smartbook is called the Efika MX, and while it may not have the fastest ARM-based chip around, it’s powerful enough to handle 720p HD video playback.

The device has a 1024 x 600 pixel display, 16GB of storage space, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an optional 3G modem, as well as a 1.3MP camera, SD card reader, and mic and headphone inputs.

The Genesi Efika MX weighs about 2 pounds and measures about 0.8 inches thick. The computer runs Linux and uses less than 12 watts of power. It runs just $349, which sounds pretty good… until you realize that you can get  Windows 7 netbook for about $50 less. On the other hand, I have yet to find a Windows netbook at this price that weighs just 2 pounds.