Intel offered a sneak peek of the next-generation of its Classmate PC design at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco today. The new design features a tablet, touchscreen, and motion-sensing user interface, and is powered by — you guessed it — an Atom processor.

Intel expects this new, more flexible Classmate PC design to cater to more of the needs of the worlds 1.3 billion students. “Our ethnographic research has shown us that students responded well to tablet and touch screen technology,” explains Lila Ibrahim, GM of Intel’s Emerging Markets Platform Group.

Classmate PC Specification

• Processor –Intel Atom N270, clocked at 1.6GHz
• Chipset — Intel 945GSE
• Memory — 256MB (Linux only) or 512 MB
• Display — 7-inch 800×480 or 8.9-inch 1024×600 color LCD
• Storage — up to 8GB NAND flash; or 30 GB HDD
• Audio — 2-channel stereo audio; built-in speakers and mic; jacks for audio in/out
• LAN/WLAN:
  • 10/100Mbit Ethernet
  • 802.11 b/g wireless; full MESH 802.11s support
• Keyboard/touch:
  • Water-resistant integrated keyboard with hot keys cycle
  • Touchpad with left/right buttons
• Camera — 30fps @ 640×480, 0.3M
• Power:
  • Batteries — 4 or 6 cells, with approx. 4.5 or 6.5 hrs operation, respectively
  • AC adapter for recharging batteries
• Operating system — Linux or Windows XP Pro
• Security Hardware-based theft deterrent

Feature

• Touchscreen — pen and on-screen soft keyboard
• Tablet mode — simple user-interface shell; quick launcher for tablet mode
• Enhanced software — easier network connection and collaboration simple computer management, and localized, education-friendly content

more here