A giant step for Linux?
DeviceVM, a software company founded in 2006 and based out of Silicon Valley, has announced that its Splashtop software is to be shipped with ASUS' entire P5Q range of motherboards. The range, consisting of twelve boards, features the P5Q Deluxe, P5Q-WS, P5Q3 Deluxe, and P5Q-E.
Splashtop, a Linux distribution designed for motherboard manufacturers, is an "instant-on" built-in operating system that allows users to boot directly to a graphical user interface within a matter of seconds. It provides web access via a browser based on Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and VOIP functionality via Skype.
Allowing users to boot a newly-built computer directly into a web-surfing environment, without the need for a hard disk, could be a hugely popular feature.
Mark Lee, co-founder and CEO of DeviceVM, says:
"We are excited to have expanded our partnership with ASUS across many product lines. ASUS is not only a leading innovator in computer hardware, but is actively improving the entire PC consumer experience through software. We are excited to jointly drive the market innovation with ASUS."
On ASUS' P5Q range of motherboards, Splashtop is branded as "Express Gate", and ASUS plans to ship all of its future motherboards with Linux-based Splashtop pre-installed.
Joe Hsieh, General Manager, ASUS Motherboard Business Unit, says:
"In response to great user feedback, our plan is to proliferate Express Gate across our entire motherboard product portfolio, starting with over one million motherboards per month. Consumers want to turn their PCs on and off like any other appliance, and Express Gate has made that possible."
Here's a little video, courtesy of DeviceVM, highlighting what Splashtop has to offer:
Here at HEXUS, we're of the belief that Splashtop could prove to be highly useful to a majority of users. There is, of course, the option to install another operating system should the user need to do so, but, having one that's built-in and ready-to-go has plenty of advantages.
Official product page: splashtop.com
