Via Technologies has released a new hardware design for cheap laptops with WiMax support under an open source license which is intended to make customisation easier for the user and shorten design cycles for manufacturers. Computer Assisted Design, known as CAD the files for which can be freely downloaded and made available to anyone under the creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license; the terms of the CAS allow CAD files to be copied, modified and shared.

Vice president of marketing at Via, Richard Brown said: “We’re hoping we’ll get some interesting feedback, and look forward to seeing what the community thinks about this concept.”

The Via OpenBook is based on Via’s VX800 chipset and 1.6 GHz C7-M processor with an 8.9 inch display, and requires a hard disk with an above 80GB capacity. The basic wireless module supports Bluetooth and WiFi while optional modules can be Assisted GPS, WCDMA, EV-DO, and HSPA.

The OpenBook also incorporates a 2 megapixel camera, full size keyboard, 2GB DDR memory, and can run on SuSE Linux, Ubuntu, G/OS, Linux, Windows XP or Windows Vista. Price wise the Via OpenBook will stand you around $500.00 to $800.00 and should be available in the 3rd quarter.

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