When I asked readers to submit their wishes for Linux, one reader gave the following as one of their wishes:

“2) For the ultra cheap computer market to explode. Products like the Eee being copied by just about every major manufacturer. And all coming with a slightly custom, or even better, a standard version of some Linux distro.”

I think this reader’s wish might come true. E-Lead has announced that they will be releasing their own ultra mobile PC, according to Pocketables. The device will be at CES and available later this year.

So what makes the E-Lead device different from the Eee PC and other UMPCs? First, the design. The E-Lead UMPC has an unusual two-part split keyboard (image) and the UMPC is designed so that it can be folded into various shapes, so the E-Lead UMPC can be used as a photo frame or to watch movies while frying an egg or whatever you want to do. (This appears to be similar to the way some tablet/laptop combos work now, although there is no evidence that the E-Lead UMPC is a tablet.) One of the main complaints about the Eee PC is the small keyboard. Although the keyboard on the E-Lead UMPC can’t be much larger, splitting the keyboard into two parts with some space in between might help make typing much easier, once you get used to the unusual design. The laptop also features some kind of input device called Noahpad. I don’t what it does, though.

The second difference between the E-Lead UMPC and the Eee PC is that the E-Lead runns Ubuntu 7.10. Due to the lack of details, this could be a small under-the-hood difference or a huge difference. While the Eee technically runs Xandros Linux, the interface is nothing like what a full Linux system normally look like. If, however, Ubuntu 7.10 really means the full install of Ubuntu 7.10 and the E-Lead UMPC becomes popular, many people would be familiar not just with the name Linux, but also with how to use a full Linux system, such as the ones Dell sells.

Everex will be launching the next version of the gOS, called gOS 2.0 or Rocket, at CES, according to Phoronix. Later, in Febuary, Everex will introduce new products with gOS 2.0 as their OS.

The new version will incorporate Google Gears, a technology to improve integration of Google applications with desktop applications, integration with Box.net, an online storage service, and an SDK to enable easy development of applications for gOS.

Although new features are great, based on a review by PC Magazine, it appears that whatever bug fixes gOS 2.0 brings may be even more important. This review, which gave the gPC a 1 1/2 out of 5, complained a lot about various bugs in the software, which could be fixed in this new version.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the pre-CES Everex news, though, is a hint at new hardware. Here is a quote from the Phoronix article:

“In February, Everex will be launching their low-cost CloudBook, gPC, gPC mini, and gBook with gOS 2.0.”

We know what the gPC is, we know what the CloudBook is, but we don’t know what the gPC mini or gBook is. Of course, there could be a lot more mystery around them. Based on Apple’s product line and common sense, I think it is fair to say that the gBook is a laptop and gPC mini is a small desktop. The interesting part is the gBook, though. If the CloudBook is a UMPC, it would make sense if the gBook was a larger, more standard laptop.

Right now, it is hard to tell if Everex has anything incredible in the works, but they are certainly a company worth watching.

OpenMoko has announced their next phone, the Neo FreeRunner, according to Gizmodo. The new phone will include a better processor, WiFi, 3D graphics, new applications, and other improvements based on the feedback they received from developers who purchased the Neo 1973. The Neo FreeRunner will be at CES and available later in the year. Although the FreeRunner is intended to make it all the way to users, it will only be available to developers at first.

The unusual thing about OpenMoko phones is that they are fully open-source and very hackable. There is nothing to prevent you from installing a new OS and application development is encouraged. Even the hardware was specifically chosen to make the phones open. All of the hardware has detailed specifications available for anyone who wants to take advantage of it.

Although the Neo 1973 has been out for a long time, until now, it was not clear that a consumer phone would arrive any time soon. Now that the phone they plan to bring to the market is nearly ready, the idea of bringing a fully open phone to the market seems a lot more plausible. I am sure we will learn a lot more as soon as people get to play with it at CES.

Asus has an interesting notice on their CES 2008 page. The notice is titled “WiMAX Today. WiMAX Tomorrow.” and says the following:

“Join ASUS, Intel and Sprint to learn about the state of WiMAX technology, preview next-generation mobile solutions (including the next generation EeePC) and immerse yourself in tomorrow’s wireless protocol. “

It seems clear that Asus and Sprint plan to build WiMAX, a long-range wireless data transfer technology, into the Eee PC. An Eee PC that includes a wireless connection to the internet anywhere would be cool, but this poses a few issues. First, WiMAX is not even rolled out yet. Sprint plans to roll it out in some major cities in 2008, but if you don’t happen to live in one of these cities, the WiMAX would be useless until Sprint rolls out more cities. Second, one of the main appeals of the Eee PC is the low price point. Similar services with current cellular technologies cost around $50-$60, which sort of ruins the point of an inexpensive laptop. Asus and Sprint could go for a Kindle-like approach where there is no monthly service and the cost is built into the cost of the hardware. Again, though, that would put the Eee PC at a much higher price point. Since I am sure Asus has considered this issue, they may surprise us with a much better solution than anything I have mentioned here.

The launch event is set for January 7th, so the details should be clear soon enough, although I dobut that there will be a real product avaliable for several months if not a year or more. Still, when the product finally comes out, it could be one of the coolest laptops ever.

Following Elephants Dream and Peach (to be released in April), both open-source movies sponsored by Blender, Blender, an open-source 3D modeling application, and CrystalSpace, another open-source project relating to 3D graphics, are starting out a new project - a 3D open-source professional game.

The project, called Apricot, will release the final game at the end of July, if all goes according to schedule, for Linux, Mac, and Windows along with all the models, sounds, and code used in it. The game will be mostly developed by a group of developers who will be paid to work in Amsterdam.

Based on the quality of Elephants Dream, I think it is safe to say that whatever comes out of Apricot (the only decision made about the game is the use of the characters from Peach) will be a truly professional quality game. Based on my list of the most popular wishes for Linux and other similar lists around the Linux community, professional games for Linux are clearly important for many Linux users and if they happen to be open-source and use only open-source tools, what could be better? You can help out Apricot by pre-ordering the game (as well as all the graphics, music, code, etc.) on DVD. Hopefully, Apricot will be big success and there will be many more similar professional open-source games developed in the future.