[Novalug] OT: $199 Linux PC Now Available at Sears.com

[Aaron Diehl]

A press release in case anyone is interested.

Aaron	

________________________________________
From: Linspire, Inc. [mailto:noreply at lists.linspire.com] 
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 12:07 AM
To: adiehl at tanagerinc.com
Subject: $199 Linux PC Now Available at Sears.com

$199 Linux PC Now Available at Sears.com 

Value-priced - after $100 mail-in rebate - Linux PC features an Intel
Celeron 1.6GHz Intel Celeron processor, 1GB memory, 80GB hard drive,
Freespire 2.0, free CNR software delivery service and more. 


San Diego, CA - January 17th, 2007 - Linspire, Inc., developer of the
commercial Linspire and Freespire community desktop Linux operating systems,
and developer of CNR.com, a one-click digital software delivery service for
desktop Linux users, along with Mirus Innovations, a leading North America
PC manufacturer that brings innovative digital lifestyle products to
consumer and small business customers with a focus on high-value and
low-cost, today announced the immediate availability of a $199 Linux PC,
after $100 mail-in rebate, through Sears.com
(http://www.linspire.com/sears). 

"Our system builders have been forging new ground in the low-end Linux PC
market for over 5 years now" said Larry Kettler, President and CEO of
Linspire, Inc. "This latest system from Mirus Innovations is the most robust
hardware and software configuration, and offers the best value for under
$200 to date." 

As the market for Linux desktop and laptop personal computers continues to
grow and develop, "low-end" or "value-priced" PCs are one segment where
desktop Linux continues to gain traction with hobbyists, enthusiasts and the
general consumer interested in trying Linux for the first time. The $199 PC
is also the first Linux PC pre-installed with the newly released beta CNR
Client. Launched in December, CNR.com is a free one-click software delivery
service requiring no registration to use. CNR.com users can search for
applications by title, popularity, user rating, category, and function. An
open source client for each supported distribution is then used to add the
one-click installation as well as auto-updating functionality. 

"Mirus Innovations is excited to offer this unprecedented value," said Joe
Toste, VP of Sales and Marketing. "During our 4-year partnership with
Linspire, Mirus and Linspire have consistently offered some of the best
computer bundles of hardware and software to consumers and businesses.
Moreover, these customers show the highest satisfaction with their purchases
as well-- a testimony to the quality and value of the Linspire software. We
are proud to be participating in the growing success of Linux on the
desktop." 

A robust hardware configuration for under $200 and Freespire 2.0
pre-installed, the Mirus $199 PC provides improved out-of-the-box file type
and multimedia support, such as MP3, Windows Media, Real Networks, Java,
Flash, ATI, nVidia, WiFi, and many more. Freespire 2.0 also adds legally
licensed proprietary drivers, codecs, and applications in its core
distribution, to provide a better overall user experience. Freespire is a
community-influenced, Ubuntu-based Linux distribution that is designed to be
powerful enough for sophisticated Linux users and developers, yet easy
enough for someone new to Linux. Freespire was created specifically for use
on desktop and notebook computers and designed to offer a new level of
polish, attention to detail, and ease-of-use in a free Linux distribution. 

The $199 Linux PC is one of many Mirus desktop Linux configurations
available through Sears.com (http://www.linspire.com/sears). 

Mirus Innovations - $199 desktop PC Configuration:
Intel Celeron 420 1.6GHz processor
1GB Memory
80GB Hard Drive
Card Reader
Modem
CDRW
Keyboard, Speakers, and Mouse
Freespire 2.0
CNR Basic Service - providing one-click access to free and commercial Linux
software 

About Linspire
Linspire, Inc. (http://www.linspire.com) was founded in 2001 to bring choice
into the operating system market. The company's flagship product, the
Linspire operating system, is an affordable, easy-to-use Linux-based
operating system for home, school, and business users. Linspire also
pioneered CNR Technology, which provides free access to all Linux software
through CNR.com, allowing one-click installation from over 20,000 software
programs, packages and libraries. Free to use, both free & commercial
software is available at CNR.com (http://www.cnr.com). 

About the Linspire Partner Program
Free to join, the builder program http://partners.linspire.comhas no annual
fees or volume commitments, and offers system builders the option to build
pre-installed computer systems with both the commercial Linspire and
community-driven Freespire desktop Linux operating systems. The builder
program pays system builders a percentage on all commercial Linux software
and services purchased by users of either Linspire and Freespire
pre-installed desktop and laptop computers using CNR technology.

About CNR.com
CNR.com is a free one-click software delivery service designed to
standardize the process and eliminate the complexity of finding, installing
and managing Linux software for the most popular desktop Linux
distributions, both Debian and RPM-based. A free service requiring no
registration to use, CNR.com users get the most extensive free resource
available anywhere for desktop Linux software. Search from tens of thousands
of Linux software programs, packages and libraries by title, popularity,
similar software, category or function, and with just one click, install the
software right on to your computer.

About Mirus Innovations 
Mirus Innovations LLC., a value-added manufacturer of computer products,
strives to bring innovative digital lifestyle experiences to end users. Its
products for consumers and small businesses include high-value, low-cost
personal and mobile computing solutions, as well as On-Site and Life-Time
Tech Support options. Its products are installed in hundreds of thousands of
households and small businesses throughout North America. 

For more information please contact:

Linspire, Inc.
858-587-6700 ext 183
858-587-8095 Fax
pr at linspireinc.com