Mandriva, the France-based Linux distributor, will have a version of its Mandriva Linux 2007 pre-installed on Intel’s new low-end laptop for students, the Classmate PC. The ClassMatePC is a rugged laptop with a water-resistant keyboard and a theft-control feature based on a network-issued digital certificate. Its processor is an Intel Mobile 900MHz Celeron ULV chip.

This new laptop for students in developing countries weighs in at 2.9 lbs and includes a 7-inch LCD display. It comes equipped with 256MB of RAM, up to 2GB of flash memory-based local storage, both 802.11b/g WiFi interface and a 10/100Mbps Ethernet networking, and two USB ports for connection of external peripherals.