Linutop has introduced its latest personal computer: the ultra-small Linutop 3.

Officials at the company said that the new gizmo has a 1 GHz, 9 Watt, fanless VIA (News - Alert) C7 processor, and is recommended for professional use, public Internet access, office applications and digital signage. Additionally, it does not require maintenance, comes with a one-year warranty that can be extended up to three years and costs less than $500.

Linutop said that the overall running costs remain on the lower side because the device uses free and open-source code applications such as the latest Firefox for Internet browsing, Open Office for documentation and VideoLAN Client media player.

Officials said while the machine is designed to use standalone Linux or Ubuntu (News - Alert) operating systems, its own Linutop 3 OS is a convenient, configurable and flexible USB-Bootable OS, which can be effortlessly replicated on many Linutop PCs, and the overall PC management system includes remote management, thin client software, Network Manager and easy-to-setup digital signage demos. Open-source code solutions are reportedly being considered very seriously even by the military as a money-saving option when compared with current costly proprietary systems.

Linutop said the device works silently because it has “no moving parts,” – its parts which include 2 GB of internal flash memory that replaces the hard drive. And since the overall design completely eliminates the need for a fan, the PC significantly reduces power consumption when compared with other competitive products.

The makers claim it consumes a total of 20 W of power and has an input of 19 VDC that is converted from an AC adaptor, which is rated for a range of 110 to 240 VAC at a frequency range of 50 to 60 Hz (Hertz).

The company said Linutop 3 has a new security feature that can lock the software and protect the flash memory from wearing out by limiting write cycles. After initial set up the Linutop software is protected, and the device will recover its state at each start up, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

Officials claim the device weighs in at 1.8 kgs (kilograms) inclusive of the rugged metal casing, has a size of 23.5 x 23.6 x 5.5 centimeters and is certified to operate between 10 degrees C to 40 degrees C and has an operating humidity range between 10 to 90 percent.

Linutop said its device can be connected to any video graphics array, digital visual intervace or adaptor connected to a HDMI monitor up to a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. It has six security slots and one RS232 serial port for industrial applications.