Remember the JoinTech JL7100? It’s the $99 netbook that’s hardly even really a netbook. The problem isn’t that it’s got a slow 400MHz CPU or that it runs Windows CE.

While I generally prefer to put Windows CE devices in a different class from typical netbooks, it’s possible that you could install Linux on the JL7100. And more importantly we’re starting to see interest from software companies in loading Windows CE onto computers that nobody would dispute are netbooks, like the Acer Aspire One and Lenovo Ideapad S9.

No, the reason it’s hard to think of the JoinTech JL7100 as a netbook is because it didn’t even have WiFi. If you wanted to connect to the net, you needed to plug in an Ethernet cable.

Now it looks like JoinTech is trying again, this time with the JL7200 which looks a lot like the JL7100. But the new machine will have WiFi and will sell for a whopping $25 more. So for $125, you can get a tiny clamshell machine with a 7 inch display, a 400MHz CPU, and WiFi. It’s not clear how much storage space you’ll get, but the JL7100 had just 64MB of RAM and 64MB for storage. That’s sufficient for Windows CE to run, but you’ll want to invest in an SD card if you want to store some files on the system.

Oh, and in order to get that $125 price, you’ll have to buy 1000 units. In other words, that’s the wholesale price. We’ll probably see resellers charging a few bucks more for the JL7200 soon. But I suspect you may be able to pick one up for under $200 in the not too distant future. 

Asus Eee Hacks reports that JoinTech will officially unveil the JL7200 at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair next  week.

While there’s no doubt that the Windows CE-based Jointech JL7100 is pretty cheap by subnotebook, or even PDA standards, it appears that this Eee PC look-a-like might not be quite as inexpensive as I’d originally reported.

While the product page proclaims the JL7100 costs just $99, it turns out you need to order in bulk to get that price. And I don’t mean one for you and 5 for your friends. You need to place an order of 10,000 or more. The idea is that distributors can pick up this device and resell it for a few bucks more. I’m guessing the base configuration will have a street price of $150 – $200. And it’s possible that some distributors could add some software or modify the hardware to add value and then jack up the price a bit more.

It also appears that the company plans to release another version soon that will have built-in WiFi, something which is sorely missing from the current model.

[via Asus Eee Hacks and Alex]

Maybe the Asus Eee PC never hit the mythical $200 price point, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a laptop style device with a 7 inch display for a low, low price. In fact, Jointech appears to have even the OLPC project beat. While the XO Laptop still costs somewhere between a C note and $200, the Jointech JL7100 can be yours for just $99.

What’s the catch? While the JL7100 looks like a laptop, it’s got the innards of a Windows Mobile PDA. Like the Eee PC, the device has a 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display, VGA output and 3 USB ports. But it also has just 64MB of RAM, 64MB of storage and runs Windows CE 5.0. In other words, my 3 year old Dell Axim x50v PDA can probably run circles around the JL7100 performance wise. And the Axim fits in my pocket. On the other hand, even though the Axim has been out of production for a year or two now, I doubt you’ll find one for as cheap as $100 on eBay anytime soon.

Here are some of the Jointech JL7100’s other specs:

• Samsung Chipset
• 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel TFT display with support for 64k colors
• Dimensions: 225 x 165 x 36mm
• Weight: 680 grams
• Comes in black, pink, white, or sky blue colors
• Battery charges in 4 hours, runs for 4 hours, lasts 72 hours in standby mode

To be honest, I would have been all over a device like this a few years ago. Windows CE may not be a full fledged OS capable of running software like Firefox or Photoshop. But it has its benefits. Instant on and off functionality, for example. And $99 isn’t a bad price for a PDA, even by today’s standards. But once you’ve gotten used to carrying a fully functional computer with a 9 inch screen and 30 second bootup around with you, the desire for a PDA with a clamshell, laptop-style form factor kind of wanes. I think I’ll keep my Dell Axim a little longer for my PDA needs and stick with a laptop for my mobile computing.

[via Engadget]