Commodore introduces its own 10-inch netbook

The brand had already been through a line of high-end gaming PCs, however the familiar logo will make it onto a line of netbooks later this year.

Commodore is showing off the UMMD 8010/F at the IFA 2008 electronics show, held this week in Berlin. The device will have a 10" inch screen, and the base model will include a 1.6 GHz Via C7-M processor, 1 GB of RAM, and an 80 GB hard drive.

Since the "netbook" nomenclature obviously suggests the device is intended for online use, the device should include 802.11b/g wireless connectivity, with the option to add Bluetooth. A 1.3-megapixel built in camera is also included.

Prices are expected to start around $600, and the device is expected to ship with Windows XP installed beginning in October. The choice of Windows XP probably has a lot to do with the specifications: While it should be able to run the aging Microsoft OS, getting Vista to work might be a stretch.

While there was some confusion as to who was producing the netbook, a search of the IFA exhibitor database seems to indicate that a division of Commodore International Corporation is the manufacturer of the device. At least two groups are using the Commodore brand name. Dutch-based Yeahronimo Media Ventures first brought back the name in 2005 on a line of digital media players, although another group -- Commodore Gaming -- has used the name for the aforementioned gaming computers.

Yeahronimo had been doing business as Commodore International Corporation. But this week in Berlin, the company displayed its netbook along with two lines of MP3 players, a portable video player, and a set-top box under the name Commodore Consumer Electronics. That name appears to distinguish itself from Commodore Gaming, to which the brand may be licensed.

Either way, its obvious that both companies taking on the storied brand name are doing so for one primary reason: the nostalgia factor. With a sea of computer options these days, having something that stands out -- in this case the name -- can help in sales.