There’s no guessing who the target market is for the MECER Classmate. It might be a stereotype, but the Classmate is the type of thing you’d expect to find in the hands of every school child in Japan. All that seems to be missing is a “Hello Kitty” sticker on its blue plastic covered lid come carry-handle.

This 30 GB, 8.9" netbook (although it’s quite a bit thicker than what you’d want in a netbook), is based on the Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz processor and has 1 GB of RAM. This puts it amongst the ASUS EeePCs and others, in terms of processing and memory.  We’re impressed with its bright screen, integrated webcam and spiffy looks. We also like the fact that it seems to be pretty kid-proof, being made of very rugged-feeling plastic, with the integrated carry-handle.

Adults might struggle a bit typing on the Classmate’s keyboard, but it’s ideal for tiny Tim. R3999 incl VAT from Computer Corporation on 08616-08616.