A lot of portable computer manufacturers seem to have been losing focus lately, releasing netbooks at near-notebook prices. Not Belco! Their Alpha 400 MIPS netbook is priced more like a scientific calculator. Unfortunately, it's specced like one too.

The components aren't just low end—a lot of them seem like they wouldn't even be available for purchase anymore. A 400MHz processor? A single, 128MB stick of RAM? A 802.11b wireless adapter? Those museum pieces accompany a 7 inch, 800x480 screen, 1GB of flash memory and a few token ports to round out the Alpha 400, which is admittedly intended for modest browsing and word processing purposes.

At this price, almost any corner-cutting is permissible. I say almost because the 802.11b Wi-Fi adapter will make this netbook, which could only really be useful as a portable browsing machine, useless as a portable browsing machine, as many public networks won't even allow for standard B connections anymore. If you're particularly budget-minded and spend a lot of time around old wireless access points, the Alpha 400 MIPS is available now for $170. [Geeks Store via jkOnTheRun]

Send an email to John Herrman, the author of this post, at jherrman@gizmodo.com.