Corel invests in OE/ONE.com to expand Linux reach

Corel Corporation has announced an agreement to acquire up to a 30% stake in OE/ONE.com, a start-up company developing an Information Appliance platform or thin-client Internet Appliance platform. The investment will bring ease-of-use at the screen and display level to the Information Appliance while running on Linux's stability and performance.

Corel will also develop a scaled-down version of the Corel LINUX OS optimized for specific devices and applications. OE/ONE.com is expected to hit the market in the sub-$500 range and has developed a software tool kit, specifications and an industrial design for the product. The Information Appliance is intended as a high-end machine which can record movies and music and give playback on-demand capability. The concept of developing Information Appliances has recently been validated by major players such as Dell and Intel.