The company is adding support for the Phoenix Hyperspace pre-boot shell and Xandros Linux; 3G connectivity; and a price (perhaps) as low as $200 for its netbook reference design.

At the 2009 Mobile World Congress (MWC), Freescale Semiconductor is out to prove that the Intel Atom platform isn't the only game in town.

It was earlier this year that that focuses on two things: 3G connectivity and all-day battery life. And instead of running an Intel Atom processor, Freescale will be using its own: the new i.MX515, which is based on ARM's Cortex-A8 technology and promotes energy efficiency more than anything else. But this is old news.

Expanding its netbook ecosystem, Freescale has added support for additional operating systems including Phoenix's Hyperspace pre-boot shell and Xandros Linux. (It had previously been announced with just Ubuntu.)

With the promise of 3G in every netbook, Freescale also announced partnerships with wireless chip makers like Wavecom and Option. The reference design, which consists of an 8.9-inch widescreen display, with awkward, side-flanking mouse buttons, and an undersized keyboard, is available through Pegatron  an original design manufacturer (ODM) and a spin-off of Asustek. In other words, Freescale is in the process of recruiting partners who will slap their own branding on this netbook. The best part: it's gunning for a $200 price point.