The success of the $199 Everex gOS-based desktop at Wal-Mart has spurred two more releases of low-end, Linux-based computers at two retail giants. Wal-Mart’s follow-up to the Everex is the $399 gOS-based Cloudbook laptop — sporting Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google News, Google Maps, YouTube, Firefox, Skype, Facebook and OpenOffice 2.3.

At Sears, consumers can get a new Linux desktop PC for less than $200 (with a $100 mail-in rebate). The Mirus/Linspire includes: an Intel Celeron 420 1.6-GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a 56Kbit/sec. modem, a CD-RW burner, a media card reader, a keyboard, speakers, a mouse and Linspire’s Freespire 2.0 Linux operating system — but no monitor.

What do you think of these new offerings — a harbinger of even better things to come? Is anyone planning to try one of these out?