MEET SKYLIGHT, LENOVO'S FIRST SMARTBOOK

Lenovo has finally introduced its first smartbook, the Qualcomm Snapdragon powered Skylight. The device has more or less the same looks as a netbook. It has a 10 inch display and a keyboard that is nearly full-sized. So is it fair to call this machine a smartbook? Well, aside from the display and the keyboard, its features are similar to those of smartbooks. For instance, it is powered by an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset which allows it to stay connected to the internet all the time. So you will be able to receive emails and other notifications even when the lid is closed. The ARM-based processor also improves the battery life because it consumes very little power. The Skylight is expected to offer up to 10 hours of runtime. Some netbooks also offer all-day battery life, but they are usually powered by an Atom processor and run a version of Windows.

The Lenovo Skylight is shipped with a custom operating system based on Linux. It can’t run Windows. The user interface is built around a series of widgets which would allow you to access web services like Facebook, Twitter and Gmail. There is also a media section for music and movies.

Pricing
The Lenovo Skylight is priced at $499 without a wireless contract. In the US, this smartbook will be available subsidized from AT&T for customers who sign up for a 2 year wireless broadband service.

QUANTA UNVEILS SNAPDRAGON POWERED SMARTBOOK

Plenty of non-Intel devices have started hitting the market. Lenovo has announced its plans to release a Snapdragon powered smartbook. Now Quanta has unveiled another smartbook. This machine too will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor. It will run on Google’s Android OS.

Only the prototype is ready at the moment. The demo video released by Quanta shows a mini laptop with 3 USB 2.0 ports, a mini-HDMI connector, a microSD reader and a combination of microphone and headphone jacks.

In terms of thickness the machine is comparable to Sony’s Vaio X. But just not expect it to have similar guts.

LENOVO SMARTBOOK MORE DETAILS EMERGE

Qualcomm has leaked more details regarding the Lenovo smartbook which would be powered by one of its processors.

A smartbook shares the same form factor as a netbook. But unlike netbooks, smartbooks are typically sold with a cell contract which allows it to stay connected to the internet through a cellular network. In other words a smartbook combines the features of a netbook and a smartphone.

The Lenovo smartbook will be powered by Qualcomm’s fast 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. It is said that the device would offer ‘all day’ battery life which can’t be more than 8 hours in this case. It will run Google’s Android operating system which is kind of surprising because Lenovo could have used Google’s Chrome OS instead. While Android has got much better recently, it is still a cell-phone oriented operating system whereas Chrome is better suited for a computer.

Nothing on pricing or availability has been announced as yet. But more information should emerge at CES 2010.

SMARTBOOK AG RELEASES ZENID GC CRYSTAL NETBOOK

Smartbook AG, a German computer company, has started selling its Zenid GC Crystal netbook. As far as specifications are concerned this netbook isn’t different from other netbooks in the market. It is powered by an Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM. It runs Windows 7 and has a 10 inch display. Another notable feature is WiFi.

The Zenid GC Crystal still isn’t like any other netbook. Its screen lid is covered with Swarovski crystals and it comes with a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne.

Smartbook AG has no intention of mass producing the Crystal version. Only 20 are going to be built and each one will cost roughly around $3,008. The non-crystal version will cost around $449.

HALERON UNVEILS LOW-COST MIO SMARTBOOK

Haleron has added a cheap smartbook to its mini-laptop line. The Mio Smartbook as it is called is a low power device with a 7 inch display. Its specifications aren’t better than those of smartphones.

The Mio Smartbook is powered by a 266MHz ARM-based processor from VIA. It supports up to 256MB of memory. The device comes with 1GB of flash storage space which can be expanded to 4GB. There are 3 USB ports, and an SD card slot for additional storage.
The Mio Smartbook runs on Windows CE 6.0. The expected battery life is upto 6 hours. The smartbook is available in red, pink, silver, green and black. It weighs about 1.5pounds. Other features include WiFi 802.11b/g and Ethernet. There is also an optional 3G USB modem for connectivity purposes.

Pricing and Availability
If you place an order for 3 or more units, you should be able to get it for $189 per unit. The product page on Haleron’s official website gives the impression that the laptop could run Windows XP, Linux and Android. While Linux and Android may be viable options, it can’t run Windows XP simply because it has an ARM-based processor.

LENOVO TO PRODUCE QUALCOMM'S FIRST SMARTBOOK

Qualcomm has unveiled its first Smartbook. The Snapdragon-powered device will be produced by Lenovo and sold by AT&T in the US market.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon platform combines a low power ARM-based processor with integrated graphics and wireless features. Smartbooks using this chipset can decode 720p HD video fluently. The Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset can be used in smartphones and smartbooks and it offers always-on wireless internet connectivity with a long battery life.

No official pictures of the device are available yet but sources claim that the Lenovo smartbook ‘looks much like a thin notebook’. No information regarding pricing is available at the moment. It is also not known whether the device would be available exclusively from AT&T.

ASUS TO LAUNCH A SMARTBOOK IN 2010

Asus plans to launch a smartbook during the first quarter of 2010. The company has not yet released further details, but smartbooks are 3G enabled highly portable laptops running on ARM-based processors. They are highly power efficient as ARM processors consume much less power than Intel or AMD processors found on typical netbooks and notebooks.

Asus says the new device will cost around $184. It is not yet known whether it would run on Linux, Windows CE or Google Android.

Asus had recently tested a prototype device on Google Android. The prototype had a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with WiFi, integrated GPS, 3G and graphics capabilities. It is still too early to predict whether the proposed smartbook will have similar specifications.

MOBINNOVA'S 8.9 INCH ELAN SMARTBOOK

Mobinnova’s 8.9 inch elan smartbook will be retailed for $299. The device was launched at Computex. A very attractive feature of this smartbook is that it is based on Nvidia’s Tegra platform which makes it capable of playing HD video. The machine weighs just 836g and measures 20.5 mm in thickness. The company claims that it will offer 5-10 hours of 720p HD video playback.

The elan smartbook is expected to be released in Asia by the end of this year. The biggest selling point of this device will definitely be its price. When it would reach the US and Europe is still unknown.

ELONEX UNVEILS A SMARTBOOK AND NETBOOK

Elonex displayed some of its new devices at IFA 2009. One of them is a 7-inch smartbook powered by an Arm 11 processor. The device runs on the Windows CE operating system and has two USB ports, card reader and a couple of audio jacks. It is also equipped with a dongle for LAN functionality.

Elonex also announced a 10-inch Elonex WebBook at the IFA. It will be powered by a VIA based processor. The company said that only a prototype of the device is available as of now. When it becomes available in the retail market, it will also have an integrated TV tuner.