Trademark battle won over by Qualcomm for name ”Smartbook”

Qualcomm coined the term Smartbook a few years ago and this is to describe those mini laptops at the size of a netbook that use smartphone chips and has 3G capabilities. It also offers internet access that is always on and it boasts of an all day battery capacity. Then a company named Smartbook AG [...]

1st smartbook of its kind

Why first? Well, it’s sort of a cross between a smartphone and a notebook. Compaq Airlife 100 Android powered netbook was first shown in January on Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. It has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 10.1 inch. 1024 x 600 pixel display, 16GB of flash-based storage, and SD card slot, 3G and [...]

Sylvania Smartbook, eReader coming to CVS

Folks with low income, rejoice as the CVS will be releasing a 100 dollar smartbook and a 180 dollar eReader sometime soon. According to the recently leaked marketing material, the store will be stocking Sylvania smartbook that will run Windows CE along with an eReader equipped with a color display.

There is not much information on the details of the smartbook but we do know that the eReader packs 512MB of flash storage, Wi-Fi and access to Kobo eBookStore. Stay tuned for more information!

Pioneer DreamBook Lite E10 Smartbook

Pioneer Computers Australia unveiled a VIA-powered Smartbook in the market. Unlike similar products in the market that run Windows 7 Starter, this smartbook comes with Windows CE (or Android OS).

Specifications: 10.1-inch 1024×600 display, VIA-8505 533MHz processor, 128MB RAM, upto 4GB RAM, 0.3MP webcam, LAN, SD slot, 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1800mAh battery, Windows CE or Android and optional 3G

God, what would one do on a Android machine with 4GB RAM, when even 512MB RAM is more than enough for a mobile OS! We would rather like to see Chromium running on that.

Linkbook – a PowerPC smartbook

Vodacom South Africa has introduced a new smartbook in the market which runs on a Motorola PowerPC. The Linkbook features a 16GB flash storage, 256MB RAM, 8.9-inch TFT display (1024×600 pixel display), Wireless LAN and a SIM card slot for on-the-go surfing.

Call us a weird troglodyte, but we would prefer this over the Apple iPad. And why not, after all it has a built-in keyboard and runs Firefox! It is available only in South Africa for R199 ($26) per month with a 2 year contract, which includes 300MB per month data transfer.

Other specifications: Bundled social networking software, Flash support (but Youtube not supported) and runs Ubuntu 8.04.

[vodacom]

Android 3 supports ARM Cortex A9 processors = Bright Smartbook future

Jen Hsun, CEO of Nvidia told the theinquirer that Tegra and Android 3 are going to complete change the way people use high-resolution phones. He emphasized on the fact that smooth graphics on high-resolution displays require powerful chipsets like Tegra that can handle even HD videos with ease. 

This may be the breakthrough Smartbook manufactures have been waiting for – powerful performance and a good customizable OS like Android 3.

Samsung preparing ARM Cortex A9 dual core CPUs – we smell Smartbooks!

According to a document leaked by ARMnews, Samsung is preparing ARM Cortex A8, A9, single, dual and quad core processors that will be released in H2 2010 and 2011. In a slide from the document, it is clearly stated that these processor are meant to be used in netbooks.

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HP Airlife Specs revealed

HP has created a product page for its upcoming smartbook – Airlife 100. This is clear indication that it is just a matter of days that the little Smartbook will be hitting the market shelves. We also have a full rundown of its specs

• 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel resistive touchscreen display
• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 512MB flash + 16of solid state storage
• Wi-Fi, 3G
• SD slot supporting up to 32GB, Micro-USB port
• Google Android OS

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Airis iTab runs Windows CE

If the year 2009 was the year of netbooks, then this 2010 is clearly turning out to be the year of tablets. Aris, is a netbook manufacture has unveiled a tablet that sports 7-inch WVGA display. Powered by a power-sipping 800MHz ARM processor, this tablet runs Windows CE 6.0 and packs in galore of wireless radios – Wi-Fi b/g, (optional) 3G and GPS. There is meager 512MB of RAM and 2GB of flash storage, extensible via an SD card slot.

Those specs look pretty weak on the paper, but hey this is an ARM-based device and runs a light OS. You don’t need a Ferrari engine in a 1991 Honda Civic model, do you? Price – just 179 Euros ($240) which surely won’t burn a hole in your wallet

Lenovo Smartbook Postponed

Back in January, Lenovo announced its first Smartbook, the Skylight for the American market. It was said it would be hitting the shelves in the month of April (2010), but now the Fudzilla is reporting that the launch date has been postponed until July (2010).

Also, it is has been observed that most of the netbook players don’t have their nuts on the smartbooks and are doubtful about the success of these ARM-powered smartbooks.