We were only talking earlier on today about Pegatron’s Smartbook plans, and then along comes Shanzai with a quick hands-on report with one of the company’s first models. There’s no telling whether this is merely a prototype or something we’ll see in Q1 2010 with a brand-name plastered across it, but we do know it was featured at ARM’s “Technical Symposium 2009″ in Taipei this week.
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Having had a reasonably prolonged fondle with Quanta's Android Smartbook prototype yesterday, we're actually quite excited by the platform's prospects. According to one of Pegatron's general business managers, we shouldn't have too long to wait, either; Jeremy Shu is claiming that the company has received orders from a number of clients for large volumes of Smartbooks, and he expects them to launch in Q1 2010 alongside carrier partnerships for the integrated 3G connectivity.
We were hoping Qualcomm might whip out Lenovo’s upcoming Smartbook at today’s event, but unfortunately the diminutive all-day ultraportable is still being nursed for an official CES reveal. Instead, the company had Quanta’s functional Android Smartbook prototype and a non-working Smartbook/Tablet concept out for us to play with.
Video demo after the cut
What’s red, fuzzy and makes your mouth water? Why, this photo of Lenovo’s first Smartbook of course, grabbed from Qualcomm’s recent webcast and promising to officially launch at CES 2010 this coming January. The Snapdragon-based ultraportable will apparently have an HD-capable display for 720p video together with AT&T integrated wireless connectivity.
According to ASUS UK, the company’s upcoming Eee PC 1201N complete with NVIDIA Ion graphics will be arriving in stores come December. Speaking to Electricpig, the company confirmed that the 12-inch Ion machine was imminent, but are yet to define the actual specifications. Meanwhile, ASUS’ first Smartbook has apparently been delayed according to a market specialist at the company, and is now not expected until Q2 2010.
Bargain hunters looking for a new ultraportable this Christmas could do well to hold off until the new year, as ASUS CEO Jerry Shen has announced the company plans to launch an Android-based Smartbook in Q1 2010 that could be priced at around $180. ASUS were among the companies demonstrating Smartbook prototypes – based on Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor – back in June, but since then have downplayed their involvement with the format.
Remember Mobinnova’s élan Smartbook from Computex earlier this year? The 8.9-inch ultraportable promised HD video playback and hours of battery life, thanks to its NVIDIA Tegra chipset; now Mobinnova are back, with the élan rebanded as the Beam, and promising a launch for the compact machine at CES in January 2010. According to LaptopMag’s interview, the Beam will be offered with a carrier subsidy, though the company are keeping quiet on exactly which US network they’re in bed with.
An NVIDIA executive has confirmed that the company is working with Google to produce Tegra-based Smartbooks running Google Chrome OS. Talking to jkOnTheRun’s Kevin C. Tofel, NVIDIA’s GM of mobile business Mike Rayfield revealed that the company expects to see Tegra-based smartphones using Windows Mobile and Android, while Smartbooks or netbooks would use Chrome OS or Windows CE.
Qualcomm ran into some legal trouble today when Smartbook AG filed a restraining order against them in Germany. Apparently, Qualcomm does not have the right to use the “Smartbook” moniker in that country.
If the company doesn’t quit it pronto, they will be fined $358,000 or even arrested for contempt. Qualcomm is currently in the works of creating smartbooks, which will be combination of netbook and smartphone.
Smartbook AG says they have the copyright to the name, so that might present problems for Qualcomm. But we’ll just have to see how this plays out. Either Qualcomm goes with a different name in Germany or face heavy fines.
A few days ago Nokia hadn’t a single netbook on their product sheet; now, according to DigiTimes’ mysterious sources, they’re set to enter not one but two budget ultraportable niches. Hot on the heels of the Nokia Booklet 3G comes rumor that the Finns plan an ARM-based Smartbook in mid-2010; while there’s no talk of specifications it comes as no surprise to see that everything Smartbooks are being lauded for – long battery life, multiple connectivity options – are the same things Nokia has prioritized in the Booklet 3G.
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