The AC100 launched running Android 2.1, one of the first Tegra 2 based devices to hit the market, though as we found was held back by the absence of a touchscreen. Android 2.2 Froyo won’t exactly help with that, but it may make for a faster running ultraportable altogether, and the Flash Player 10.1 support will make for a more rounded notebook.

The production AC100 has certainly been tightened up from the flexing, creaking prototypes Toshiba showed at the ultraportable’s launch. Although you can still see some chassis-bend if you hold the notebook by the very corner with the screen open, there’s no bowing of the keyboard tray as you type and the keys themselves are firm and nicely clicky. We’ve used plenty of ultraportables over the years, but the AC100′s slender construction was still enough to impress coming out of the box; significantly tapered edges and a mere 0.87kg weight make for an impressively portable machine.

That’s in part because you get fewer ports than on a regular netbook. The AC100 has a single full-sized USB 2.0, a mini USB, an HDMI output, a combination headphones/microphone socket and an SDHC card reader, along with the power input and Kensington lock port. There’s also an integrated microphone, 1.3-megapixel webcam, and stereo speakers whose grills are on the underside of the Toshiba. Conspicuously absent is any sort of cooling vent; that’s because the AC100 is fanless and, since it uses flash storage not a spinning hard-drive, silent in operation.

In fact, internal storage is just 8GB, paired with 512MB of DDR2 memory. Rather than the Atom CPU you’d usually find in a netbook, Toshiba has opted for NVIDIA’s second-generation Tegra 250, a 1GHz mobile processor based around ARM not x86 cores. The promise is that the frugal Tegra 2 will deliver far longer battery life while still being capable of 1080p HD video playback (via the HDMI output, since the 10.1-inch display 16:9 runs at 1024 x 600). Wireless connectivity, meanwhile, consists of WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR on this AC100-10Z model; Toshiba also offer the AC100-10U with an HSPA modem.

Running on that Tegra 2 is Google’s Android OS, in this case version 2.1 Eclair with Toshiba’s own Home Menu modifications. Android is, obviously, intended first and foremost for smartphones, and in the absence of a touchscreen (unlike the HP Compaq Airlife 100) Toshiba has thrown shortcuts galore at the AC100′s keyboard. Where normally you’d find the function key row, the AC100 has buttons for media playback, internal/external display control, screen brightness, wireless, locking the trackpad, volume up/down/mute, taking screenshots, and loading the email, browser, settings or task switcher.

Meanwhile, there are also buttons for search and home, down where you might usually find the Windows Start key, and a menu button where the right-click shortcut normally is on PC notebooks. Then there’s the trackpad, for which Toshiba have added an on-screen cursor control so you can navigate Android much as you would Windows. Five horizontal homescreen panes can have various widgets, and there’s the usual status bar running across the top of the screen with WiFi, clock, battery and network indicators (the latter only showing a connection if you have the 3G-enabled model).

As for Toshiba Home Menu, that consists of four panels – Applications, Widgets, Bookmarks and Settings – which basically put the various apps and other shortcuts within a click or two from the homescreen. Toshiba preload the Opera Mobile browser, Evernote, Fring, Amazon MP3, a File Manager app, FBReader for ebooks, and the Camangi Market (there’s no Android Market access) together with their own media player app and Documents To Go, but you don’t get the Gmail app, only the generic Android Mail app.

Unfortunately, while it’s a good attempt to translate a touch-based OS to keyboard and mouse use, it’s not 100-percent there. Five homescreen panes filled with widgets make sense when you can swiftly flick between them with a finger; it’s less intuitive when you’re working with a 10-inch non-touch display. You might assume that the arrow keys would shift you from pane to pane, but they actually control the various Home Menu options. Regular text shortcuts, such as tabbing between fields or CTRL+arrow to jump by word, don’t work.

Gmail loaded with its full desktop view in the Android browser, but the keyboard wasn’t fully functional: hitting Enter, for instance, to start a new paragraph instead opened up the address bar. Some on-screen dialogs can be navigated via the arrow keys and enter, some cannot; there’s more jumping between the keys and the trackpad than on a Windows or OS X machine. Even Toshiba’s own apps – added to take advantage of the netbook form-factor – are hobbled by Android’s finger-centric paradigm; you can’t drag files between local and USB storage in the Toshiba File Manager, for instance, instead having to individually select them, cut/copy them and then paste them into the other volume.

It adds up to a frustrating user experience that’s ironically far more complex to get to grips with than a regular Android smartphone. Toshiba could have fitted a touchscreen – adding to the price, naturally – but even then we’d want to be able to successfully navigate solely via the keyboard, as even the most basic netbook can manage. There’s no multitouch support on the trackpad, either.

A glimmer of hope, however, lies with Ubuntu. The AC100 modding community kicked off efforts to load the alternative Linux OS onto the ultraportable, and in response Toshiba has assigned a small team of its own to explore the possibility. There’s no timescale for its release, but from the early DIY attempts we’ve seen it could give the AC100 a real boost in usability. Ubuntu would hopefully be able to handle more USB peripherals than the AC100, too; the Android notebook could recognize a 2GB USB memory stick, but not an external NTFS hard-drive. Plugging it into another PC via the miniUSB port allowed the AC100 to be mounted as a browsable drive, meanwhile.

If Toshiba can manage to squeeze Ubuntu into the AC100 and preserve its battery life, it could be onto a winner. The company estimates up to 8hrs of runtime from a full charge, or 180hrs – over a week – of standby. In practice, we managed around six hours of solid web browsing over WiFi, and even longer if we were just watching video. The Tegra 2′s 1080p abilities also live up to NVIDIA’s promises, as long as you have a file format which Android can play; that means yes to H.264, MP4, AVI and XviD, but no MKV. Still, given the mere 8GB of internal storage, you won’t be able to keep many files on the AC100 itself; thankfully it’ll recognize up to 32GB SDHC cards.

At a time when Android’s suitability for tablets is being questioned – even, when it comes to 2.2 Froyo, by Google itself – the platform seems even more ill-equipped to handle the AC100′s form-factor. Tegra’s HD video abilities are great, and the battery life and portability of the Toshiba are both excellent, but general use can be a chore that belies its companion-device intentions; the missing Android Market only compounds that. Ubuntu may change things, but for the moment the Toshiba AC100, despite its relatively affordable £211 (plus VAT; $333) price tag, falls short of earning a place in our bag.

Video demo after the cut

It’s still not perfect – battery life is a mere 4hrs, primarily it seems because Ubuntu isn’t giving any thought to ultraportable frugality, there’s no sound, video, 3D graphics or webcam support, and it’s prone to crashing – but considering the progress over just a weekend it’s all impressive stuff.  Carrypad is also wondering if the same hack will work on the upcoming Toshiba Folio 100 slate.

So far this has all been the handiwork of a few dedicated third-parties, but it seems Toshiba has woken up and taken some interest itself.  The company has tasked “Mr. AC100″ to look into an official Ubuntu port for the AC100 including drivers for graphics, sound, functions keys, and outputs like the HDMI port.  No promises at this stage, but it’s all looking pretty hopeful.

It’s not quite at everyday-use stage yet; so far the boot hangs at around the point where the photo above was taken.  That means we don’t know quite what will run and what won’t, or what sort of battery life we can expect.  Still, assuming the process gets polished – and there are people working on it – then this could be a new lease of life for what’s otherwise a particularly niche product.

So far we’ve seen just one device branded as a smartbook arrive on the market, in the shape of the HP Compaq Airlife.  Toshiba’s AC100, which uses rival NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset rather than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, is being branded as a MID or Mobile Internet Device.

Qualcomm, for its part, says it is pushing ahead using Snapdragon chips like the upcoming 1.5GHz model – destined to show up in production devices in Q1 2011 – in tablets.  To be fair, the firm is relatively agnostic as to how their silicon is used (all they really care about is the number of OEMs actually adopting it) but we have to say we’re disappointed by the shrinking number of hardware keyboard-equipped all-day devices set to reach the market.

Its 3G sibling, the Toshiba AC100-10U, is still unavailable for order.  It will have a 2100MHz UMTS/HSPA modem for use in Europe, along with quadband GSM/EDGE.  Both get HDMI ports, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 displays and 512MB of RAM.

The AC100 has also been listed at Amazon, though the retailer is still showing shipment delays of 1-2 months.  Last week at IFA 2010, Toshiba unveiled the Folio 100, a touchscreen slate version of the AC100 expected to be priced at £329 when it launches in a couple of months time.

Toshiba AC100 hands-on:

The Smartbook has a 10.1-inch screen that is LED backlit with a resolution of 1024 x 600. The machine also has a multi-format HD video decoder and a D1 video decoder inside. Storage is to 16GB of flash and the machine has an external SD card slot and an internal microSD card slot.

Other features include 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, dual USB ports, a 1.3MP webcam, and a headphone jack. The machine also has integrated stereo speakers and a built-in microphone. The Efika MX Smartbook says 10.87 x 7.13 x 0.83-inches and weighs 2.05 pounds. You can order one now for $349.

It’s worth noting that the AC100 is currently running Android 2.1, so it’s possible that – when Toshiba release a firmware update to 2.2 – another speed boost could be delivered.  Carrypad also say they’re getting SunSpider JavaScript benchmark results of 9,300, while 13Mbps 1080p H.264 files play with no problems and game Raging Thunder 2 has no qualms at the full 1024 x 600 resolution the Toshiba can manage.

Video demos after the cut

Unlike the Airlife 100, the Tegra 2 based AC100 doesn’t have a touchscreen and relies instead on the trackpad; however Android 2.1 doesn’t give you scrollbars or any link-hovering information or tips.  You can’t tab through text boxes, and the standard browser lacks Flash support or any mouse enhancements.  Opera Mobile, preloaded, does support Flash, though sites generally default to their mobile versions which means you get things like shoddy YouTube quality (intended for a relatively small smartphone display, not the 10.1-inches of the AC100).

It’s a shame, as both hardware and build quality are praised (though there are still issues with what USB devices Android will or won’t recognize).  Next up is testing battery life – Toshiba reckon 7hrs solid use; until then, check out their first impressions and unboxing in the videos below.

Of course, you could also use an external modem like a MiFi or some sort of tethered Bluetooth connection, Android permitting, so getting online needn’t be too great a headache.  Several other European retailers are claiming they’re expecting the AC100 in on September 2nd, a week from today.

According to the Amazon Marketplace listing, there’s only one Ac100 unit left and it’s priced at €350 ($445).  For more on the Ac100, check out our hands-on report from the MID’s launch.

Toshiba AC100 hands-on:

[via Carrypad]

News spread earlier in the year that Lenovo had axed their IdeaPad U1 Hybrid and Skylight smartbooks, claiming the two systems were only intended for conceptual purposes.  More recently, it was suggested that in fact the two machines were delayed not cancelled, with a switch to Android being the rumored reason for the postponed release.

Now, the Taipei sources reckon Lenovo are using the opportunity to boost performance by throwing out Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset and replacing it with the company’s newer dual-core 1.5GHz chips, such as the MSM8260, MSM8660 or QSD8672.  These would offer boosted performance over the original versions and possibly give Lenovo an edge over the 1GHz Apple iPad.  However, the new Snapdragons won’t be available until later in 2010, delaying the new IdeaPad U1 Hybrid and Skylight models until close to the end of this year.

In fact, the real casualty of recent months seems not to have been so much the hardware Lenovo demonstrated at CES back in January, but the Skylight OS they developed themselves.  Instead, they’re jumping with both feet into Android – prompted by their success with Android-based smartphones in China – and are claiming that the practical experience they’ve had with the Google OS means a U1-specific build won’t need to be created from scratch and, therefore, will be quicker.

Exactly how quick, however, is unknown.  Still, we’re hoping it means that we can expect some removable-screen action after all, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed it happens sooner rather than later.

Lenovo U1 Hybrid hands-on:

The new device uses the Freescale i.MX515 platform. The i.MX515 platform features an ARM Cortex A8 CPU at 800MHz featuring 32KB of L1 cache dedicated to instructions and data with 256KB of L2 cache. The platform also has a DDR2-400 memory controller.

One of the most interesting parts about the device is that the platform is so efficient Freescale says that it needs no fan and doesn’t even need a passive heat sink to stay cool. The fact that no fan or heat sink is needed makes the smartbook have a standby time comparable to mobile phones. Other features include a memory card reader, SIM card slot, and a pair of USB ports.

First impressions and hands-on video after the cut

The 1GHz chip is paired with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of flash memory, while wireless connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and optional 3G/WWAN. There’s also GPS, a USB 2.0 port, miniUSB, HDMI, audio in/out and an SD card reader, together with a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The display is a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 glossy panel, though unlike on the Compaq Airlife 100 it’s not a touchscreen.

Toshiba AC100 MID promo:

Tipping the scales at 870g and measuring 14mm at its thinnest, the AC100 promises up to 8hrs runtime or seven days standby from a single charge; it’ll also resume from standby in a smartphone-like 1 second. Toshiba have picked Android 2.1 for their OS, though they’ve sensibly made some tweaks to the build to make it more suitable for notebook-style use. That includes preloading a number of apps – including Documents To Go for Office file editing, Fring, the Opera Mobile browser and their own Media Player – together with a custom homescreen that adds a dedicated launcher bar at the bottom of the display. As usual on Android there are multiple homescreen panes which you can navigate between, as well as widgets for at-a-glance information like weather or news updates, and Toshiba have created their own Facebook, YouTube and Twitter widgets. The AC100 can automatically switch between different homescreen layouts based on its physical location, toggling between work and home modes using GPS.

We spent some hands-on time with a pre-production Toshiba AC100, and there’s both plenty to like and a few caveats which could trip up unwary buyers thinking of it as just another netbook. It’s certainly a lightweight machine, though the prototype demonstrated a great deal of flex in both the chassis as a whole and in bowing of the keyboard. We’re guessing Toshiba still have a little work left to do in their software optimisation, too, since sometimes moving through the launcher bar icons using the arrow keys froze or grew sluggish, before catching up and whipping past the option we were aiming for. Connecting over the optional 3G modem – in this case on the Vodafone UK network – rendering was slow despite displaying a decent signal. There’s also no Flash support in the browser, though you can view YouTube videos through the dedicated app and Toshiba tells us that an update to Android 2.2 complete with Flash 10.1 is scheduled for release sometime over the next few months.

Toshiba AC100 MID hands-on:

Potentially more frustrating is the limited peripheral support of the Android OS, something Airlife 100 owners have also discovered. External keyboards, mice and storage will work fine, but try to plug in, say, a printer or a digital camera and you’ll only get an error message. Toshiba have preloaded a printing app called “Single-Click Printing” that routes documents over your internet connection and then back to a shared printer on your home or office network, but it’s not ideal if you’re out and about but want a hard copy of something. Finally, our natural inclination when faced with the Android homescreen was to reach out and tap it, something of course the AC100 isn’t set up to respond to.

Toshiba describes the AC100 as falling into a new segment, between the smartphone and the laptop, and co-existing with rather than replacing their current netbook line-up. Their success at that will depend on how the MID is priced, particularly the 3G-equipped model, when it hits shelves in August 2010. Assuming they can keep to that release window, it should make the Toshiba AC100 the first second-gen Tegra based product to reach the market.

Press Release:

Toshiba launches its first AndroidTM platform mobile internet device – The lightweight AC100

London, UK, 21st June 2010 – Toshiba UK today introduces the stunning new AC100, a mobile internet device that combines the AndroidTM platform with NVIDIA® TegraTM processing technology. The AC100 is the ideal take-anywhere device for active users, allowing instant emailing, web browsing and document editing on the go.

The Toshiba AC100 is the ultimate device for simple, instant and efficient web use. Designed to be used whenever, wherever you are, the AC100 is instantly ready for action, offering up to seven days standby under mixed use, with a rapid start-up time of less than a second. In constant use the AC100 can provide up to eight hours of battery life, which combines with the intuitive full-size keyboard and compact clamshell form factor to offer a truly stunning mobile device.

Ultra-slim AC100 combines smartphone functionality with netbook usability AndroidTM platform makes browsing, networking and editing easy Up to seven days battery life in standby with instant-on capability

Take-anywhere design
The AC100 offers a stunning black and orange design that’s easy to take anywhere, thanks to an ultra-light weight of just 870g. Measuring just 14mm at its thinnest point, the device is extraordinarily slim – making it easy to fit into any bag and carry around all day, every day. A 25.7cm (10.1”) T oshiba TruBrite screen with LED backlighting offers outstanding reproduction of all on-screen content, and the full-size keyboard guarantees easy and comfortable typing – making it perfect for keeping in touch with friends via email or social networks.

Personalised mobile computing
The AC100 runs on the AndroidTM platform, enabling users to customise their device to suit their computing habits. Depending on location or what the AC100 is running, AndroidTM can automatically switch to a prefigured home screen to best suit the user. For example, users can set shortcuts for work-related applications, widgets and ‘live-files’ to appear when working in the office, or personal applications and widgets to appear when the AC100 detects they are at home. Users can also manually switch between home screens as they wish – allowing them to access all of their content, wherever they are.

The intuitive user interface also offers the possibility for users to further personalise the device by downloading a range of applications and widgets on-demand. A number of applications are also pre-installed for immediate use out-of-the-box, including Documents to Go for viewing and editing Microsoft Office files, a POP3 email client, IMAP and Exchange support, a messaging client, Opera Mobile for browsing the web, and the Toshiba Media Player for playing and viewing video, music and pictures.

Mobile performance
The latest NVIDIA® TegraTM processing technology provides fast internet browsing speeds, with super-quick load times and instant rendering of complex pages. Advanced mobile graphics technology provides enhanced playback of multimedia content including video and mobile games, offering the perfect platform for enjoying entertainment on the move.

The latest wireless connectivity also enables the users to stay connected at all times. 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi provides fast and rapid internet access from any wireless hotspot, and the option of an integrated 3G module allows users to get on-demand Mobile Broadband connectivity from cellular networks for instant web connectivity, wherever they are1.

The AC100 is designed for the growing number of users that are storing content such as photographs, videos and documents on cloud based applications or virtual storage. 8GB of NAND Flash memory also provides users with fast, efficient and robust storage for their personal content. An integrated SD card slot also provides the ability to expand storage on- demand, or display images, documents and personal content. For users that want to output content, an integrated HDMI port provides simple connectivity to any HD ready screen or projector.

The Toshiba AC100 will be available from August 2010.

According to Lenovo, it looks like the initial version of Skylight “is being shelved,” and to make matters worse, it looks like the Skylight OS was actually a concept for day one, and perhaps it was never meant to be released to the public. Odd, to say the least. We imagine all those rumors that Skylight OS wasn’t good enough for mainstream criticism probably played a bigger part in it than anything else, but hey, we’re just assuming here. However, just to make sure everything is clear, that does mean the Skylight Smartbook and U1 Hybrid which we got some hands-on time with not too long ago are officially not coming out. Lenovo wants to tap into Android’s ecosystem and Android Marketplace, and in preparation for that, these two projects have been canned.

Depressing news to say the least. The concepts were both amazing, and we loved the idea of taking our tablet with us wherever we went, all in the guise of a powerful smartbook. Of course, having that 1GHz Snapdragon tablet at our disposal, at our slightest whim was pretty fantastic, and pretty much tapped into our every waking dream. Now all we can hope is that whatever Lenovo creates next, it’s just as exciting, if not more so with that Android goodness thrown into the mix. Hopefully we find out something more in detail soon. In the mean time, though, check out the video below to see what things could have been like.

[via Laptop Mag]

In fact the battery could be the Airlife 100′s biggest strength: the smartbook managed 18hrs of mixed use from a 90-percent charge, including 7hrs with the screen off (ovenight) and 3G and WiFi active all the time.  That’s with no user-effort to eke out extra runtime, and works out to an iPad-besting performance.  Unfortunately, browsing isn’t as fast as on an Intel Atom based netbook, there’s no Flash support and you can’t send files – such as photos – to the Airlife 100 via Bluetooth, only from it.

The biggest problem, it seems, is Android itself, or at least what’s missing from a regular smartphone running the platform.  The Airlife 100 has no Android Market and no Google Experience apps – which considering you can’t access the full version of Gmail in the browser is particularly frustrating – and doesn’t support USB host, so you can’t plug in peripherals like digital cameras.  That’s going to confuse buyers expecting netbook-style functionality.  In the end, Steve reckons the high price and the niche features will count the HP Compaq Airlife 100 out for all but the smallest of target audience.

The gaming device would have a 6-inch display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and game controls, and an optional dock for recharging.  Meanwhile there’s a second gaming concept, this time focused on touchscreen play, which looks a lot more like the company’s previous smartbook tablet reference designs we’ve played with.

Right now, though, the most interesting is the tilt-screen design, with an interesting dual-pane UI and a virtual keyboard when in laptop mode.  The designers also reckon it would tap into a home energy monitoring system.  Freescale say they’ve been passing on the results of their research to hardware partners, and while they won’t confirm any designs that might actually reach the market, we’re hoping some of the OEMs are paying attention.

Video unboxing after the cut

Benefits are a lighter unit than first-gen touchscreen netbooks, and longer battery life too.  As Steve Paine points out, the Airlife 100 uses a very similar sized battery to the iPad, and indeed the same sort of ARM Cortex A8 core (albeit a 1GHz Snapdragon in the smartbook, versus Apple’s own A4), but of course the Android OS it runs allows for multitasking.  We’re promised a full review in due course, but until then settle back with your beverage of choice and enjoy the show.

“We thought [smartbooks] would be launched by now, but they’re not.  I think one reason is to do with software maturity. We’ve seen things like Adobe slip — we’d originally scheduled for something like 2009″ Ian Drew, marketing vice president, ARM

The tablet impact was further compounded by ARM’s own involvement in the form-factor, with one of the company’s executives predicting earlier this year that over 50 such devices using ARM chipsets would arrive this year.  That, Drew reckons, left companies planning notebook-style smartbooks floundering somewhat.

Third on Drew’s list is the relative shortage of Linux-based netbooks on the market, contrary to initial expectations about the form-factor.  While Linux was a common feature on the low-cost ultraportables initially, consumer confusion with the unfamiliar OS and demands for higher-spec models that could handle high-def media playback saw Windows XP make a reappearance.

“We now know what we didn’t know two years ago. It has taught us a lot about how we work with software companies” Drew claims, though it remains to be seen whether they can pick up after the stalled momentum.  Last month, HP launched their first smartbook in Spain, the Compaq Airlife 100, in partnership with carrier Telefonica.

Alternatively, the Airlife 100 can be had for €300 ($397) with a cheaper, €39 per month plan ($52).  Both plans seem to come with unlimited on-device data access, with the difference being the sorts of speeds you can expect: up to 10Mbps downlink on the €49 tariff, or up to 7Mbps on the €39 tariff.

As for the smartbook itself, that comes with 16GB of SSD storage, WiFi and GPS, together with a webcam and a battery HP reckon will last up to 12hrs.  For more, check out our hands-on preview.

HP Compaq Airlife 100 demo:

[via Carrypad]

Video demo after the cut

There’s 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM – the latter being important as Android currently only allows you to save apps to the ROM – together with 16GB of SSD data storage (15GB user-accessible).  The display is a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 resistive touchscreen and there’s a removable 28Wh battery which HP told us would be good for in excess of 12hrs runtime.

Among the preloaded apps are RoadSync Exchange – which offers pretty decent mail/contacts/calendar sync – and NDrive GPS with points-of-interest and regional mapping.  Still no word on availability, though the presence of a US product page does seem to imply that the Airlife 100 is coming to at least parts of North America.

HP Compaq Airlife 100 hands-on demo:

[via Ubergizmo and via MyHPMini]

Their notebook sources reckon that Lenovo have got cold feet over the Skylight’s smoothness and general performance, after deeming that it fell short against the iPad’s browsing experience.  No specifics, but given both devices prioritize web access while mobile, it seems likely that Lenovo are looking at things like rendering speed, website compatibility and other aspects.  Of course, the Skylight potentially has more functionality than the iPad, helped no small amount by its physical keyboard, and it’s possible that Lenovo are looking to make better use of its hardware advantages.

That’s because Lenovo are apparently pushing ahead with a slightly delayed May release for the Skylight in China, followed by other markets in June, before it makes its US arrival come July 2010.  Presuming that the 3G-enabled smartbook will be launching with carrier partners in each of those other locations, it looks possible that it’s wireless negotiations rather than hardware/software holding things up.

Lenovo also confirmed that the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid – their distinctive smartbook with a removable tablet-style screen – is still on course for a June 2010 launch.  Pricing for either machine is still unknown.

[via NetbookNews]

The concept is festooned with all sorts of logos that it really has no right to wear like Transformers, Windows Mobile, FCC, and several others. Ripped off logos aside, the thing is cool with a screen that folds and a keyboard that folds up as well.

The keyboard unfolds to a large QWERTY unit with a track nub like an older ThinkPad. I could actually see this design being well received as a smartbook.

Interestingly, that doesn’t look to be a limitation of Qualcomm’s 1GHz chipset – it apparently takes nine concurrent apps running before the smartbook begins to slow down.  It’s possible to pull out the 4GB USB flash drive that’s the Skylight’s primary storage while the machine is running with no ill effects, which makes for easier cross-machine transfers.

Of course, since this is still a prototype – and Lenovo have time before their “spring 2010″ launch window ends – the likelihood is that the whole software experience will be tightened up before the Skylight arrives on shelves.  It’s expected to be priced at $499, though an AT&T data agreement for the integrated 3G should subsidize that somewhat.

[via Netbook Choice]

The concept is cool in many respects. One of the cool features is an integrated stand that lets the user stand the screen of the tablet up so they can work more comfortably. You need a case to do that with the iPad.

The coolest feature though is the matching smartphone the concept uses that folds open to offer the QWERTY keyboard used with the tablet. The keyboard is wireless and when folded looks like your average mobile phone and can be used to make calls.

In fact, ABI reckon they first started seeing smartbooks back in 2008; they’re including netbooks, MIDs, tablets and ebook readers in the definition.  According to company researcher Jeff Orr, “the reason the smartbook name came about was to differentiate devices at the processor level.”  MWC 2010 certainly delivered plenty of promise in terms of next-gen ARM-based chipsets, and it does look like the industry are looking to deliver on both long-life runtimes along with ubiquitous connectivity.

[via InternetNews]

Video demo after the cut

The OS is a customized version of Android 1.6 Donut, with various desktop widgets and other enhancements that basically take advantage of the extra screen size over and above a smartphone.  Digital picture frame duties are an obvious possibility, and there’s a great finger-friendly interface (albeit in Spanish at the moment) for navigating through slideshows and galleries.

Keeping things ticking over is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon QSD8250 chipset, though we’re not sure on other specifications; Bluetooth is obviously a given, since the keyboard requires it to connect, and we’re guessing there’ll be WiFi and possibly even 3G in there too since that fits the smartbook mould.  Sadly no talk of a production version, though we’re sure if we all pester BYD enough they might consider it.

In use, while we prefer capacitive touchscreens in general the Airlife 100′s display proved reasonably responsive to taps.  Icons are larger than you’d find on an Android smartphone, and HP have taken the standard webkit-based browser and thrown in tabbed browsing.  While we didn’t have time to really load up the smartbook and see how it multitasks, things moved along reasonably quickly; more impressive, though, was the resume time, with the Airlife 100 basically ready to use as soon as the lid was open.

The cluster of buttons around the trackpad – Menu on the left, and Home/Back on the right – could prove a little frustrating, but in general the key-feel is good.  That’s despite the Airlife 100 being impressively thin, while the standard battery is good for 12 hours (though HP themselves reckon it’ll likely outlast that in typical use).  There’s no access to the regular Android Market, however; HP have partnered with Telefonica, and the Airlife 100 will use the carrier’s own app store.

Pricing and release dates are still being played close to HP’s chest, though we do know it’ll be subsidized.  That likely means, HP told us, that the Compaq Airlife 100′s quadband GSM/UMTS modem will be locked to Telefonica; no word on whether a more expensive unsubsidized version will be available.  We still remember when smartbooks were tipped as sub-$200 propositions, though we’ll have to wait and see whether HP recall that too.

Of course, since other devices support Qt – such as Symbian – apps will also load on those handsets too.  As for hardware support, MeeGo will run on both x86 Intel Atom processors and ARM-based chipsets more commonly found in mobile handsets.  All the usual buzzwords are here, ubiquitous connectivity being the most significant one.

Intel and Nokia expect the first MeeGo release to be in Q2 2010, though the open-source source code will be released in the next few weeks, while the first devices should be on sale by the end of the year.  There’s more information at the MeeGo site.

Press Release:

Intel and Nokia Merge Software Platforms for Future Computing Devices MeeGo* enables an open ecosystem for rapid development of exciting new user experiences
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:
• Global leaders Intel Corporation and Nokia merge Moblin and Maemo to create MeeGo*, a Linux-based software platform that will support multiple hardware architectures across the broadest range of device segments, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems.
• MeeGo offers the Qt application development environment, and builds on the Moblin core operating system and reference user experiences. Using Qt, developers can write once to create applications for a variety of devices and platforms, and market them through Nokia’s Ovi Store and Intel AppUpSM Center.
• MeeGo will be hosted by the Linux Foundation and governed using the best practices of the open source development model. The first release of MeeGo is expected in the second quarter of 2010 with devices launching later in the year.
• Nokia and Intel expect MeeGo to be adopted widely by global device manufacturers, network operators, semiconductor companies, software vendors and developers.
ESPOO, FINLAND, and SANTA CLARA, CALIF., Feb. 15, 2010 – In a significant development in the convergence of communications and computing, Intel Corporation and Nokia are merging their popular Moblin and Maemo software platforms. This will create a unified Linux-based platform that will run on multiple hardware platforms across a wide range of computing devices, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems. Called MeeGo, the open software platform will accelerate industry innovation and time-to-market for a wealth of new Internet-based applications and services and exciting user experiences. MeeGo-based devices from Nokia and other manufacturers are expected to be launched later this year.
This announcement strengthens the Nokia and Intel relationship, and builds on the companies’ broad strategic collaboration announced in June 2009. Intel and Nokia now invite participation in MeeGo from existing Maemo and Moblin global communities and across the communications and computing industries.
“Our vision for seamlessly communicating between computing devices from the home, auto, office or your pocket is taking a big step forward today with the introduction of MeeGo,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “This is a foundational step in our evolving relationship with Nokia. The merging of these two important assets into an open source platform is critical toward providing a terrific experience across a variety of devices and gaining cross- industry support.”

“MeeGo will drive an even wider range of Internet computing and communication experiences for consumers, on new types of mobile devices,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia. “Through open innovation, MeeGo will create an ecosystem that is second to none, drawing in players from different industries. It will support a range of business models across the value chain, building on the experience and expertise of Nokia, Intel and all those who will join us. Simply put, MeeGo heralds a new era of mobile computing.”
MeeGo blends the best of Maemo with the best of Moblin to create an open platform for multiple processor architectures. MeeGo builds on the capabilities of the Moblin core OS and its support for a wide range of device types and reference user experiences, combined with the momentum of Maemo in the mobile industry and the broadly adopted Qt application and UI framework for software developers.
MeeGo also unites the robust worldwide Maemo and Moblin applications ecosystems and open source communities. For developers, MeeGo extends the range of target device segments for their applications. Using Qt for application development means that they can write applications once and easily deploy them on MeeGo and across other platforms, for example, on Symbian.
The Ovi Store will be the channel to market for apps and content for all Nokia devices, including MeeGo and Symbian-based, with Forum Nokia providing developer support across all Nokia device platforms. The Intel AppUpSM Center will be the path to market for Intel-based MeeGo devices from other device manufacturers, with the Intel® AtomTM Developer Program providing support for applications targeting devices in a variety of categories.
The MeeGo software platform, running on high-performance devices, will deliver a range of Internet, computing and communication experiences, with visually rich graphics, multitasking and multimedia capabilities and the best application performance. Since MeeGo runs on multiple device types, people can keep their favorite applications when they change devices, so they are not locked into one kind of device or those from any individual manufacturer.

MeeGo Hosted by the Linux Foundation
The MeeGo software platform will be hosted by the Linux Foundation as a fully open source project, encouraging community participation in line with the best practices of the open source development model. Intel and Nokia invite the respective members of Maemo.org and Moblin.org to join the combined community at MeeGo.com, as well as encouraging wider participation from the communications, computing and related industries. Developers can begin writing applications for MeeGo in Qt immediately. The first release of MeeGo is targeted for the second quarter of this year.
About Intel
Intel [NASDAQ: INTC], the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and http://blogs.intel.com. About Nokia
Nokia is a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world’s leading maker of mobile devices. Today, we are connecting people in new and different ways — fusing advanced mobile technology with personalized services to enable people to stay close to what matters to them. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ; and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

Elsewhere there’s a 16GB SSD and WiFi along with the 3G connection, while HP also reckon the frugal smartbook will be leggy enough to last for 12 hours on a single charge.  Alternatively standby is tipped at 10 days.

From the photos it’s obvious that there’s a webcam and an SD card slot, together with some useful shortcut keys around the trackpad; HP have also loaded up their own touchscreen UI.  According to the company, the Compaq Airlife 100 will arrive in Europe this spring, as a subsidized deal with carrier Telefonica.  No word of a US launch or any pricing details.

[via Xataka]

“A lot of companies are experimenting with PDA-tablet-style form factors, also for stereo systems, and internet-connected devices running low power on primarily ARM architecture — we do get occasional interest for a few of those” Lee Williams, CEO, Symbian Foundation

Nokia themselves showed off one such concept device late last year, as part of their “Vision of 2015″ video which you can see below.  Williams reckons we will likely see Symbian tablets in the next 1-2 years, and the thought of a Tegra 2 or OMAP4 based device does have us salivating.

However, ARM architecture isn’t the only place Symbian is likely to make an appearance; as part of the Foundations “Wild Duck” side-project, the OS has already been ported to Intel’s Atom processor, which means netbooks could be in line.  Wild Duck is basically a database of off-the-shelf hardware with which manufacturers could easily put together a working Symbian device.

Nokia Vision of 2015 video:

“What’s holding it back is people’s love of the Microsoft operating system and that fact that it’s familiar and so on. But actually the trajectory of progress in the Linux world is very, very impressive. I think it’s only a matter of time for ARM to gain market share with or without Microsoft” Warren East, CEO, ARM

Still, ARM apparently aren’t pushing Microsoft to change that; they’re merely waiting for the software giant to wake up and smell the non-x86 silicon.  Having seen next-gen platforms like Texas Instruments’ OMAP4, NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, we’re in little doubt that netbook needs can readily be addressed by a non-Intel/AMD processor.

[via Slashdot]

Qualcomm reckon the term “smartbook” is a generic one, and are attempting to have the trademark revoked; in the meantime, Smartbook AG have a temporary restraining order – effective in Germany only – preventing Qualcomm from using the term without a disclaimer about the current ownership.  However the order only applies to Qualcomm, not to any other company – inside or outside Germany – or news organization, and Smartbook AG have been slapped with a temporary restraining order of their own for misrepresenting exactly what the courts had ruled.

What does this mean?  Well, we’re not lawyers (we just dress like them sometimes) but it seems like Smartbook AG’s legal wiggling was not only over-egged but unsupported by their actual rights as German trademark holders.  Business as usual then, for us and everyone else; now we just have to pin down exactly what the difference between a smartbook and a netbook is…

“German laptop manufacturer, Smartbook AG, is engaged in an aggressive campaign to prevent the continued use of the term “smartbooks” by journalists, manufacturers and consumers. Qualcomm does not claim and has never claimed to own the term “smartbook” which it believes is a descriptive and generic term. The term is used by a number of companies, consumers and industry commentators to describe a class of devices that combine attributes of smartphones and netbooks enabled by various technology companies, including but not limited to Qualcomm.

Smartbook AG has obtained a Temporary Restraining Order in Germany against Qualcomm. We are complying with the decision, which requires Qualcomm not to use the word “smartbook” on any internet site in Germany without a disclaimer that the rights in the mark in Germany are owned by Smartbook AG. We are contesting the temporary order and are taking steps to cancel the trademark, which we contend is a generic and descriptive term that should not have been allowed as a mark in the first place. The Temporary Restraining Order applies only to Qualcomm; to our knowledge no other orders were issued.

The German court did not extend its provisional order to other parties; nor does it reach outside Germany; and nor does it prevent news organisations from reporting news. Further, it does not actually prohibit the use of the term; it allows the use of the term with the appropriate disclaimer. [Qualcomm was recently granted a Temporary Restraining Order in Germany against Smartbook AG which now prevents Smartbook AG from misrepresenting the terms of the order against Qualcomm, both on Smartbook AG’s website and in letters to the media.] In fact Smartbook AG has now revised its website to correct these misrepresentations of the scope of the TRO.

Since Smartbook AG’s action against Qualcomm, it has been seeking to register “smart” trademarks in other countries. The European Union and other countries have rejected these efforts on the grounds that the term “smartbook” is generic. Smartbook AG has also publicly stated it would sell the rights to the registered German trademark. Presumably, the campaign to expand the trademark registrations and the attempts to force journalists and others not to use the term are attempts to increase the sales value of the trademark.” Qualcomm statement

We can only assume that, what with smartbooks being a common sight at CES 2010 last week and us making liberal mention of models from Lenovo, Mobinnova, HP, Freescale and others, they felt it important to remind us of what legal manoeuvrings are going on across the Atlantic.  In case you’ve forgotten, lawyerly wavings in Germany and elsewhere saw several ultraportable device sites in Europe redact any mention of smartbooks, lest they get dragged across the courtroom coals.

Unfortunately we’re left guessing as to why exactly they got in touch, as so far all we’ve received is that first page you can see above.  Wilde Rechtsanwalte, if you’re out there reading this, please do re-send the rest (if indeed there was any); alternatively you can save the cost of an international fax and get in touch the 21st century way.

* Yes, it’s actually an online “virtual” fax service, not a real fax machine, but that’s not quite so evocative is it.

In fact the schedule was so tight, Sapper decided to start work on the design before Lenovo had officially commissioned him.  He then made things harder for himself by working from hotels and friends’ houses as he travelled, with the mockup an impromptu creation after he met a violin maker at a cocktail party.

For us geeks, there’s also a tidbit about potential future functionality should Lenovo decide to further follow Sapper’s design inspiration.  The fold-out USB port – sandwiched in-between the keyboard and the bottom of the screen – currently holds a memory stick with extra storage space; however Sapper originally planned that it could hold a “telephone handset”, presumably for VoIP calls using the Skylight’s integrated 3.5G connectivity.

Part of what makes the Beam so distinctive from the netbook rank-and-file is its twisting hinge section, which flips down to prop up the keyboard at a comfortable angle as well as to reveal the ports.  Since Tegra 2 supports 1080p Full HD, Mobinnova have fitted the Beam with an HDMI output along with the usual USB 2.0 and audio in/out; there’s also a multifunction connector which – with a dongle – adds ethernet and VGA.

Of course, one of the billing points of smartbooks is that they offer all-day connectivity and battery life, and so the Beam gets WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and integrated triband UMTS/HSPA (850/1900/2100).  When it launches later this year it’ll be available exclusively with AT&T service in the US.  As for that battery, thanks to the frugal ARM Cortex A9 processor NVIDIA have picked for Tegra 2, Mobinnova still maintain you’ll see a full-day’s use despite the compact 232 x 186 x 20.5 mm size.

In use, Mobinnova’s OS – a custom UI built on top of Windows CE – proved smooth and responsive, and we were able to open up several Firefox tabs as well as play media simultaneously without any slowdown.  NVIDIA also showed us the Beam playing 1080p footage on an HDTV, which played without a pause.  Later on there’ll be an Android version of the Beam too, though that wasn’t ready for CES 2010.  The pay-off to the bag-friendly scale is a relatively small 8.9-inch (1024 x 600) LCD and a keyboard that’s a little on the cramped side for our liking, but there’s no arguing with the portability.

No word on pricing or specific release dates, but we’re hoping AT&T subsidies bring the Mobinnova Beam down to a sub-3G-netbook level.  More photos and a video demo below.

Mobinnova Beam with Tegra 2 hands-on:

Jacobs stopped short of confirming that there would be a Snapdragon-based Chrome OS smartbook, however, and Google have not publicly acknowledged any possible specifications beyond the basics they covered at the platform’s launch.  Yesterday we heard that Qualcomm were planning two new Snapdragon chipsets for launch in 2010, including a 1.3GHz Snapdragon 8X50A and the dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon 8X72.

Video demo after the cut

By avoiding x86 processors and instead looking to ARM’s Cortex A8 technology, Freescale reckon they can get all-day runtimes out of the 1,900 mAh battery.  It also helps keep the price down, as does the 7-inch resistive touchscreen.  In practice, while we miss the zero-pressure tactility of a capacitive display, the resistive panel worked reasonably well; there were some pauses as media loaded, but once it got started a 720p HD clip played smoothly.

Freescale have also developed an optional docking station with keyboard (which would cost around $50), that turns the slate into a netbook of sorts.  There’s no screen angle adjustment, however, and you can’t fold it closed to protect the slate screen during transport, so this is really more the sort of thing you’d leave on a desk for use at home.  Still, there’s a USB port into which you could plug in a full-sized keyboard while on the move.

Wireless connectivity is WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth as standard, with 3G an option (expect that to bump up the price a little), and you also get GPS, a 3-megapixel camera and between 4 and 64GB of storage (plus a microSD card slot); more specifications here.  As for availability, Freescale reckon commercial versions of the Smartbook could reach the market by Summer 2010, assuming OEMs get themselves in gear.

Update: jkkmobile has shared a live shot of the HP Smartbook, and says he has video incoming:

Other hardware specifications are unknown at present, but HP are promising to reveal the unnamed Smartbook at the Pepcom Digital Experience and ShowStoppers events during CES 2010.  We’ll bring you more details and some hands-on feedback when that happens.

Press Release:

Qualcomm and HP Showcase World’s First Snapdragon Smartbook Device With Google’s Android Operating System

- Groundbreaking Device to be Showcased at Consumer Electronics Show 2010 -
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies, products and services, today announced it is working with HP to design an Android-based smartbook device. The design utilizes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon(TM) QSD8250(TM) chipset platform with integrated Scorpion central processing unit delivering speeds up to 1GHz. The device demonstrates how long battery life, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a highly intuitive user interface and other features can meet the needs of consumers with mobile and constantly connected lifestyles. HP will provide a technology demonstration of the device at the Pepcom Digital Experience and ShowStoppers events taking place during the International Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in Las Vegas.

“Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform delivers significant competitive advantages to our customers, enabling them to feature exceptional performance, ubiquitous connectivity and powerful multimedia in devices ranging from mobile handsets to smartbooks,” said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “Working together with partners such as HP, we will be able to bring a more valuable connected experience to consumers around the world.”

“HP has a long history of providing consumers with an exceptional level of computing,” said Steve Manser, senior vice president in the Personal Systems Group at HP. “By leveraging the unique features of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset and the Android operating system, HP is showcasing an entirely new type of mobile device designed specifically for consumers who live a large part of their lives online.”

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform offers an unprecedented combination of gigahertz mobile processing performance, optimized power consumption, ubiquitous connectivity and powerful multimedia in a single chip. The Snapdragon platform is enabling smarter smartphones, as well as a new class of devices called smartbooks. Smartbooks last all day on a single battery charge and offer the best aspects of a smartphone experience — constant connectivity, instant-on functionality and customizable interfaces — all in a device with a larger display form factor.