HP has been an early and successful adopter of the netbook form factor, but it seems the Palo Alto, Calif. mega-corporation could be set to expand into the smartbook sector.
An HP-branded Qualcomm Snapdragon-based smartbook has been uncovered at the PT & Network Comm China 2009 show this week. The spotting was made by blog mobile193.com, which notes the device has a 7-in. display, Linux OS and integrated HSDPA. A retractable antenna is also fitted to the smartbook so users can strengthen the network signal in areas of poor reception.
Interestingly, while it was not referenced by mobile193, it seems the smartbook screen is held on a pivot which would give it potential tablet functionality. This is augmented by an extremely slim line form factor and a healthy array of ports that includes USB, mini USB, a card reader and microphone and headphones jacks.
Key specifications such as weight and battery life remain unknown at this stage as does price and availability. US consumers can live in hope though, because although this model is described as a prototype, it was demo’ed in China with an AT&T sim card. This suggests HP is very keen to have the smartbook launched as part of its product portfolio in the western market.
That said, we’ve had enough theory from smartbooks now. It is time for them to deliver…
Gordon
