Compaq Airlife 100 - Smartphone in netbook guise

[haven]

Compaq introduced the Airlife 100 netbook this month at the Mobile World Conference
in Barcelona. The Airlife 100 takes the workings of a smart phone and packages them
as an HP Mini netbook.

A few specs:
Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon ARM processor
Google Android 1.6 operating system with extensions developed by Compaq
10.1" LCD display, 1024 x 600 pixels
touchscreen navigation
16 GB flash memory plus SD card slot
multimedia player (but not HD video - the screen is too small for 720p)
3G modem for data services from a wireless carrier
WiFi for direct Internet connection
10.4 by 6.6 by 0.9-inches, 2.2 lb.

A short slideshow about the Airlife 100 is here:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/189443/hp_compaq_airlife_100_smartbook_a_visual_tour.html

There is no access to Google Market applicationsat this point, but this
may change with an upgrade to Android 2.1

No mention of GPS in the documents and reports I've read, but it's likely
to be present so the Airlife can be used for navigation.

Also no mention of a voice application. The Dell Mini 5 tablet will work both
as a phone and as a computer tablet. I think it makes sense for a computer
based on smart phone technology to make and receive voice calls.

The chief advantage of using the ARM processor for a netbook is battery life.
Compaq says the Airlife will run for a minimum of 12 hours on the internal battery.
In use, that means a computer that needs to be charged every couple of days,
not every few hours.

The Airlife has a standby mode that keeps you connected to the Internet through
3G or WiFi while the computer is closed. Lift the screen, and the computer
returns to full functioning in a second or two. If you use a server that supports
push notification for your email, your messages will be waiting for you.

The result is a lightweight device that is always connected. It takes a minute to
start up a Windows netbook, and several seconds to return from Sleep Mode.
It's possible to outfit a Windows netbook that uses the Atom N450 processor with
a battery large enough to run for 12 hours or longer, but that makes the netbook
weigh about 3 lbs.

To me, a netbook is supposed to be a travel companion that gives you
Internet access while on the go. The Airlife 100 delivers this in a lighter package
with longer battery life. This looks to me like the evolution of the netbook.

 

[haven]

HP is not the first company to develop a smartphone in the form
of a netbook. These devices already have a name: "Smartbooks."

The Mobinnova Beam is an example
http://www.mobinnova.com/en/news_elan.html

As is the Lenovo Skylight
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/landing_pages/info/10/skylight

It will be interesting to see if consumers will purchase these new
smartbooks, or if tablet computers like the new Apple iPad or
Dell Mini 5 will sell in greater numbers. And will conventional
netbook sales fall as smartbook sales increase?

Smartbooks have an advantage in that the public has already
purchased the netbook with 9 to 10 inch screen in large numbers.
A lighter netbook with longer battery life should be very attractive.

And smartbook cost should be lower, too. Manufacturers don't have
to pay Google to use Android like they pay Microsoft for Windows.
And Qualcomm charges a lot less for the Snapdragon processor than
Intel does for an Atom processor.

Smartbooks will first appear in a bundle with service from a
cell phone company. In time, they will be sold unbundled.