Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co showed off a similar product, dubbed the HP Slate, at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last month. While exact specifications are unknown, it is a touchscreen model running on Windows 7.
At the same show, Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想) took the wraps off its first smartbook — Skylight. It runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip and Linux.
It boasts more than 10 hours of active battery life and has built-in Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity for constantly “on” net surfing. It will sell for US$499 in the US from April, and will be available in Europe and China later this year.
Asustek product manager Jose Liao (廖逸翔) said of smartbook uptake: “It depends on how they can offer what users really want.”
“If a smartbook’s only purpose is Internet surfing, will it gain momentum even if its prices are super cheap?” Liao asked, saying that some netbooks already sell at an affordable NT$10,000 — not to mention they already have proven features and more makers are dedicating resources to their development.
Not joining the smartbook chase for now, both Acer and Asustek said they are focusing on netbooks, ultra-low voltage models and standard notebooks, and would throw in 3D and touchscreen features to spice laptop appeal.
“Every maker now wants to grab a slice of the pie,” Acer’s Chang said. “But we will wait and see what kind of smartbooks or tablets hit the market and what applications are available to the computer users before considering jumping onto the production line.”
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