Asmartbook is a class ofmobile device that combined certain features of both asmartphone andnetbook computer, produced between 2009 and 2010.[1]Smartbooks were advertised with features such asalways on, all-day battery life,3G, orWi-Fi connectivity andGPS (all typically found in smartphones) in alaptop or tablet-style body with a screen size of 5 to 10 inches and a physical or softtouchscreen keyboard.[2]
A German company soldlaptops under the brandSmartbook and held atrademark for the word in many countries (not including some big markets likeUnited States,China,Japan, orIndia). It acted to preempt others from using the termsmartbook to describe their products.[3][4]
Smartbooks tended to be designed more for entertainment purposes than for productivity and typically targeted to work with online applications.[5] They were projected to be sold subsidized throughmobile network operators, likemobile phones, along with a wireless data plan.[6]
The advent of much more populartablets likeAndroid tablets and theiPad, coupled with the prevailing popularity of conventionaldesktop computers andlaptops have displaced the smartbook.[7]
The smartbook concept was mentioned byQualcomm in May 2009 during marketing for itsSnapdragon technology, with products expected later that year.[8] Difficulties in adapting key software (in particular, Adobe's proprietaryFlash Player) to the ARM architecture[9] delayed releases until the first quarter of 2010.[10]
Smartbooks would have been powered by processors which were more energy-efficient than traditional ones typically found in desktop and laptop computers.[1] The first smartbooks were expected to use variants of theLinuxoperating system, such as Google'sAndroid orChromeOS. TheARM processor would have allowed them to achieve longer battery life than many larger devices usingx86 processors.[8][9]In February 2010,ABI Research projected that 163 million smartbooks would ship in 2015.[11]
In many countries the wordSmartbook was a trademark registered by Smartbook AG.[12][13] In August 2009 a German court ruled Qualcomm must block access from Germany to all its webpages containing the wordSmartbook unless Smartbook AG is mentioned.[14] Smartbook AG defended its trademark.[4][15]A February 2010 ruling prevented Lenovo from using the term.[16]
By the end of 2010, Qualcomm CEOPaul Jacobs admitted thattablet computers such as theiPad already occupied the niche of the smartbook, so the name was dropped.[7]In February 2011 Qualcomm won its legal battle when the German patent office ruled the words "smart" and "book" could be used.[17] However, several trademarks have been registered.[18][19][20][21]
In March 2009 the Always Innovating company announced theTouch Book.[22] It was based on theTexas InstrumentsOMAP 3530 which implemented theARM Cortex-A8 architecture. It was originally developed from the Texas InstrumentsBeagle Board. It had a touchscreen and a detachable keyboard which contained a second battery. The device came with a Linux operating system and the company offered to license their hardware designs.[22][23][24]
Sharp Electronics, introduced their PC-Z1 "Netwalker" device in August 2009 with a promised ship date of October 2009. It featured a 5.5" touchscreen, runs Ubuntu on anARM Cortex-A8 basedFreescale i.MX515 and was packaged in a small clamshell design. Sharp reported the device weighs less than 500 grams and will run 10 hours on one battery charge. The device is said to run 720p video, and have both 2D and 3D graphics acceleration. It comes withAdobe Flash Lite 3.1 installed.[25]
Pegatron, anAsus company, showed a working prototype of a smartbook in August 2009. It consisted of an ARM Cortex-A8 basedFreescale i.MX515 supports 2D/3D graphics as well as720p HD video, 512 MB DDR2RAM, 1024x600 8.9" LCD screen, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11g and run off aSD card. It also featured one USB and one micro USB port, a VGA port as well as a card reader. The smartbook ranUbuntu Netbook 9.04 and contained a version ofAdobe Flash Player which was out of date. Thebill of materials for the Pegatron smartbook prototype was $120.[26]
In November 2009 Pegatron said it had received a large number of orders for smartbooks that would launch in early 2010. The devices were rumored to sell for about $200 when subsidized.Asus announced plans to release their own smartbook in the first quarter of 2010.[27]
Qualcomm was expected to announce a smartbook on November 12, 2009, at an analyst meeting.[28]ALenovo device concept was shown, and announced in January 2010.In May 2010 the Skylight was cancelled.[29]
In late January 2010 a U.S.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) listing featured a device fromHP that was referred assmartbook, while a prototype of the same device was already shown earlier. In beginning February on Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HP announced it will bring this device to market. The specifications will most likely be following:[30][31][32][33]
In the end of March 2010 the smartbook made an appearance at FCC again, this time listing its3G capabilities. According to FCC, the device will support GSM 850 and 1900, as well as WCDMA II and V bands. These WCDMA bands may indicate the usage in AT&T network in the United States.[34][35] Details of the product is now available on the HP website.[36][37]
In June 2010, a smartbook device fromToshiba was announced. It featuresNvidia Tegra processor and is able to remain instand-by mode for up to 7 days.[38][39] The device was officially available at the ToshibaUnited Kingdom site.[40] Originally delivered with Android v2.1 (upgradable to v2.2 since 2011[41]) it can also be modified to run a customizedLinux distribution.
In Japan, was sold as "Dynabook AZ".
TheGenesi company announced an MX Smartbook as part of theirEfika line in August 2010.[42]It was originally priced atUS$349, and some reviewers questioned if it was small enough to fit this definition.[43][44] It is ostensibly a derivative of the above-mentioned Pegatron design.
In September 2009,Foxconn announced it is working on smartbook development.[45]In November 2009, aQuanta Computer pre-production Snapdragon powered sample smartbook device that ranAndroid was unveiled.[46][47] Companies likeAcer Inc. planned to release a smartbook, but due to the popularity of tablets,MacBook Air andUltrabooks, plans were scrapped.[48]
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