Qualcomm Confident in the Future of the Smartbook

The days when the desktop computer system was pretty much the only device on the emerging PC market, are officially gone, as Qualcomm prepares for an upcoming wave of new portable computer systems, which will be known as smartbooks. The chipmaker has just outlined its vision on the fast growing market for mobile computing, claiming that a combination between smartphones and netbooks will provide users with a device that will compete with today's successful netbook segment. With the announcement, Qualcomm is basically pushing the idea of an ARM-based netbook, coming to compete with Intel's already successful platform.

Qualcomm expects that Smartbooks will be a complementary device to current notebook systems, but will “cannibalize the netbook market,” according to Luis Pineda, SVP of marketing and product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. As far as technical specifications go, nothing is yet specific, but the company claims that these upcoming devices will be powered by its 1GHz Snapdragon chip and provide system builders with a variety of radio connectivity options, including cellular and Wi-Fi. These systems will boast a small form factor with screen sizes of 10-12 inches in diagonal, while the operating system will be a flavor of Linux.

One of the main features of Qualcomm's Smartbooks is that they'll be capable of providing users with as much as 8 to 10 hours of battery life. This, in addition to an instant-on capability, is the main weapon against an already established netbook market.

There are about over 30 devices from 15 device manufacturers that are expected to use the Snapdragon chip, according to Qualcomm. Some of the biggest names in the industry include Asus, Acer and Toshiba, as well as LG and HTC. The chip maker says that the very first device to integrate the Snapdragon chip and kick off the Smartbook market is due out before the end of the year.