14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past year, quite a number of new so-called product categories seem to have emerged or soared in popularity, such as netbooks, e-readers and media tablets, among others. One of the latest of these classes is the so-called smartbook, which is generally seen as a device that combines features from both netbooks and smartphones. What all worldwide users might not know, however, is that Smartbook, or Smartbook AG, is also the name of a German PC maker that plans to launch a non-smartbook Smartbook laptop at CeBIT 2010.
Smartbook AG predates the emergence of the term smartbook and has been fighting to maintain its trademark in Germany. Nevertheless, the rest of mankind seems to have already gotten used to employing the term smartbook for such devices as the HP Airlife 100 or Lenovo's Skylight, ultramobile PCs running the Android OS or variations of it. In trying to reclaim its rights over this term, Smartbook AG will launch the Smartbook Logo at CeBIT, a CULV laptop running not Android, but Windows 7 Home Premium.
The Smartbook Logo uses, as its CULV status implies, an Intel CULV central processing unit. This CPU is paired with 1GB of RAM and a hard disk drive with a storage capacity of 250GB. In addition, the mobile PC will have an 11.6-inch display with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768. The entire machine will weigh 1.3kg and will also boast a 3G UMTS modem and a rather decent battery life, namely of eight hours.
It can be seen that there are very few things in common between smartbooks and the Smartbook Logo, besides those components that all or most mobile PCs share (3G, keyboard and decent battery life). Smartbook AG will demonstrate the Smartbook Logo at CeBIT 2010, after which the device will be made available at a price of 699 Euro ($943).