Could start a new market segment

Mar 27, 2009 10:05 GMT  ·  By

Intel's Atom success might soon be reduced, as a couple of new ARM-based computer systems are preparing to make their way onto the market, enabling system vendors to develop some unique and very attractive designs, which will compete with some of the Atom-based netbooks currently on the market. One such device that has that kind of potential is the Wistron Firstbook, a Linux-based netbook that is designed to take advantage of the performance delivered by the ARM Snapdragon platform featured in the Toshiba TG01. The system carries a striking resemblance to one of Sony's latest Vaio systems, the ultraportable Vaio P.

According to the details made available by slashgear, the Firstbook has been designed with integrated 3G WWAN connectivity and boasts a widescreen display. Aside from that, this potential Vaio P competitor is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, the same solution that Toshiba has chosen for its TG01 smartphone. The system is believed to boast an 11.1-inch widescreen display and should come with integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity options, but that is yet to be confirmed when the netbook will be officially released, that is if it actually is released for the consumer market.

Unfortunately, other technical details on the product haven't been made official so far. There's still a lot of uncertainty on whether this netbook has actually been designed for a future market release, or just to demonstrate the performance capabilities of the Snapdragon platform, as an alternative to Intel's increasingly successful Atom platform.

The system has been showcased at the 2009 Mobile World Conference, along with the Toshiba TG01. However, up until now, we have no details on a possible release. Still, for those interested in taking a glimpse at a netbook that isn't powered by one of Intel's Atom processors, be sure to check the video below.