Hewlett-Packard hopes its first smartbook offering, the Compaq AirLife 100, will be able to compete with the Apple iPad and other smartbook expected to be announced in 2010.
The AirLife 100 has a 10.1-inch touchscreen, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 16GB SSD drive, 512MB RAM and 512MB integrated flash storage. The AirLife will ship with WiFi and an option for 3G will be available, the press release states. The Compaq smartbook weighs just 2.2 pounds, and has up to 12 hours of battery life.
HP will use the Google Android mobile OS to power the AirLife 100, as it's a free, open source operating system that doesn't require a high amount of hardware power.
"The browser has become the desektop for many people, and the new Compaq AirLife is the next evolution of a mobile computer that is streamlined specifically for the Web," said Charl Snyman, HP Personal Systems Group VP and GM, in a statement. "This new type of user lives life online and no longer measures computing speeds and feeds, but rather friends, people and online social ranks."
The Snapdragon QSD8250 processor from Qualcomm has been popular among smartphone makers, as it powers the Acer Liquid, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and Google Nexus One.
Similar to other smartbooks, the AirLife 100 uses hardware and software typically found in a smartphone, but is shipped as a portable computing device that has better battery life than even a netbook.
The Apple iPad announcement has garnered more attention on the tablet market, as a flock of other companies are expected to enter the market in 2010. Apple will be joined by Acer, Asus, HP, Dell, and other companies that want to provide low-cost, portable smartbooks for consumers looking to go mobile.
