VIA Technologies has unveiled its vision of mobile computing devices, with its NanoBook ultra mobile device (UMD) reference design.
The company hopes the NanoBook - designed and manufactured in conjunction with First International Computer - will provide original equipment manufacturers with ideas for their own UMD product lines.
Utilising the company's ultra low voltage 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor and VIA VX700 chipset, the NanoBook weighs 850g, measures 230x171x29.4mm and features a seven-inch WVGA screen with touch panel.
However, the shrunken notebook is not without the power of a standard laptop.
Fully-loaded
Buyers have the option to run Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista Basic on the NanoBook and can expect up to five hours of battery life. It also has a standard computing keyboard.
The NanoBook provides 1GB of double-data-rate two synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR2 SDRAM) and a minimum 30GB hard drive. In terms of connectivity, the NanoBook features 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet support, plus a digital video interface and two USB 2.0 ports.
Alongside the screen, the NanoBook has a USB 2.0 slot that enables the snap-in integration of a variety of modules, including world time clock/calendar, GPS, VOIP, and wireless broadband.
Best of both
VIA has already secured the interest of Packard Bell in its NanoBook reference design, which it hopes will retail at around $600 (R4 200).
Speaking at the VIA Technology Forum in Taipei, Packard Bell's VP of Asia and global operations, Roger Yuen, said the design addressed the top five criticisms of notebooks and handhelds.
"We are continuously told that the user interface of portable devices are not optimised and too complex; the prices are too high, battery life too short, the device is heavy and too big and, when faced with smaller options like handhelds, there isn't a keyboard and pointing device," he said.
However, VIA's reference design combines the best features and functionalities of both devices, he explained.
Building on VIA's reference design, the company has developed its own brand of the NanoBook, called the EasyNote XS. Targeting a price point of $499 (R3 500), the vendor hopes to release the product to the market by the end of the year.
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