Simon Sharwood06 August 2007, 4:49 AM
Watch out eeePC, the Nanobook is coming to get you.
 Via Nanobook: the "mobilityplus" module is the telephone keypad looking thingy on the right-hand-side of the screen. |
Announced in early June, but seen only in a limited number of stilted poses until now, the 850 gram Nanobook uses Via's oft-ignored Intel clone CPUs running at 1.2 GHz, a seven-inch, 840x480 screen, Ethernet, Bluetooth and WiFi, a 30GB or 60GB hard drive and the option of up to 1GB of RAM. The machine has been demonstrated running Windows XP and boasts a four-cell battery said to deliver 4.5 hours operation.
According to Via, a "major European company" plans to market a PC based on the Nanobook, which it describes as a "Reference Design" and has flagged $US600 as the machine's likely retail price.
That compares unfavourably with other new ultra-mobile offerings such ASUS' eeePC, said to retail for $US299 and offering similar specs, no hard disk and a customised Linux operating system. But the Nanobook stacks up well against other conventional UPMCs such as Fujitsu's U1010, which offers a 5.6 inch screen, 800MHz CPU and two-cell battery.
Via is also pitching the Nanobook's "MobilityPlus module," pictured at the top of the article, with what the company says is a "prototype VoIP phone." The module sits to the right of the computer's screen and is designed to house devices in a way that makes the machine even more portable by allowing peripherals to connect without adding bulk.
The MobilityPlus module uses USB standards, but not a standard USB connector, leaving Via hoping that third parties adapt their products to the slot's dimensions.
 Mobilityplus connector: USB, without the convenience of the standardised connector. |
 Mobilityplus |
The machine also boasts two USB 2.0 slots, power, Ethernet, microphone and speaker/earphone connectors, plus a DVI port and four-in-one card reader.
Via is yet to say when the pen-driven Nanobook will be available in Australia.
Our main question is where this machine fits into the market. it's not cheap enough to compete with the "$100 PC" developing market machines, it's not cheap enough to be bought on impulse like the eeePC might be, and it doesn't have the convenience of a tablet form factor that might suit niche markets like healthcare. So who exactly is going to buy it?