Telefonica prices up HP smartbook
Android'n'ARM gadget launch detailed
Spain will get HP's Compaq AirLife 100 'smartbook' next month, the nation's biggest telco, Telefonica - owner of Britain's O2 - said yesterday.
Prices start at €229 (£199) for the 10.1in ARM-based, Android-running netbook on a €48 (£42) per month 'unlimited' data contract. Pay €299 (£260) up front and you can get away with a €39 (£34) a month subscription.
HP's Compaq AirLife 100: ARM 'n' Android
The AirLife 100, which was announced at the Mobile World Congress show two months ago, incorporates a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor - the QSD8250 - plus 512MB of memory, 512MB of Flash Rom and 16GB of Flash storage.
It has GPS on board and integrated GSM/GPRS and 3G HSDPA connectivity.
Like any good netbook, it has a 10.1in screen, though the resolution is limited to 1024 x 600.
The whole lot's powered from a 28Wh removable battery which HP previously said would deliver 12 hours' runtime or up to ten days' life in standby mode.
The AirLife's details have already appeared on HP's US website, indicating that the device will arrive over there in due course. Telefonica has the machine on an exclusive basis in Spain, and such deals often translate to further exclusives in other countries. Will O2 it offer it over here, we wonder? If you know, drop us a line... ®
COMMENTS
Seems pricey
I'm on the lookout for an ARM based netbook to put Ubuntu on but this seems pricey, even if you account for the touchscreen.
A quick Google suggests that in the UK you can get a standard Atom netbook (which you'd pay about £300 for standalone) for free if you sign up for an 18 month tariff.
A step in the right direction though.
how much?!
£200 on a contract??! id have expected £200 as an outright purchase price! and free on £xx per month!
so were's the ARM quad A9 at 1.6Ghz
"1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor " wake me up when the OEM's finally get around to using a real ARM duel or far better quad A9 at 1GHz and the 'mapped out up-to a full 2GHz' , with generic integrated AVC/h.264 High Profile level 4.1 Decoder to at least 1024×576 16:9 25fps+.
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222900146
http://www.eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224202552
http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-a/cortex-a9.php
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-343212.html
"ARM targets Intel with 2GHz multicore chips
By Rupert Goodwins ZDNet UK
Posted on ZDNet News: Sep 16, 2009 5:23:17 AM
UK-based chip company ARM has today announced the development of dual-core, quad-core and eight-core Cortex-A9 processor designs, explicitly aimed at markets currently served by Intel's x86 chips and IBM's PowerPC.
"This is a huge departure from what we've done in the past", Eric Schorn, vice president, marketing for ARM's processor division, told ZDNet UK. "We really wanted to take off the handcuffs and see what could be done with performance, performance, performance."
"
Bit spendy, guys
Assuming an eighteen month contract, that's over £800. Not going to happen, why are they bothering?
GJC
