Here's a Smartbook prototype from Freescale Semiconductor that unfolds to provide keyboard and mouse functionality.

A modular Smartbook concept that enables customization.

T&A: Nikkei Electronics Asia has released a report comparing the potential pricing differences among different portable computing devices hitting the market over the next few months.

One of the key predictions is that the low prices of smartbooks might cut into the netbook market.

Basically, as the small yet delicate functional gap between smartphones and netbooks entice more players into this segment, manufacturers of Smartbooks, mobile internet devices and more will gradually segment the market for portable computing devices even further.

Not only that, within the netbook space, the ultra-thin notebook, or consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) notebooks are also attracting a lot of attention.

The Smartbook is the brainchild of Freescale Semiconductor and Qualcomm Inc., first unveiled at Computex Taipei in June 2009. Here’s a promo video on what exactly a Smartbook entails:

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HP's new Mini 5101 has an integrated 2-megapixel webcam and 3 USB 2.0 ports.

SHOWCASE: HP has unveiled its top-of-the-line Mini PC called the Mini 5101. Featuring a sturdy, lightweight anodized aluminum display enclosure with a black, brushed finish, the combination of materials is an industry first for the netbook category.

The product has a spill-resistant keyboard (95% of a full-size QWERTY keyboard), comes with HP DuraKeys (a clear coat to keep the keys 50x more resistant to visible wear) and weighs from 1.18kg. (more…)

"Low cost small notebook PCs" might not have the ring we want but if it sticks, Microsoft might reap ready benefits from it.

CORP TALK: Considering that Psion has decided to give the all-clear for the usage of the netbook term as reported by The New York Times here, we hear news that Microsoft wants to redefine mini-notebooks with a new term - low cost small notebook PC.

This was expressed by Mr. Steven Guggenheimer, General Manager for the Application Platform and Development Marketing Division for Microsoft at Computex 2009, as reported by DigiTimes.com here.

According to Guggenheimer, the term netbook is misleading, because these mini-notebooks have feature capabilities that allow a user to not just surf the Internet but do a great many other things. According to the DigiTimes report, market watchers are speculating that this renaming strategy by Microsoft is aimed at distinguishing mini-notebooks/netbooks from regular notebooks, so that the company can reduce the number of low-end Windows shipments.

This way, mid- to high-end mini-notebooks can benefit from the adoption of higher-end versions of Windows 7, recently announced for launch on October 22. In addition to this, Microsoft has also lifted the 3-app restriction on Windows 7 Starter Edition when there were plans to originally allow only three concurrent apps to run on the PC at any one time.