Apple isn’t the only company looking to ignite the smartbook market with the launch of a new tablet based portable computer.
Freescale Semiconductor aims to bridge the gap between smartphones and netbook computers with the launch a range of seven-inch designs at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which starts on this Thursday.
Henri Richard, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Freescale, called a smartbook tablet the “missing link” between PCs and smartphones. “The PC has been stale in terms of its ability to innovate. Smartphones have been making progress … but they have limitations.”
Freescale hopes to attract partners by showcasing the smartbook at CES this week.
“We’re going to see an explosion in the next couple of years of these new type of devices and that’s going to change the PC landscape,” Richard added.
The tablet will run on Freescale’s low-power ARM-based processor and should be priced at less than $200. Intel’s popular Atom processor currently dominates the netbook market.
The device will be based around Google’s Android or Linux operating systems, with room for Wi-Fi and 3G capability, along with extended battery life up to 12 hours. Measuring 200cm by 128cm by 14.9cm, the Freescale smartbook weighs less than two pounds.