Sharp PC-Z1

Sharp has announced the introduction in Japan of a smartbook with a 5″ display named PC-Z1.

Sharp is officially calling the PC-Z1 a “mobile internet tool” (avoiding the smartbook label) and claims that it is “as easy to handle as a mobile phone and that has performance similar to that of a PC.”

The 5″ touchscreen will provide resolution equal to most netbooks (1024 x 600).  The unit will ship with a 4 GB SSD and will run Ubuntu “Smartbook” Remix (Linux).

The PC-Z1 will be powered by a Freescalee i.MX515 processor, which is a 800 MHz ARM processor optimized for HD (720p) support.  The smartbook will have 512 MB of RAM and will support the 802.11b/g wireless LAN standard.

Sharp will pre-load the PC-Z1 with the Firefox browser with Adobe Flash, Thunderbird email client, Sunbird scheduler, OpenOffice.org office suite, Totem video player and other software.

Sharp claims a “quick launch” time of 3 seconds (from sleep state) and a battery life of 10 hours.

Sharp plans to begin shipment of the PC-Z1 on September 25 in Japan.  The tiny laptop will be available in three colors: white, black and red.

Smartbook Prototype

Qualcomm has been releasing some very nice videos showing their new Snapdragon processor in use.

There looks to be several different Smartbooks being released this year that will be using the Snapdragon.

One of the things to watch for in the videos is the different sizes of these tablet-based Smartbooks.  I’m not sure what flavor of OS they are running.

The fact that Ford and Dodge vehicles are shown very heavily, makes me wonder if the automobile industry is going to incorporate smartbooks into some vehicles in the near future.

Anyways, check out the videos because they are pretty cool!

I’ve seen lots of videos and have heard price points as low as $150.00 for a device that can play 720p high-definition video.

Hank Robinson shows us in the following video some of the near future devices running the Snapdragon with Android and Kubuntu.

Check it out and let us know what you think? Netbook killer or not?

Benefits

Devices based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon^TM platform deliver:

• Optimized power management for all-day battery life
• Ubiquitous, real-time connectivity
• Rich Internet browsing experience
• Access to real-time, personalized and location-aware content
• Streaming and playback of locally stored high-definition video content
• High performance 3D UIs, games, maps and more
• High-quality still pictures and video clips
• Access to social networks through instant messaging, video conferencing and chat

Technical Features for QSD8×50 chipsets

The QSD8×50 platform consists of the QSD8250™ which supports GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA networks while the QSD8650™ supports both CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO Rel 0/A/B, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA networks. Both chipsets include:

• 1 GHz CPU
• 600MHz DSP
• Integrated 3G mobile broadband
• Support for Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity
• Built-in seventh-generation gpsOne® engine with Standalone-GPS and Assisted-GPS modes
• High-definition (720p) video decode, and multiple video codec support
• High-performance 3D graphics – up to 22M triangles/sec and 133M 3D pixels/sec
• High-resolution up to WXGA (1280×720) display support
• 12-megapixel camera support
• Multiple audio codecs: (AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, FR, EFR, HR, WB-AMR, G.729a, G.711, AAC stereo encode)
• Support for mobile broadcast TV (MediaFLO™, DVB-H and ISDB-T)
• Support for Windows Mobile®, Android, and a number of Linux®-based operating systems
• Qualcomm’s hybrid mode alternative solution

Technical Features for QSD8672 chipsets

The single-chip, dual-CPU QSD8672™ includes most of the above features, in addition to:

• Dual CPUs, up to 1.5 GHz for faster response and processing
• Low-power 45nm process technology for higher integration and performance
• Higher-resolution WSXGA (1440 x 900) display support
• High-definition (1080p) video recording and playback
• Support for HSPA+ networks – 28 Mbps downloads and 11 Mbps uploads
• Supports CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO Rel 0/A/B networks
• Improved 3D graphics – up to 80M triangles/sec and 500M+ 3D pixels/sec