The world finally got a look at the first official ARM-powered smartbook today (Nov. 12). Qualcomm chief executive Paul Jacobs (pictured) briefly displayed the device during a presentation at the company’s financial analyst meeting. It is a thin (thinner than a Palm Pre, he said) red system by Lenovo which will be formally launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Jacobs said the smartbook will be available on AT&T’s wireless network and that it will be available through AT&T, but didn’t mention whether that was an exclusive arrangement.
He sought to shoot down criticisms of smartbooks, such as the lack of Flash support. Smartbooks, such as the one he demonstrated, support a full Flash 10 implementation, and high definition resolution.
Beyond that, there were no further details of the Lenovo smartbook or those that might be forthcoming from other OEMs. But Jacobs did say that “the opportunity is enormous” with mobile Internet, and that the company is continually adding new partners and platforms to its roster.
He said that there has been 34% year-over-year growth in the number of people accessing the Web via a mobile phone. “It’s the interface to their digital life,” he said.
Lisa
