We already know that Hewlett Packard, the world’s largest PC maker, has a thing for smartbooks having briefly shown on an unnamed model at CES earlier this month, but could it arrive sooner rather than later?
Popping up on the FCC this week is a filing for the HP ‘Compaq AirLife 100′. Dug up by Wireless Goodness , the application is thin on detail but the design – with its heavily rounded corners – is strikingly similar to that I saw at the Vegas show (see bottom photo).
What would have let the cat completely out of the bag is the listing of a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset – which HP has already confirmed will power its CES smartbook – but we didn’t strike so lucky. Instead, we learn the AirLife 100 will feature Bluetooth with EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, and integrated 3G, which is a staple of the smartbook mission statement. Interestingly, the 3G also has support for WCDMA bands II and V which are specific to the AT&T network suggesting a partnership may have already been agreed.
In all, I think it would be rash to claim we’ve definitely nailed down HP’s first smartbook, but we are optimistic. HP’s PC executive vice president Todd Bradley has already spoken of “how interested and focused and frankly committed we are to this space”, so let’s hope this patent turns out to prove it.
Gordon
