While I was hugely impressed by the Lenovo Skylight, the one area where I did express concern was the $499 asking price. We have long argued that smartbooks are not designed to compete directly with netbooks (rather they are a companion to smartphones) and as such, should sport a significantly lower RRP. Well here’s an example of just how low they can go…
Little-known PC maker Haleron Technologies has announced the ‘Swordfish’ – a colorful little smartbook with 7-in. display for just $149. How is this remotely possible? Read on.
For a start, Heleron has taken the Swordfish in a different direction to smartbooks we’ve seen before. Whereas most have been based around the Qualcomm Snapdragon or Nvidia Tegra/Tegra 2 chipsets, the Swordfish is powered using the older VIA ARM 9 platform. This comprises an ARM 300-MHz CPU and reduced 128MB – 256MB of RAM, combined with a flash SSD available in capacities of 1GB to 4GB.
Obviously, then, this is not going to be a performance leader, but with the choice of Microsoft’s low power Windows CE operating system (Linux is a $15 option), it doesn’t need to be. Furthermore, connectivity is good, with Wi-,Fi, Ethernet, an SD card reader, stereo speakers, mic and headphone jacks and no less than three USB ports. All day battery life is on the cards too, with the Swordfish lasting up to eight hours (24 hours on standby) from a single charge. Meanwhile its dimensions are just 215 x 142 x 25mm and it weighs an almost insignificant 700g.
Where the Swordfish does fall short of the exact smartbook mantra is a lack of integrated 3G – an optional 3G USB module is offered – but I’ve no doubt many will forgive that, given the other positives. The omission is also a major factor in keeping the price down. After all, Apple is charging $130 just for the option of 3G inside the iPad, and it is a $110 extra here.
The Haleron Swordfish is on sale now with a choice of pink, green, red, black, and silver finishes, and while you certainly won’t be getting a powerful machine for such a modest outlay, the fact you can get one at all is remarkable.
Gordon
