Qualcomm shows off all-day netbook

Qualcomm showed off a prototype netbook in London today using its Snapdragon system-on-a-chip and has a claimed always-on battery life of more than a working day.

The Snapdragon 8250 chip used in the prototype packs a 1GHz ARM-based general purpose processor and a 600MHz digital-signal processor (DSP) and packs supports for Wifi, Bluetooth, Assisted GPS, 720p high-definition decode, a 12-megapixel camera, and XGA resolution video.

It also supports GSM, GPRS, Edge and HSxPA cellular networks (see here); a sister chip, the 8650, supports CDMA 2000 links.

Qualcomm has also announced a dual-core version, the 8672, clocking 1.5GHz, which will be sampling later next year. Staff marketing manager Anita Hix said the power drain for this has not been announced but it is expected to be more efficient than the current versions.

The 45nm 8672 will support full 1080p HD video recording and playback, and next-generation HSPA links.

The 8259-based prototype, called Alaska and made by Inventec, has an 8.9in screen and a thin, but a rather larger, aluminium system case. It is a tablet convertible, with a 12-megapixel camera, and Hix (after some fiddling about) showed it running a Flash Lite video off Youtube.

It has no trackpad or mouse, but in keyboard mode you can use a slideover optical button that looks a little like the sleek device used in HP's latest iPaq smartphone. The one on the prototype did not work however.

Qualcomm says Snapdragon devices will hit the market late next year and that manufacturers committed to using the platform include Acer, Asus, C-motech, Compal, Foxconn, HTC, Inventec, LG Electronics, Quanta Computer Incorporated, Samsung, Toshiba and Wistron.

For pictures and comment see Test Bed