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Asus smartbook prototype (Summer, 2009)

Last week word broke that Asus was planning on launching a so-called “smartbook” in the first quarter of 2010. Now it looks like the company is either pushing back the release date or hedging its bets. Either way, Register Hardware reports that the machine won’t be available until Q2, 2010.

Although the term “smartbook” isn’t as common as “netbook,” it’s generally understood that smartbooks are small, low power, internet-connected laptops that typically have ARM-based processors. An Asus spokesperson told Register Hardware that they also usually have 5 to 7 inch screens, which means it’s probably a safe bet the Asus smartbook will fall somewhere in that range.

If the machine does have an ARM processor, it also won’t be able to run Windows XP or Windows 7, although it’s not clear if it will run Google Android, Google Chrome or a Linux distribution such as Xandros, Ubuntu, or Moblin.

It’s worth noting that Register Hardware is a UK site, and Asus does have a habit of launching products at different times in different countries. But while the UK typically gets Asus notebooks a little while after they show up in Taiwan, they usually hit the UK before before the US.

via Netbook Choice