A few years ago Qualcomm coined the term “smartbook” to describe netbook-like mini-laptops with smartphone-like chips that enabled 3G connectivity, always on internet access, and all-day battery life. Then a company called Smartbook AG, which had been selling laptops in Germany under the Smartbook moniker cried foul and said that Qualcomm was violating its trademark. Flash forward to… well, now…

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The Smartbook Surfer is a cheap Google Android powered tablet that’s available in Germany for just over $230. It also has the distinction of coming from Smartbook AG, the company which has been threatening to sue device makers, bloggers, and others over the use of the word “smartbook.” The tablet is now shipping, and at least two people have received…

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Remember Smartbook? No, not the class of mini-laptops with ARM-based processors and 3G mobile broadband connectivity. I’m talking about the German company called Smartbook that was using the name before chip-maker Qualcomm decided to differentiate its platform fro netbooks by creating a new name implying a cross between a smartphone and a notebook or netbook. While the German Smartbook has…

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In an effort to differentiate ARM-powered, always-on, low-power mini-laptops from the more traditional PC-like netbooks that have flooded the market over the past two years, Qualcomm started suggesting we refer to the new machines as “smartbooks” earlier this year. The folks at German company Smartbook AG weren’t too pleased with that, and a few months ago the two companies got…

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