Liliputing

  • Reviews
  • Deals
  • How To…
  • Mini PCs
  • Shop
  • About
    • About Liliputing
    • Contact us
    • Advertise on Liliputing
    • Support Liliputing
    • Privacy Policy

VIA OpenBook reference design: Meet the new nanobook

05/27/2008 at 8:27 AM by Brad Linder 2 Comments

Chip maker VIA has introduced the new OpenBook reference design for low cost, light weight ultraportable laptops. The company’s earlier Nanobook reference design was the basis for a number of ultraportables, the most recognizable probably being the Everex Cloudbook. So it’s not that surprising to see that the previously announced Cloudbook Max (due out in 2009) will be built on the OpenBook reference design.

The OpenBook design includes:

  • VIA C7-M ULV CPU
  • 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display
  • 1kg weight
  • WiMAX, WLAN, LAN, and Bluetooth options
  • 4-in-1 card reader (SD/SDIO/MMC/MS)
  • 2MP webcam

The reference design uses open standards and some aspects are even being released under a Creative Commons license which makes it easy for computer makers to customize the look, feel, and specifications of the units. So while we may see a small flood of computers that look like the Cloudbook Max, you could also see some computers using the reference design that look a little different.

It’s not clear whether PC makers will be able to replace the C7-M processor with a shiny new VIA Isaiah processor once VIA releases the low-power successor to the C7-M. But I’m going to make a wild guess and say yes. Or at least probably. Or maybe. While I’ve got my prognostication hat on, I’m also going to guess that more Asus Eee PCs will be sold in the next year or two than all the OpenBook-based computers combined. You know, unless HP, Dell, or Acer decides to use the VIA reference design. But overall, the C7-M CPU just doesn’t offer the performance you can get from an Intel Celeron chip, let alone the Intel Atom.

Update: Engadget has some hands-on photos of an OpenBook prototype.

[via UMPC Portal]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Daily Deals (12-13-2019)

Every week this year, the Epic Games Store has offered up at least one game for free, and sometimes two. This week is one of the twofer weeks -- you … [Read More...]



Support Liliputing

Liliputing’s primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the “Shop” button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we’ll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you’re using an ad blocker and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or…

Contribute via PayPal

  • donate monthly
  • donate once only
Select a Donation Option (USD)

Enter Donation Amount (USD)

2
Leave a Reply

Login with
Facebook Google Twitter WordPress Yahoo! Disqus Reddit Stackoverflow GitHub
avatar
This comment form collects your name, email address, and content to allow us to keep track of comments placed on this website. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.
2 Comment threads
0 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
1 Comment authors
BobHVIA Openbook Mini-Note. Detailed Report. Images. Q&A. | UMPCPortal - Ultra Mobile Personal Computing Recent comment authors
avatar
This comment form collects your name, email address, and content to allow us to keep track of comments placed on this website. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
BobH
Guest
BobH

Hmm. Open source hardware design and open source operating system. Sounds like a good idea. Microsoft may wind up losing the ULPC market to Linux, especially if they insist on making people buy an unwanted OS, Vista, in order to “downgrade” to XP. Although it appears that the Wind may be coming with XP preinstalled. See the report at Msiwind.net for a recent review and benchmarks from someone who got a Singapore model.

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
11 years ago
trackback
VIA Openbook Mini-Note. Detailed Report. Images. Q&A. | UMPCPortal - Ultra Mobile Personal Computing

[…] Liliputing. It’s not clear whether PC makers will be able to replace the C7-M processor with a shiny new VIA Isaiah processor once VIA releases the low-power successor to the C7-M. But I’m going to make a wild guess and say yes. Or at least probably. Or maybe. While I’ve got my prognostication hat on, I’m also going to guess that more Asus Eee PCs will be sold in the next year or two than all the OpenBook-based computers combined. […]

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
9 years ago

Follow Liliputing:

Facebook Twitter YouTube tumblr RSS Patreon
Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by Skimlinks and Amazon's and eBay's affiliate programs.

Latest News

Apple and Spotify bring podcasts to Amazon Echo devices (and other Alexa-enabled gadgets)

Amazon's Echo line of products may have introduced the world to the idea of … [Read More...]

Lenovo Tab M8 HD

Lenovo may have a Chrome OS tablet on the way

Chrome OS tablets have been a thing for the past year and a half or so, but … [Read More...]

Xbox Series X coming in late 2020 (It’s pretty much a gaming PC in console form)

Microsoft has taken the wraps off its next-gen Xbox game console and the Xbox … [Read More...]

Featured articles

Magic Ben MAG1 8.9 inch mini laptop review

It's tricky to make a great mini-laptop. Want a super-small screen and a device … [Read More...]

Amazon Fire tablet hacking resources (Fall 2019 edition)

As usual, Amazon is offering deep discounts on Fire tablets for the holiday … [Read More...]

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 review (Ice Lake convertible laptop)

Dell's XPS 13 line of laptops have set the standard in recent years for just how … [Read More...]

Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2019 Liliputing · About Liliputing · Contact Us · Privacy Policy · Go to top of page

wpDiscuz
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.