VIA OpenBook Unveiled

VIA Technologies today introduced the VIA OpenBook ultraportable laptop reference design, featuring a 8.9-inch display and VIA’s processor and integrated graphics.

“Powered by the VIA C7-M ULV processor and the VIA VX800 digital media IGP chipset, the VIA OpenBook mini-note reference design is a small, 1kg, 8.9″ mini-notebook form factor design that supports screen resolutions of up to 1024×600 and high performance VIA Chrome9 DirectX 9.0 3D graphics,” VIA says adding that the device features up to 2GB DDR2 DRAM and can be equipped with a choice of hard disk drive and solid state storage options.

The OpenBook offers WiFi and Bluetooth, as well as AGPS, WiMAX, HSDPA, or EV-DO/W-CDMA options. It also comes with a built in 2 mega-pixel web camera, three USB ports, a VGA port, and 4-in-1 media card reader.

According to the press release, the new mini-laptop delivers up to three hours of battery life with a 4-cell 2600mA lithium-ion battery.

The VIA OpenBook supports Microsoft Windows Vista Basic operating system, Windows XP, and various Linux distributions.

Currently, there is no information on availability and pricing of the OpenBook-based devices.

Source

Well….

It’s a reference design, not an actual product. Disappointed with the resolution…. should have been at least 720p (1024×764).

Was also expecting longer battery life. Should run well with a Linux distro like Ubuntu or Vector.

[...] VIA’s OpenBook reference design features a 8.9-inch display, the VIA C7-M ULV processor, and the VX800 digital media IGP chipset. The OpenBook weighs around 2.2 pounds (1kg) and runs Windows Vista, XP, or Linux operating system. [...]