Last year VIA Technologies impressed with the performance and functionality of the NanoBook. This year VIA repeats such experience by launching OpenBook Mini-Note that will try to impose on the market of ultra mobile gadgets, which is growing permanently.VIA OpenBook is based on the platform of the last generation, VIA Ultra Mobile Platform. It is composed from the VIA C7-M ULV processor, with frequency from 1 up to 1.6 GHz. and a consumption of only 3,5 watts together with a new IGP all-in-one VIA VX800 graphic chipset, offering advanced calculating and multimedia functionalities (DirectX 9.0 3D, video acceleration for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VC1, DivX, etc.). Maximum resolution of the screen that has 8,9 inch (22,6 cm) diagonal is 1024x600 pixels.
Besides the calculating platform OpenBook brings a flexible internal interface for broadband wireless connections, the user can choose according to his zone from WIMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) or EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized)/ W-CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). In addition for those who want, the company offers CAD files with the information about the designed variants. This information will be useful for those who will like to use the ideas of the company as a base for launching new products.
The data will be stocked on a hard disk (with the capacity beginning from 80 GB) or a Solid State Disk and the memory is 2 GB DDR2 DRAM. Among the other utilities of the OpenBook can be named 3 USB 2.0 ports, one VGA port, audio-in / audio-out connectors, integrated speakers, 4-in-1 (SD/SDIO/MMC/MS) card reader and a 2 mega pixels web cam. Lithium-ionic battery with 4 cells offers 4 hours autonomy.
Operating systems that VIA OpenBook architecture support are different: Microsoft Windows Vista Basic, Microsoft Windows XP and many Linux distributions.
This mini laptop is expecting to appear on the market in the second part of the year, but the future price was not announced yet.
