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Lenovo Skylight smartbook
The Lenovo Skylight smartbook will feature an ARM-based processor from Qualcomm. The Qualcomm Snapdragon platform enables 720p HD video playback, always-connected internet access (meaning you can receive emails and other notifications even when the device is folded up and placed in your bag), and other features designed to blur the lines between mini-laptops and cellphones.
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The Lenovo Skylight is a small clamshell device with a 10.1-inch high-resolution screen, flash storage, 1.3 megapixel camera and an integrated 3G modem. In a brief hands-on with the device, I was impressed with the design and build quality.
Ever since we started the Smartbook Blog the main talking point has been whether the smartbook would prove a worthwhile addition to an already crowded sector. Today I can emphatically say yes after getting some serious hands-on time with the very first mass-market smartbook, Lenovo’s strikingly named ‘Skylight’.
We’ll get the hardware out of the way first since that is the most predictable aspect. Like all smartbooks it is powered by an ARM based-processor, in this case, Qualcomm’s 1-Hz Snapdragon chipset, and sticks to the smartbook mantra: slim (on a par with the MacBook Air), light (under 2lbs), packing long battery life (in excess of 10 hours) and constant connectivity (courtesy of Wi-Fi and integrated 3G). More unusual is the large (for a smartbook) 10-in. LED display, but its 1280 x 720 native resolution is crisp and easy on the eye.
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On the downside the price could be slightly lower. Smartbooks have long professed to be a much cheaper alternate to netbooks, though the $499 asking price doesn’t bear this out. That said, you do need to factor for the integrated 3G which is usually an option in netbooks and adds a significant premium.
Most important, however, is how the Skylight feels to use. I’m happy to report that after about 20 minutes with the machine my first impressions are extremely positive. For starters the build quality is excellent and we are perhaps lucky Lenovo was the first manufacturer behind it, as it feels very much like a premium ThinkPad. By the same token, Lenovo has also nailed the keyboard, which is as good as anything I have used on a laptop of any size – it really is that good.
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Furthermore, while the custom Linux UI will be alien to all at first, its Mac OS X-style dock and intuitive, snappy interface mean users should be up and running in no time. Lenovo’s decision to go with a 20GB SSD also pays benefits, since the cloud-based nature of a smartbook means you need little in the way of native storage, and the boot time is consequently measured in seconds, not minutes. Add in HD definition video playback and mini HDMI output and Lenovo is off to a winner.
The Skylight is scheduled for an April release and while I suspect a few smaller name manufacturers may sneak out a smartbook or two of their own by then, this is definitely the one to wait for.
At first blush, the Lenovo Skylight is exactly what the netbook should’ve been.
Instead of slapping a pared down OS onto low powered hardware, the Skylight approaches the widget-centric Internet we’ve grown accustomed to on our mobile phones, armed with a full-sized keyboard and clamshell design.
Technically, it’s an oversized smartphone. Announced at CES on Tuesday, the Skylight is powered by 1.8 GHz Snapdragon processor, with built in WiFi and 3G mobile broadband. Its 10.1-inch HD screen offers 1280 by 720 resolution. And despite being a featherweight at 1.95 pounds, the machine felt sturdy, with a solid hinge and chassis. The full-sized keyboard is typical Lenovo-fare: comfortable, roomy keys made my admittedly limited typing session a pleasant one. The track-pad wasn’t as responsive as I would liked, but I was told that this iteration would change before the unit starts to ship in April.
An important note: that garish, hinged column sticking out on the image isn’t an antenna — it’s the included USB storage stick, and typically lies flush with the chassis. Tucked beneath it are slots for a micro-SD card, and a SIM card. Insert a SIM card from any 3G-ready GSM provider (that’s AT&T and T-Mobile here in the US), and you’ll be up and running on their 3G network.
The Skylight will ship with 18 web gadgets, encompassing much of what the Internet has to offer. These run along a dock at the bottom of the screen, and include access to Amazon’s MP3 store, GMail and Google Maps, Facebook, or Firefox. If 18 widgets aren’t enough, I was told that Lenovo will be releasing the platform’s SDK — expect enterprising developers to pad that list soon enough. The device also supports normal web browsing, so standard web apps will work just fine.
The device offers 20 GB of flash storage, and an additional 2GB of free online storage. If you’d like a bit more room, you’ll have to rely on USB keys (the included storage stick can be replaced with a typical USB key), though there is an SD card slot, and an additional USB port. The Skylight will gather media stored across formats and display it on the appropriate widget, re-populating the library as USB keys and the like are removed. If 10.1 inches isn’t enough screen real-estate, a mini-HDMI output port is included, for piping your media out onto a larger screen.
The Skylight will retail for $500. It will also be subsidized by phone carriers, starting with AT&T, but pricing wasn’t available at the time of my demonstration.
The challenge here lies in finding the right market for the device. Despite the smartbook title, the Skylight isn’t so much a new niche, as a re-imagined netbook. This one just happens to focus on the always-on, perpetual connectivity that the “net” prefix should have implied.