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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.
Disclaimer: Before I begin, let me just say that the unit that I had is a prototype. And like all prototype, the performance is not at it’s optimum. Things that you see here might also change when it is released for retail.
I got to try out the Lenovo Skylight for a few days. I must say that the Skylight is an interesting product category. I don’t think it can be considered a netbook. The Lenovo Skylight is running a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. Yes, that’s the same processor in some smartphones like Nexus One. Lenovo classified the Skylight as smartbook. Which I guess is somewhere between the Smart Phone and Netbook category. Hmmm….
The Skylight is very sleek and lightweight. 10.1 inch screen, 25.3 x 20.11mm x 1.72-1.89 cm and weighs less than 907 grams. Despite the size, the keyboard and touchpad is not compromised. In fact, the full size keyboard is pretty comfortable to type with. The size of the touchpad is pretty generous. There is no physical buttons for the touchpad. You press down the touchpad for left and right click. Personally, I would prefer physical buttons for the touchpad.
The Lenovo Skylight is running Lenovo’s Skylight operating system which is built on top of a Linux kernel. The operating system is fairly easy to use. The Lenovo Skylight comes with more than 18 preloaded web gadgets like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google Calendar, Amazon MP3, Roxio CinemaNow, dropbox and more. There is even a instant messenger too. Cool. The specs says it comes with 2 GB of cloud storage. Not sure if it applies to countries outside US.
Although the Lenovo Skylight can multi-task, I notice that the machine starts to lag when I have more than 9 applications opened in the background. Well, it is after all a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. And why would you need to multi-task so many applications? The Lenovo Skylight can play Flash. But the prototype unit that I got didn’t play YouTube video well. I guess Lenovo will have to fix that before launching the Skylight.
Storage is pretty interesting. The Lenovo Skylight’s 4gb storage is on a USB stick. All data are stored in the USB Stick. You can remove the USB Stick even when the Skylight is running. Fast and easy way to transfer the data to the desktop or laptop next to you. One thing strange is that the USB Stick is pretty huge. From what I understand, it is to cater for an optional phone for internet call. Anyway, the USB Stick is tuck nicely above the keyboard.
One good thing about the Lenovo Skylight is the built in 3G SIM Card slot. Which is quite useful since I think the Skylight user will be connected to the cloud most of the time. The published battery life of the Skylight is 10 hours but I guess this is not with 3G usage. As we all know, 3G does drain battery. The battery is non-user replaceable. Oh, did I mention that there is a HDMI port?
The Lenovo Skylight is certainly an interesting product. I don’t have the pricing and expected launch date for Singapore yet. But I guess the pricing of the Lenovo Skylight would play a key role in it’s success. *Wink*