Subnotebook

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Sony VAIO model C1 subnotebook
Asus Eee PC (2007)
File:P100 LG.jpg

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A subnotebook is a small and lightweight portable computer, with most of the features of a standard notebook computer but smaller. The term is often applied to systems that run full versions of desktop operating systems such as Windows or Linux, rather than specialized software such as Windows CE, Palm OS or Maemo.

Subnotebooks are smaller than notebook computers but larger than handheld computers and ultraportables. They often have screens that are 26,5cm = 10.4″ (diagonal) or less, and weigh less than 1 kg; as opposed to full-size laptops with 30,5cm =12″ or 38cm = 15″ screens and weighing 2 kg or more. The savings in size and weight are usually achieved partly by omitting ports or having removable media/optical drives; subnotebooks are often paired with docking stations to compensate.

Subnotebooks have been something of a niche computing product and have rarely sold in large numbers until the 2007 introduction of the Asus Eee PC and the OLPC XO-1[1].

History

1990

The Compaq LTE, launched in 1989, was the first to be widely known as a "notebook computer" because its relatively small dimensions— 4,8x22x28 cm = 1.9 × 8.5 × 11 inches—were similar to an A4 paper notebook. The Compaq was followed by the very popular IBM ThinkPad, which was the first to include a 10.4 inch screen in a notebook measuring 2.2 × 8.3 × 11.7 inches. Portables with smaller form factors thus became known as subnotebooks. The term was also applied to the NEC UltraLite, unveiled in 1988, although its dimensions (1.4 × 8.3 × 11.75 inches) were very similar to the Compaq LTE.

Smaller DOS-based PCs such as the Poqet PC and the Atari Portfolio — both released in 1989 — were called either "pocket PCs" or handhelds.

1991–1995

One early subnotebook was the Gateway Handbook, originally released in 1992 and updated to use a 486 processor in late 1993. This computer was only 9.7 inches (246 mm) wide, 5.9 inches (150 mm) deep, and 1.6 inches (41 mm) high, and weighed less than three pounds (1.4 kg).

Another early subnotebook was the Hewlett-Packard OmniBook 300, which was launched as a "superportable" in 1993. It measured 1.4 × 6.4 × 11.1 inches, and was available with an optional Flash memory disk instead of a hard drive, to reduce the weight.[2]

Toshiba, which had concentrated on portables in the 1980s, also entered the market that year with the Portege T3400, claiming that "It's the first subnotebook computer with all the functionality of a much larger computer".[3] The version with an 8.4″ monochrome screen measured just 1.7 × 7.9 × 9.8 inches and weighed 1.8kg.

Then Toshiba really put the subnotebook PC format on the map in 1995 with the Libretto 20. This featured a 6.1″ screen and 270 MB hard disk. CNet reported about the Libretto 50CT that "[it] is the first full-fledged Windows 95 notebook in the United States weighing less than two pounds".[4]

Compaq introduced its own short lived subnotebook line in 1994 called Contura Aero, which had two models: the greyscale display 4/25 and the color 4/33, notable for using a battery which was intended to be standard rather than only useful for Compaq products.

1996–2000

In 1997, Apple launched the relatively light-weight (4.4 lbs) but short-lived PowerBook 2400c. This was co-designed by IBM and made for Apple by IBM Japan to replace the aging PowerBook Duo line. However, it measured 1.9 × 10.5 × 10.5 inches, so it was actually bigger than a Compaq LTE notebook.

IBM had sold "thin and light" models in its ThinkPad range, such as the ThinkPad 560 ultraportable (1996) and best-selling ThinkPad 600 (1998). It finally entered the subnotebook market in 1999 with the 1.3kg ThinkPad 240, targeted at business travellers.[5] The 240 and 240X had 10.4in screens. Later, however, IBM replaced these with the X range, with 12.1″ screens. At 8.3 × 10.6in, the ThinkPad X40 is not much smaller than A4 (8.3 by 11.7in) and better described as an ultraportable, rather than a subnotebook.

Sony launched an ultraportable less than an inch thick in Japan in 1997, the PCG-505, which reached the US in 1997 as the VAIO 505GX. This was followed by the even thinner Sony VAIO X505, which measured just 0.8 × 8.2 × 10.2 inches, and reached 0.3″ at its thinnest.[6] However, it was very expensive and had poor battery life, and was soon withdrawn.

Sony also launched the C1 range of subnotebooks, starting in Japan in January 2000.

2001–present

One of the most notable Sony models was the Transmeta-based Vaio PCG-C1VE or PictureBook (2001), which measured only 1 × 6 × 9.8 inches. It had a digital camera built into the lid, which could be used for video conferencing or swivelled round to photograph a scene.[7]

This was followed in 2005 by the Transmeta-based Flybook convertible with a touch-sensitive 8.9in widescreen from Taiwan's Dialogue Technology. (Later models used Intel ULV processors.) The Flybook features a built-in phone connection for GPRS or 3G networking, and is available in a range of bright colors. This attracted the attention of non-computer magazines including GQ, FHM, Elle and Rolling Stone [8]. Dimensions of 9.3 × 6.1in put the original Flybook A33i on a par with the Libretto [9], but styled to appeal more to fashion models than computer geeks.

In 2006, Microsoft stimulated a new round of subnotebook development with the UMPC or Ultra-Mobile PC format code-named Origami. These are basically small versions of Tablet PC computers, which originally shipped with the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. An example is the Samsung Q1.

In 2007, Asus unveiled the Intel-based ASUS Eee PC range running Linux (or, after user modification, Microsoft Windows) on a 7in color screen. These machines measure just 8.9 × 6.5in and have less-than-full-sized keyboards. Unlike most subnotebooks which sell in small numbers, the Eee PC has been a top seller on Amazon.com[10] and is often sold out in retail stores.

In mid February 2008, Everex launched its VIA chipset based CloudBook, running gOS. The CloudBook is based on the VIA nanobook reference design. Unlike its closest competitor, the Eee PC, the CloudBook uses a hard-disk. The design of the cloudbook is optimised so it can be held in one hand while typing, or in two hands when using the mouse-cursor control, with the left thumb controlling the two "mouse buttons", and the right thumb a small trackpad, both mousepad and keys are placed directly under the screen.

Recent models

Examples of recent subnotebooks are:

Model Specifications Dimensions (mm) Mass (g) Year
LG P100 series Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.33 GHz CPU, nVidia Geforce 8400M GPU, 2.0 GiB DDR2 RAM, 100 GB hard disk, 10.6″ WXGA touchscreen display, external bundled DVD optical write-capable drive 269 × 203 × 27 1300 2008—
Sony Vaio PCG-X505/CP Intel Pentium M 1.1 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, 20 GB hard disk, 10.4″ XGA TFT, Carbon Fiber Frame 258 × 206 × 11-21 780 2004
HTC Shift Intel Stealey 800MHz 945GMS or Qualcomm® MSM 7200 400MHz CPU, 1 GiB + 64 MiB DDR2 microDIMM RAM, 128 MiB ROM, 7″ WVGA touchscreen display, 40-60 GiB hard disk 207 × 129 × 25 800 2007—
Sony Vaio PCG-U3 Transmeta TMS 5800 933 MHz CPU, 256 (232) MiB or 512 (488) RAM, 20 GB hard disk, 6.4″ XGA display 184.5 × 139 × 30.6 820 2004
ASUS Eee PC 900 MHz Intel Celeron-M ULV 353, integrated Intel GMA 900 graphics, 256MB-1GB DDR2 400-DDR 667 RAM, 2-8GB Flash HD, 7" TFT LCD with LED backlight, MS/MMC/SD card reader, (optional) Camera: 0.3 megapixel video 225 × 165 × 21–35 920 2007—
CloudBook 1.2GHz, VIA C7-M Processor ULV, VIA UniChrome Pro IGP Graphics, 512MB DDR2-SDRAM 533MHz SO-DIMM, 30GB Hard Disk Drive, 7" WVGA TFT Display (800 x 480), VIA High-Definition Audio, 802.11b/g WiFi, 10/100 Ethernet Port, DVI-I Port, 2 USB 2.0 Ports, 4-in1 Media Card Reader, 0.3MP (640x480) Webcam 230 × 170 × 30 910 2008
Fujitsu Lifebook P1510 Intel Pentium M 1.2 GHz CPU, 512 MiB RAM, 60 GB hard disk, 8.9″ SVGA display 232 × 167 × 34.5 990 2005
Toshiba Libretto U100 Intel Pentium M 1.2 GHz CPU, 512 MiB RAM, 60 GB hard disk, 7.2″ LCD display 210 × 165 × 29.8 999 2005
Panasonic R4 Intel Pentium M 1.3 GHz CPU, 512 MiB RAM, 60 GB hard disk, 10.4″ XGA display 229 × 183.5 × 24.2 999 2005
Fujitsu Lifebook P1610 Intel Core Solo UKV U1400 1200 MHz CPU, 1 GiB RAM, 80 GB hard disk, 8.9″ WXGA display 232 × 167 × 37 1000 2006
Fujitsu Lifebook P1620 Intel Core 2 Duo ULV U7600 (1.20 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB), 1 GiB RAM, 80 GB hard disk, 8.9″ WXGA display 232 × 167 × 37 1000 2008-
Dell Latitude X1 Intel Pentium M 1.1 GHz CPU, 512 MiB RAM, 30 GB hard disk, 12.1″ WXGA display 287 × 196 × 25.4 1130 2005
Sony Vaio VGN-TZ Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage U7600/U7700 1.2/1.33 GHz CPU, 1–2 GiB RAM, 60-250 GB hard disk/32-64 GB solid state, 11.1″ WXGA display, internal optical DVD write-capable drive 277 × 198.4 × 22.5–29.8 1205 2007—
FlyBook V33i Intel 1.1 GHz Pentium M, 512 MiB RAM, 80 GB hard disk, 8.9″ LCD display 235 × 135 × 31 1230 2005
Sony Vaio VGN-TX Intel Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 773 1.1-1.3 GHz CPU, 1–2gb GiB RAM, 60-100Gb OR 32 Solid state GB hard disk, 11.1″ WXGA display, internal DVD optical write-capable drive 272.4 × 195.1 × 21–28.5 1250 2005-2006

Other examples

  • The Sharp Actius PC-MM10 is about a half-inch thick. It has a 1 GHz Transmeta CPU, 256 MiB of memory, a 15 GB hard drive, and built-in Wi-Fi.
  • The Casio Corporation Fiva series of subnotebooks, which had a short 10x series. They featured a 6.7" full SVGA screen, a rarity among early subnotebooks (its Toshiba Libretto competition having a smaller-than SVGA screen, with a resolution of only 800x480 at its best). This series boasted a 200MHz (the Fiva 101), 233MHz (Fiva 102),or 300MHz (Fiva 103) Cyrix Media GXm processor, and a loose maximum of 96MB RAM (Chip density made it so not all 128MB SDRAM upgrades work, but some do, for a total of 192MB SDRAM) in its single DIMM slot. With a standard battery, you could get around 2.5 hours of use, at only 830g. With the double capacity battery, it was only A5 dimensions (Paper) and the longevity doubled.
    • An alternate to the Fiva MPC-101 was the Fiva 501, a model with the same basic specifications, which was a tablet computer, with a touchscreen. This model is generally more available to buyers even today, given it's widespread use in business environments.
  • The last Fiva subnotebook was the Fiva 205/206, subnotebook which was a bit larger that the original Fiva, but boasted a similar 8.9" SVGA screen, a 500MHz or 600MHz Transmeta processor, and a loose maximum of 256MB Expansion plus 128MB Internal SDRAM, but some SODIMMS of 512MB capacity could be used. The overall dimensions of the new Fiva 206 were larger than the original Fiva, similar thickness but almost double the length and a small bit wider. This Fiva weighed in at about 990g with the normal battery, and a double-capacity battery was available.
  • Other recent models include the Averatec 1xxx series, Sony Vaio UX Micro PC, OQO, and Vulcan FlipStart, although the latter two are more often referred to as "Ultra Mobile Personal Computers", as they are barely larger than a typical palmtop.

External links

See also

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