New mini-laptop is a shapeshifter - but it'll cost you
Friday, November 06, 2009
Boston-based computer manufacturer Litl has released what appears, at first glance, to be a standard netbook. But then the hinge is turned and the device is suddenly a digital picture frame.
The Webbook, as it is known, is a miniaturized netbook with a 12-inch screen and advanced display drivers that allow the screen to display in multiple orientations, so that, while it can still be used as a standard laptop, it can also be flipped over for use as a TV screen, picture frame, or other type of media center.
A 1.6 GHz Atom processor powers the device, which contains 1 GB of RAM, a 2 GB flash hard drive, and an on-board camera. Wired news suggests that the minimal hard drive space means that the Webbook is meant to be used as a cloud computing device, which would see most actual content stored elsewhere and streamed to the Webbook.
Critics say the device's $700 price point and minimal computing power make it a white elephant, as consumers could purchase a media center PC or a much more capable laptop for the same price.