For you, maybe. Too shallow keypress for me.

Smartbooks are d-e-d already. 2010 will be Tablet Year.

ARM Laptops are half the price, less than half the power consumption with or without Pixel Qi screens, half the weight and much more optimized.

I just filmed an 80 dollar Android smartbook http://techvideoblog.com/reviews/80-android-laptop-menq-easypc-e790/

although it would be nice if the screens swiveled around as well. but face it, your not going to swivel between slate/notebook every time you need to enter text. so there will almost have to be a touch screen on the notebook form factor.

It’s evident that the size gap between smartphones and netbooks has yet to be conquered. In order for smartbooks to be truly useful (dare I say functional) manufacturers will need to cram the best features of smartphones/netbooks into this unique footprint. I would even go so far as to work on a rechargeable docking station to offer extra ports/jacks/juice.

Kevin is dead on regarding display size – it needs to be smaller than a 16:9 8″ screen, otherwise you’re getting right back to the netbook footprint. My recommendation? Do a 5 inch and a 7 inch version, or somewhere between. Sacrificing vertical screen real estate is not such a big deal either. The HD2 works at 800×480, most netbooks 1024×600, and the Vaio P 1600×768. I think 1280×600 or 1024×480 in a 5-7 inch smartbook would hit the bullseye.

Pricing it though is going to be difficult considering the best smartphones cost within $100 of netbooks. $300-plus for a HD2 is going to be a tough sell if the more functional smartbook is selling for $200. In my opinion, the sweetspot for pricing should be $200/$300/$400 for smartphone/smartbook/netbook respectively.

That’s my $0.02 ;)

Without the keyboard, then a smartphone is good enough. Saves you from needing another device, and one with dedicated 3G connectivity to boot.

In my world I have decided that I need three devices for when I’m on the move:

1) Always with me – fit in any pocket. This is currently a Palm Pre. Primary requirement is small size/weight and excellent phone service, but these days it also has to include a good Web browser and e-mail/contacts integration with Google Apps. The Pre is perfect, but the gadget guy in me wants to try an Android device next year.

2) Frequently with me – fit in a big pocket. Currently this is the Nokia N800/N810 device because it gives me a bigger screen for easier reading than on the Pre, but it also gives me a real computer for limited development and server support access. This is also my music device because the battery seems to last forever (most of an 18-hour flight to India). I wouldn’t pay for an extra cell phone/data plan for this device since I can tether to my Pre in an emergency when I don’t have Wi-Fi. This is the next device upgrade because my coat pockets will actually support something an inch or two bigger, and there have been a lot of advances since the Nokia tablets came out.

3) Backpack or other bag required. This is a real notebook that goes with me on trips (coffee shop, lunch, meetings, and all away from home travel) but my limit is 5 lbs and 15″ screen because I frequently schlep it through airports. Currently a MacBook.

A lot of other devices have been tempting me, especially the Kindle since I read a lot of newspapers and books. But then I think about where, when and how I would carry each new thing and I realize that I don’t want anything else in my backpack so I would probably end up leaving it home.

I would go even further and squash off the whole “netbook-as-something-between-pocketable-and-laptop” altogether. As laptops are getting cheaper, netbook will more and more be another name for “low-cost-small-notebook”.

What’s much more interesting for me is the Celio’s Redfly concept. Even if it’s badly implemented, the idea is pretty good, as more and more the only missing piece of a smartphone will be the intermittent need of a bigger keyboard & screen.

I can stop dreaming of Apple and Nokia to burry the tablet/booklet dead end, and instead make a sub-100$, wireless, ultra-light and ultra-thin 10 to 13” touch screen / keyboard combo.