Novero's Solana is an $800 netbook running Windows 7 and Android, we go hands-on

The last time we saw the Novero Solana, we were prowling Intel's booth at CES in search of prototypes. Because it was Intel, not Novero, showing the device, the emphasis was on that Cedar Trail processor inside, as well as that kooky form factor -- a netbook with a titling, easel-like touchscreen. What we didn't know then was that the Solana also runs Android, and that it's almost ready for prime time: it's expected to hit Europe and North America within the next two to three months, priced at about €699 or $799, respectively. We had a chance to play with some more polished hardware here at Mobile World Congress, and also see the machine running Gingerbread. Follow past the break for some early impressions or, if it's too early in the US to stomach reading, have a gander at our quickie demo video.
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Hardware

A pretty piece of kit this is not. Though the lid and bottom cover are fashioned out of smooth metal, the interior is coated in glossy, fingerprint-prone plastic. And while the hardware is just about final, many of our first impressions remain unchanged. For starters, the hinge mechanism isn't nearly as smooth as this, and that 9.7-inch (1024 x 768) 4:3 display seems like an odd choice for a device that's as much a laptop as it is a tablet. (Do you really want that aspect ratio when you're using this as a clamshell laptop?) Still, at 1.3kg (2.87 pounds), it feels lightweight in the hand -- especially considering that touchscreen and elaborate hinge it's got in tow.

At first blush, at least, the chiclet-style keyboard is comfortable, with a slightly textured finish that makes it easy to plant your fingers as you're typing. The touch buttons feel a bit stiff, but this is easily the most minor of our complaints.

Take a tour around the sides and you'll find two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI socket, microSD reader, SIM card slot, headphone / mic ports and a 3-megapixel webcam nestled in the upper bezel. This also might be a good time to walk through the internals: on board you'll find a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 processor, Intel GMA 3600 IGP graphics, 2GB of RAM, Intel's Centrino Wireless-N 1000 WiFi radio, Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR, and between 32GB and 128GB of solid-state storage, depending on the configuration. And that, friends, concludes the first summary of netbook specs yours truly has had to write in a long time.

Dual operating systems

To switch from Windows to Android, you'll need to double click a shortcut on the desktop. Right now, the transition takes about a minute, but the company hopes to shrink that load time to several seconds before it starts shipping this thing. Once the machine is finished booting up Android, you'll see the familiar Gingerbread lock screen, which you'll naturally need to swipe in order to reach the home screen.

As you can see in our hands-on photos, there's a trio of familiar-looking, touch-sensitive Android controls lining the right bezel, allowing you to pull up menus, go to the home screen, et cetera. Unfortunately, though, these buttons weren't functional on the pre-production unit we handled, so we instead had to use hotkeys to find our way around. These include "Esc" to navigate backwards, as well as a menu button to the right of the Space bar. In its final form, you'll be able to do these things using either the bezel or the keyboard.

Without a doubt, the Solana would be more of a steal at $799 if it ran Ice Cream Sandwich or even Honeycomb, but we think the even bigger problem right now is that there's no Android Market access (the app store GetJar comes pre-loaded instead). A company rep told us Novero is still negotiating possible Market access, and if that comes through we might not mind quite so much that it's saddled with Android 2.3.7. If nothing else, Novero's wisely decided not to add any custom skins, and the netbook is quick to launch apps and transition from one screen to another. From what we can tell, too, the touchscreen is precise -- it responded briskly to our various taps and swipes in both Android and Windows 7.

Wrap-up

All told, we'll reserve final judgment until we can get our hands on some final hardware -- hopefully with Android Market on board and some faster transitioning between operating systems. We'll be curious to revisit all of this when it ships sometime this spring, but for now, count this as the most interesting tablet (and, er, the only netbook) we've seen here in Barcelona.

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