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HP Compaq AirLife 100 specs revealed (Updated: still no plans for a US arrival)
HP hasn't exactly shrouded its Android-running Compaq AirLife 100 in mystery -- you know, considering we spent some quality time with it at MWC and it recently just cleared the FCC -- but the full specs of the company's first smartbook have now been confirmed on HP's website. Frankly, we're not all that surprised by what's going on inside the 10-inch clamshell device -- it's powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with WiFi / 3G connectivity, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of flash storage. Just as we saw at CES and then again in Barcelona, in addition to a touchpad it's got a resistive touchscreen (no multitouch here) for navigating the mobile OS. We're still assuming it won't have access to the Android Marketplace, but HP is listing the preloaded apps, which interestingly includes a "data transfer counter" and NDrive GPS. The AirLife is set to launch soon in Latin America and in parts of Europe with carrier partners, but because it's popping up on HP's US site there's reason to believe it may be headed stateside. We're still awaiting HP's official word on that American AirLife so stay tuned. Update: HP has confirmed that it has no current plans to bring the AirLife stateside. It will ship in Europe and Latin America soon.
Compaq AirLife 100 hands-on
We visited with HP to see what's changed since we saw the Compaq AirLife during CES -- aside from it now having a name -- in early January. We were told by HP that the device's plastic housing has been improved, received confirmation that it's indeed running a 1GHz Snapdragon, and will be sold exclusively through a deal with Telefonica. The AirLife's performance was impressive while scrolling through carousels of photos, and control of the resistive display was also snappy with no stuttering while scrolling -- that we noticed. If reaching across the keyboard to touch the screen isn't your thing, you also have the option of using the touchpad that is equipped with three Android buttons for home, menu, and back. Sadly though, as it isn't a Google certified device, it won't have access to the Android Market, but rather will reach into Telefonica's homegrown option: mstore. We guess as long as the store offerings are decent, and easy for consumers to access, the AirLife may well get some attention come launch time in Spring of this year. Pricing remains a mystery, but if it is able to compete with Lenovo Skylight at $499, less the carrier subsidy, it could be pretty attractive. Video tour and some pictures are just below the fold.%Gallery-85598%
