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Clambook promises to turn iPhones into laptops by the end of 2012
You've always known that your iPhone is almost as powerful as a "real" laptop computer. Now accessory manufacturer Clamcase plans to bring a laptop screen and keyboard to your iPhone in the form of a new product called the Clambook. Expected by the all-important holiday shopping season, the Clambook -- which bears more than just a passing resemblance to a MacBook Air -- connects to your iPhone to use the big 16:9 laptop display and full-size keyboard to make all of your iPhone apps come to life. Clamcase touts the advantages of the Clambook as running cooler than a laptop and having much less battery drain, so you can use the faux laptop for a longer period of time without recharging. From the looks of the Clamcase website, it appears that Clambook is being targeted primarily to Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" smartphones with the iPhone tacked on as a "me too" feature. Android phones will get automatic integration with and on-desktop icons for Gmail, Firefox and an on-screen dialer, with a MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) cable providing power to the smartphone while linking video and sound. There's no price or specifications for the device yet, and the iPhone-specific features appear to be less-than-stellar, but you can sign up to be notified when the Clambook hits the market. Perhaps if enough iPhone users ask to be notified, Clamcase will up the ante for Apple fans.
Clamcase's Clambook gives Android phones and iPhones a laptop shell, feels decidedly Airy
The idea of creating a full-fledged laptop companion to a smartphone isn't new -- just ask the former Palm team -- but rarely has it come across as so pretty. Clamcase's upcoming Clambook, while it has more than a slight hint of MacBook Air about it, is really meant as a large canvas of sight and sound for an Android phone or iPhone. Although the Clambook can at least be used as a big, 16:9 ratio display for an iPhone, the emphasis is clearly on more Google-inclined users that can use an MHL port: the one cable provides audio, video, power, an Android 4.0-native keyboard and a multi-touch trackpad. More recent Motorola phone owners might get the most out of it, since Webtop's full-size Firefox browser and windowed interface will kick in without needing one of Motorola's proprietary docks. We're still waiting on many basic details, like exact device support and the all-important matter of pricing, but the Clamcase should be ready for supersized Real Racing sessions by the holidays.
