Subnotebook - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A subnotebook is a class of laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical laptop

Laptop

A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...

.

These computers are often confused with the "Ultra-Mobile PC

Ultra-Mobile PC

An ultra-mobile PC is a small form factor version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by Microsoft and Intel in spring 2006. Sony had already made a first attempt in this direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series, which was however only sold in Asia...

" category, which is the name of a platform of small form-factor tablet PCs. Unlike UMPCs

Ultra-Mobile PC

, they generally are found to run full desktop operating systems such as Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

or Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

, rather than specialized software such as Windows CE

Windows CE

Microsoft Windows CE is an operating system developed by Microsoft for embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinct operating system and kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows...

, Palm OS

Palm OS

Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...

or Internet Tablet OS. They are also sometimes confused with netbook
Netbook
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...

s which are a different category of devices that branched off from mini notebooks in general with the coming of the first of such devices, the EEE PC. Netbooks are most often much less expensive than Subnotebooks, as they are optimized for use as portable Internet capable devices and generally lack the processing power of a workstation. Netbooks typically have 9W TDP

Thermal Design Power

The thermal design power , sometimes called thermal design point, refers to the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate. For example, a laptop's CPU cooling system may be designed for a 20 watt TDP, which means that it can dissipate up to 20 watts of heat...

CPUs, sacrificing performance for power efficiency, whereas subnotebooks often use 18W TDP processors.

Subnotebooks are smaller than full sized laptops but larger than handheld computers

Handheld PC

A Handheld PC, or H/PC for short, is a term for a computer built around a form factor which is smaller than any standard laptop computer. It is sometimes referred to as a Palmtop. The first handheld device compatible with desktop IBM personal computers of the time was the Atari Portfolio of 1989...

. They often have smaller-sized screens, less than 14 inches, and weigh less than typical laptops, usually being less than 2 kg (4.4 lbs). The savings in size and weight are usually achieved partly by omitting ports

Computer port (hardware)

In computer hardware, a port serves as an interface between the computer and other computers or peripheral devices. Physically, a port is a specialized outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug or cable connects...

or having removable media

Removable media

In computer storage, removable media refers to storage media which is designed to be removed from the computer without powering the computer off.Some types of removable media are designed to be read by removable readers and drives...

or optical disc drives. Many can be paired with docking station

Docking station

A Docking station or port replicator or dock provides a simplified way of “plugging-in” an electronic device such as a laptop computer to common peripherals...

s to compensate.

1990

The Compaq LTE

Compaq LTE

The Compaq LTE was a line of laptop computers made by Compaq, introduced in 1989. The first models, the Compaq LTE and the Compaq LTE 286, were among the first computers to be the size of a paper notebook, spurring the use of the term "notebook" to describe a smaller laptop...

, launched in 1989, was the first to be widely known as a "notebook computer" because its relatively small dimensions— 4.8x22x28 cm (1.9 × 8.5 × 11 inches)—were similar to an A4 paper notebook. The Compaq was followed in October 1992 by the very popular IBM ThinkPad, which was the first to include a 26.416 cm (10.4 inches) screen in a notebook measuring 5.588 x 21.082 x 28.3718 cm (2.2 × 8.3 × 11.7 inches). Portables with smaller form factors thus became known as subnotebooks. The term was also applied to the NEC UltraLite

NEC UltraLite

The NEC UltraLite was an MS-DOS-based portable computer in a "notebook" size.The product was originally developed by an NEC Japan telecommunications engineering team that was trying to make an inexpensive lightweight terminal for programming PABX systems...

, unveiled in 1988, although its dimensions (1.4 × 8.3 × 11.75 inches) were very similar to the Compaq LTE.

Smaller DOS-based PCs such as the Poqet PC

Poqet PC

The Poqet PC is a very small, portable IBM PC compatible computer, introduced in 1989 by Poqet Computer Corporation with a price of $2000. The computer was discontinued after Fujitsu Ltd. bought Poqet Computer Corp. It was the first subnotebook form factor IBM-PC compatible computer that ran...

and the Atari Portfolio

Atari Portfolio

The Atari Portfolio is the first PC-compatible palmtop computer, and was released by Atari Corporation in 1989. The Portfolio was licenced from Distributed Information Processing based in Guildford, Surrey, UK...

— both released in 1989 — were called either "pocket PCs" or handhelds.

1991–1995

One early subnotebook was the PowerBook 100

PowerBook 100

The PowerBook 100 was a portable subnotebook personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced on October 21, 1991 at the COMDEX computer expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Priced at US$2,300, the PowerBook 100 was the low-end model of the first three simultaneously-released...

released in 1991 by Apple Inc., measuring 8.5" deep by 11" wide by 1.8" high and weighing 5.1 lbs. (2.3 Kg) Then the Gateway Handbook

Gateway Handbook

The Gateway Handbook was a very small and lightweight subnotebook originally introduced by Gateway Computers in 1992. It quickly achieved critical acclaim and a cult-like following, especially in Japan....

, originally released in 1992 and updated to use a 486 processor in late 1993, was only 9.7 inches (246 mm) wide, 5.9 inches (150 mm) deep, and 1.6 inches (41 mm) high, and weighed less than three pounds (1.4 kg). Apple followed-up with PowerBook Duo

PowerBook Duo

The PowerBook Duo was a line of small subnotebooks manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 1992 until 1997 as a more compact companion to the PowerBook line. Improving upon the PowerBook 100's portability , the Duo came in seven different models...

series in October 1992, which further reduced their subnotebook line to 8.5" deep by 10.9" wide by 1.4" high and is an example of a portable supporting few on-board features, but which could be inserted into a docking station to achieve the full functionality of a desktop – a feature soon emulated by other manufacturers.

Another early subnotebook was the Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

OmniBook

HP Omnibook

HP OmniBook was a range of laptop personal computers created by Hewlett Packard.The range included:* OmniBook 300 — launched in 1993* OmniBook 425* OmniBook 430* OmniBook 500* OmniBook 510* OmniBook 530* OmniBook 600* OmniBook 800...

300, which was launched as a "superportable" in 1993. It measured 1.4 × 6.4 × 11.1 inches, and was available with an optional Flash memory disk instead of a hard drive, to reduce the weight.

Toshiba

Toshiba

is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...

, which had concentrated on portables in the 1980s, also entered the market that year with the Portege T3400, claiming that "It's the first subnotebook computer with all the functionality of a much larger computer". The version with an 8.4″ monochrome screen measured just 1.7 × 7.9 × 9.8 inches and weighed 1.8 kg. Toshiba also introduced the T3400CT at this time which was the first subnotebook with a color screen.

Then Toshiba really put the subnotebook PC format on the map in 1995 with the Libretto 20. This featured a 6.1″ screen and 270 MB hard disk. CNet reported about the Libretto 50CT that "[it] is the first full-fledged Windows 95 notebook in the United States weighing less than two pounds".

Compaq

Compaq

Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....

introduced its own short lived subnotebook line in 1994 called Contura Aero

Compaq Aero

The Compaq Aero was popularized as a line of computer handhelds produced by Compaq Computer Corporation. It was succeeded by the iPAQ line. The Aero name was first used for small sub-notebooks Compaq produced in the mid-90's, the Contura Aero 4/25 and 4/33c....

, which had two models: the greyscale display 4/25 and the color 4/33, notable for using a battery which was intended to be standard rather than only useful for Compaq products.

1996–2000

In 1997, Apple launched the relatively light-weight (4.4 lbs) but short-lived PowerBook 2400c

PowerBook 2400c

The PowerBook 2400c is a subnotebook in Apple Computer's PowerBook range of Macintosh computers, weighing . Manufacturing was contracted to IBM. In a return to the PowerBook 100 form factor, It was introduced in May 1997 as a late replacement for the PowerBook Duo 2300c, which had been the last of...

. This was co-designed by IBM and made for Apple by IBM Japan to replace the aging PowerBook Duo

PowerBook Duo

line. However, it measured 1.9 × 8.5 × 10.5 inches, so it was actually bigger than a Compaq LTE notebook.
IBM had sold "thin and light" models in its ThinkPad range, such as the ThinkPad 560 ultraportable (1996) and best-selling ThinkPad 600 (1998). It finally entered the subnotebook market in 1999 with the 1.3 kg ThinkPad 240, targeted at business travellers. The 240 and 240X had 10.4in screens. Later, however, IBM replaced these with the X range, with 12.1″ screens. At 8.3 × 10.6in, the ThinkPad X40 is not much smaller than A4 (8.3 by 11.7in) and better described as an ultraportable, rather than a subnotebook.

Sony launched an ultraportable (ultrathin) less than an inch thick in Japan in 1997, the PCG-505, which reached the US in 1997 as the VAIO 505GX. This was followed by the even thinner Sony VAIO X505, which measured just 0.8 × 8.2 × 10.2 inches, and reached 0.3″ at its thinnest. However, it was very expensive and had poor battery life, and was soon withdrawn.

Sony also launched the C1 range of subnotebooks, starting in Japan in January 2000.

2001–2006

One of the most notable Sony models was the Transmeta-based Vaio PCG-C1VE or PictureBook (2001), which measured only 1×6×9.8 inches. It had a digital camera built into the lid, which could be used for video conferencing or swivelled round to photograph a scene.

This was followed in 2005 by the Transmeta-based Flybook convertible with a touch-sensitive 8.9 inch. widescreen from Taiwan's Dialogue Technology

Dialogue Technology

Dialogue Technology is a technology company, founded in 1990 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. The company's flagship product is the Flybook—an ultraportable convertible tablet computer with integrated 3G....

. (Later models used Intel ULV processors.) The Flybook features a built-in phone connection for GPRS or 3G networking, and is available in a range of bright colors. This attracted the attention of non-computer magazines including GQ, FHM, Elle and Rolling Stone. Dimensions of 9.3 × 6.1in put the original Flybook A33i on a par with the Libretto, but styled to appeal more to fashion models than computer geeks.

In 2006, Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

stimulated a new round of subnotebook development with the UMPC or Ultra-Mobile PC

Ultra-Mobile PC

format code-named Origami. These are basically small versions of Tablet PC

Tablet computer

A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...

computers, which originally shipped with the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. An example is the Samsung Q1

Samsung Q1

Samsung Q1 is an Ultra-Mobile PC with a 7" LCD and exists in several different versions.- Samsung Q1 :*Intel Celeron M ULV 353 running at 900 MHz*40GB 1.8" Hard Drive*512MB DDR2 533*Max memory 2GB DDR2 533...

2007–present

In 2007, the ASUS Eee PC

ASUS Eee PC

The Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive , and relatively low cost...

was the first of a new class of low-cost subnotebooks commonly called netbook

Netbook

Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...

s. These devices are based around using the Internet. In 2008, sales of some netbooks overtook both subnotebooks and laptops during particular months. Currently the distinction between the two categories is that netbooks are typically based around the Atom

Intel Atom

Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...

processors, whereas subnotebooks are typically based around more powerful processors, such as ULV

Ultra low voltage

Ultra-low-voltage processors are a class of microprocessor that are deliberately underclocked to use less power at the expense of performance. These processors are commonly used in subnotebooks, netbooks, ultraportables and embedded devices; where low power dissipation and long battery life are...

processors.

At Computex 2011

Computex Taipei

COMPUTEX Taipei, or Taipei International Information Technology Show , is a computer expo held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. Since the early 2000s, it has become one of the largest computer and technology fairs in the world.-Development:...

Intel announced a new class for ultraportables called ultrabook

Ultrabook

An Ultrabook is a computer in a category of thin and lightweight ultraportable laptops, defined by a specification from Intel. The name Ultrabook is an Intel trademark...

s. The term is used to describe a highly portable laptop that has strict limits for size, weight, battery life, and have tablet-like features such as instant on functionality. Intel estimates that by the end of 2012, 40 percent of the consumer laptop market segment will be Ultrabooks.

1990

1991–1995

1996–2000

2001–2006

2007–present

See also