Compaq Airlife brings Android, Snapdragon together on 10-inch screen

Anybody in the mood for 10.1 inches of Android? 'Cause that's what HP just announced in the Compaq AirLife 100.

And it's not lacking for specs. It sports the aforementioned 10.1-inch screen, Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processor, a 92 percent full-size keyboard, a 16-gigabyte solid-state drive, SD card reader, WiFi and 3G wireless, GPS, a VGA web cam and up to 12 hours of battery life.

Full presser and another shot of the beast after the break.

Compaq Airlife 100

Madrid, Spain, Feb. 12, 2010 – HP today announced an innovative device that gives people a new way of connecting to the essentials of online life – the Internet, email, messaging, social networking, photos, music and more(1).

Unveiled just days before the start of Mobile World Congress, the Compaq AirLife 100 combines a 10.1-inch diagonal screen, a 92 percent full size keyboard,16 GB solid state internal storage, SD™ Card slot, full multitasking Android operating system and customized touch interface. Leveraging its legacy and innovation in touch, the HP customized interface features a new “tabbed” touch browser experience, a simple mechanism for zooming web pages, and a touch-optimized media suite and shortcut menu.

This launch also builds on the strategic announcement signed in November 2009 by HP and Telefónica, one of the world´s leading telecommunication companies, to supply joint mobile broadband services to markets across Europe and Latin America. HP and Telefónica are working together to offer customers a compelling online experience right out of the box. The custom touch interface allows for easy navigation of music, entertainment, information and access to the Telefónica store and services.

“The browser has become the desktop for many people, and the new Compaq AirLife is the next evolution of a mobile computer that is streamlined specifically for the web,” said Charl Snyman, Vice President and General Manager, HP Personal Systems Group, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “This new type of user lives life online and no longer measures computing speeds and feeds, but rather friends, people and online social ranks.”

With “instant on” for immediate enjoyment, integrated 3G cellular,(2) Wi-Fi connectivity,(1) VGA webcam, all-day computing (up to 12 hours of battery life in active use and up to 10 days of standby time),(3) the AirLife morphs the best of a smartphone into a netbook to keep up with the most demanding online lives. The AirLife also features global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. NDrive navigation software comes preinstalled. Regional maps with points of interest are included.(4)

The AirLife 100 features Qualcomm’s SnapdragonTM QSD8250 chipset platform to offer a combination of mobile processing performance, optimized power consumption, ubiquitous connectivity and powerful multimedia in a single chip.

Available in Cloud White and sold exclusively thorough Telefónica, the Compaq AirLife 100 is expected to be available in Spring 2010 in select countries.

Phil Nickinson