AT&T’s New Smartbook: Not a Smartphone, Not a Netbook

At a Qualcomm investor’s conference this week, CEO Paul Jacobs unveiled what will be the first smartbook on the market, made by Lenovo and sold by AT&T, using a Qualcomm chip.

You might say that the smartbook is more than a smartphone, but less than a netbook. It has a display much like a netbook, but with an “always-on” capability that a smartphone provides. Jacobs didn’t provide many more details, but did say it will get a more official unveiling at January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Qualcomm hopes its Snapdragon chip, which is already a smartphone staple, might be relied upon in this new category of devices.