Freescale partnered with the Savannah College of Art and Design to come up with new mobile computing design concepts. These “smartbook” designs aren’t your typical notebooks as you can see in the photo gallery of prototypes below.

The most interesting one to me is the modular concept. It’s an all-in-one device that can transform from tablet to netbook to desktop.

Some of these designs may never see the light of day, but it’s great to see people thinking beyond the traditional clamshell notebook design.

Press release from Freescale:

Freescale drives innovation around future netbook concepts and form factors

As the smartbook” category takes shape, Freescale teams with prestigious industrial design program to demonstrate next-generation form factors

TAIPEI (Computex) June 2, 2009 Smartbook devices based on ARMâ„¢ technology are rapidly emerging to fill the gap between smaller-screened smartphones and traditional, PC-like netbook or notebook products. To develop groundbreaking product concepts for this new device category, Freescale has teamed with a top North American industrial design program, resulting in an array of visionary smartbook prototypes on display this week at the Computex show in Taiwan.

Sporting larger screens than traditional smartphone devices, smartbooks are cloud-computing-centric and characterized by all-day battery life, instant-on functionality and persistent connectivity. They are commonly powered by processors based on ARM technology, such as Freescale’s i.MX515 device.

To demonstrate compelling new concepts that leverage these advantages, Freescale engaged with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for a program to explore requirements related to ergonomic issues, user interfaces, alternative form factors and even accessories for next-generation smartbook devices.

As the smartbook market emerges, new form factors and product categories will evolve to support and better align with user needs, and our engagement with SCAD demonstrates Freescale’s intention to lead this evolution,” said Glen Burchers, Consumer Segment marketing director for Freescale. This initiative has given Freescale valuable insight into how end-users prefer to interact with smartbooks, and this knowledge will be fed back into our chip design processes, ultimately resulting in future i.MX processors that enable compelling consumer experiences and entirely new classes of consumer devices.”

Tasked with creating new models and paradigms that improve on the designs and user interfaces common to most first-generation netbook products, the participants developed a range of highly innovative, yet practical, designs optimal for leveraging the small, fanless dimensions and low-power operation of Freescale’s i.MX515 processor. Students whose designs are selected as truly exceptional will travel to Computex in Taipei to showcase their prototypes with Freescale. They will also participate in a special panel presentation on June 4.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution that offers more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university in the United States. Last year, SCAD’s industrial design program was ranked among the most prestigious in the nation by the Almanac of Architecture and Design. Industrial design students work with the form and function of everyday products designing them to suit user needs while also considering the demands and limitations of production. Coursework is combined with professional practice involving actual clients on projects for industries including consumer electronics, communications, entertainment, housewares, interaction, marine, toys, lawn and garden, consumer products and transportation. www.scad.edu.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com.

Smartbook Design Concepts is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

We were excited to get an early hands-on with netbook prototypes based on Freescale Semiconductor’s iMX515 processor at CES 2009. I caught up with Glen Burhers, who gave me an update on the progress of this new breed of netbooks. The good news is, a lot of progress has been made and sub-$150 netbooks will become a reality later this year.

Freescale is now developing its platform with three operating systems in mind and has added 3G solutions to the mix.

We chatted over Skype and you can view a recording of the conversation below.

Glen is optimistic and believes the market’s wide open for devices that are cheaper than netbooks with Intel Atom processors . The iMX515 will allow for very slim netbooks that will be able to run for eight hours on three-cell batteries. He told me that at least one of his customers is targeting a $149 price point.

Intel Atom-based netbooks are continuing to drop in price and may beat Freescale to the sub $150 finish line if they don’t hurry. Just this week Dell began selling the Mini 9 for just $199. I predict at least one OEM will sell a netbook with Freescale’s iMX515 this holiday season.

Here’s the full press release from 2009 Mobile World Congress

Freescale expands its netbook ecosystem

Collaboration with top operating system and wireless component providers enables 3G connectivity and additional OS choices

BARCELONA, Spain (2009 Mobile World Congress) Feb. 16, 2009 Freescale Semiconductor has collaborated with an impressive lineup of companies to enable 3G connectivity and additional operating system options for netbooks based on its new i.MX515 processor. For OEMs, the expanded ecosystem means faster time to market, greater differentiation and more compelling end devices.

Freescale entered the netbook market in January 2009 with the introduction of the i.MX515 processor and a comprehensive netbook reference design. The solution is designed to enable consumer products that deliver gigahertz performance, eye-popping graphics and eight hours of battery life between charges at extremely aggressive price points.

Developed jointly with Pegatron, the reference design includes Canonical’s Ubuntu® operating system based on Linux® technology. Freescale now has expanded its netbook ecosystem, adding support for additional operating systems from Android Open Source Project, Phoenix Technologies and Xandros, as well as 3G connectivity capabilities via collaboration with Wavecom and Option. Freescale plans to enable 3G connectivity by providing hardware and software support for data modules optimized for the i.MX515 applications processor.

Demand from third parties to partner with Freescale in the growing netbook market has been tremendous,” said Glen Burchers, marketing director for Freescale’s Consumer Segment. Freescale is taking dead aim at the netbook space by assembling an outstanding portfolio of technologies and partners. As a result, we expect that a wide range of netbook models based on Freescale technology will be available for consumers in the second half of this year.”

Freescale’s expanded netbook ecosystem now includes:

The Android platform: a comprehensive, open software stack that includes everything a manufacturer or operator needs to build a compelling mobile device

Phoenix HyperSpaceâ„¢: an easy-to-use, instant-on operating environment that enables extended battery life and smart network connectivity

Xandros® customized Linux solutions: new, simple and compelling user experiences with integrated applications and an online digital marketplace, all designed to reduce time to market and costs for OEMs and carriers

Wireless connectivity capabilities from Option, a leader in wireless broadband technology used by telecom operators and OEMs worldwide

Wireless connectivity capabilities from Wavecom, a leading provider of embedded wireless technology for machine-to-machine communication

Availability

Freescale’s netbook reference design is available now. The company currently is sampling the i.MX515 processor to tier one netbook customers. Volume production for the i.MX515 device is planned for Q2 2009 to power netbooks designed for the 2009 holiday shopping season. Support for 3G connectivity, as well as for the Android, Phoenix Technologies and Xandros operating systems, is expected to coincide with volume production of the i.MX515.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com

Supporting comments from Freescale partners follow:

The buildout of Freescale’s netbook ecosystem demonstrates the broad support that processors based on ARM Cortex-A8 technology offers,” said Bob Morris, director of Mobile Computing for ARM. Freescale’s i.MX515 processor offers the performance, low-power operation and third-party support required for success in the fast-expanding netbook market.”

Exciting developments such as Freescale’s i.MX515 processor are beneficial to the netbook sector as a whole,” said Patrick Hofkens, vice president of Strategic Alliances at Option. 3G connectivity will come to be regarded as a standard netbook feature. The i.MX515 processor therefore extends the market opportunity for Option’s versatile embedded 3G connectivity solutions as well as its integration and certification services.”

Freescale’s outstanding netbook solution positions Freescale and its i.MX515 processor as early leaders in the fast-growing netbook market,” said Jeremy Shu, associate vice president for Pegatron. Featuring advanced silicon from Freescale and smart, sophisticated design from Pegatron, the Freescale netbook solution sets new standards for performance, style and price for next-generation netbooks.”

Freescale’s i.MX515 processor and the Phoenix HyperSpace OS work together to deliver exceptional performance and value to netbook OEMs and consumers,” said Surendra Arora, vice president of Business Development at Phoenix Technologies. The i.MX515 is an ideal netbook platform for showcasing HyperSpace’s all-day computing capabilities, smart network connectivity and ease-of-use.”

“We are extremely pleased at the opportunity to enable 3G HSPA connectivity on Freescale’s i.MX515 platform,” said Philippe Guillemette, chief technology officer for Wavecom. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Freescale to achieve our shared goal of reliable, low-total-cost connectivity for all classes of machines.”

Through the Freescale i.MX515 platform, we can bring a rich user experience and the full power of desktop computing to mobile devices with fast boot, long battery life and always-on 3G networking,” said Ming Poon, acting chief operating officer and senior vice president of Software Development for Xandros.

Freescale’s ARM Netbooks Gaining Momentum is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Freescale and Pegatron are ushering a new generation of netbooks that will combine excellent battery life, good looks and low cost. The two partners are hoping to bring the ARM-based netbook to market within the next few months under the flagship of a major OEM at a retail price of $199 to $299.

When I was invited to this private meeting and told the netbooks would be priced at $199 and $299 I expected to find flimsy plastic prototypes. I was pleasantly surprised by how good they looked and they felt extremely well built. The prototypes have 8.9-inch displays, but they may end up with 10-inch displays. This change could mean an even thinner profile.

They run on Linux, are designed purely as Web devices and will deliver up to eight hours of battery life. These prototypes were much thinner than other netbooks I’ve used, but still manage to have a full compliment of ports.

Details may change by the time this netbook reaches the marketplace, but I’m hoping its overall design stays intact.

I talked to Alain-De Lee, the industrial designer behind this product and he calls his design concept “Mass-tige,” or the idea of bringing prestigous-looking products to the mass market. He previously led design projects for Asus and came up with the look and feel of the Lamborghini special edition notebook.

Low-cost netbooks like these are going to put price pressure on other platforms, such as Intel Atom.

Here’s the official press release from Freescale:

Freescale Semiconductor targets the netbook market

Comprehensive solution based on ARM® technology designed to enable low-power, gigahertz performance netbooks at sub-$200 price points

AUSTIN, Texas Jan. 5, 2009 Freescale Semiconductor enters the fast-growing netbook market with a comprehensive solution designed to enable netbooks that feature 8.9 inch displays, deliver eight hours of battery life between charges and retail at sub-$200 price points.

Based on the new i.MX515 processor featuring ARM Cortexâ„¢-A8 technology, Freescale’s solution includes an impressive lineup of software, components and resources to help OEMs quickly develop and deploy compelling netbook products.

A comprehensive netbook reference design based on the i.MX515 processor is available now. Created in concert with Pegatron, the reference design features the i.MX515 processor, Canonical’s Ubuntu® operating system, a new power management IC from Freescale, the SGTL5000 ultra low-power audio codec and Adobe® Flash® Liteâ„¢ software, Adobe’s Flash Player for mobile phones and devices.

We see a huge opportunity in the netbook market as consumers demand more cost-effective and higher performing solutions,” said Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Networking and Multimedia Group. Our solution for netbooks will enable OEMs to develop compelling products that feature cell phone-like battery life at extremely aggressive price points. We believe the combination of the i.MX515 processor and related enablement solutions will dramatically accelerate the evolution of this exciting new space.”

According to analyst firm ABI Research, consumers are expected to purchase 140 million netbooks in 2013, compared with only 15 million sold in 2008. Often priced between $300 and $400 (USD), netbooks are streamlined, embedded devices that provide more than enough performance for a host of Internet-based activities such as social networking, surfing the Web, using e-mail and other common tasks.

As was evident in the 2008 holiday season, the netbook market has exploded due to consumer demand for affordable and compact devices that allow users to conduct routine tasks like social networking or shopping on the Web,” said Philip Solis, principal analyst at ABI Research. The netbook market is still in its infancy, and it represents a huge market opportunity for companies like Freescale. As advanced platforms for netbooks become increasingly available, price points will drop and the market will expand.”

Unleashing ARM technology for netbook markets

Integrating an ARM Cortex-A8 core and manufactured using 65-nm process technology, Freescale’s new i.MX515 provides up to 2100 Dhrystone MIPS and can scale in performance from 600MHz to 1GHz. Advanced power management features included in the i.MX515 processor, such as a dedicated, hardware-based video acceleration block, allow for extended battery life and eliminate the need for fans or heat sinks.

By incorporating highly integrated devices and low-cost printed circuit boards, the Freescale solution is engineered to keep bill of materials low. In addition, the i.MX515 supports cost efficiency by featuring a memory interface supporting both DDR2 and mobile DDR1. While mobile DDR1 is ideal for the most power sensitive mobile Internet devices, DDR2 is better suited for netbooks as it provides low power at significantly less cost. Although the i.MX515 offers support for both, many competing Cortex-A8 platform options available today only offer mobile DDR1, limiting designers’ options to maximize cost savings.

The i.MX51 is one of the only processors to offer both OpenVG and OpenGL graphics cores, thereby enabling 2D and 3D graphics as well as Flash and SVG for enhanced user experiences. Video created for the Adobe Player is one of the leading video formats on the Internet today. Working with Adobe, Freescale plans to enable the Adobe software to run on the processor’s dedicated OpenVG graphics block, thereby extending battery life and enabling netbook web browsing experiences as rich and responsive as those on traditional PCs.

New netbook power management technology from Freescale

A key component of Freescale’s netbook solution is the new MC13982 power management IC. Integrating a variety of discrete functions into a single device, the MC13982 contributes to reduced size and weight of end products while extending their battery life through innovative power management and control features. The device incorporates a battery charging system, four adjustable buck converters for powering the processor core and memory, two boost converters for LCD backlighting, and RGB LED displays along with serial backlighting drivers for display and keypad.

About Adobe Flash Platform

The Adobe Flash Platform is the de facto standard for delivering breakthrough applications, content and video on the Web. Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Flash Liteâ„¢ are on over 98 percent of connected computers and more than 800 million devices, and deliver more than 80 percent of Web video worldwide, ensuring that content and applications are presented consistently in the format users want. For more information on the Adobe Flash Platform, visit www.adobe.com/flashplatform.

Availability

Freescale’s netbook reference design is available now. The company is currently sampling the i.MX515 processor and MC13982 power management device to tier one netbook customers. Volume production for the i.MX515 device is planned for Q2 2009 to power netbooks designed for the 2009 holiday shopping season.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale is one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies with 2007 sales of $5.7 billion (USD). www.freescale.com

Supporting comments from Freescale partners follow

Adobe: “Freescale’s netbook solution based on the new i.MX51 applications processor is an ideal platform for showcasing the rich graphics and video capabilities that Adobe Flash Platform enables with Flash Lite,” said Danny Winokur, senior director for business development, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “With the combination of advanced processing intelligence from Freescale and rich Internet experiences delivered by Adobe software, consumers can look forward to compelling new netbook products in 2009 and beyond.”

ARM: Consumer demand for all-day, always-on Internet experiences requires the power-efficiency and performance of the 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor,” said Mike Inglis, executive vice president and general manager for the Processor Division of ARM Limited. With leading edge ARM technology onboard, Freescale’s i.MX515 system-on-chip is an outstanding device that will play a key role in the evolution of the dynamic and fast-growing netbook space.”

Canonical: The increasing uptake of Ubuntu by computer manufacturers demonstrates how it is ideally suited to meet customer expectations for netbooks,” said Canonical’s director of OEM Services, Chris Kenyon. Netbook buyers want small form factor, lightweight devices that offer all day computing, fast access to Web, email and entertainment, and a mobile-oriented user interface. The i.MX515 processor’s onboard graphics and performance and power consumption characteristics make it a great platform to run Ubuntu.”

New Generation of Netbooks: $199 and $299, Eight Hour Battery & Sexy Design is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.