The chipmaker has partnered with design firm Ziba to prove that when it comes to computing, you really can't be too thin.
Behold the Razr of laptops. The thinnest notebook computer ever, this new machine created by Ziba Design and Intel, packs enough futuristic features to make a geek's head spin.
On the outside, from its no-rim screen to its groovy keyboard, the notebook is gloriously smooth and streamlined. A special accessory-a leather-like folder that wraps around the laptop and attaches with magnets-serves as a wireless charger and an external screen that lets users check e-mail without opening the computer. Add a strap, and the whole thing turns into a bag that can be adorned with a favorite picture on the screen.
Inside, meanwhile, there's built-in wireless compatibility with WiMax, a speedier, longer-range cousin of Wi-Fi that's just starting to reach the market.
A version of this laptop could be sold by a yet-unnamed manufacturer as early as this fall. But you can start ogling now:
Green Light
This is thin. Using flash memory in place of the standard hard-disk drive, Ziba and Intel have managed to make this laptop just 0.7 inches thick. The use of flash resulted in a side benefit: the laptop consumes less power and offers up to 14 hours of battery life. At 2.25 pounds, it's also among the lightest notebooks around.
Razr Thin
When Intel commissioned Ziba, in Portland (Ore.), to design this laptop, it asked the design firm to develop a device that would be roughly comparable in thickness to Motorola's famed Razr phone, which won accolades for thinness. Motorola's just-unveiled Razr2 phone is thinner still: 0.46 inches when closed. But where the Razr only connects with cell-phone networks, this laptop can also access the Web via Wi-Fi and WiMax wireless-broadband connections.
Champagne Wishes
To convey the notion of premium jewelry, Ziba decided to use real metal-champagne-colored magnesium, to be exact-for the laptop case, rather than the standard plastic. The trim is gold-colored.
On the Edge
Unlike most notebooks, this laptop's screen isn't encased, photo-frame-like, in a plastic rim. Instead, the glass extends to the very edges, mimicking a look found in high-end flat-panel TVs. The screen contains light sensors, which adjust brightness automatically. It also features a built-in video camera.
Keyed Up
The typical notebook's surface has little dips and valleys for the keys and various buttons. This laptop is completely smooth except for a slight groove between the keys. The keys themselves are marked in a futuristic orange font, and they glow in the dark.
Unconventional Cover
Ziba hopes to see the computer sold with a special protective folio that, at first glance, looks like a fashionable cover for a personal diary. The folio, which clings to the laptop with embedded magnets, is equipped with contacts that connect the laptop to an external digital screen. That display can be used to read e-mail or display a screensaver or photo (the sort of personalization popular with cell phones). The folio, which plugs into an electric outlet, can also double as a wireless charger for the laptop and other devices.
