As smartphones become increasingly powerful and the vast repository of available apps expands, many users are warming to the idea of utilizing the tiny computer in their pocket to perform more useful tasks than checking Facebook or battling irritated avians. One of the main obstacles to mobile productivity using these devices is the lack of a screen and keyboard big enough to allow comfortable use. With this in mind, ClamCase has revealed its upcoming ClamBook laptop dock, a stylish laptop shell which promises to super-size your smartphone experience.
The ClamBook boasts a 13.3-inch, 16:9 HD LED backlit display, a full-size keyboard (with dedicated Android keys), 3D Cinema Sound and multi-touch trackpad - all of which comes packed into a neat little aluminum package which bears more than a passing resemblance to the MacBook Air. Indeed, the ClamBook is actually slimmer than a MacBook Air, making this laptop dock a very portable alternative to your average notebook.
While the ClamBook announcement follows in the wake of existing devices such as the Motorola Atrix 4G, this gadget appears to go further in order to allow both iPhones and those Android devices that run Ice Cream Sandwich to dock with the case. In addition, the ClamBook is something of a looker, with that svelte aluminum body leaving Motorola's Atrix 4G appearing slightly dated.
That said, the ClamBook is happy to make use of Motorola's Ubuntu-based Webtop application to give users with compatible devices the kind of full desktop experience that comes from using software like Firefox, the Gmail web app and a complete file manager.
Connectivity is handled with a dual-method: the ClamBook's keyboard connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and the display is hooked up via a USB connector cable, which is designed to allow the output of HD video while simultaneously charging your device and rendering compatible apps fullscreen through the use of MHL technology.
The finer details of how exactly all the features mentioned above work are not yet clear and until we get our hands on a unit, we won't know for sure whether ClamBook can live up to its promise - but we're intrigued, to say the least.
The price of the ClamBook is yet to be announced and ClamCase is currently citing "Holiday 2012" as the U.S. release-date for the ClamBook, with additional countries expected to follow.
Source: ClamCase
