A case of déjà vu sets in with VIA's OpenBook Mini-Note reference design.

The low-cost notebook market has exploded in recent months following the launch of the ASUS Eee PC. Many of the big names in the business have already launched products to compete in the sector (Hewlett Packard, Everex) while others are putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming entries (Dell, MSI, ECS).

VIA doesn't want to be left behind in what is seen as a growing market and today launched its OpenBook mini-note reference design. The OpenBook is based around VIA's venerable C7-M processor (1.0GHz to 1.6GHz) and features the new VX800 integrated chipset (VIA Chrome9, DirectX 9.0) to handle graphics duties.

The OpenBook comes equipped with an 8.9" display -- like many of its competitors -- and features a resolution of 1024x600. Other features include three USB 2.0 ports, 4-in-1 media reader, 2MP digital camera, VGA connector, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The OpenBook can also be optioned with WiMAX, HSDPA, or EV-DO depending on your usage needs. Users can also choose from a variety of HDD or solid state disk (SSD) storage options.

Another thing to take note of is the "open" part of the OpenBook -- VIA gives manufacturers full access to the CAD plans of the notebook so that they can develop their own notebooks thanks to a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license.

"The VIA OpenBook builds on the great success of the VIA NanoBook reference design launched last year, which has been widely adopted by numerous customers around the world," remarked VIA's VP of Corporate Marketing, Richard Brown. "Our unique open approach to case design customization and wireless connectivity flexibility, coupled with the higher levels of performance, further extends VIA's leadership in the global mini-note market."

If all of this sounds familiar, it should come as no surprise that an eerily similar product was announced by Everex in early April. Although VIA informed us that the "[Everex] CloudBook Max was designed by a different company," one only needs to look at the pictures and the specifications to see that the two notebooks are virtual twins.

That being said, the VIA OpenBook will be compatible with Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows XP, and Linux when it ships later this year. Pricing has not yet been announced for notebooks using this reference design, but expect them to occupy the $400 to $600 price range depending on communications and storage options

Source From DailyTech