This Gadget Will Let You Transform Your Smartphone Into A Notebook

Notebooks are fighting it out with tablets, be they the traditional type from Apple, Google and Samsung, or Microsoft’s hybrid option in Surface. If the Casetop from US firm Livi Design becomes reality, smartphones could mount their own strike against the venerable mobile computing device, allowing one to easily turn their mobile into a lightweight laptop.

The Casetop, currently on Kickstarter vying for its share of crowdfunding dollars ($US300,000 to be exact), is essentially a notebook hull that you can plug a phone into. Using a combination of Bluetooth and video output, it allows one to interact with their device via a 720p display and keyboard, with the phone’s touchscreen acting as a trackpad.

While the product’s website spends a lot of time putting across the quality of the “notebook”, comparing it to the likes of Apple, IBM and ASUS, it does provide some hard specifications: 11.1-inch 720p LED screen (with an upgrade to 1080p if the Kickstarter hits $500,000); 56W battery, a pair of 1W speakers, HDMI input; 3.5mm audio output and various other ports. No dimensions other than the screen are mentioned, though it comes in at 2cm thick when closed.

A list of compatible phones is available, with the major players covered, but if you have something a little more esoteric, it might be wise to take a look before handing over the $US250 minimum to back the project. That is, of course, you’re interested in the first place.

[Casetop, via Liliputing]


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