ClamBook Turns Your Phone Into a Laptop

Macbook Air clones are all the rage these days, with an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-powered device making an appearance at this year's Computex.

Now, the same company that brought us the laptop-emulating iPad case, the Clamcase, is at it again—only this time the goal is to replicate the laptop form factor for your smartphone. The Macbook Air doppelganger, dubbed the ClamBook, uses a dock to mirror your smartphone's screen onto a larger display complete with full-sized keyboard and multi-touch trackpad.

The idea of merging a laptop dock and smartphone is nothing new; Motorola has been doing it for a few years now with its original Atrix and Lapdock accessories. The Webtop interface employed by Motorola utilized a desktop version of Ubuntu Linux that was capable of running full versions of Firefox 4, Citrix Receiver, a file manager, and Android running in a window. The concept was undoubtedly ahead of its time and never quite caught on with mainstream consumers.

The ClamBook is an interesting solution to the convergence conundrum. It is not tied to a single device or manufacturer, as the makers promise compatibility with iPhones and Android devices. The MacBook Air lookalike features a slim aluminum construction that is, in fact, thinner than its OSX counterpart. The ClamBook will supersize apps from your smartphone onto a 13.3-inch LED backlit display, with a WXGA resolution. Of course, this accessory will also add a full-sized keyboard and multi-touch trackpad—though it remains to be seen how well it will work in an iOS environment. Unlike Motorola's Webtop ecosystem, the ClamBook will simply mirror your smartphone's screen, which may also present some problems with app compatibility, but we'll have to wait and see exactly how this pans out.

There is still no word on an exact timetable for release or pricing details.