Superbook – here's why you should too

Superbook – here's why you should too

This week's pick is a clever device called the Superbook, which turns your smartphone into a laptop. And our one to avoid? One person wants you to fund their once-in-a-lifetime trip to Las Vegas. Seriously.

WHAT IS THE SUPERBOOK?

The Superbook is a laptop, just without the whole laptop bit. While it looks like a standard notebook, it's simply the shell of one. Plug in your phone, however, and it comes to life as a fully functioning portable computer, letting you browse the web, edit documents, email, play games and more – all using the power of your smartphone.

WHY IS IT INTERESTING?

Because it solves a real problem: why pay for two computers (a laptop and a smartphone) when one can do the job just as well, and for a fraction of the price?

Prices for the Superbook start at just $99, which is about £75 before allowing for potential UK taxes. That's far cheaper than the outlay for any decent laptop, and since there are minimal innards – it weighs only 0.9kg – it's lighter than premium devices like the 2016 12-inch MacBook to boot.

It works with most modern Android phones, as long as they meet the basic spec requirements (Android 5.0, dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 25MB of free storage) and is designed to support future iterations of Google's mobile OS, including Android 7.0 Nougat.

In other words, it'll almost feel like you're getting a new laptop every time you upgrade your phone, which you no doubt do much more regularly than you buy a new laptop. Double-win.

Best of all, there's no complicated firmware to install, and no technical know-how required. Just install the Andromium OS app from Google Play, and it will scale up your smartphone screen to fill the 11.6-inch display.

Then it's just like using a notebook, complete with mouse cursor and multi-touch trackpad, keyboard shortcuts (plus Android-specific buttons such as Home and Overview), desktop-class browsing and easy file management. It will even charge your smartphone for you while it's plugged in.

The Superbook also features a greater number of connection options than most laptops, since it can use your phone's data connection without the need to tether as well as supporting Wi-Fi. Handy.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

As with all hardware, the threat of delays is the main challenge. These could come in the form of certification issues, whereby the agencies that have to test and approve the components take longer than expected, or production line problem.

But Andromium – the firm behind the Superbook – has partnered with Cambridge, MA-based Dragon Innovation, which has helped bring to market devices such as the Pebble smartwatch, MakerBot 3D printer and Lifx smart light bulbs. The creators are pretty confident that the Superbook will be delivered on time, and we see no reason why it shouldn't.