A close look at the Intel mobile Metro laptop

May 26, 2007

Fancy a notebook which is almost as thin as the Motorola Razr phone? Then feast your eyes on the new Intel mobile Metro laptop.

Intel has been showing off a new laptop that by all accounts is the thinnest in the world. Codenamed the Intel mobile Metro, it's apparently less than 18mm thick--about 6mm thicker than a Motorola Razr phone.

It's the result of a collaboration between Intel and US firm Ziba Design. Judging by these pictures, it's absolutely stunning. The working model will probably use Intel Centrino technology, although we're yet to discover what sort of chipset, processor, memory and storage will be employed. One of the few tech certainties is the inclusion of Wi-Fi.

The chassis, which weighs a mere 1kg, will be a champagne-coloured magnesium alloy and dotted with subtle gold accents. Intel has also confirmed a clip-on folder for the laptop, which will feature a secondary display. This will use E-Ink technology, of the sort used in Sony's Reader, to prolong battery life.

We've no idea if or when it'll reach the market. Intel doesn't actually make laptops (just the bits that go inside them), so we reckon a company such as ASUS will take charge of building and selling it, as it did with Intel's Classmate PC.
Credit: BusinessWeek