Clover System have released the Sunbook, a netbook that the manufacturers claim will be readable even in direct sunlight.

The Florida based company have incorporated a Pixel Qi LED backlit transflective LCD display into the unit, which allows users an uninhibited view of the screen in any light conditions.

The 10.1 inch, 1024 x 768 resolution screen uses its greyscale mode – where the backlight is turned off – to make the screen visible in direct sunlight. Turning the backlight off also allows increased battery life, which is handy considering you are most likely to be using the feature when outside with no power source.

As you can see in the above picture, the Sunbook – on the left – outperforms competitors in these conditions.

‘All very useful in the Sunshine State’, I hear you cry, ‘but I live in Birmingham.’

Well, in addition to the innovative screen display, the Sunbook packs a 1.66 GHz Atom N450 single-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, GMA 3150 integrated graphics, a media card readers, LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a 0.3 megapixel webcam.

The device has a battery life of 12 hours of continuous usage when used in greyscale mode, although this is likely to be slashed when the backlight is turned on.

The Sunbook is not yet scheduled for a release on this side of the Atlantic, but when it does hit you can expect it to be fairly pricey; US models are currently retailing at $795, approximately double the price of a standard netbook.

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