There was no shortage of netbooks at last week's CeBIT trade show, but one in particular managed to stand out from the crowd; GIGABYTE's M1022 BookTop.
The unassuming portable, pictured below, resembles many of the netbooks we've become accustomed to. At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for an ASUS Eee PC, and the innards are mighty familiar - consisting of a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, on-board graphics and a 10.1in LED display.
What makes GIGABYTE's BookTop unique, however, is that it acts as both a netbook and nettop thanks to a bundled docking system.
The BookTop dock, pictured left, allows for the system to be stood upright and connected to a standalone monitor - as well as allowing for easy keyboard and mouse connectivity for those who don't fare well with a trackpad.
Seems a simple idea, but it should prove to be very useful to users who need an ultra-portable system that can easily be paired with a big-screen display. I know I'd use it at home and on the road, but there is one slight problem - the M1022's hardware isn't designed to push large HDTVs.
Still, it's a start. Just imagine if the next iteration has external graphics housed within the dock - ala Fujitsu Siemens' AMILO, that would be something.
No release date or pricing for GIGABYTE's M1022, but further details are available over at the official product page.
