Mobinnova Beam smartbook makes switch to Android

The Mobinnova Beam smartbook (previously known as the élan) has been waiting on the wings for a while now. The 8.9-inch Tegra 2 powered device has made a change in OS from Windows CE to Android according to Laptop Mag.

However, somewhat curiously, there will be no access to Android Market. Instead, Mobinnova is working on its own app store and will include games that take advantage of Tegra’s hardware.

The design remains intact along with the carousel interface and HD playback. However, the keyboard has been slightly modified to include video playback keys. The main ports, including HDMI, remain on the back.

The Mobinnova Beam is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and includes 256MB RAM and 512MB of flash storage. It is expected to launch in the US partnered with AT&T. Pricing and availability are still unknowns at this stage.