QuickLogic is exploiting a big market opportunity for its Customer Specific Standard Products (CSSP) in providing an upgrade path for smartphone chip-sets to be used in smart-books.
"For instance Snapdragon (Qualcomm's smartphone chip-set) was designed for smartphones, but they want to use it for smartbooks. Smartbooks need HDDs, SSDs, keyboards etc and CSSPs provide that extra functionality 
to the Snapdragon chip-set", says Tom Hart, chairman and CEO of QuickLogic.
A key feature for ARM-based smartbooks is that the processor is a much smaller percentage of the total power budget because the power used by the display typically takes a higher percentage of the total power budget, because ARM processors don't consume the same amount of power as Intel Atoms. Therefore QuickLogic has developed a hard macro called Visual Enhancement Engine which can allow backlight 
power reduction of 75% without affecting perceived contrast resulting in longer batter life - as much as two hours longer for smartbooks with 12" displays.
CSSPs can be customized in three months for an Integration Service Charge which is typically in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. The chips then sell, in volume, for between $5.50 and 99c apiece.
How many smartbook design-ins has QuickLogic achieved? "More than one", replies Hart.
How many OEMs are developing ARM-based smartbooks? "Every major OEM is developing a smartbook", replies Andy Pease, president of QuickLogic.
When are they expected on the market? "In Q4", replies Hart.