VIA announced today its new reference design named OpenBook, considered a response to the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC.

The new product weights 2.2 pounds and uses an 8.9-inch screen with a 1024x600 display. It also offers a built-in webcam above the screen. The keyboard is a bit smaller than HP’s laptop and it also features a touchpad.

The device’s dimension and thickness are 240x175x36.2 mm.

Standard features include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and the internal wireless technology will be assisted by one of following modems: WiMax, EVDO or HSDPA. The internal technology is not being offered at this point neither by the HP Mini-Note or the ASUS 900, so the feature can be considered one of the products main qualities.

The hard drive capacities begin with 80 GB and the RAM can be upgraded to 2 GB. It will run a 1.6 Hz C7-M processor, similar to the one found on the HP Mini-Note.

VIA announced the release of the design under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license which will enable other companies to customize VIA’s device as they see fit. The price has not yet been released.

VIA stands for Very Innovative Architecture and the company was founded in 1987 by Wen Chi Chen from the Symphony Company in the Silicon Valley. The company’s business used to limited to audio controllers, connectivity controllers, low-power CPUs and CD/DVD-writer chipsets. Over the past ten years, after developing a CPU division, a graphics division and a sound division, its market position improved significantly.