Introducing the “Touch Book”. A Stab at the Netbook, Tablet and Reader Markets in One Swoop.

Debuting at the DEMO conference today is the Touch Book, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

Immediately grabbing my interest with it’s slick Mac-like looks, it continued to do so when I discovered it’s detachable keyboard, strong battery life (10-15 hours), weight (under 2 pounds), built in wifi and all at $299 (or $399 with the keyboard).

What is undoubtedly the most fascinating aspect of the Touch Book is it’s operating system. Always Innovating, the manufacturers, have oddly enough decided to build their own. There isn’t a whole lot of information about it, aside from it’s 3D interface and being able to navigate with your finger rather than a stylus.

Fascinating as it is, it’s not all, MG Siegler at Venturebeat (who brought the gadget to my attention) spotted a FAQ which will immediately get your brain ticking. The Touch Book has the capacity to install many OSes on the same device, including; Google Android, Ubuntu, Angstrom, and Windows CE. In their own words, “you are free to do whatever you want.”

Available in the 2nd quarter of this year, this is definitely something I’ll be keeping my eyes open for during DEMO. Let’s hope it’s as impressive and innovative as it sounds.

Full specs can be found below or visit the site here.

• 9.4″ x 7″ x 1.4″ for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
• ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
• 1024×600 8.9” screen
• Storage: 8GB micro SD card
• Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
• 3-dimensional accelerometer
• Speakers, micro and headphone
• 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
• 10h to 15 hours of battery life