Sony appears ready to release a small, low-cost laptop that uses a processor from Via Technologies.

A prototype of the laptop, based on the open-source Via OpenBook reference design, was shown by contract manufacturer Quanta Computer at WiMax Expo, an exhibition being held alongside the annual Computex show in Taipei. The laptop will begin shipping during the third quarter, Quanta said.

A check of the laptop's properties confirmed the laptop is based on a 1.6GHz C7-M processor from Via and listed Sony as the manufacturer. When the existence of Sony's name on the machine was pointed out to a Quanta executive manning the booth, he quickly closed the properties window and declined to explain why Sony was listed as the manufacturer.

Sony declined to comment.

Although largely unknown to end-users, Quanta is the world's largest maker of laptop computers and produces machines for many of the world's biggest brands. It is typically bound by contracts that do not allow the company to discuss its customers however, computers produced under contract normally list the customer as the manufacturer rather than the actual producer.

The OpenBook-based prototype shown by Quanta was running Windows Vista Home Basic. Specifications of the machine include a 60G-byte hard disk, 1G byte of memory, and WiMax support.

At Computex 2008 this is Martyn Williams with reporting by Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service.