UMPCPortal

Preparing for a Mobile Month

Chippy — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:40:21 +0000

July is going to be a very busy month for me here at home. We’ve got guests from England for the whole of July and although I’ll be slowing down on daily work, I’ll need to be keeping on top of news and staying in touch with Ben so that we can co-ordinate articles. To that end I’ve put together a UMPC set-up that I’ll keep as my main mobile set-up for the whole month.

It’s based on the Fujitsu Loox U/50 which is one of the most ‘professional’ of the UMPCs available at the moment. It’s a true all-rounder with lots of storage, good battery life and has a very small and light build. I have the docking station too so it always finds its way back to a charger. It doesn’t come with built-in 3G so I’ve added the MiFi which charges via a USB cable connected to the Fujitsu docking station. At 666gm (really!) it’s small and light enough to carry with me in a small shoulder bag. Hopefully no-one will notice!

Everun Note external charger now available For thos

Want a netbook? Today is your day thanks to Woot

Ben — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:12:34 +0000

We’ve seen Woot feature quite a few netbooks in the past, but today they have gone over the top. Everyone’s favorite (US only, sorry!) deal-a-day website is offering not one, but two netbook choices today, both from reputable netbook makers.

Behind door #1 | Woot.com - Acer Aspire One D150 for $259.99 (+5 shipping)
- Windows XP
- 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
- 1GB of RAM
- 160GB HDD
- 6-cell battery
- 1024×600 10.1” screen
- Available in black, blue, or red
- Condition: Refurbished
Behind door #2 | Shopping.woot.com (Woot/Yahoo partner site) - Asus Eee PC 900A for $169 (+5 shipping)
- Linux
- 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
- 4GB SSD
- 1GB of RAM
- 1024×600 8.9” screen
- Condition: New

Woot really seems to love netbooks. Head over an check out the two netbooks, and remember, if you are interested, you’ll want to buy fast because these deals will only be here for one day (and that’s if they don’t sell out!).

Asus Eee 900 on Woot, today only for $179 Just a fe
Asus Eee PC 900A for $160, today only Woot seems
Asus Eee 2G Surf on woot today for $159 My favori

Sony swallows its pride and jumps into the netbook game, doesn’t seem to understand netbook pricing

Ben — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:54:51 +0000

Sony has been resistant to admit that the netbook is something that consumers want for quite a long time. The closest thing they’ve released to a netbook to date is the Sony VAIO P [Portal page] and that is really stretching it. Sony itself doesn’t consider the VAIO P a netbook and certainly doesn’t market or price it like one. You could say that Sony makes premium computers, which are often of good build quality, but come with a price to match. It is plain to see why a netbook wouldn’t be part of their plans. It isn’t exactly easy to build a computer that would hold up to Sony’s idea of quality while keeping the price down. Additionally, a netbook has the potential to devalue high priced laptops whether its warranted or not.

Well it looks like Sony finally had to do it. Recently announcing the Sony VAIO W netbook, Sony enters the netbook game again stiff competition from companies that already have lots of experience in the field of creating inexpensive, but relatively high quality computers.

The Sony VAIO W has fairly typical netbook specs: 1GB of RAM, 1.6GHz Atom CPU, and running Windows XP (thank goodness!). One area where the VAIO W kicks back at cookie-cutter netbook specs is the screen. Offering more than the obligatory 1024×600 resolution, the VAIO W will have a 10.1” screen sporting a resolution of 1366×768 which is a nice properly formatted 16:9 aspect ratio. Sounds pretty ugood right? Unfortunately Reuters is reporting that the Japanese price of the VAIO W is ¥60,000 or about $629. I can’t say that price bodes very well for the VAIO W, especially considering that it may be the price for the 3-cell battery version of the device.

The VAIO W will be released in three colors: pink, white, and brown, and it looks like Sony has whipped up three color matching accessory kits which include a mouse and slip case, both matching the color of the VAIO W of your choice. The keyboard seems to be very similar to the VAIO P’s chiclet style keyboard which we loved when we reviewed it [VAIO P review, keyboard section].

[Engadget]

Vaio and S7 side-by-side Engadget s
VAIO P ~ VAIO UX? A chat with Sony Not long
Weekly Netbook Roundup 2/9 Welcome to

Viliv S7 UMPC, specs, pricing, and 9.5 hours of battery life

Ben — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:55:02 +0000

You’ve undoubtedly seen coverage of Viliv’s solid S5 [Portal page] and X70 [Portal page] UMPCs lately. They have been topping the popularity charts here at UMPC Portal over the last several weeks. Viliv seems to be on a roll, after churning out both the S5 and X70, Viliv is starting to push out the Viliv S5, a 7” tablet style UMPC.

Full specs, links, and details on the Viliv S7 Portal page.

The Korean version of their website has recently been updated with some content promoting the upcoming Viliv S7, and while a release date hasn’t yet been announced, it shouldn’t be too much longer before the S7 lands, judging by how quickly the S5 and X70 were released in relation to each other.

Viliv claims that the S7 will offer users 9.5 hours of basic computing, or 7 hours of video playback. The whole package will be under 800g making the S7 quite portable. There will be three different models of S7 (similar to the Asus Eee T91) which will all ship with Windows XP, a 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU, and 1GB of RAM. The three models will differ in little more than HDD/SSD option, and one with a DMB receiver. Those models are as follows:

I-LOG HX: 60GB HDD ($583)
I-LOG 3X: 32GB SSD ($639)
D-LOG 3X: 32GB SSD / DMB receiver ($679)

*USD prices calculated from listed KRW price using current exchange rate.

Any of the three models can be equipped with WiBro (the Korean version of WiMax).

As for an international model: the English Viliv site shows the S7 as having all the same specs, though there will be a choice of WiMAX or HSDPA for 3G connectivity.

[Pocketables.net]

Google announces Google Chrome OS

Ben — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:42:00 +0000

In the same way that Google Wave is being designed, in a way, to represent what email would look like if it were invented today, Google’s just announced operating system is Google’s attempt to “re-think what operating systems should be”. Google says that the operating systems that we use today were fundamentally developed before the consumer web was around, and thus aren’t conducive to the activities and goals of computer usage that is expected in this day and age.

The Google Chrome OS, which is set to be released on netbooks in the second half of 2010, is an open source operating system that will run on both x86 and ARM based architectures, and Google hopes to initially target netbooks, but the OS will definitely be used elsewhere as well.

As the name implies, the Google Chrome OS is going to be like booting right into a browser in just a few seconds. This puts Google’s suite of web applications in a favorable position as Google brings more and more users into the cloud. Google also makes the point that developers who create new web applications will be developing for the largest computing platform, as web apps based on web standards will run in any browser, giving that application access to a user-base which extends to Mac, PC, and further.

In case it wasn’t clear, the Google Chrome OS will be completely free, and open-sourced later this year so that the open-source community can contribute to the project. We mentioned that the Google Chrome OS will start showing up on netbooks in the second half of 2010; Google says they are working with a number of technology companies to bring Chrome OS equipped devices to market, including: Acer, Adobe, Asus, Freescale, HP, Lenovo, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.

Google seems to be very transparent about this project, as it seems to benefit consumers enormously. Consumers are going to get a quick booting, free OS. Netbook and other hardware producers have a solid choice in a free open-source OS which means consumers won’t have other OS license fees passed on to them. Additionally all of this is going to create good competition in the instant booting OS space, which means innovation and better products.

Read the official announcement from the official Google blog.

News Highlights 07 July (S7, SK3, Vodafone)

Chippy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:47:53 +0000

I’ll be attending a mobile internet presentation hosted by Vodafone Germany this afternoon and although I will continue to microblog (they will appear in the middle column on the front page) I wanted to highlight a couple of points before I go.

Firstly, Pocketables have news that the Viliv S7 is nearing launch in Korea. There’s information on pricing and model details but these details will obviously change for models outside Korea. We’re trying to get more info from Viliv about this. I’m very excited about the S7 and wondering if it will beat the ASUS T91 to market! Check out the Pocketables article for more. What do you think of the pricing? I’m guessing that it will translate to a $650 entry point in the U.S.

JKK and I spent 3 hours with the Kohjinsha SK3 [details] and a bunch of other UMPCs last night. The live session was recorded and if you’ve got 2+hrs free, check out the videos. I will be doing a full review of the SK3 in the coming weeks.

The Vodafone event should be interesting this afternoon. I am taking a bunch of UMPCs and will be using the X70 + PC Navigator to find my way there. The MiFi 2352 will also be given a good work-out!

UMID M1 UMPC launches in Korea Pocketabl
MeetMobility Podcast 28. Computex 2009 Warm-Up JKK, ‘Sa
@Chippy @JKKMobile @Sascha_P Podcast and Live Session Today. In about a

Asus planning three versions of the Eee T91 including multitouch

Ben — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:12:53 +0000

So it seems as though the multitouch enabled T91 that we saw at Computex wasn’t just a proof of concept. AsusTablet.com reports that Asus UK told them that there will be three versions of the Eee T91 [Portal page]. It looks like the versions will come in the following flavors:

Eee T91: Windows XP, normal resistive touchscreen
Eee T91A: Windows 7, multi-touch capacitive screen
Eee T91GO: Integrated 3G, GPS, DTV tuner, normal resistive touchscreen

With this early information it seems like we might be breaking the news up into more or less models than there actually are. It seems more likely that you’ll be able to get a T91A(GO), which would have the integrated goodness but Windows 7 and multi-touch, or a T91(GO) which would be Windows XP, integrated goods, and resistive screen, or the two different models without the built in stuff (ie. the T91A and T91) though that is just speculation. Of course Windows 7 helps us predict some release dates. I think it can be safely said that the multi-touch version won’t be out until on or after Windows 7 hits the market.

via [GottaBeMobile]

Multi-touch comes to resistive touchscreens Jkkmobile
Asus Eee PC T91 official US product page up, US release date officially missing How long
Weekly Netbook Roundup 5/18/09 We had a b

Which device are you most looking forward to? [poll]

Ben — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:52:57 +0000

Just a quick poll to see which devices people are waiting for. There are seveal very nice devices that are still on their way to the market. See the following links below to review the devices before making your choice (also feel free to fill your own answer into the ‘other’ area). Please only vote once.

Crunchpad | Asus Eee T91 | Archos 9 | Always Innovating Touchbook

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Early Always Innovating Touchbook demo As we awa
TouchBook Netbook/UMPC/Tablet runs on OMAP 3 I had an u
Always Innovating Touchbook coming next month, full specs The Alway

UMPC Choices: X70, U820, SK3, SC3, TN70M. Read This and Join the Live Session.

Chippy — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:09:48 +0000

I’m very lucky to have a clutch of new UMPCs right now so it’s only right that I put them all together for a comparison for you. I’ve taken a few sets of photo’s and added in a lot of notes. At the end of the article I summarise the devices so if you’re thinking about a purchase, take the time to read this article. Announcement: JKK and I will be live on Monday (6th July) evening at 2100 CEST (Berlin time.) We’ll be available for all your questions in the live chat and video session. I’ll also try to be available in the late afternoon (Central Europe) before Dynamism go live with their X70 offer at 1pm U.S. Eastern Time so drop into the chat room if you have a burning question. If i’m not there and you need an answer before the X70 goes on sale, put the question in the contact form. View all 5 devices in a comparison table. On this photo I’ve got the Raon Digital Everun Note, the Clevo TN70M, the Kohjinsha SC3 and I’ve got my hand on the Sk3 there. Clearly the SK3 is tiny. Almost as small as the Everun Note but including Ethernet port, ExpressCard, GPS, MicroSD and 3mp cam. Not to mention the swivel screen mechanism. Its an extremely advanced device in terms of industrial design.

View the complete photo-set

In these three images (click to enlarge) I’m comparing the SK3 to the U820. The U820 is only slightly smaller in terms of width but it has a 5.6” screen. The 7” screen on the SK3 is much nicer to use. It’s brighter, has better contrast and a wider viewing angle too.

This is a great photo because it shows directly what happens when you leave the keyboard off! You reduce character input speed (by an average 30-50%) but end up with a smaller device. The X70 is tightly packed with a battery that is 1.5x the size of the battery in the SK3 resulting in much longer battery life. It’s not much lighter though.

More images from this set.

Three 7” convertible UMPCs. The TN70M is significantly larger but has a much nicer keyboard and larger battery. Over twice the capacity of the SK3 in the middle. It’s cheaper too but only has an 800×480 screen. For data input, the TN70M is the best of the bunch but you could easily argue the case for an ASUS T91, despite the fingerprint reader and touchscreen. Look at the difference between the SC3 and SK3. The battery has been relocated inside to make the SK3 look very slick and neat but it has 15% lower battery capacity than the SC3.. I don’t know how Kohjinsha do it but their screens are always bright and have excellent colour balance. The SK3 is even more glossy than the SC3 which makes for a stunning indoor image quality but kills the experience when outdoors. For in-car use I’d recommend getting a filter. Summarising the devices Clevo TN70M [Full specs and info] It’s an amazingly low cost entry point into touchscreen computing and comes with good options for upgrading memory and disk. It’s not pretty but it’s well built and the keyboard is great for writing articles or reports. The 800×480 resolution screen helps when using the device on a table (larger characters = easier to read) but you continually run up against the problem of oversize dialog boxes. 1024×600 is a better choice for a 7” screen resolution. It’s not really the best ultra mobile computing option though so we’d only recommend it as a home-based, project or children’s device. Kohjinsha SC3 [Full specs and info] Well-built and very compact for a 7” convertible UMPC. GPS and ExpressCard/34 slot may fit your requirements well. Extended batteries are available and it’s priced quite competitively through importers. 2-2.5hr battery life is a problem if you are a heavy mobile user. We also recommend Windows XP. The hard drive just isn’t up to the job of running Vista or Windows 7. The keyboard is OK for ‘pecking’ and thumbing but not for extended table-top typing sessions. Kohjinsha SK3 [Full specs and info] A real improvement in hardware design over the SC3. Impressively small for a convertible and including all the features of the SC3 plus a microSD card slot and 3.0MP cam. The SK3 is slightly more efficient than the SK3 but with the smaller battery, you won’t notice it. 2hrs ‘on-net’ and 4hrs e-book reading. Again, The keyboard is OK for ‘pecking’ and thumbing but not for extended table-top typing sessions. Fujitsu U820/U2010/U/B50N [Full specs and info] The lightest of the bunch and yet with a 5.6” screen that has a 1280×800 resolution which will require tweeks to Windows user interface to make it readable! The keyboard is very high quality but the screen size makes it very difficult to use on a tabletop. Recommended for microblogging and stand-up work. With the CF and SD card slot, it’s ideal as a digital photographers companion although outdoor visibility, as with most general purpose UMPCs, isn’t great. The Fujistu is able to idle for extremely long periods and can return 3hrs on-net use. The extended battery doubles that although we recommend two standard size batteries to keep the size down to a minimum when using as a ‘thumbing’ device. Viliv X70 [Full specs and info] Goes on sale on Monday 6th July and due to it’s high quality on-screen keyboard, good quality build, great feature set and outstanding battery life (4hrs+) deserves a place with the other ‘productive’ devices here. Despite the on-screen haptic-feedback keyboard, input is slower and much more stressful than on the convertible devices. It’s not the lightest though. Excellent loudspeakers make this a good multimedia device. Killer-feature: Fast SSD. The X70 feels far more fluid than any other device here due to the high quality SSD. Other devices to consider: Asus T91. At the heavy end of the ultra-mobile computing scale with it’s 9” screen in a 980gm shell but should be excellent value and capable of better keyboard input speeds than all the devices here. Should have great battery life too. Due: July Viliv S7. A high-end 7” umpc with the good quality Viliv build and, we assume, the high speed SSD. A wider keyboard (similar to the TN70M) will really help with input but the device is very slim and only weighs 830gm. Again, we’re expecting excellent battery life. May also be available with a 1.8 or 2.0ghz Atom CPU. This should be an extremely popular device when it launches. Expected July-August launch. Sept availability (estimated.) Good luck with your choices! Announcement: JKK and I will be live on Monday (6th July) evening at 2100 CEST (Berlin time.) We’ll be available for all your questions in the live chat and video session.

Clevo TN70M convertible netbook available. 472 Euros. I just rep
Lazion tests the HANSUNG SPARQ M7 - A version of the Clevo TN70M We haven
Clevo TN70M. More Pics. Round-up. Mobilx hav

Archos 9 priced in the UK, Android powered 5” device in September?

Ben — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:16:41 +0000

Trusted Reviews seems to have gotten some info from The Inquirer regarding the upcoming Archos 9 [Portal page] and potentially a new MID device coming after its release. TR says that the Archos 9 will run you £450 ($732 USD) for the 60GB HDD version, or £500 ($813 USD).

Another interesting bit is that there may be an Android powered device from Archos with a 5” screen. I’m going to imagine this would be a MID/PMP, and the first product that pops into my mind is something like the Viliv S5 [Portal page], maybe fitting considering how similar the Archos 9 is to the Viliv X70’s [Portal page] form factor.

[Engadget]

Weekly Netbook Roundup

Ben — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:29:51 +0000

Welcome to this week’s netbook roundup. In this space every Monday I’ll highlight netbook new items from around the web.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed, deemed a mixed bag – Looks like the second version of the Lenovo netbook, the S10-2 [Portal page], has been reviewed by Laptop Magazine, and while Brad of Liliputing thinks that is scores pretty well in Laptop’s tests, it seems that the reviewers didn’t like the aesthetic appearance of the unit.
BenQ Lanuches Joybook Lite U102, Rights Wrongs – From netbooknews.com, we see that BenQ releases the Joybook Lite U102, which brings some evolutionary upgrades to the table over the previous U101 model.
NEC’s latest netbook boasts an 8.5 hour battery – NEC’s LaVie Light Lui netbook runs for nearly 8.5 hours on a single charge. Pretty good, specs are predictable netbook specs (Atom, 1GB of RAM, 1024×600, yadda yadda…)
NVIDIA ION Netbooks from Computex – A video from netbooknews.com that shows three NVIDIA ION based netbooks.
Asus Seashell Eee PCs to Come in Four New Colors – Looks like the Asus Eee 1005HA [Portal page] and 1008HA [Portal page] will be released in a total of 6 colors, 4 brand new ones including pink, blue, ruby red, and sapphire blue. Swing through the link to see images of the netbooks with their new colors on. I like the sapphire the best!
Shadowy modder gives Eee PC a risky back alley trackball implant – Pretty interesting mod puts a trackball directly into the case of an Eee 901. More interesting yet: the trackball is from an Apple ‘Mighty Mouse’. It is just me or does that ball look to big to be from one of those mice? Maybe its just me… looks to be good for scrolling regardless.
How-to: Internal 3G to Samsung NC10. The easy way – Jkk helps you understand how to get 3G in your Samsung NC10.

Weekly Netbook Roundup 5/18/09 We had a b
Weekly Netbook Roundup 3/30 Welcome to
Weekly Netbook Roundup 2/9 Welcome to

CrunchPad event possibly at the end of this month, unit for less than $300

Ben — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:19:54 +0000

You’ve probably heard of the upcoming CrunchPad by now. Its a project started by Michael Arrington, and the goal of which is to bring a web tablet with easy to use functionality to market with a reasonable price.

A recent post on CrunchGear says that Arrington may be planning a CrunchPad event (presumably an official announcement/launch) at the end of this month, or perhaps early August. Additionally it looks like the final price of Intel Atom powered CrunchPad will still be under $300 which certainly seems reasonable as long as the device is adept at consuming web content.

Guessing the Specs: Techcrunch ‘CrunchPad’ I was one
New CrunchPad prototype looks incredibly slick We’ve b
OQO Model 2+ to appear at CES This is ha

jkk takes the Viliv X70 apart

Ben — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:57:49 +0000

The master of mobile modding, jkk, wastes no time tearing apart new gadgetry. Case-in-point, the brand new Viliv X70 [Portal page].

Good to know that someone is brave enough to break open a new piece of kit and post up some high resolution pictures so that we don’t have to do it ourselves! Swing by jkkmobile for additional images.

Grab a free Sony Vaio P…..df. Lots of gr

Kohjinsha SK3. Ultra-Portable and Portfolio-Ready! (Unboxing video)

Chippy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:19:46 +0000

I’ve been giggling for the past hour. I just can’t work out if that portfolio case is a masterstroke or just plain silly but one thing’s for sure, it highlights how small this device is.

We got hold of the Kohjinsha SK3 a few hours ago and ripped straight into it with an unboxing video that you’ll find below. So far we’re impressed with the build-quality, the size and weight, the features, the bright and crisp screen and of course that portfolio case. We’re not so impressed with what looks to be low-end battery life (largely due to the tiny battery) and the Japanese language XP build (a nice challenge!) although the speed of the device seems to be good. XP is helping here. The keyboard is exactly the same as found on the SC3 so you’re limited to pecking on the desktop although thumbing and single hand-hold pecking is also possible. The screen mechanism is solid.

Full specifications for the Kohjinsha SK3 along with links to the new gallery, videos and other articles are in the product database.

We’ll be testing more over the weekend so watch out for a full hands-on early next week. A live session is tentatively planned for Monday evening (Central Europe time.)

Kohjinsha SK3. Netbook or UMPC? The Kohjin
Kohjinsha SK3 Launched. Chippy’s Thoughts. The Kohjin
Pegatron and Freescale. More pics from Engadget. Video from Notebooks Engadget s

Kohjinsha SK3. Netbook or UMPC?

Chippy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:57:13 +0000

The Kohjinsha SK3, the high-end 7″ convertible with a 3mp auto-focus cam (a first) and the smallest and lightest 7” convertible form factor we’ve seen to date has just turned up. In a short while I’ll be recording an unboxing for YouTube but it will be live at http://www.umpcportal.com/live where you can watch ‘behind the scenes’, discuss and ask questions.

Update: Live session over. Unboxing post with video is here.

Specifications here. I see Conics already have it listed for $775 which , for these specs, isn’t bad. The only forewarning I’d give at this stage is about the battery life. At 17wh, the included battery isn’t going to return amazing battery life.

Smart Q7 Just Arrived Update: Un
10” Netbook Double-Bill. Live Q&A, video walkthrough with Dell Mini 10 and Gigabyte T1028M Tonight,
ASUS T91 Pre-Production Hands-On from TechRadar I haven