If you’re looking for a convertible tablet that is not too big and yet can still function as a netbook with a real keyboard, you might want to consider the Kojinsha PA Series. This UMPC/MID sports a 4.8-inch WSVGA touchscreen and runs Windows XP Home.
The Kojinsha PA Series MID/UMPC also features a 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU, 512MB of RAM, 32GB of SSD, 7.5 hours battery life, SD slot and 1.3MP webcam.
The Kojinsha PA Series is slated for a November release in Japan. It will set you back for around $758. You may pre-order one now over at Geeks4U.
Here we have the uSmart M1C MID with it’s 4.8-inch WVGA display. But what’s interesting about this portable device is the fact that it is loaded with Intel Atom Z530 CPU. Something which not everyone are expecting. But anyway, the uSmart M1C MID is indeed a fully functioning handheld device complete with a GMA500 graphics, HDMI output.
The uSmart M1C MIC was displayed during the Hong Kong Electronics fair and was wieghed in at 0.5kg and comes with Linux, Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 options for OS.
It would have been great if the machine has a 3G module and Android OS as well but that may be asking too much from uSmart, especially since the M1C MID seems to be a working model right now. No official statements are available yet about this MID.
While most people still haven’t even tried running Windows 7 on their precious little netbooks yet, Viliv will boldly showcase their S5 MID during Computex running Microsoft’s up-and-coming next-gen OS. Yes, a full-blown desktop OS on a teensy-weensy mobile Internet device. It’s going to be a sight for sore eyes, I’m sure. Or at least, I hope so. It sounds like a pretty daunting task, if you ask me. And quite an uncomfortable one, at that (running a desktop OS on a MID, that is). That said, I’m aware of the saying, “to each his own.” And I’ll be looking forward to seeing evidence of the Viliv S5 MID’s prowess (or lack thereof) with Windows 7 when it goes on display.
While Archos jumped late onto the netbook bandwagon by releasing the 10-inch Archos 10 netbook a couple of months ago, the company looks like it wants to be the first one to come out with a full working Android Internet media tablet. At least that’s what one can gleam from Archos’s latest press invite for an event that is scheduled for June 11th in Paris. The fact that Archos is working on Android should be no surprise, given the popularity the platform has these days from open source software advocates, but it’s interesting how Archos has chosen to work on an Internet media tablet instead of netbooks like many other existing netbook makers. Perhaps they see more success in tablets, or less competition, or bigger profits. There are no clear info on specs right now, except what were announced last February by TI in a press release. We’ll have to wait for an official Archos announcement to get the full list of features.
Back in March, it became public knowledge that a US 3G compatible version of the UMID M1wasn’t ready for production yet. Fast forward to today, and full working models of the said mobile Internet device are already on their way to stores. Australia-based Justek will be among those who will sell the UMID mbook M1 first in stores, and a non-HSDPA version of the said machine was recently given to Pocketables for review by them. While we’re waiting for their full review, it would be a good idea to check out the outer appearance in full, as it is exposed nicely in a lot of unboxing photos. The packaging looks pretty neat and it contains just about every accessory/plug a UMID mbook M1 user would need. A crystal case is not included, though. To see the whole set of photos, navigate to the Pocketables unboxing post with the link below.
Back in July of last year, Michael Arrington of TechCrunch proposed that a “dead simple Web tablet” be built for about $200 so he can surf the Web and do other lightweight tasks like send instant messages and make quick calls with Skype on the go. Fast forward to April 2009 and this concept for a cheap mobile Internet device looks like it’s closer to becoming a reality than most people are willing to think. While some might say that the TechCrunch Tablet (a.k.a. the “CrunchPad”) is nothing but vaporware that will never see the light of day, these photos (along with several others) prove otherwise.
Pictured above is a new prototype of the CrunchPad that touts a 12-inch capacitive screen, Intel Atom processor, a custom WebKit-based browser and pretty much all of the specs that were first considered at the product’s conception. Michael Arrington is careful to note that they are still not ready to launch this device and they can’t put the pin on a price point, but whenever they’re ready, I think we just might see another revolution in the computer industry. Or maybe not. Either way, this seems like an interesting product, and I can’t wait to try it out.
Meant to replace chalkboards that are still in use in some parts of the world, a tablet PC called I-Slate was created by researchers using the probabilistic CMOS technology designed by a certain Dr. Krishna Palem and his team at Rice University. It was formally announced during the IEEE’s 125th Anniversary event, and is supposedly solar-powered, WiFi-enabled and has support for stylus input. One day, the makers hope to see their chip embedded in all sorts of devices besides the I-Slate tablet like cellphones and TVs. But for now the use of their technology will be limited to their creation, prototypes of which are scheduled to get distributed in India this spring.
Have you ever considered building your own nettop? After all, if building your own desktop computer is possible, why shouldn’t building your own nettop be? All it requires is a working knowledge of how computer parts fit together, and of course, knowing what items exactly you need to purchase, and where to buy them. Building your own nettop could end up saving you more than $100 USD, as pointed out by Fudzilla. It counts components such as a motherboard that allows a dual core Atom chip, high capacity hard drive and RAM, and other necessary nettop parts, but only gives readers something of a short introduction to actually building the nettop. However, it’s still a nice quick guide that anyone who’s interest was piqued by the prospect of building a nettop should read. You may do so via the link below.
Are you one of the many Americans waiting for the official arrival of UMID’s M1 MID in local stores? Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, the M1 definitely is coming to the U.S. in the future. The bad news is, it’s not going to happen right away. This is according to information gathered by Pocketables, who say UMID’s plans for a U.S. release for the M1 MID are still underway, however, a version of the said device that’s compatible with U.S. 3G networks still isn’t ready yet. It could come in the next few months, or it could come next year. Bottom line is, you’re gonna have to wait awhile if you’re in the U.S. and want to get yourself a UMID M1. And that’s the truth.
In a presentation Asus made during CeBIT 2009, the company revealed that it had several interesting netbook concepts up its sleeve. These had to do mainly with netbooks and their folding abilities, applying the philosophies of origami, the famous Japanese paper art, to make an improved netbook design with better cooling/upgrading process in mind. Three such concepts showcased by Asus are seen in the above embedded video, and if you really imagine having these devices some time in the near future, I’m sure you’ll be smiling before you can help yourself. Watch the full video above to know what I’m talking about.
Entries (RSS)