Lenovo's chief Yang Yuanqing stated that in the next five years, up to 80 percent of their sales will be through Internet-enabled mobile devices. Included in this forecast are the sales for smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks and similar products.

Lenovo is currently the fourth largest computer maker. Yang added that Lenovo will be moving into emerging markets such as those in Eastern Europe and Latin America. The previous quarter, sales in India and other emerging economies rose 52 percent year-on-year versus the 13 percent growth in Western markets.

source Yahoo News

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Lenovo predicts big leap in mobile device sales in five years

Chippy of UMPC Portal posted a very compelling piece about how the Internet basically split into two, the 'full' Internet and the mobile Internet. It's an informative read for any mobile warrior and the article touches on how access to the Web has changed over the years.

Basically, the mobile 'Net was just a subset of the full desktop Internet experience. Now, always-on handheld devices are displaying features not available with regular desktops. While laptops and desktops offer larger screen real estate, better performance and customization as well as access to more tools like Flash, FTP and 3D engines. Mobile devices on the other hand are location-aware (GPS), a touch-friendly and often have speedy interfaces.

Try as manufacturers may to enhance and integrate the features of one set of these devices with the other, they haven't succeeded in doing so. Device makers are still trying their best to merge the mobile and full Internet experiences with the whirlwind of new gadgets being introduced recently like smartbooks, tablets and others. Maybe this year they'll finally crack it but in the mean time, you will need to have both sets of device to enjoy the 'full' Internet.

source UMPC Portal

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

The ‘full Internet experience’ analyzed and dissected

Pocketables has a rant on people incessantly commenting on why UMPCs have such large bezels. It's a very well-thought out rant and not the one you're thinking about and touches on some very important points on the design and manufacturing process.

The short of it is that bezels provide some structural integrity and protection for the LCD. It's also constrained by the size that's standard and available in the market. Custom-made screens cost way more and will drive the final price sky high, way out of reach among regular consumers. They choose the screen size, and hence the bezel size, that's most economical and most feasible for a certain device design.

This thinking also applies to netbooks, where manufacturers often order the same screen size as their competitors so that everyone's purchase helps drive down the costs of the screen for everybody. As you know, the LCD is one of the most expensive parts of any mobile computer. And if you try and make the netbook as small as possible for a certain LCD size, you might get more cracked screen than you want to have.

Until they perfect frameless screens though, bezels are pretty much here to stay.

source Pocketables

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Screen bezels and UMPCs: why are they too wide?

The recent upsurge of interest on slates and eReaders have had the unusual effect of stirring up the pot for pocket UMPCs as well. A few firms are venturing into this space and the Malata A802 looks like a good pick from this crop.

ShanzhaiBen got a first look on this Vaio P clone. The trackpad-less design lets it fit in a bigger keyboard in its tiny frame. It has all the usual netbook ports in there sans the video outputs. We'll have to wait for an actual hands-on for feedback on the performance as well as the battery life.

source ShanzhaiBen

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Malata A802 gets a first look

They discuss the problems and upsides of working with netbooks, UMPCs and other mobile devices. It's an interesting show but make sure to allot a fair chunk of your time if you wish to watch it. Check out the full video below.

source UMPC Portal

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Challenges of Mobility: a CeBIT panel

Pocketables is back with the Fujitsu Lifebook UH900, this time offering a review of the pocket-sized PC. They gave positive marks for its fast Intel Atom processor, WiMAX capability, keyboard and great overall performance. It didn't do quite as well on the touchscreen, build quality and battery life though.

Despite this, they still recommend it as a good travel computer and if you're looking to buy one, the Japanese version is the best bet with the 2.0GHz processor and WiMAX. Be prepared to spend a bit of cash though, it's one of the most expensive portables in the market today. Go to the link below for the full and meaty review.

source Pocketables

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Reviewed: Fujitsu Lifebook UH900

UMID is one of those crafty makers that aren't that well-known but make pretty compelling products. Their Mbook BZ is a tiny 1.2GHz Atom wonder which packs a lot in its 0.36kg frame including a 4.8" touchscreen, 16GB flash storage a USB port and microSD slots.

jkOnTheRun has a full review on this little device and gives a thumbs up on the portability, performance and software selection included with it. Sadly, it got shot down a notch due to the smallish touchscreen and the price. It clocks in at US$549 a pop so that might make people have second thoughts and get a much more powerful netbook at the same price. If there's anything the netbook revolution has taught us is that smaller doesn't mean pricier anymore, something UMID would do well to learn.

source jkOnTheRun

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Reviewed: UMID Mbook BZ

Pocketables has an unboxing of this tiny UMPC from Fujitsu, the UH900. Also known as the LOOX U/G90, this portable is like a netbook packed into Nintendo DS in its size.

The unit shipped to them included a VGA/LAN combo adapter, a nice touch for those who want full use of their device in a desktop setting. Some specs here:

Fujitsu UH900 / LOOX U/G90

• 5.6" 1280 x 800 touchscreen
• 2.0GHz Intel Atom
• 2GB RAM
• 30GB HDD or 62GB SSD
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS
• 2 x USB, Trackpoint mouse control, 0.78MP webcam, card reader
• 2-cell 1800mAh battery
• Weight: 0.50kg

If you need a device that's even smaller than a netbook, this one looks like a good alternative. It's even smaller than the Vaio P as shown above which may or may not be your cup of tea. You can get the SSD version at Fujitsu's store for US$849 (after a $100 mail-in rebate). More pics through the link below.

source Pocketables

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Unboxed: Fujitsu UH900

Forums via Pocketables

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

UMID mbook M1 gets full-sized USB port via crafty mod

Remeber the Fujitsu Lifebook UH900 which was spotted last December 2009 in some Hong Kong stores? Well guess what it just hit U.S. stores and is now selling for a whooping $849.

Thanks to Fujitsu America, you can now avail of this mini notebook which is priced rather more expensive than most UMPCs and netbooks of course. But hey, if you've wanted to have the U900 since the day it was seen in Hong Kong, here's you're chance. The U900 is now available at the Fujitsu online store.

As a review, the Fujitsu UH900 boasts of a 5.6-inch multitouch screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 62GB SSD, Windows 7 Home Premium, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and splurge.

via Pocketables

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Fujitsu Lifebook UH900 Shows Itself in U.S. Shores