Archive for April, 2006

The Samsung Q1 has obviously been doing the rounds this week in Europe. A number of UK and Euopean websites have been running ‘first impressions’ reviews. However, Xonio.com a German website, ran some brief tests and had a short review available back in early April. Importantly, they ran some battery-life tests. Here are the results:

Working with text (Word) - 3.01 hours.
Divx playing - 2 hours.

The Samsung uses the Celeron processor (the least efficient of the mobile processors available in current Origami UMPC’s) and these figures are way below my prediction for the VIA-based devices (4 hours / 2.5 hours respectively) and makes me wonder if I’ve over-estimated the battery life of the VIA-based UMPC devices. Especially as the Japanese itmedia only got 2 hours out of their VIA-based UMPC battery when playing a movie.

There are some more Eo (via-based) reviews lined up for next week on various UMPC portals so i’m hoping we’ll see some battery life tests to determine once and for all if the VIA based Origami UMPC’s are really more power efficient than the Celeron-based ones.

Other info from the Xonio web site are:

• PCMark04 result - 1.690
• Screen brightness - 187 cd/m
• Screen - wide viewing angle. 2 people can watch a film in a train or plane.

Steve / Chippy.

[url=http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/hardware/2155011/samsung
-q1-ultra-mobile-pc]PC Computer World[/url] has just posted the first online review of the Samsung Q1 and the inital review was pretty good.

They gave the device 4 stars in every catagory including ease of use, features, and value for money, so I suppose that means it’s pretty well rounded.

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/samsung_q1_review_sheet.jpg[/img]

One of the big problems they seem to have with the device is the use of the Celeron M as it is not an extremely powerful processor. This hinders being able to use multiple applications at one time that are CPU heavy. Though they are quick to point out that these devices are not likely marketed at people that are going to be doing high-end application proceesing.

They also did some tests on the vents at the top of the device and blocked them to see what the fan would do and apparently after blocking the vents for a couple minutes it caused the fan to kick into high gear and got noisier. After removing the blockage it took a little while for the fan to go back to normal speed and they say it will likely heat up the device if blockage happenes to these vents, so I am sure you don’t want to put stickers over them.

They tested the Q1 out by watching a ninety minute film (with wireless and other non-essential tools turned off) and it used 70 per cent of the
battery, which was to be expected on the device.

More below… (more…)

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/samsung_Q1_review.jpg[/img]

[url=http://www.pcw.co.uk]PC Computer World[/url] has just received a Samsung Q1 review unit and posted some good first impressions about the device.

They say they are impressed at the ergonomics of the device when first handeling it and really like the joystick layouts which make it easy to control the device with your thumbs.

They also did some initial benchmark testing on the device which included a 30 minute DivX movie which brought the battery down 20%.

They figure the battery will last 3.5 hours, but over on their [url=http://labs.pcw.co.uk/]test bed site[/url] they claim watching a whole DVD movie drops the battery time to 1 hour and 40 minutes. This could obviously be helped with the 6 cell battery option, but it seems that so far Samsung is not sure when that will be released.

They also talk a little about the speakers which they claim are good enough for sounds but not music. So I suppose this won’t be a portable boom box.

As for the initial reaction to Dial Keys they claim it was easy to start typing relatively fast but will likely not be used for long periods of time. So, obviously external keyboards will be an item people will want to invest in.

Interestingly they also say:
There’s no doubt this a huge step in terms of mobile computing, but after spending our first day with the Q1 we’re still a little unsure what sort of user would benefit most from it.

Good question. But, at £799 I’m sure there are people who will but one just because they have money to burn.

The initial first impressions can be found [url=http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/hardware/2154869/samsung-q1-first-look]here[/url]
And the the test bed blog post on their site can be found [url=http://labs.pcw.co.uk/2006/04/samsungs_q1_ult.html]here[/url]

As soon as their full review is posted we will list the updated info. (more…)

PC Advisor received a review model of the Samsung Q1 UMPC and is currently putting the model through its paces. In their first look article, they mention some interesting information they received from a Samsung rep:

“Samsung was, however, keen to stress that the Q1 will be the first of several Origami devices. The spokesperson was not at liberty to disclose what or when new models were likely to be announced.”

“The company was happy to agree, however, that a marginally slimmer, lighter device was likely and, when asked whether they thought they’d missed a trick by not copying Sony’s desirable Playstation Portable’s Xblack screen, suggested that was another possibility for future versions. Increased storage capacity over the Q1’s likely 40GB is another strong possibility.”

Glad to hear Samsung is already thinking about improvements. (more…)

Yesterday I spoke with Apex Software and today I heard back from them.

On the 4th of May Apex software will ship me an Eo to play around with and review.

Expect alot more than the other reviews you’ve seen including processor and graphics tests along with several battery benchmarks, and of course I’ll make a video to find out what kids think about it!

A [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=277&start=0#forumpost1416]thread[/url] has been started in the brand new Eo forum for recommendations and requests for any tests you’d like to see me run.

–Andrew/Marix

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Emily over at OrigamiProject.com added a new post about taking the UMPC with her to DevConnections Europe. She has some good info about using it on planes and while travelling around. Read the adventures [url=http://origamiproject.com/blogs/team_blog/archive/2006/04/26/4089.aspx]here[/url]

This goes along with [url=http://origamiproject.com/blogs/team_blog/archive/2006/04/21/3824.aspx]another post[/url] where she took the UMPC on a bus with WiFi and her experiences with that.

Hopefully the Origami team keeps updating their blogs with info as these devices keep coming out. (more…)

UPDATE: See all the devices in the UMPC database!

Since I set up the UMPC product portal , I’ve been tracking how many people look at each UMPC product.
Here’s the top 10 UMPC’s so far with percentage of views (from about 1500 page views.) Click to get more product info.

1. Samsung Q1 12.53%
2. ASUS R2H 11.91%
3. Tablet Kiosk Eo 10.68%
4. Amtek 700 9.65%
5. Founder Mininote 6.84%
6. Paceblade Easybook/Smart Caddie 5.95%
7. Avertec AHI 4.72%
8. Fujitsu P1510D 4.52%
9. DualCor cCP 3.90%
10. ECS EZ30D 3.76%

Of course its not an unbiased list. Some product pages could be better linked than others and some products appear higher on the product list than others. It’s interesting, however, to see the Avertec up there after only a week on the list and also the rather expensive and unique DualCor.

Remember that the Carrypad definition of a UMPC includes devices other than ‘Origami’ devices. For a complete list and details of all UMPC’s , check out the UMPC product portal.

I went ahead and called up Apex Software and spoke with a sales rep. named Stephanie. I had a few questions about the eo’s they had and she was more than willing to answer them.

They currently have about 30 devices in stock. They only have the white model available currently. The devices if ordered today would be delivered sometime during the second week of may.

The units offered are configured with 512 megs of ram and a 40gig 5400 rpm hd.

They are available for $999, They also have available a bundle which includes real estate software from apex and a car charger for and additional $250. You can however order just the device direct from them with a savings of about $50 compaired to the tablet kiosk price for the same configuration.

Other colors and configurations can be ordered and will be shipped in early june.

If you missed the boat with Tabletkiosk and want to be the first one on the block to own an Origami go ahead and give Stephanie a call at 800-858-9958. (more…)

[url=http://www.tabletkiosk.com/]TabletKiosk[/url] sent out a press release today stating that [url=http://www.apexwin.com/v4/products/umpc.htm]Apex Software[/url] is going to be one of the first official distributors of the eo.

Apex is a software company that specializes in sketching software for real estate. They currently have a bundle available on their website which includes their software preinstalled on the eo.

The original Press Release can be found on [url=http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060426005860&newsLang=en]BusinessWire[/url] (more…)

[url=http://ultramobilepc-tips.blogspot.com]CTitanic[/url] has posted a link on our forums to a story on [url=http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0604/17/news003.html]plusd.itmedia.co.jp[/url] that includes a specs benchmark table and info about the PaceBlade SmartCaddie.

First and likely the most ineresting info is the table they had displayed on their site with the benchmark data.

They started with a SmartCaddie running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 with the VIA C7-M ULV 1GHz. It had 512MB (DDR2-533) Memory installed and a 40 GB Hard Drive. The Battery installed for the specs was a Lithium ion (2400mAh).

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/smartCaddie_specs.jpg[/img]

They used HDBench to run the tests and have info on the Disk Read and Write speeds, Memory Read and Write speeds, graphics specs and also CPU data.

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/smartcaddie_benchmarks.jpg[/img]

This is the first site I have seen talk about battery life as well. According to their tests they ran a video from Gya-O and web browsing with the screen brighness at about 50% and the battery lasted less than 2 hours. And when doing the test with the screen brigtness set lower than normal they were able to get it to go a little over 2 hours.

During their application tests they said the speed was really good with Email and doc writing, though obviously 3D applications are a little slow.

Good information on the evalutation units. hopefully we can get more benchmarks like this released in the near future as more people get the devices. (more…)

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/paceblade-p7.jpg[/img]

We’ve just had confirmation through [url=http://blog.carrypad.com]Carrypad[/url] and [url=http://www.paceblade.nl]Paceblade Europe[/url] that the European version of the Smart Caddie is planned for launch in the 2nd Week in May and will be called the [b]Paceblade Easybook P7[/b]

Because of delays on the Intel versions of UMPC’s and the production issues with the EO, that could make it the first UMPC available in Europe.

We’ve been in touch with the European sales office of Paceblade in Munich and here’s the details we have.

The EasyBook P7 UMPC is scheduled to arrive the second week of May.
Endcustomer price will be € 1090,– net,
black or white finish with 40GB HDD and 512MB DDR2 memory, 2 yr. Pick-up-and-return warranty.

Technical specs should match the Tablet Kiosk Eo device as its also confirmed to be the same hardware.

If you’re in Europe, watch out for details from your local [url=http://www.paceblade.nl/site/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=7&tabid=160&otabid=12&modid=712&item=33]sale partners[/url]

(more…)

I’ve been in contact with Paceblade this afternoon after reading some information on the German release of the Smart Caddie UMPC device.
It will be called the Paceblade Easybook P7 and i’ve posted a news article over at Origamiportal with the details.

As i’m based in Germany and the European head office is in Germany, i’ll try to remain in contact. More info will be posted as we get it.

After the news came out that the Samsung Q1 would be released in Korea on May 1st there was a lot of news around the internet saying that date was a worldwide release.

Well Maverick just made a post on our forums [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=263]here[/url] stating that after calling Samsung they confirmed that the device will not be available in the US or the UK until the first week of June.

This adds onto [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=171&forum=1&post_id=980#forumpost980]another post[/url] Maverick posted earlier about the device possibly having two released versions, the first ones without GPS/DMB support and another release in July with these options.

Great to get some a little better release date info about this device, so thanks Maverick for doing some calling.
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[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/tabletkioskeo.jpg[/img]

Here is the message I got in my account at TabletKiosk:

April 24, 2006 Dear Valued Customer, Thank you very much for your pre-order of the eo™ v7110. The initial response to eo™ has been phenomenal; and as a result, we have sold out our entire initial production quantity. At TabletKiosk, our primary goal is to provide outstanding products and superior service that “exceeds our customers’ computing expectations.”
Guided by this philosophy, we take great effort to ensure that our
machines perform exactly as they are promoted. As the end of April rapidly approaches, we find ourselves in the position of having to balance our commitment to quality with the expectation of a timely product delivery. After the process of quality control was completed on the first eo™ production units, it was determined that there was an issue in the tooling of the back panel that affected the operation of the system fan. Because of this problem, the back panel had to undergo a slight redesign and thus the initial shipment is going to be only a fraction of what we had anticipated. Additionally, we expect the supply of the eo™ to be extremely tight for the next 60 to 90 days as the production supply catches up to demand. If you are one of the lucky few who receives your eo™ on time, congratulations and we hope that it meets and exceeds your computing expectations. If not, we want to offer our sincere apologies and let you know that we are working hard to assure that the delay in receiving your order is as minimal as possible. As of now, we expect to have a majority of the orders fulfilled by the beginning of June. We hope that you can hang on until then, but in case you can not, feel free to contact our customer service department and we will cancel your order. Know, however, that if you decide upon this route and later change your mind, your new order will be placed in the queue in the order that it is received. Please rest assured that your credit card will not be charged until your order is shipped. We at TabletKiosk thank you for your patience and understanding and hope you agree with our decision that it’s better to get it right than to be first. Sincerely, The TabletKiosk Team

I don’t know yet if I’m one of the lucky ones but I’m really disappointed.

–
Posted by CTitanic to ULTRA MOBILE PCs TIPS at 4/24/2006 03:36:18 PM (more…)

John Tokash wrote a piece about his experience at Maker Faire with the Samsung Q1, TabletKiosk eo, and the Founder MiniNote on his [url=http://blog.tokash.org/2006/04/22/my-first-umpc-hands-on-experience/]blog [/url]

Some bulleted points from his entry were:

* All 3 devices seemed responsive and not sluggish at all during my interactions.
* The Touch Pack program launcher is very pleasant.
* DialKeys will take some getting used to, but I think it will be only slightly less usable than the treo keyboard.
* Attendees seemed a little skeptical, but impressed.
* The Founder UMPC is really thin compared to the Samsung and eo.
* I agree with JK when he says that you can rest your hand on the screen without it interfering with your writing. That’s nice!
* The screen zooming is faster than I expected and much more readable than I expected, although several control panels (touch optimizations, system) become blank grey windows at the scaled 1024 resolution.
* Browsing the web with the UMPC form factor was great.
* I like the touch point mouse embedded in the eo. I’m guessing that some old DirectX full screen games won’t respond well to the touch screen, so an external mouse or a touch point is going to be useful in those cases. The Samsung doesn’t have a similar feature.

John and I also talked a little bit about the convention on the origamiportal irc channel on the server irc.cored.net channel name #origamiportal, so stop on by there and there may be some conversations going on about it.

Original Link at [url=http://blog.tokash.org/2006/04/22/my-first-umpc-hands-on-experience/]blog.tokash.org[/url] (more…)