Two Non-origami UMPC’s for $500 a-piece is the offer that I’ve just taken a look at. (U.S. Only)
I’m talking about the Peperpad UMPC’s. (Yes, yes. We can argue all day but they are ultra-mobile PC’s whether you like them or not!)
Here’s the deal:
If you’re really really quick, the original Pepperpad is being cleared out for $479 on ecost here.
(and here. The site seems a little unreliable.) Thats a $300 discount and is already a good deal as far as i’m concerned. But, here’s the better bit. When you’ve got the original Pepperpad in your hands, use it for a $200 discount on the Pepperpad 3. Total cost for 2 UMPC’s under $1000. (you can keep the original!)
So we’re talking about two versions of the Pepperpad mobile web tablet. The original is based on the 624Mhz Xscale processor, has a graphics accelerator, 8.5″ screen, sd slot, and runs a special version of Linux. Its got a keyboard, hard drive and..well.. take a look here at the specs here.
The new version, the Pepperpad 3, is not available yet but it is a slightly smaller version (7″ screen) and has better wifi, and importantly, runs an AMD LX800 (like the Vega) which means its x86 architecture is binary-compatible with many many versions of Linux software out there. In theory, it should be able to run Windows but that totally depends on the internal hardware. If Raon Systems can run WIndows on an LX800 then maybe the Pepperpad 3 can too. Full Pepperpad 3 specs are here.
Don’t panic about the $479 offer though, it looks like the normal clearout price is $499 anyway (from around $800) Not sure how many they have left.
Regarding the discount on the Pepperpad 3, all you need to do is quote the serial number of your original Pepperpad and Pepper Computer will take $200 off the price of the Pepperpad 3.
In total, thats about a $500 / 30% saving on the two devices. Not bad at all. Here’s the info page at Pepper Computer. I can’t see anything that says that you can’t do this but it might be wise to double-check with Pepper. I’ve left a message with them and will confirm this as soon as I know for sure. Pepperpad have confirmed that this IS a valid way to purchase both the Pepperpad and Pepperpad 3 together.
I’ve got a soft spot for the Pepper devices. I like the way they’ve designed to a small hardware spec and the way that they’ve made sure the software is fit for the purpose. Much like the Nokia 770 really (although that one really does need a processor boost!)
Meanwhile back in Europe, we’ll just keep dreaming!
Regards.
Steve / Chippy.
