Archive for September, 2006

According to news from Hugo Ortega in Australia, Tegatech have been appointed as a Samsung partner for the distribution of the Q1 UMPC in that region.

This is great news for the Australia and New Zealand and great news for UMPCs. Samsung obviously feel that its worth pushing the UMPC into more regions.

If you’re interested in selling the Q1 to end-customers in that region, get in touch with Tegatech.

Steve / Chippy.

tags: umpc, q1, samsung, tagatech

JKK has sent some nice comparison shots of the Tablet Kiosk v7110 and i7210 UMPCs

Take a look at the gallery for more details.

Thanks to JKK.

Steve / Chippy

tags: umpc, v7110, i7210

Evan Easton has been running a series of posts about the TabletKiosk i7210 since he got it a few weeks ago. Today he posts about a possible mounting solution he’s found. Its a mounting solution designed for the Motion LS800 and Evan is working on modifying it to fit the i7210 and fitting it into his Hummer.

CarPCs are going to comprise a significant slice of the UMPC market and manufacturers need to get their act together on mounting solutions. Send the devices out to Arkon, Ram Mounts, and ProClips so that they can get working on solutions for us.

More details, pictures and hopefully a working solution soon over at eeaston.com

Steve / Chippy

tags: umpc, i7210, carputer, carpc, mount

I’ve just read some great news relayed by Ctitanic at UMPCBuzz. It looks like Yahoo are going to market a UMPC next year.

The news comes via TGDaily and it mentions the ’second generation’ UMPCs. My guess is that this is all part of UMPC2007 that Dennis Luo of Microsoft talked about at the VIA Technical Forum (Computex, June 2006. His presentation is still available.) From the Carrypad VTF report:

To be a UMPC2007 version, a device must be able to support Windows Vista, use LED backlight technology, maintain the current 1Ghz class CPU (but reduce power.) and reduce thickness and weight to sub 700gm. The device should also support WWAN technologies for an always connected experience. There are some ‘possible’ scenarios thrown in too like solid-state disks, integrated LCD touch panels (not the multi-part panels that are used today.) and passive cooling.

But the specs aren’t really the most interesting thing here, its the fact that Yahoo want to brand it. You can guarantee that it will be offered as part of a Yahoo subscription package. VOIP perhaps? Flickr? Yahoo music subscriptions? YahooTV? Could this be the first subsidised UMPC?

Thanks again to UMPCBuzz for relaying that news.

Steve / Chippy.

tags: yahoo, umpc. umpc2007

I’ve only had the i7210 for 24 hours so I’m still installing software and showing-off in cafes. However, hard-working JKK, active member of the Origami Project forums (there’s a thread running about the video there.) has produced a video covering many details about the device.

• Does it get hot?
• What’s the touch-screen like?
• Vectoring Issues?
• Video Performance?

Its all answered in the video along with some really nice software tips that I’ll be checking out. Also in the video is a great demo of voice control.

Software demo’ d:

• MouseImp mouse scrolling software.
• KeyTweak key mapping software.

The video demonstrated was an HD 720 QuickTime movie available via this link.

More i7210 images and data sheet.

Steve / Chippy

tags: umpc, i7210, video

John Biggs stays true to his word and publishes a short report on the Pepperpad-3.

it is specifically designed with folks who wouldn’t use a laptop. It’s rugged, easy to use and small enough to hide out of the way when not in use. That said, it is also a hacker’s dream

He also calls it a Kitchen Computer! You do a lot of cooking John?

Anyway, there’s some good info over at Crunch Gear along with a video review. Good work John. Now get back to the kitchen.

Pepperpad specs and more news here.

Steve / Chippy

tags: Pepperpad 3, uppc, webpad, umpc

Hugo Ortega got hold of one of the VGA adaptor cables for the Vega UMPC. This was (and still is) missing from my Vega so I’m interested to see how Hugo’s testing goes.

Hugo, can you run Powerpoint up on a big monitor to see how if it works OK? The testing I did indicated that it works fine at 800×480. 1920×1600 might be a different matter! Projectors run a lower resolutions so I guess they’ll be OK at the Vega’s native resolution.

More images and hopefully test results at Uber Tablet.

Steve /Chippy

tags: vega, umpc

Dynamism have cut a deal with Raon Digital in South Korea to import and resell the Vega UMPC so if your local UMPC dealer doesn’t have it in stock (admittedly, there aren’t many!) then Dynamism is your best bet.

The Vega is nearly (apart from the OQO +1) the smallest consumer Windows PC there is. Ignore the 500Mhz processor specification because unless you need 3D support (Streetdeck, iTunes, Google Earth and most games won’t even think about running on it!) its makes pretty much a perfect companion PC. In addition, you get a 5 hour battery (up to 8 hours audio-only.) a VGA output (Powerpoint 2003 worked a treat) a useful multi-way button pad, and some good styling.

My recommendation is to get a some carputer overlay software (I use InCar Terminal) and some navigation software (beware the 3D restrictions - I’ll be doing some Navigation software tests next month with it.)  Buy a Bluetooth USB stick (there’s no Wifi or Bluetooth built in) and a Bluetooth GPS unit and do some tech traveling.

Can you tell that I quite like the Vega? I liked it so much that I’m now the owner of one and you’ll be seeing it pop-up from time to time on Carrypad. If you’ve got any questions at all, take a look at the full review, the data sheet and photo-set and then, if there’s still something unanswered, drop your questions on the Origamiportal thread here.

The price is high, there’s no denying that. For $999 you can buy a lot of tech. And if you’re thinking of a fully equipped tablet PC then step away but if your secret shopping list reads: PMP, MiniPC, CARPC, LOUNGEPC,  USBDRIVE, you might want to add it all up and see what the total cost is.

Steve / Chippy.

P.S. No. I’m not sponsored in any way by Raon Digital or Dynamism!

tags: umpc, Vega

Its been a nice day for UMPCs.

There was the Pepperpad 3 news, then the IDF UMPC prototype, the ASUS R2h launch and then my new i7210 turned up.

I ordered it through the Scandinavian TabletKiosk distributor Coxion in Finland (who are also developing another mobile PC, the WebBook 3G.) They aren’t selling devices direct to the public but are providing mobile-computing related professional services into Europe. For those of you wanting to buy a single i7200 series in Scandinavia, I’ll try and find out from Coxion who’s reselling them.

I’ve barely had time to play with it but it looks (once again) smaller than I expected. Its a lot more stylish than I expected too. I like it a lot more (style wise) than the white Paceblade Easybook P7 (eo v7110 / Amtek T700) I had for a while. The docking station is also going to be very very useful.

On the negative side, theres just one thing at the moment. The little speaker is terrible. I have a better one on my mobile phone. Actually, I think it’s the worst speaker I’ve ever heard on a PC. No actually thats not fair. The Sinclair ZX81 was worse.

I’ve got the first photo-set up on the gallery now so there’s time to play around a bit. I’ll write up first impressions tomorrow.

One little test I’ve just done though - Playing the 6.8mbps HD video ‘Coral Reef’ from the Windows Media HD showcase. Not a single glitch. Perfect.

See the product portal for more specs on the i7210 and the Celeron based i7209.

Steve / Chippy.

tags: TabletKiosk, Founder mininote, i7210, umpc

Note that the keyboard in the image above is not included with the i7210. It’s a Level One Bluetooth Keyboard.

Exactly as planned, the R2H has just been officially launched for the German and Austrian market at a press conference in Munich. Its taken way too long to get here (six months in total.) but at last we can finally be sure of pricing and specifications for the European markets.

What do we want to know? Specs, Availability and Price, right?

Specs:

- 7” TFT WVGA Display (Auflösung: 800 x 480 Bildpunkte)
- Interface Touch Panel & Pen
- ULV Intel® Celeron™ M 900 MHz Prozessor - 768 MB DDR2-533 (256 MB onboard & 512 MB)
- 60 GB HDD
- WLAN 802.11 b/g
- Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
- Sicherheit: Fingerprint Sensor, ASPM – ASUS Security Protect Management, SSO – Single Sign On
- GPS Receiver und Europa Kartenmaterial (Microsoft AutoRoute GPS Map 2006)
- 3 x USB 2.0 Ports, 2 x Audio, Kopfhörer und Mic-In, 1x AV Out, SD Card Reader
- 1.3 Megapixel Web-/Videokamera
- Onboard 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
- MP3 Player
- Abmessungen: 234.2 x 133.0 x 28.0mm
- Gewicht: 960 Gramm
- Protection Bag
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition und Microsoft Touch Pack

Optional accessories: Foldable keyboard and DVD drive.

Availability:
At the beginning of October in specialist shops.

Price:
R2H-BH039T Deutschland (Germany): € 999,00
R2H-BH039T Österreich (Austria) : € 1.033,00

The guarantee is 2 years (pick up and return) and can be extended to three.

Information is not on the Asus website yet. All information was received via a press announcement from ASUS Germanys PR company.

My opinion: Very good value. Especially with the included MS Autoroute Software (remember that AutoRoute 2007 will have UMPC enhancements. Hopefully an upgrade will be possible.) Will not compete with the Tablet Kiosk i7210 but will pull the average price of UMPCs down by at least $100. Base Samsung Q1 will have to be re-priced to compete.

I will try and find out if the launch also took place in other countries and post more if I find it.

Steve / Chippy.

tags: r2h, asus, umpc

More information has come through on the keynote speech by Intel CEO Paul Otellini at the IDF.

Firstly, the complete keynote speech is available here. UMPC-related stuff starts at around the 50 min’s point.

You’ll hear Anand Chandrasekher, GM of the Ultra Mobile Group at Intel, talk about the Steeley processor. The Steeley processor will be the successor to the Celeron-M with a Merom-based (65nm process) reduced-cache version of the Yonah1 single-core processor that itself will replace the Pentium-M range. Quite what the name of the chip will be is still a mystery to me. Maybe it will be called Steeley, maybe Core as with the current processors.

The UMPC you saw in the video was built by Quanta (a very large production company for PCs) which to me, hints that the device could be lined-up for a large production run. The device in the video was Intel branded and had a 5″ 1024×768 screen.

Finally, a photo has surfaced of what looks like the Q1 in the same VW car.

Thanks to Winfuture.de for the image.

Steve / Chippy

tags: umpc, steeley, vw

In about 5 hours (1700 CET, 1100 EDT) we should know the official specifications, pricing and availability of the ASUS R2H in Germany.

Already we’re seeing online prices appearing between 895 and 970 Euros so its coming in at about 15% below the current German price of the lower specification Samsung Q1.

Online retailers are offering the following specification which seems to be the same as the full specification as announced back in April/May (rather than the cut-down version being sold in Holland.) The included maps could be nice. One of the navigation solutions I was looking at recently was going to cost me 250 Euro just for the software so if this is a full map set with navigation software, its going to be great value.

- 7” WVGA Active Matrix TFT, max. 800×480
- 768 MB DDR2-RAM 533FSB, max. 1280 MB
- 60 GB  (1.8 inch) drive.
- 128 MB Graphic Media Accelerator 900
- 54 Mbit Wireless LAN (802.11b/g)
- Bluetooth 2.0
- 10/100 MBit LAN
- 1,3 Megapixel Webcam
- Interface Touch Panel & Pen
- Built in GPS Receiver inkl. Europa-maps
- Fingerprint sensor
- Protective case
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Microsoft Touch Pack
- 2 year guarantee

The model number being offered is: R2H-BH039T

Samsung have already said that the Q1b will launch at the same price as the current Q1 so I expect to see the Q1 undercut the R2H price before Christmas.

More news later when I get info via the press conference or via the press pack that should arrive after the launch event.

Steve / Chippy

tags: asus, r2h, umpc, launch

Update: Chuma (chuma.org) has already got his and is starting to post some opinions:

The new Pad 3 hardware - based on the AMD Geode LX800 platform - runs circles around the old XScale architecture. It’s SERIOUSLY FASTER. I don’t know how I can stress this enough.

 

The $699 Pepperpad 3 is due to start shipping in 3 days time (according to amazon.com) and already there’s a teaser article out there by someone who’s been testing it out.

John Biggs of CrunchGear has had one for a week now and has broken cover to tell us that he will be publishing a full review later this week. 

I’m particularly interested in this as I’ve ordered one for the Carrypad casting couch! What attracted me to it is that it has a proper consumer IR device (no other PC in this class has one), runs an x86 processor (the AMD LX800 which I found to be a great video performer on the Vega.) has a webcam and the mini-keyboard layout.

Many people will have a problem coming to terms with the Linux based Pepper platform but I’m interested to see an optimised operating system runs on the LX800. Having seen how the Vega performed, there could be some surprises.

The pricing is quite attractive at $699 although it will get a lot of pressure from Samsung Q1 price cuts before Christmas. Its success is really going to depend on the community to start supporting it and porting applications over. The platform is solid but with more applications (I’m thinking Amarok, Gaim and maybe even the Myth frontend.) its going to be even better. As with Windows XP, it lacks any sort of real Office suite the web-based Think Free office could be a nice option if the processor has enough power.

The Pepperpad 3 is built and marketed by Hanbit of South Korea under license from Pepper Computer who develop the Pepper platform.

Steve / Chippy

tags: pepperpad, umpc, linux

The Japanese UMPC customer now has another Sony UX to choose from because Sony have decided to offer 32GB of flash and 1GB of RAM in the Sony UX90/32SS/1

The price is high of course (around $500 premium over the 16GB version) but you get ruggedness, less heat and a significant speed increase over the spinning disk models and of course, a reasonable amount of storage space.

Dynamism are already taking pre-orders for imports along with the other 13 variants of the device. Choices choices.

Steve /Chippy.

Update: A CNET video of the prototype UMPC show below is now available. (Via jkOnTheRun.)

A few interesting bits of UMPC-related news have come out of the Intel Developers Forum in the last 24 hours.

Firstly, Intel have said that they will be able to get the power usage of their mobile CPU’s down to 2.5W by the first half of 2007. (I assume that this is the Ultra Low Voltage Merom devices that are planned for Q1 2007. See the UMPC CPU update for more.) They have also said that by 2008, they will cut the power down to 1/10th (0.5W) and gave a target of 8-hours battery life by 2008. (2 years earlier than previously announced)

I have a few points to make on this. Firstly, VIA are already at the 1W power consumption level so reaching 0.5w is no big deal. What might be a big deal is that these 0.5w processors could be 1.2-1.5Ghz devices with relatively high processing power making them good for advanced operating systems like Vista. Secondly, these CPUs will be expensive. Don’t expect too see a Merom ULV based processor in a reasonably priced UMPC before late 2007. Finally, there’s no point talking about CPU’s enabling 8 hours battery life. An 8 hour UMPC will require more than just an Intel processor running at 0.5W. Efficient screen, solid state disks and a better battery technology will all be required if you want to run Vista in a sub 1000gm device. In theory, Samsung already have an 8 hour battery life with the VIA C7-M based Q1b. Just put the extended battery on it and you have 10 hours of life (Samsung are stating 60% battery life improvement over the standard Q1)

I applaud all efforts to get the power consumption down and Intel will probably continue to have UMPC processors that have the most processing power but I just want to keep it in perspective!

Secondly, Intel showed off a nice UMPC prototype with a swivel screen.

(more images and info at Anandtech)

The UMPC is running StreetDeck in-car software which is a kind of Windows Media Center for cars. Mp3car.com is the place to go to find out more about the StreetDeck software. There aren’t many details of the device apart from the fact that it has Wifi and WiMax. I love the design though. There’s the keyboard that will blur the Microsoft definition of a UMPC.

The demonstration was performed with Volkswagen who, as announced at the IFA in Berlin, have been working closely with Intel on in-car computer development.

Steve /Chippy.