At 500gms and 2/3rd’s the size of a Q1 UMPC with just as much power, the same memory and disk, longer battery life, better controls and a higher-resolution screen, the WiBrain is pretty much the bang-for-buck bargain of the year. At $699 (price from Dynamism) it undercuts every UMPC on the market by a good margin and that alone makes it very attractive. Well, technically attractive at least because in terms of ‘style’ there’s not much here at all. Its more bricky than a brick-thing which is going to put a lot of people off. I’ve had it for 4 days now and have given it a good hard work-out, discussed some specific aspects in the forum and I’m fairly well acquainted with it now. Its time for a rundown of the main points and a demo video to show you some performance and features.

This open gaming handheld reminds me of the WiBrain B1 UMPC. Its got some great specs but the physical implementation looks a mess! It’s the latest incarnation of a design targeted at gamer/developers wanting to run gaming emulators. Based, spiritually on the GP2X, there’s very little focus on Internet connectivity an even less on mobile Internet connectivity (no Bluetooth, 3G) but the interesting thing is that the core hardware could form the basis of an interesting mobile Internet platform. Its being called ‘Pandora.’ [Wiki] Here’s an early prototype rendering. The […]

My first impressions coming up later today but while you wait….

There have been a few reports recently (actually lots, see this thread) about the 2G being available to order but it looks like they’re already on the shelves. This image sent in by EC. Taken in Central Computers in Sunnyvale CA.

Eee PC 2G specs available in the product database.

I’ve just received my Everun car mounting kit with DC power adaptor and can’t wait to try it out. Its better than I expected with a good solid construction, a 12v DC input, USB port and DC adaptor. The problem is that my Everun is still being used for reviews in the UK so I can’t test it out. I’ll have it back in about a week. How frustrating! If you’ve got an Everun though, you owe it to yourself to open up the world of car navigation and in-car entertainment by buying one of these kits. If you’ve got the HSDPA modem installed, you’ll be fully net-connected too! Could it be any easier? 

For a navigation solution, see this review of PC Navigator which I used with the Everun. More info on the Everun here.

On the day that we discovered the touchscreen Belinea 7″ UMPC, here’s a second! JKKMobile has put a touchscreen in the ASUS Eee PC 4G. Its working a treat and here’s the proof:

According the JKK the swap was ‘relatively easy’ with a ‘kit from Ebay’ was about 60 dollars which is a bargain! Now off you go to JKKMobile.com and see if you can badger him into making a ‘how-to’ video!

GottaBeMobile are running a ‘best’ poll across a number of categories. Today you get the chance to vote for the ‘Ultra Mobile PC of the Year’ so get yourself over there and vote now!

2007 GottaBeMobile Awards: Nominations Now Open for Ultra-Mobile PC of the Year

The 7″ laptop market just heated up in the UK. I can feel it from here.

Belinea are offering a version of the VIA Nanobook reference design with the VOIP module for 420 pounds. That’s about 600 Euro. Not that impressive you say? Well take a look at some of the specs that I’ve highlighted. These are different to the Packard Bell XS20 that I tested.

• Memory Base: DDRll SO-DIMM – 1 GB fitted
• HDD Bay 80GB – 1.8″ Format 8 mm Height PATA
• Display: LCD Displays 7″ WVGA LCD, 800 x 480, touch screen function
• I/O Ports: One DVI Port, Two USB2.0 Ports, One DC-in Jack, Audio Ports One Headphone Jack, One Microphone/Line in Jack, Sound volume adjust by K/B hot-keys
• Operating system: Windows XP Pro -Touch screen
• VOIP Module / handset.
• Warranty: Period 2 year Return to Base

Unlike PC World’s rip-off 500-quid offer on their Packard Bell variant, this one has a touchscreen, an 80GB drive, the VOIP handset, Windows XP Pro and a 2 year warranty. How much? 412 pounds including VAT. (as seen at this online store.)

The 1.2Ghz VIA processor works well with XP. (I know, I’m testing the WiBrain right now which has almost identical specs to this Belinea Laptop.) If the Eee PC is just a little too low-spec for you, this could be a much better deal.

For all the information on the sister device, the Packard Bell Easynote XS20, see the UMPCPortal video review and hands-on

Edit: The Belinea laptop is known as the S-Book. Details and specifications now in the product pages.

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