Archive for June, 2008

It looks like the folks at Nokia are still working hard as ever to improve the user experience on the Nokia Internet Tablets, specifically the N8×0 models. While the new update isn’t OS2009, it offers some significant improvements to OS2008 that were frustrating to users. I can tell you personally how annoying it was to have to reflash my N810 if there was an update to the system. No back up media meant that I would lose all of my applications and data, and for those that did back up the process didn’t always work correctly.

The Diablo update will turn on over-the-air updates that install incrementally. The User will now be notified of updates to the official OS as well as third-party applications right on the home screen. Previously, one had to manually go to the Application Manager and refresh all sources (which could take several minutes if you have a lot of sources installed). Nokia calls this update feature SSU or Seamless Software Update, I call it SHBTTBW or Should Have Been There To Begin With. The least they could have done was made it possible to back up to your computer before reflashing. At least it is here now, though ironically you’ll still have to reflash for this update, but hopefully never again. Additional improvements include an updated email client based on Tinymail and Modest. The old default mail app was very buggy, an d most people ended up using Modest installed via third-party sources anyway. Now they just need to do the same with the Wayfinder GPS app and replace it with Maemo Mapper.

Source: [Maemoapps.com]

The guys over at Gottabemobile.com have found a video showcasing some of the intended applications of the new Panasonic CF-U1. The video is surprisingly high quality when it comes to scene and prop setups, but the acting is, dare I say, pathetic. Still, the video gives a pretty good idea of how the U1 is designed to be used; shown in the video is a wide range of industry applications. It’s a shame that Panasonic hasn’t spent time making a consumer oriented UMPC; the U1 is packed full of features but it has a premium price and is definitely on the bulky side. The video didn’t show any good keyboard use so we’ll have to wait and see how well that turns out. Something interesting to note in the video is the 4-bay battery charger, and confirmation that the batteries in the U1’s dual-battery bay are hot-swapable, meaning you will be able to swap out batteries without ever turning off the unit.

Edit: My apologies, video has been updated to the English version.

A few days ago I highlighted July 3rd as an important one on the netbook calendar. Aldi Süd, an important supermarket chain will have the Alkoya Mini in stock as part of one of their Thursday offers.

MSI-Wind.de now reports that not only Aldi Süd will be carrying the product. Aldi Nord has 2000 shops and will also be offering the device. If that wasn’t enough, Aldi’s Austrian chain, Hofer, will also be carrying the device.

I’m starting to wonder just how many devices are going to be available in each shop. An average of 10, which would be around 40000 units, is probably not going to be enough but even with 10 per shop it seems like quite the production-run challenge. My advise to anyone in Germany is that you’ll need to be among the first through the Aldi door to stand a chance of picking one up. I’ll be in SchwarzeWald on July 3rd and am planning to be in the Freudenstadt (Peace-town!) Aldi just to see what’s going on. I’ll probably pick one up if I see one.

The Akoya advertising is now up on the Aldi Süd website. Image from ComputerBild who have a review of the Akoya Mini

Gottabemobile.com tells us of a new platform that AMD is introducing. XGP (eXternal Graphics Platform) as AMD calls it, is a sort of external graphics card platform that will hook into laptops (and potentially other computer hardware; *cough* netbooks *cough*) and enable them to make use of desktop quality graphics cards. Of course this will enable a lower powered computer to handle more graphically intensive applications while hooked up to the external box.

You might find it surprising, as I did, that AMD is not actually making the box with the graphics card in it, (if I’m reading this correctly) instead they will be making the software that enables the computer to distribute the load to the video card box, then output it to an external monitor. OEMs will apparently be making the box that contains the graphics cards. This sounds like a good idea and probably wouldn’t be possible if they weren’t using the PCIe interface. PCIe is an expansion card interface that is often found in desktop computers. By using PCIe instead of say, USB, they are able to pipe information through fast enough to make an external graphics card a practical idea. Bluetooth, USB, and other connectivity options would bottleneck way before the graphics card was functioning at full capacity. Of course this means the hardware that you use this external graphics platform with will need to have a PCIe slot most likely coupled to a special XGP connector in order to interface with the box. The box will surely be externally powered.

It would be interesting to see a netbook with XGP capabilities, you could take your netbook out for the day with you and have a good companion for web browsing or writing, then come home and hook up to the XGP box and be able to do more advanced activities such as gaming or heavy multimedia editing. I wonder what the card boxes will end up like. It would be very cool if they were user upgradable, and you could plug in any PCIe graphics card. If a netbook bottlenecks at the CPU while taking advantage of the external graphics processing I wouldn’t call it far fetched to say that it may be possible to offload some of the CPU processing to the graphics card, it all depends on whether there is a line back from the external box for that sort of thing.

Jkk has spotted the much anticipated MSI Wind netbook exposed over at the FCC. Click through for plenty of up close and personal photos including some nice internal shots. Also the user manual can be found online in PDF format (MSI manual follows the Bluetooth Module manual in that PDF).

Speaking of the MSI Wind, don’t forget that Jenn over at Pocketables.net is giving one away on July 1st, you only have a few days left if you want a shot at winning the device, so check out the details here.

James says we should jump on this and Matt highly recommends we should download it. If you’ve got a compatible device that is! Opera Mobile 9.5 will be available as a public beta for Windows Mobile on the 15th July. Its based on the same browser engine as the desktop 9.5 version which has quite a fast rendering engine. (I had some issues when I tested 9.5 Desktop with javascript-heavy pages recently though. I hope that doesn’t filter through to the mobile version because it will impact a lot of the web applications.) The mobile version also has some nice small-screen and finger enhancements too.

I’ve got an option to test out the HP iPAQ 214, the 275-Euro, 624Mhz, 4″ VGA, Wifi, Bluetooth, Windows Mobile 6 PDA and as before, I’m wondering if Opera Mobile 9.5 would turn it into a MID. It’s not 800×480 but at 275-Euro, it might make a nice pocketable companion device for a feature phone. I think i’ll take up the offer. It might be good to side-by-side it with a MID anyway.

Source.

I dropped a quick line about the upcoming Panasonic Toughbook UMPC the other day, and now that more details are available it looks as though the device is actually shaping up to be a very well rounded piece of hardware. Before I start listing specs, lets keep in mind that this is a rugged UMPC that Panasonic says surpasses military specifications for hardware of this class, meaning that it can withstand a decent amount of punishment in the areas of shock, temperature, moisture, and others. Now to the good stuff.

The device is called the Toughbook U1, and is running a 1.33GHz Atom CPU. The only storage options are SSD flavored with your choice of 16GB or 32GB. The SSD only option makes sense enough; no moving parts in your storage medium means less components that could potentially break. The unit can also be equipped with 3G, either EV-DO or HSDPA. GPS is an option and of course there is the obligatory Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well. Now for some of the more interesting features. Apparently the U1 is fan-less and will rely entirely on passive cooling to vent heat. Having an SSD surely cuts down on thermal output so this may be another reason that there is no HDD option. The efficient Atom CPU also contributes (or depending on how you look at it, doesn’t contribute) to the levels of heat that enable the U1 to forgo the fan all together. Probably the most interesting feature of the U1 is its dual batteries. Two battery slots which each hold a 2-cell battery enable the device to stay running while you swap out the battery that isn’t being utilized. This mean you could keep the machine running while swapping in as many batteries as you have. Panasonic says 3-4 hours of use for each battery which makes for a very nice 6-8 hours of use across both batteries. Expect to pay a premium price of around $2500 USD for this rugged UMPC.

Source: [PCMag.com]

Kohjinsha will launch the S130WG, a slightly modified SC3 (DMB receiver instead of 1-Seg) in Korea.

Local price for the GPS version will be just under $1000. For more information check out our Kohjinsha SC3 coverage and the SC3 datasheet. We should have one of these a few days after they are launched in Asia (expected 2nd week July) so check back for hands-on news.

Aving.net

It looks like there are definately a few options for getting Windows XP after June 2008. All OEMs can take the ’system builder’ route to provide XP until Jan 2009 as we mentioned on Podcast #15.

JKK has the summary of options and highlights that OEMs should be shipping XP restore CDs with editions of Vista that include downgrade rights.

There’s a wonderful institution called the ‘Aldi promotion’ here in Germany. Somehow this cheap, almost storage-room style supermarket with very few known-brands on the pallets has reached out to people from every walk of life. Aldi exists in other countries too but in the UK, you certainly wont find the chattering classes in there. I heard that it got the seal-of-approval from some A-class German celebs a few years back and since then, everyone is in there. I don’t need German celebs to approve it (not that I could ever spot one) because I was a fan from the first time I saw the special promotions.

Twice a week they make a feature promotion. It includes food and other goods and is usually done on a theme. Italy, gardening, DIY or home entertainment and it works exceptionally well. People sign up for the email notifications, exchange tips at the coffee machine (’check out the Chateauneuf this week, my friend says it’s worth twice that much’) browse the website and make sure they pick-up the brochure in the shop that shows the offers for the following week. On the day of the special offers the leading products usually sell out in hours. Queues at 7am are not uncommon and there often a push and shove to get to the products first. One man even pulled a gun when he couldn’t find his dream PC, so you can imagine, with 1600 ’south’ shops and 2400 ‘north’ shops in Germany (I believe owned and operated separately by two bothers although I could be wrong on that one,) hundreds of shops in other countries and this amazing twice-weekly marketing pulse they have immense buying and selling power.

On the 3rd of July, Aldi will be offering the MSI-Wind-based Medion Akoya netbook with XP, the 80GB drive, 1Gb of RAM and Corel WordPerfect for 399 Euro. Its one of the cheapest PC’s they’ve ever offered and it’s in a market that has huge momentum. News stories about it Germany are flooding out and today, the first Aldi brochure scan was made. By my calculations it seems highly possible that Aldi could sell 10 devices in every one of the 1600 Aldi Süd (South, the North shops aren’t carrying it) shops. That’s over 15,000 netbooks in a day! Lets assume that they’ve negotiated deals for other shops and countries for the same week too. We could easily be looking at a 20-30K piece order with the OEM here. Amazing. I’d love to know how much they got the devices for!

Apple sold 10,000 iphones on the launch day in Germany last year. I bet this netbook beats that by a big margin so I’m looking forward to the news stories in the evening of the 3rd!

News via Heise.de where nearly 500 people have made comments on the news item at time of writing!

Aldi Süd online information.

Click for Medion Akoya tech info and links.

I’ve been using the RC3 version of Ubuntu Mobile (now called Ubuntu Mobile Internet Device Edition) on the Q1 Ultra for a few weeks and had been wondering why the ‘RC’ was dropped from the install package in the last few days. Now I know. I’ll bring you a mini-review in the next few days. It works well but it’s definately a ‘developers’ edition. It reminds me of the first OS for the N800. There’s some work to do to get it up to end-user quality. Head to the wiki to get the inside info.

My brief ‘how-to’ on installing Ubuntu Mobile on the Q1 Ultra along with some early notes is in the forums.

We are delighted to be able to welcome Ubuntu Mobile Internet Device (MID) Edition 8.04 to the world as a full developers’ release. It is based on the Ubuntu Desktop Edition, and it is now available for download. The Ubuntu MID Edition 8.04 has been built by the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded community that is sponsored by Canonical and in co-operation with Intel Moblin.org community to take advantage of the Intel(R) Atom Processor, the chipset that is underpinning the Mobile Internet Device (MID) category. Ubuntu MID Edition will always be an Open Source distribution and is freely available.

We believe that Ubuntu MID will be used by a range of people and companies. The most typical case will be purchasers of a MID device who use it as the installed OS with the shipped applications. Users might install additional applications which will be created within the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded community and in Moblin.org

Developers may want to hack their favorite application from Ubuntu Desktop Edition onto Ubuntu MID to match screen size and touchscreen requirements so that they and other owners can use it. Developers are encouraged to share and have their work reviewed within the UM&E and Moblin.org communities.

Finally, OEM’s and ODM’s will base their devices upon Ubuntu MID using it as the operating system that gets them to market fastest. These manufacturers will typically make changes such as adding drivers and applications or modifying the UI to suit their anticipated user needs. These are and will be done in co-operation with Canonical’s custom engineering teams based in Taiwan and Lexington, MA.

Ubuntu MID will start to follow the normal Ubuntu 6 monthly release cycle with the next version at 8.10. The Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded community is small right now but growing and includes individuals and some organizations, and always welcomes new participants and partners. This release marks the start of a way for new users to experience Ubuntu and Open Source software and as the hardware becomes commonplace it will become a very exciting place to get users experiencing applications from our communities.

Via GottabeMobile.

ECS, the people that made one of the first Origami UMPCs, the Tablet Kiosk i7209, will be bringing their netbook to the European market via a different route to many of the other big netbook brands. An article in PC World today describes how the ECS G10L will include a 3G module and that deals with carriers in Europe have already been made.

The high-end ‘G-series’ model includes a 6-cell battery, a 10.2" screen, Windows XP, an 80GB drive and will cost $500. It’s not clear if this is the cost to the reseller or the RRP. Either way, end-users are likely to be encouraged to buy a data contract which will subsidise the cost depending on the data plan. We say, expect sub 300 Euro prices and the possibility of subsidies taking the price down below 100 Euro.

ECS also said in the interview that a smaller-screened ‘J-Series’ version will also be produced.

More details and news links available on the G10L product page.

Despite my little moan about JEITA battery life tests yesterday, the SC3 is looking very interesting as a UMPC. We’ve been in touch with Direct From Japan (DJF-Store.com) a company that operates out of the Akihabara district in Japan and they tell us that they will be able to ship the SC3 and from the 3rd of July. The SX3 should be shipping from Japan at the end of July.

Prices:

• SC3KP06A Black (and available in white) $989. (approx 640 Euros)
• SC3KP06GA Black (BT & GPS) (and available in white) $1049. (approx 680 Euros)
• The SX (8.9″, 1.2KG, DVD writer) is also available for $1199 (Black or white. Shipping at end of July)

Remember that you are responsible for import duty on the shipments. In Europe, you’ll have to pay your local sales tax/VAT/MSt etc. Shipping charges are also added to those prices [Update: DFJ offer free global shipping.] but with the dollar rate so low at the moment, the prices are looking excellent for Euro and Pound customers.

We’ve agreed to carry a DJF-Store advert in the SC and SX product pages (that will be up soon) in return for an early shipment and a discount so naturally I’ve placed an order for the SC3. I’ll be able to report on the DFJ service and detailed specification of the device (keyboard, language options, manuals etc.) and hopefully, get down to some hard work with Silverthorne. This could be one of the first Silverthorne devices to ship so there’s a lot to learn from it.

Click on the images below for full size versions of images that I pulled over from the Kohjinsha website into the gallery.

Click for SC3 and SX3 product details.
(UMPCPortal database.)

It looks like Panasonic will be releasing that rugged Atom-based UMPC in the near future. Engadget is reporting that the unit will have a 5.6″ touch-screen, QWERTY thumb keyboard split with a numerical number pad, and unfortunately will be running Vista. I hope they managed to reinforce the touch  screen, otherwise it will easily be the most vulnerable part of the UMPC. The device, which was previewed at CeBIT and IDF this year, is said to be getting pricing information and detailed specs on Wednesday of this week. We’ll keep you updated as more info becomes available.

Aiming for features rather than price are the new Kohjinsha SX and SC convertible mini-notebooks that build on the Inventec/KJS convertible designs that came before with an upgraded screen, new CPU and chipset and a badly needed re-style. Rather than use Intel’s low-cost platform as seen in netbooks, they will use the low-power Atom Silverthorne CPU at 1.33Ghz and ISH (Poulsbo) chipset to provide long battery life rather than low price.

The SC model (image left) is a 1024×600 7" screened device with a very small casing (smaller than an Eee PC 701), 798gm weight and 2-cell battery giving a 3.2hrs battery life. (average 7W drain), single camera, GPS. This is an interesting option for Ultra Mobile fans. Full SC specs through this translation link. [read on...]

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