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…]
The SX model (image right) is an 8.9" 1280×768 screened device with a larger casing, 1.2kg weight and 3-cell battery giving 4.2hrs battery life. (average 8w drain), dual cams, DVD multi-writer. If the touchscreen is heavy, it might make a nice mobile tablet solution for inkers. Full SX specs through this translation link
Both models feature:
- 1GB RAM
- Built-in 1-Seg TV tuner
- Silent Mode
- LED Backlight
- ExpressCard/34 slot
- Vista Home Premium
- Re-designed keyboard.
- Optional double capacity battery.
Local pricing: SC starting at $850. SX (with Multi-writer) starting at $1030
The package looks fairly interesting and is a welcome upgrade in terms of hardware but how is Vista going to perform on that 1.33Ghz Atom processor? Obviously XP would have been the better choice but it’s not shown as an option presumably because of the End-Of-Life issues.
The second point to note here is an important one about Atom battery life. Kohjinsha are quoting 3.2hrs battery life with a 20wh battery which results in an average drain of 7W. 7W is impressive but if you read the small-print you’ll see that the tests were done under JEITA conditions. In effect, its a measure of silent-state power drain which has very little to do with using a PC in real-life. As i’ve written before, you need to take 30% off the battery life figure to get a real-life figure. Expect 2-2.5hrs battery life from the SC and an efficiency that’s only a few watts, say 20%, better than the existing UMPCs. The SX achieves better battery life simply by being able to house a 3-cell battery. The points to note here are 1) however efficient the CPU is , once you’ve draped the energy-sapping motherboard, radio, backlight and storage components round it, you’ve lost a lot of the advantage and 2) if you have a small device, you can’t get a big battery inside!
I’ll get these devices into the database ASAP Devices are now in the database. (SC here, SX here) I already have emails out to Vye to see if they are planning to bring them over to EU and US and i’ll feed back as soon as I find out more.
Update: See
this news item for images and export pricing info from Japan.
Click for SC3 and SX3 product details.
(UMPCPortal database.)
Thanks JKK for the tip.
Kohjinsha never fail to impress, plus its a good move to make two devices that have different specs to satisfy wider range of customers.
Its a good decision to keep the previous design (which was stunning) and update the specs.
The 1.33GHz silverthorne has a question mark written all-over it.
do both these models have touchscreens.
They both have touchscreens.