SX3 unboxing, quick perf test.
Direct From Japan, the guys I bought the Kohjinsha SC3 from, just pinged me with an unboxing video of the Kohjinsha SX3, the 8.9" touch UMPC based built around the Intel Atom platform. Again, Kohjinsha have squeezed in features that you won’t find on many other mini notebooks, let alone netbooks because this one has a DVD writer built in. Yup, its the same size as an Eee but has a DVD writer built in!
We also have some CrystalMark scores which show almost exactly the same results as the SC3 but remember that this one has the 3-cell battery rather than the 2-cell you find on the SC3. I don’t have any battery life figures yet but i’m expecting 3.5hrs with Wifi off and 3 hours with Wifi on. Official figures state 4.5hrs.
Other features include the 1280×768 hi-res LED-backlit screen, dual cams and ExpressCard slot. All in 1.2KG.
Full specifications and links in the SX info page.
Thanks DFJ.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:57 am
another video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vny9HpphNlY
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August 8th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Thanks brett.
Will link these videos into the SX3 info page.
Steve.
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August 8th, 2008 at 9:45 am
@chippy
Have you made some tests already? Can you recommend this device despite from the high price?
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August 8th, 2008 at 9:54 am
No havent done any tests on this one. Maybe soon but it’s not planned yet.
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August 8th, 2008 at 10:05 am
will the 3 cell battery from the SX3 fit in the SC3 if it does it might give you the battery life you want from SC3?
Do we have any dates when VyePC will be releasing european versions of the both of these?
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August 8th, 2008 at 10:23 am
SX3 uses same battery as the SR8 / SH8 / SA1
(so if you are upgrading from one of those - keep the extra batteries!)
good news for those wanting to swap out the HDD or wireless cards in the SX…
http://www.conics.net/sx3/
(check the photos, they have made easy access on this one!!)
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August 8th, 2008 at 11:08 am
You can see somes picture from http://www.ultramobilepc.fr
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August 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Does anybody know if the device with these CrystalMark scores has a 1GB or 2GB RAM?
looks like it’s about the same size of the Fujitsu P1610. The screen probably won’t be inkable, since the SC3 isn’t. That would be a real shame.
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August 8th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
1Gb on this one.
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August 8th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
that’s really not bad.. 1GB on vista with these scores… it’s a pity that there doesn’t seem to be a pro-mobile mini tablet on the horizon that doesn’t cost as much as the P1620 and has these nice features that the SX3 has (HSDPA, Expresscard, double webcam, etc.)
I really dream of a fast processor with these features, but up to now nothing seems to beat the P1620 for my usage
thanks for the swift response
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August 8th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
and no, its a soft touch screen.
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August 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
what’s the estimated price?
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August 8th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
its available for import from dfj-store.com and conics.net. CAnt remember the prices off the top off my head.
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August 8th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
In the video it likes a glossy display! Isn’t it?
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August 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
In the video it looks like a glossy display! Isn’t it?
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August 8th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
[...] Vista Home which does not include the tablet features of Windows Vista. You have been warned.Unboxing video one- only get to see the unit for about 10 seconds, not a good one.Unboxing video two- much better look [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
mini review online now:
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=u0XRKufSJAk
(yes, you can see the PC for more than 10 seconds
)
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August 8th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Chippy, does it come with Vista Home Premium or not?
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August 8th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
All the specs say 1.2 or 1.25kg, but the weight in pounds differs depending on who you ask (geekstuff4u says 2.12, my calculator says ~2.7, the wow-pow video says 1.8). I trust my calculator, and 2.7 pounds is quite heavy for such a small device! It’s just as heavy as my laptop, and that’s without the extended battery.
Can anybody comment on the weight? Is it abnormally heavy?
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August 8th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I wish it had a better performance. However, it is a great piece of hardware for corporate presentations - such small device is prepared for any guest bringing CD/DVD to meeting or to give your party recorded CD/DVD copy instantly.
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August 9th, 2008 at 12:24 am
[...] Above: Direct-from-Japan unboxing [via UMPC Portal] [...]
August 9th, 2008 at 1:03 am
There is a pretty good full video review on youtube http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=u0XRKufSJAk Its 9 minutes long! Anyway, it weights 1.25kg but they say its not heavy. They also take off the access panels on the back so you can see the HDD, RAM, and WiFi stuff.
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August 18th, 2008 at 3:11 am
We have 5 of the SX3 on order but DFJ has advised that when they received the SX3s and began installing english software on them they found an issue with the operating software. We are waiting for a further update from Acher at DFJ, which we hope we will receive today.
If anybody else has info on the problem please advise!
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August 23rd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
The display is glossy, which is a bit unfortunate.
I don’t know what Kohjinsha has done with the default install, but as I got it from DFJ after POST there was some sort of linux-looking bootloader, and then it loaded Windows. GUI performance was terrible. I also didn’t like the two partition layout. I reformatted and installed a fresh copy. Performance is MUCH better–generally quite nice, honestly.
The device doesn’t feel terribly heavy but I suppose it is probably heavier than its size might lead on. I don’t mind it–I comfortably cradle it in my left hand in portrait mode for tabletting often.
Video performance for anything non-high definition is quite fine. My 720p videos aren’t playing smoothly in MPC with the ffdshow and haali. Anything lower is smooth, though. I haven’t tried any games, but I’m going to be aiming for old games, like Planescape: Torment and maybe Giants.
Vista Aero Glass is probably not acceptable, performance-wise. It’s just a bit too laggy for my tastes. Again, I’m hoping this improves with drivers. Vista Aero, minus glass, is perfectly responsive.
I installed 2GB of RAM in it immediately. Given my memory utilisation figures, this is 100% necessary with Vista. Don’t run Vista with 1GB of RAM on anything. If you have to, get a memory card and use ReadyBoost. It will help.
I certainly hope that Intel fixes the drivers. Menlow sounded so good on paper. Even if they don’t I’ll be able to do most everything I want with this.
Battery life is surprisingly good: non-official tests give me about 3 hours with wireless on and half brightness with the standard battery, and about 2.5 hours streaming and playing a movie over wireless. Double those figures for the extended battery. With wireless off the projections have been in the 8-9 hour range with the extended battery.
The extended battery sticks out about an inch and adds another 5 ounces. It makes a fantastic handhold for portrait tablet mode though.
The device itself feels solidly built, and the access panels on the back for all of the components is most appreciated.
I’ve had a few instances of the BIOS not finishing POST–it hangs on detecting devices. It has happened twice in the week I’ve had it over many, many boots. I’m not certain what it’s about, but hard power off and power on again seems to get past it.
The keyboard is small but I’m able to adapt to it easily enough. The trackpad is surprisingly nice to use. The touchscreen is passive, but very accurate after calibration. The screen and resolution are *gorgeous* though vertical viewing angles could be better, primarily looking at it from below. It’s not an issue.
I appreciate the hotkey utilities that come with it: they’re small and non-resource intensive. A little strange is that there’s a hotkey for GPS and what appears to be the slot for the same GPS unit as is in the SC3. I haven’t fiddled with it, though.
This wasn’t intended to be a cohesive mini-review, just a list of bullet points from an owner. It’s a nice unit and while there are things I’d wish for (faster Atom, GPS included, active touchpad, matte screen, improved video drivers) I’m very happy with the purchase.
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