This is a short but revealing bit of info. Inventec, the worlds fourth largest laptop manufacturer (and company that abandoned the ‘UMPC’ term last year!) has highlighted that mobile communications which lie ‘somewhere between handsets and notebooks’ will be one of two new growth drivers for the company. CEO Richard Lee also added that development is still at an early stage.
Clearly the MID segment is seen as an important area to put research into. Mobile phone expectations are growing rapidly and as e-book and internet-media take off, as technology from ARM and Intel meet in this area and as handheld e-commerce grows faster than ever, there’s interest from both the consumer and the marketing departments.
Update: It looks like we got the model name wrong. It says S32 on the product info sticker underneath the device!
Kohjinsha weren’t present at CeBIT but we found a few of their products on the Taiwan Excellence stand. The SX3 was there (Sascha and JKK have a video of that that they will post soon) but I took the time to take a closer look at the SC32 having heard that the pricing has been slashed and that a 3G version is now available in the UK. You can see in the video how Kohjinsha have implemented the 3G module. After we did this video we popped off the battery but couldn’t see a SIM card slot so I can’t guarantee that this is how it’s happening with the KJS-UK version. Looking at their spec sheet (PDF) it shows images of a removable 3G card so it could be the same. We’ve got a query out with KJS-UK to confirm this.
With the built-in 3G module and rotating screen, this could make an interesting car navigation device or photographers tool (great screen, geo-tagging with the GPS, good storage, fast SD slot) but with just 2hrs battery life (standard battery) its difficult to use it as a long-term mobile device.
More details, along with our review and images are available on the SC3 information page.
Vye Computers in the UK have long had a relationship with KJS/Inventec who design and manufacture the Kohjinsha range of Ultra Mobile PCs and netbooks but they have now decided to tighten that relationship by becoming a direct distributor of the KJS devices in the UK.
We’ve spoken to Vye and picked up information on their first offerings under the Kohjinsha brand prior to their launch next week. The first devices will be the SC3 and SX4, 7″ and 9″ convertibles. While these might be known models (I have an SC3 myself and the SX4 is based on the existing SX3) there are a few important differences that make them more interesting than they were before.
XP Home option
Embedded 3g option
Competitive pricing
UK Keyboard
For example, the SC3 with Windows XP and embedded 3G will be selling for an RRP of 699 pounds making it a much cheaper option than the Sony Vaio P that it shares many specifications with.
7” WSVGA Touch Screen (1024 x 768) [That probably should be 1024x600]
Intel Atom 1.33ghz
XP Home
Embedded 3G
1gb Memory
80gb Hard Drive
1.3 Mega Pixel camera
Built in Speakers/Built in Microphone
Full QWERTY keyboard
2 x USB, RJ45, Multi Memory card Reader, Express Card Slot, Ethernet
WiFi, Bluetooth
Dimensions (WxDxH) 189mm x 155mm x 33mm
Weight 820g with Standard Battery
Standard Battery Life 2.5 – 3 Hours
Suggested Retail Price Inc Vat From £699.99
Other models will include GPS and Vista options.
Having tested the SC3 extensively I can tell you it’s got a fantastic screen (bright, rich) and the convertible touch screen rotation gives one of the best reading experiences I’ve had yet on a UMPC. The device can handle 1080p H.264 given the correct drivers (Cyberlink PowerDVD works well) as the chipset has built-in video codecs. The build quality is very good and there’s a good range of expansion ports. Memory is easily upgradable too. On the downside, the battery life can drop down to the 2hr level (an extended battery is available) if you use the device hard and there’s very little 3D graphics power. We’re going to contact Vye to see if we can get an SC3 with XP and 3G because it could be a good alternative to the Everun Note and Sony Vaio P and with XP, a much leaner and faster-booting system.
Launch is planned for 26th Feb so we’ll have reseller/url details then but in the meantime, check out our SC3 and SX3 product pages, keep an eye on http://kjs-uk.co.uk/ and follow http://twitter.com/lwrigglesworth on Twitter for updates.
My take-away thoughts from the video are that its a stylish, useable form factor but if its going to use Vista, a 1.6Ghz is the entry point, not the 1.3Ghz provided. I also question the need to include a DVD player when they could have slotted a bigger battery into that space. Slightly too heavy for comfortable one-handed use. Inventec, Kohjinsha, Intel GET THOSE DRIVERS SORTED OUT! People should not be expected to put up with sub-standard drivers.
