Whe I tested the Gigabyte M528 sample version of the Compal (codename, JAX10) MID back in July last year, I was looking at an extremely basic software stack. When I tested the Aigo MID version a few months ago, the situation was better but not impressive…

The Aigo P8860 MID is a slightly unpolished, slightly locked-down, slightly thin-app, early-adopters Mobile Internet device. Almost everything in the application suite is underwhelming and after the initial unboxing high, the experience takes a sharp dive.

When I tested the latest Compal Jax10 sample last week, I felt like it was getting close towards being consumer-ready. The application suite was a lot better. In this video that I made for MIDMoves, I go through nearly all of the applications. Highlights for me, over and above what I’ve seen before, are Skype support, live video streaming, camera and games. Putting it into perspective though, there’s a long way to go. The experiences needs to be a lot smoother and many of the applications are stil under-par. There’s no GPS app, no security and silly things like not being able to use the camera when the browser is open. Having said that, I heard just a few days ago that Compal already have a new software stack ready so maybe i’m one step behind here!

The Blip.tv flash video is embedded below but there’s a YouTube version, a WMV version an H.264 version and, apparently, our Blip.tv videos are being syndicated to iTunes now!

More information on the Compal MID is available through our community link list.

Source: MIDMoves

Unfortunately, it’s not me!

At least two members of the forums here have received their M528’s. Nalim and Skypeone have both reported that they have received theirs from Expansys and a quick check with a contact at Expansys confirms that some back orders have shipped.

Who’s going to be first with pics and first impressions of this device? Guest posts welcome!

In related news, the TIM IDOL is now available in Italy. Thanks Smurf!

Wibrain i1 – Dead?
If you’re waiting for the Wibrain i1, it looks like it could be a long wait. I’ve had a few tips and even direct feedback that nothing is happening with the i1 this year. One of my Wibrain contacts no longer works at the company, there’s no word of the i1 on the Wibrain website and in general and they aren’t listed for CES. It’s all gone very very quiet so I’m wondering if there’s a problem over at NeoSolar, the parent company. if the i1 is dead then it leaves the question ‘What should I buy instead.’ This is a huge question at the moment because not only is the i1 unavailable but the original Everun is no longer being mass produced. CES is round the corner but even then, I don’t see a similar, value, keyboarded option out there apart from the Aigo and Gigabyte MIDs…

M528 – Realistic date
I contacted Expansys today to get an update on the long-awaited Gigabyte M528. Apparently the "Estimated 9 Days" shown on the Expansys.com website is ‘realistic.’ I’ve seen this ‘9-days’ before though on Expansys so i’m not holding my breath. We’re [somewhere] in line for a test device when they are released so it will be interesting to test the M528 against the Aigo. Gigabyte have had a long time to get the s/w sorted out so we’ll be looking for something special.

More below….

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Chungwa and Gigabyte will be launching the M528 on Dec 6th with availability set for Dec 22nd according to an official statement appearing in PC World via the IDG News service.

This is of course good news for the west because up until now, the product didn’t even have a production line schedule. We had heard that the M528 was to go out initially through Expansys in Europe but that could have changed. I doubt anyone will be getting it as a Christmas present but we’ve put queries out to our contacts and hope to bring you the definitive answer later today.

The local price in Taiwan (including 3G and 3mp auto-focus camera) will be $583 dollars without any subsidy. Expansys are offering pre-tax pre-orders (aff. link) now for the equivalent of $685 but it’s not listed on the Expansys US web site yet.

Our hands-on with the M528 is here. There’s plenty more information in the M528 page.

On one hand, I wish I hadn`t started tracking the pricing info for the M528. On the other hand, I think its been important at highlighting customers opinion to the resellers. For example, when the first reseller price was released, the tech blogs and potential customers reacted very negatively. Not surprising at that price! And then, just days ago, the reaction turned positive as Expansys added the M528 to its catalogue at a teasingly good 550 Euros.

Today though, I`m wishing that the resellers would get their acts together because I’ve received a response to my `is that price correct and does it include 3G` query. You guessed it. The price does not include 3G which changes the equation completely. Now we`re looking at a device that simply isn’t a MID anymore. What makes Gigabyte and resellers think that people are going to want a MID that only works in WIfi hotspots and where is the 3G version? A modified description at Expansys leads us to believe that the 3G is now user upgradeable but I don`t see any upgrade options.

"LAN/Wireless LAN – 802.11b/g via SDIO I/F, HSDPA available through mini card module (available separately)" (ref)

I`ve sent a query email to the UK marketing people but as its past 6pm there as I write this, I don`t expect to see an answer until Tuesday.

You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment. A reseller with a real price on the Gigabyte M528. The pricing we had from Aigo in Taiwan was spot on because Expansys have just listed the M528 with 3G, GPS, 3mp cam for just 429 UK pounds (549 Euros in Germany.) Sounds expensive? Its not. This is a….well you’ve heard me talk about it before so I won’t give you the full ‘FIE’ talk now. Take a look at the product page for the full spec list and links to our hands-on reports. It’s available on the U.S. site for $689. (more after the pic…)

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Finally, a MID in it’s final form! UMPCFever got hold of a retail version of the Aigo MID.

There’s no news about performance or battery life at this stage but we’re in contact with them to try and get the details for you. I believe this goes on sale at the end of this week.

Aigo MID specifications.

UMPCFever photo report.. (translated)

The Aigo MID is based on the same design as the one that Gigabyte are using for their M528 which which I tested recently and will be on sale in the western world sometime very soon.

One of the most popular MIDs on UMPCPortal, the Gigabyte M528, looks like it might be one of the first to launch and at a far more attractive price than we’d previously heard.

Official information at Computex and sent directly to us from Gigabyte today was that the specifications remain unchanged. We’re still looking at an impressive, pocketable combination of 800×480 touchscreen, 3mp auto-focus cam and 4GB SSD on 800Mhz Silverthorne/Poulsbo (Menlow) with integrated GPS and 3G modules all controlled from the Moblin-based software with it’s ‘Merry-go-round’ user interface. A full suite of applications includes a browser based on the Firefox 3 engine, Skype, Pidgin IM, OpenOffice 2.4 and many others. [more after the pic...]

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My daily wake-up ritual usually comprises lying with one eye open, scrolling through emails from Asia on my N82 and this morning was no different with an email direct from the marketing team at Gigabyte showing up and raising my eyebrow a little bit higher than usual. According to the email from the Gigabyte notebook and UMPC marketing group in Taiwan, there are final discussions going on worldwide but there’s no pricing structure set for the Gigabyte M528 yet. All will be revealed at Computex in a few weeks time. While it’s quite embarrassing for UMPCPortal and Tegatech, it’s potentially very good news for the MID market.

Its clear that Gigabyte have been following our story and the reader comments so we’re wondering if they’re back-pedalling due to the negative feedback. Maybe Tegatech jumped the gun. Maybe it was all a ruse to get traffic and feedback. Either way, we’re back to stage-one on the pricing and now in a good position to stear the OEM’s on pricing. What I would suggest at is that we all continue to give our feedback. Use the poll below, add your comments and if you can, blog your own opinion. Gigabyte and others in the MID sector will be watching so lets take the chance while we have it.

My direct feedback to Gigabyte and all MID manufacturers at this stage would be this:

It’s clear that you might win early sales from consumers buying MIDS at high prices, I’m one of those customers, but you need to be taking a risk on the pricing in order to kick-start this new consumer product category in a positive way. Initial media feedback hangs in the search engine results for many months so it’s critical for the mobile Internet device market that the first media reviews are positive and that customers get excited without having to think twice about pricing. Do not copy the Origami UMPC strategy of high prices and expect that growth will trickle down from high-end customers feedback because, while that might be a good long-term strategy, there are too many competing products waiting in the wings for this to work for MID’s. You are in a position to be able to steer the direction of a huge Mobile Internet market and to change the path of personal and mobile computing forever so take a chance and bring sub $500 3G-enabled highly-converged online media gadgets to the people.

Did I just say Online Media Gadget? OMG! Add it to the list

M528 details and article links available on the M528 spec. page.

Original M528 pre-order pricing article.

If you read the article earlier about the US$1450 MID that’s for sale in Australia, you should read this as, following our article, the price has come down some 20% since we had our moan and now sits at around US$1100. That price might still sound shocking but for me it’s in the consideration-zone because it now translates to something like $750 in the U.S. Here’s why.

The cost of electronic goods in Australia is expensive compared to the US. Less demand, less competition and higher transportation costs means that pre-tax prices are at least 10% higher. Then you have to take the goods and sales tax into account. That’s another 10% that you don’t see on prices in the U.S. I would also take into account another 10% based on this being a pre-order ‘first available’ price. Typically, retailers will try and mop-up the cream of the ‘money no object’ buyers in their first shipment. You also have to consider that this is a recommended retail price and there’s going to be some flexibility built into that price. Probably another 10%.

Taking all this into account, I estimate that the price of the 3G-enabled M528 to be about $750 in the U.S. with a street price that could quickly hit $650. You might even see some retailers taking risks at $499 with the non 3G version of the device. In Europe we can expect slightly higher prices at an extimated 700 Euro for the 3G-enabled model but its still VFM compared to 800 Euro E90’s and HTC Advantages. At 900 Euros the M528 would have been a non-starter for me but I think we’re back on track now.

What do you think though? How much would you pay in pre-tax $US for the 3G-enabled M528. Vote below.

Update. It appears that we might have stirred the sales and marketing groups into a re-think. The M528 3G pricing has dropped to 1199 AUD overnight which is a much more accpeptable pre-order, early adopter, Australian market price.

Update 2. There’s some back-pedalling going on with pricing following our story. Gigabyte say they haven’t agreed any pricing yet. Details here.

Interested in mobile Internet devices? You know, the ones aimed at the consumer with consumer features and consumer pricing? Then read on… Tegatech, a well-respected UMPC retailer in Australia has recently signed a deal with Gigabyte for the distribution of it’s UMPCs and MIDs in Australia and New Zealand and has sent out an email to it’s media contacts announcing that my favorite MID, the M528 is on their books. A quick look at their website reveals that, yes, the M528 is listed, still looking very desirable, with a nice 8GB flash drive, the 3MP auto-focus cam, an 800×480 touchscreen, 11Wh battery, built-in GPS, 3G radio and an 800Mhz Intel Atom processor. With a pocketable size, a pocketable weight and that slide out keyboard it’s a dream device for many. So what’s the cost? [After the image]

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