The Internet experience has split into two in the worst way possible. The mobile internet is no longer a subset of the ‘Full’ Internet; it is now a separate world offering features that the desktop just can’t offer and the worst thing is that there isn’t a single device and operating system out there that spans the two Internet worlds. In this article I look at the feature-set of the ‘Full Internet Experience’ and how those features impact netbooks and other ‘mobile’ PCs.

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Note: This post will update as new solutions are found. Bookmark and check back regularly for updates. The RSS feed for the comments on this post is also worth subscribing too. You can follow me at @chippy and the website @umpcportal

You know the problem. You install a fully featured application on a 1024×600 screen and there are so many status and info bars that you end up with a tiny space in the middle of the screen for content. The same occurs with web pages. Google docs are a classic example of a web app that leaves too much screen space unused. Then there’s the problem of memory usage. With 1GB of memory you need to be careful. A fully featured app running on .net or Adobe Air can easily use 10-20% of your free memory. Even web apps and plugins can take huge amounts of memory. Finally, there’s the CPU problem. Web apps are the killer here and it’s not uncommon to be locked out of your PC while a big AJAX-heavy web site fills the screen. Netbooks and UMPCs need efficient apps.

I’m usually very careful with my UMPC builds and tend to run XP Home with very few background apps running in order to leave as much as possible for my work suite. I use GTalk as my mail and IM notifier and of course, Firefox might as well be in my startup folder too because it will be running within seconds of me booting the device but apart from that, I don’t run anything other than the standard build software.  Apart from a twitter client…

I’ve been testing a number of Twitter clients to try and find the most efficient (based on the criteria above) solution. You’ll probably have your own thoughts and favorites and this post is just as much a stimulus for your comments as it is a tip-list so please help us all by adding your experiences int he comments section below.

My Top 5  Twitter clients for netbooks and UMPCs.

Echofon – Firefox plugin. An extremely lightweight plugin that takes a very small amount of memory, sits quietly in the status bar and offers 3 tabs (Friends, Mentions, Messages) of 6 tweets of variable size (see image) when clicked. Each tab is scrollable and everything can be controlled using keyboard shortcuts.  The refresh rate is adjustable as is the notification sound. There are the usual reply, retweet (both types) and a handy button for pulling the current tab URL into a tweet. It supports multiple accounts and you can change the font size too. Missing is list support, the ability to limit notifications to mentions and messages (useful if you follow tons of people like me) and URL shortening.

iTweet.net – Web-based client. Light on memory and CPU with a nice format for a 600-pixel wide screen. The great thing about iTweet is that it’s very feature-rich and it offers the user a great layout of basic and extend-able information areas. It includes automatic updating although I don’t see any way that you can set it to notify via pop-up or sound. There’s also no way to collapse the input and sidebar which limits the screen space slightly but for for the memory and CPU footprint, it’s one of the best featured solutions I’ve found. A Chrome tab running iTweet takes between 25 and 35MB of RAM which is about 1/3rd of what Tweetdeck takes.

Note: The above two solutions appear to complement each other well. One, a simple notifier and the other, a great web-based search, list and research tool.

Hootsuite – Web based client. This one is for the power user! It’s a huge web application with features that I haven’t even tested out yet. Multi-column and multi-tab support with search, lists, notifications, stats and support for multiple social networks including Facebook and Ping.fm. It’s got everything you would expect from a fully featured client. It certainly takes some CPU to get the application running but once it’s stable and you’ve collapsed the status box and gone full-screen with the browser it provides a good working area. 36MB – 70MB in a Chrome tab in my test.

Twhirl. Adobe Air application. Twhirl used to be my favorite twitter app. It runs in about 70MB (which, like all the solutions here,  can rise as you use the app) and allows multiple account windows and variable font sizes. Searches can be interleaved into the tweet stream too which is great for following an event but there’s no list support which, for me, is a major limitation. It’s still in my arsenal of apps but I rarely use it now. One also gets the impression that Seesmic, the company that bought it, are focusing on their other products.

Dabr.co.uk Web Application. Dabr is a no-fuss web application. Quick and easy with various screen layouts and good support for lists, trends and search. Many photos can be shown inline but there’s a text mode that works very well on even the smallest screen. It will run in a Chrome tab in about 20MB which is about as small as a Chrome tab gets! In Firefox you can throw up three tabs with friends, a list and a search result in about 50MB of RAM and very little CPU load. Tip: Bookmark multiple tabs in one folder and it’s easy to open all the bookmarks in a folder in one go. No auto-refresh available on this application.

The ‘not-so-good’ list.

I’ve taken a look at some of the more popular web and windows-based solutions and these are the ones that didn’t work out well on my UMPC or netbook.

Brizzly. Web-based client. Basically, Brizzly is a screen space hog. On my 1440×900 monitor here I saw a total of 5 tweets on-screen. Can you imagine how that looks on a netbook?!

Tweetdeck.  Adobe Air application. Tweetdeck is a fantastic twitter application and up until today, it’s been my most often-used solution but it’s not very CPU and memory-friendly. Expect 150MB or more of RAM usage. If you’re on a limited RAM budget, 150MB is way too much. This application is the reason I started the search for something more efficient.

Seesmic Web. A great web-based application and comparable to Hootsuite above. It’s not as screen friendly as Hootsuite as it includes a permanent top and sidebar. It does have a nice single-column text mode though which is good for getting a lot of tweets on the screen.  Memory footprint is comparable to Hootsuite although I get the feeling (untested) that it’s putting a bigger load on the CPU.

Seesmic Windows Application. Running initially in about 75MB of RAM I found Seesmic to be a big load on the CPU. Using my U820 as the test bed (for all the apps here) I noticed the fan coming on more than is usual. Fan noise is a good indicator of battery drain so I dropped it fairly quickly.

Yoono. Firefox plugin. Plugins are usually small little applets that do one thing very well. Yoono is different. It’s a full suite of social tools in a plugin and it’s got the memoryfprint to prove it. After installing it, my startup Firefox memory usage went from 39MB to 140MB.  I uninstalled it.

There are thousands of Twitter applications out there. The Twitter Fan Wiki is  great list if you’re looking for something specific.

Tip: As with all Web-based apps, choose your Web browser carefully. Firefox 3.6 and Chrome are working out well for me right now as they seem to process web applications a lot quicker than other browsers. Opera 10.5 is also good and includes the great mobile-friendly ‘turbo’ and ‘fit-to-page’ feature but it has a big memory footprint which is probably because of Opera’s Unite and Link integration.

Security Note: Authorising via Oauth or passing your username and password to multiple applications is a sure way to increase the risk of your account being hacked. It’s already happened to me through a previously authorised web application that was hacked and it’s not funny to see rude and spam tweets going out from ‘you’ to your friends. When you’ve finished testing out a series of twitter apps, change your password and revoke the Oauth permissions through your Twitter connections page.

As I mentioned before, you might have already settled on a Netbook or UMPC solution for twitter. If so, tell us about it below and I’ll be happy to update this post. (And don’t forget to follow me: @chippy)

We suspect that isn’t the Pierre Cardin brand you know from the fasion world but these 7″ and 8.9″ tablets have an interesting design with a case that includes a rubber keyboard.

The devices come with resistive or capacative touchscreen and 3G options. All the usual ports are included and it even looks ok. The gotcha might lie in the CPU though because although the C7-M was good and efficient in 2006, it can be quite the hot/noisy little devil when it gets going. The Amtek T770 is testament to that.

Prices should be pretty good in these devices though so they could be worth a closer look.

jkkmobile: Pierre Cardin (HK) tablets at CeBIT 2010.

Hugo Ortega, who runs the ever interesting blog Uber Tablet, is preparing to launch a device with his company, Tegatech. The aptly named Tega tablet looks to be a rather clean slate with some fairly regular sounding specifications. It has a 10.2” resistive touchscreen with a resolution of 1024×600, uses a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, and has built-in 3G. The asking price seems a bit steep considering the slate competition out there — $995 for a version with no OS, or $1,145 for one with Windows 7 Starter (there is also a Win 7 Home Premium version available). Full specs below:

I had hoped to get a big big updated version of the mobile computing guide out before the end of 2009 but time was definitely not on my side. I’ve done a lot of work on it but it’s going to take many more hours before it’s finished. In the meantime, the late 2008 version is still available as a re-flowable PDF and is still worth reading if you’re thinking about buying a mobile computer, tablet, MID or other mobile computing device this year.

Click on the image to download the free 28-page PDF.

If you want to view it online, use the links below.

Part One: ‘What is an Ultra Mobile PC.’ We give you a history of Ultra Mobile computing, show you how the devices break down into segments and show you what each segment is capable of.

Part Two: ‘Details and Choices.’ It covers the form factors, the keyboard, storage, the screen and connectivity elements of an Ultra Mobile PC. You’ll find a good overview and a lot of tips that will help you refine your choice.

Part Three ‘Details and Choices continued‘ continues the details about the components and covers CPU (including a detailed overview of the currently available solutions) GPU, memory, battery, weight and cost.

Part Four: ‘Additional Information and further reading.‘ In this section we cover some of the less commonly found features on Ultra Mobile computers and give you information and links to further reading resources.

If you find the buyers guide useful, think about donating. It all goes back into making UMPCPortal a better place.

Mobile World Congress is going to call for a significant refinement of my ultra mobile reporting kit (see below for previous versions) which means leaving the netbook in the hotel safe and traveling as light as possible. I aim to be roaming with only a man-bag and with about 1KG/2.2lb of equipment which is quite a challenge. Quality and speed of reporting during the day may suffer but I’m prepared to take the hit in order to be mobile and quick. Here’s a detailed look at my MWC setup as it stands just a few days from travelling.

The initial kit list looks something like this:

Hardware (825gm / 1.8lb)

• UMID BZ as PC and USB power source. Including mains charger cable.
• Nokia N82 as camera and backup 3G tether.  Including spare battery.
• Mifi 2352 as primary 3G hotspot
• USB cables for charging and connecting

Optional (about 500gm due to heavy aluminum mic.)

• Samson USB mic for interview recording
• Digutus auto-focus USB snake cam
• Headphones (small)
• UMID VGA adaptor

The bag

Oh the stress of choosing a bag. Right now I’m leaning towards the Jack Wolfskin one because it can be worn in on the back or front of the body and it looks, well, less man-baggy!

Capabilities

• Text blogging
• Photo Blogging to blog, twitter etc.
• Video Blogging
• Live video streaming (as per V6 of the reporting kit – See sample video at base of article)
• Normal PC activities.

Live one-take Video demonstration (15 mins)

Here’s how I would use the kit to post images and videos with text.

Yup, problems occur but in previous and recent tests it  looks like it will take about 5 minutes to do a 2-paragraph blog post around a photo. Video really depends on Internet bandwidth but with the mobile reporting kit I can close the lid of the UMID and leave it to continue posting to YouTube. You have to be careful of time-outs in this case because re-starting the uploads usually requires a full upload again.  Here’s the image I took during the video. As you can see, quality is excellent (click to enlarge.)

Other notes

Weight including adapter cables: 829gm (1.8lb)

Cost

• UMID BZ: $549
• Photo camera: Around $300 but get one with BT and Xenon flash.
• Mifi: $250

Improvements and optimisations.

Could a Motorola Droid/Milestone do all this? Yes. Photo’s to Flickr and editing and re-posting from Flickr is easily possible. Video also possible. Live video using QIK also possible. Text entry with Droid keyboard also possible. Cost: Around $500 including an extra battery (or two!) It’s a great single-device option and way, way lighter than what I’ll be carrying.

The issue with using a Droid is that you don’t have a PC with you for ‘everything else.’ That includes basic video editing, 100% full web access, USB accessories support (printing, usb sticks, usb cam for example) high quality audio recording using USB mic/audacity, audio/video streaming using UStream, connectivity to LCD screen and full size keyboard and use of all the normal desktop client software such as Firefox, Tweetdeck, Paint Shop, LiveWriter, Skype and anything else that a PC would be flexible for. It’s basically a trade-off. Using the UMID is way more expensive but it gives that flexibility to use to a full desktop tool-set if required and that, to me, is worth it’s weight in gold. If either the N82 or UMID die, I’m left with one working device which is a nice backup strategy.

The N82 video quality (test video here) could be improved a lot. I’d love to see a photo camera with high-compression, 720p video recording and checking across the range of smartphones available today, the Omnia i8910 would make a better choice for video with it’s 720p capability. File sizes could be a problem though so HQ VGA at about 2mbps H.264 would be perfect. Anyone out there done extensive phone-cam testing?

Battery life is an issue and will require careful management. Fortunately the UMID BZ is proving excellent in that respect and just by closing the lid I can make it go into standby or hibernation. Returning for these standby modes is 5 and 20 seconds respectively. The UMID is returngin a regular 4.5-5hr in-use battery life. Despite that, I’ll carry a mains charger with me because I may have to charge the Mifi or the N82. Both can be charged via USB which is a huge bonus. The Mifi can even be used while it charges.

Update: In a 34 minute test I saw 17% battery drain indicating 200 minutes of battery life. About 3 hours! (Device closed with screen/touchscreen off)

Embedded 3G in the UMID. Yes, this would be great. No question. There’s no need for a Mifi if you’re only using one 3G-capable device but even in that scenario, i’d probably have the Mifi with me as a backup. The antenna on it is superb and it comes in really handy for a table of five net-less bloggers!

Your suggestions welcome.

Please feed-back in the comment section below. I love to hear how people are using their mobile kit. Are you mobile blogging at MWC? If so, lets meet and have a chat about the kit on video.

I’ll post a follow-up after MWC.

Previous versions of the ultra mobile reporting kit.

V6 (Jun 2009) is here.

V5 (March 2009) is here.

V4 (Sept 2009) is here.

V3 (Feb 2008) is here.

V2 (Sept 2007) is here

V1 (March 2007) is here.

Hat-tip to Jenn at Pocketables who successfully used the flickr-to-blog method at CES 2008.

Thanks to UMID for the loan of the BZ. If I didn’t have the UMID here, I would have replaced it with the Fujitsu U820 as a second choice. The BZ really is the best choice out there right now.

Update:

Live test recording: Video/Audio stream recorded by Ustream

Meet:Mobility Podcast 41 is now available. Recorded on 1st Feb 2010, JKK, Sascha and Chippy talk around the iPad and other mobile computing news including the Aspire ONE 532H, Archos 7, Dell Mini5, iPad, ExoPC, NetbookNavigator, Firefox for N900 and Adobe Flash.
Detailed show notes below.

SUBSCRIBE:
You can also find the podcast on iTunes (Please rate the show on iTunes.) You can also subscribe via RSS.

Full show notes available at Meet:Mobility.

I learnt a huge amount when I did the Solar-UMPC tour back in 2007. Not only about solar energy (and it’s terrible efficiency rate) but also about using a mobile computer while on the go. I learnt about form factors, screens, ergonomics and productive processes. I’d love to do another tour this year so over at Solar-UMPC.com, the journal I used for the tour, I’ve taken another look at the UMPC sector to see what devices I could choose from. I’ve also given some thought to transflective screens which really help in this scenario. So much so that I’d take a weight hit just to get that Pixel Qi screen. The Viliv S7 would be the sensible all-round lightweight choice but if netbooks get Pixel Qi screen first, I’d probably use one of those despite the weight advantages of a UMPC.

I talk a little about the advances in smartphones and sadly, also see that some things haven’t changed at all.

Check it out here.

If the ‘iPad’ is launched tomorrow there’s one thing that’s certain to happen. As senior editors prepare their copy and aim to boost SEO value by focusing on the current keyword trends, the many tablets that already exist in the market will be completely overlooked. Some tech journalists will remember that something tablet-like existed back in 2006 and mark it as a failed category but of course, we know different.

The number of tablet devices in the market has grown considerably in the last 12 months and we’re now at the point where we have 46 of them fully-specified in the database with screen sizes of 4.8 to 10 inches.

Prices range from $200 to over $1000 with processors based on RISC and X86, operating systems based on Windows and Linux and battery life ranging from 2-10 hours. Our favorite so far – The Viliv X70. What’s yours?

Click for a full interactive list (updated daily) and please, don’t forget the tablets!

We’ve seen several Viliv S10 [Portal page] units in the past [gallery], but it looks like the retail version was on display at CES this year. Naturally, jkk got his hands on the device and has a video of a brief rundown and some quick impressions on the unit (also don’t miss his video with the Viliv N5). This is one of the first netbooks I’ve seen that has a capacitive multitouch screen which should offer improved touchscreen consistency than we’re used to with most large touchscreens. Still no word on pricing or availability but the best we can hope for is soon. Without ION, it feels like Viliv has missed the optimal time to bring this great looking convertible to market — if they don’t hurry up they might not have a chance to capitalize on what could have been a significant device for Viliv.  Jump over to jkk’s site to check out the video.

Jkk sounds really excited to be checking out the upcoming Viliv N5 that was recently announced, saying that he feels confident that this is “the UMPC that we’ve all been waiting for”. He has a quality 5 minute video looking around the hardware of the device. Jkk estimates a few weeks until the N5 will be available, but at this point there isn’t anything official about pricing or release dates. He also mentions that there will be an 800×480 low-end version in addition to the 1024×600 model that he plays with in the video. Jump over to his site to see the hands-on, and I’m sure Chippy will be having a look at this as well to give you his impressions.

It feels like we’ve known about the S10 Blade [Portal page] for a long time now, but we’ve yet to see any official pricing. It looks like that may come to an end soon as Viliv has just put out a press release with official specifications (but still no price):

• Intel® Atom™ processor Z530 (1.6GHz) / Z550 (2.0GHz)
• Windows® 7 Home Premium
• 10.1″ HD LCD (1366 x 768, WXVGA) / Swivel / Multi-Touch [Me: probably resistive]
• SSD capacity: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM 533Mhz
• WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• HSPA/TD-SCDMA/EVDO/WiMAX Connectivity options
• Camera
• 2 USB Host, 1 USB Slave
• SDHC, Headphone-out, Mic, Stereo Speakers
• D-Sub, Multi I/O(Composite / Component / S-Video)
• Keyboard : 84keys total (Function 34keys)
• 10 hours max battery life (7 hour movie playback)
• Dimensions:  260(W) x 185(L) x 17~26(H)mm / 10.23(W) x 7.28(L) x 0.67~1.02(H)inch
• Weight: 1.21Kg / 2.67 pounds

I wrote a little while back that the S10 could really put Viliv on the map, but at this point I feel like they’ve waited too long. We now have $300-$400 netbooks which are relatively powerful as they are equipped with Nvidia ION. The S10 will definitely beat out most of the competition with 10 hour battery life, and it has a lot of great connectivity options. It’ll be competitive at the right price, and certainly a good pro-mobile choice, but it could have done some serious work in my opinion if they got it out the door a few months ago.

In addition to S10 specs, we see a whole new device from Viliv, the N5 [Portal page]. They are calling it a “MID” but it’s a mini-laptop form-factor device, similar in appearance to the Sony VAIO P (the top of the N5 says “Ultra Mobile Mini PC” but don’t look for UMMPCPortal.com any time soon). It’s extremely light at 399 grams (0.88 pounds) and appears to have a very HP Mini 1000-esque keyboard. Check the specs:

• Intel® Atom™  processor Z520 (1.33 GHz)
• Windows® 7 Starter / Home Premium
• 4.8” WSVGA (1024×600) with Touch Screen
• 32GB SSD
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM 533Mhz
• WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• HSPA/TD-SCDMA/EVDO/WiMAX Connectivity options
• GPS Sirf Star3
• 1.3M Pixel Camera
• Optical Mouse
• 1 USB Host, 1 USB Slave
• Micro-SD, Headphone-out, Mic, Stereo Speakers
• QWERTY keyboard 63keys total (Function 34keys)
• Up to 5 hours of battery life
• Dimensions:  172(W) x 86(H) x 25(T)mm / 6.77(W) x 3.38(H) x 0.98(T) inch
• Weight:  399g / 0.88 pounds

Viliv is also apparently updating all devices (X70, S5, S7, and the upcoming S10 and N5) to Windows 7. Chippy is on the CES2010 floor as we speak and should have a hands on with these devices soon! Full press release text below.

Press Release Jan 06, 2009

viliv Expands its Mobile Internet Device Product with the Go-Everywhere PC “N5” and Multi-touch Tablet PC “S10 Blade”

The viliv N5 features a 4.8”  Touch Screen, Intel®Atom™ Processor and Windows® 7 OS, and QWERTY keyboard

The viliv S10 Blade features a 10.1” Multi-touch Screen with High Resolution(1366×768) and Swivel Display.

Las Vegas-Jan 6, 2010 – viliv (Yukyung Technologies Corporation), a leading Mobile Internet Device manufacturer, today announced two new Mobile Internet Devices, the N5 and the S10 Blade. The two products made their debut at PEPCOM’s Digital Experience in Las Vegas and will be on display during CES 2010 at the viliv booth, #30349 of the South Hall 3 Upper Level.

Aimed at the go-everywhere PC users, “N5” combines usability and productivity by delivering enhanced performance, light portability (weighing just 399g/0.88lbs), extended battery life and full QWERTY keyboard. With integrated GPS navigation and fueled by the Intel® Atom™ processor (1.33GHZ), N5 is a non-compromise, high-performance mobile computing device that offers full PC functionality and optional 3G HSPA or WiMAX connectivity for mobile professionals as well as for micro-bloggers.

viliv also unveiled the S10 Blade with Multi-Touch Convertible Tablet form factor and with multiple ways to provide input including a full QWERTY keyboard, Multi-Touch and stylus. The S10 Blade delivers up to 10 hours of battery life and weighs only 1.21Kg / 2.67 lb for the best mobile computing experience. The S10 Blade offers various connectivity options including integrated 4G mobile WiMAX, and 3G HSPA.  Consumers can get a seamless Internet connectivity at true broadband speeds — at home, in the office or on-the-go.

“Since pioneering the MID (Mobile Internet Device) category with the introductions of S5, X70EX and S7 over a period of less than 6 months, viliv has been unwavering in its commitment to the long-term growth and development of this fast-growing mobile computing product market segment, said Dr. Seung-Jin Yoo, Vice President, Yukyung Technologies.” “We have made a strong showing in the global marketplace. With the introductions of N5 and S10 Blade, viliv further strengthens its leadership position in the Mobile Internet Device market segment. Viliv N5 and S10 Blade continue to deliver high performance and amazing mobility with the Intel® Atom™ processor.

“The Intel Atom processor represents a hallmark in technology innovation, enabling users to gain unhindered access to the rich, visually-compelling Internet in handheld devices,” said Pankaj Kedia, director of global ecosystem programs in Intel Corporation’s Ultra Mobility Group. “Yukyung has demonstrated the capabilities of the Atom processor with an exciting range of products – the viliv N5 and S10 Blade, the company’s latest additions, will bring the power of the Internet to the hands and pockets of delighted consumers around the world.”

N5 and S10 Blade can be purchased through a variety of resellers including Amazon, Newegg, Buy.com, B&H Photo, PC mall and more and will also be introduced through brick and mortar stores.

About Yukyung Technologies

Based in Korea, Yukyung Technologies is a worldwide leader in the Mobile device and communications market sector with strengths in technology development, product design, manufacturing quality, as well as solution design and implementation.  Yukyung Technologies was founded in 1999 and has developed viliv brand of PMP, Navigator in 2005 and now it’s one of the best and leading Mobile Internet Device Manufacturer in the world.

About viliv

It’s the multimedia brand of Yukyung Technologies.

Yukyung Technologies has released viliv brand of products since 2005.

Related Links

www.myviliv.com/eng

www.myviliv.com/usa

viliv booth at CES 2010

Booth No.30349 of the South Hall 3 Upper Level

Another CES ‘leak.’ This time it’s the UMID BZ 4.8” clamshell UMPC which is very similar to the Viliv N5 we’ve just reported on.

The BZ has also been known in the past as the M2 and also sells as the Onkyo BX and it improves on the M1 design by adding an optical mouse pointer and mouse buttons, standard Line-out and USB ports and a slight modification to the casing design.

The unit runs on the Intel Atom Z520 (1.2Ghz HT-enabled) and battery life tests by Lazion are showing 5hrs figures. According to the report the BZ will be available in mid-Jan 2010. Pricing of $499 has been mentioned in previous reports but this is unconfirmed.

For more images and a translation, head to Lazion.

We’re planning to get both the N5 and BZ in a side-by-side hands-on at CES in just a few days.

Thanks very much to Mobilx.eu who have sent one of their first Archos 9 devices to us for a week of testing and hands-on. You’ll remember hearing about this earlier in the year and getting a launch at IDF in September but it’s taken a long time to reach the hands of end-users. There are a few early devices out there already but not many hands-on and unboxing videos. Here’s my contribution.

Live Review was recorded and is available here.

I’ve been testing a lot since doing the video and haven’t seen anything that has changed much from my last testing session with it. Battery life is a very sold 3hrs (wifi on, screen 50%), the Windows 7 build is ‘Starter Edition’ it comes with a 60GB hard drive, 1GB RAM and the 1.1Ghz Intel Atom processor.

I will be preparing the device for a full hands-on demo and Q&A for tomorrow’s live session. Hope to see you there.

Akihabara seemed to have missed the fact that the Sotec (Onkyo) BX 407A4 is actually a device that many of us have been waiting for. It’s a rebadged UMID M2. Or Kohjinsha device. Or Inventec device. We’re not sure who the design owner is right now but if Inventec are manufacturing for Onkyo as we suspect then it probably means that the M2 is ready to go. About time!

The Onkyo Japan website gives the following information:

• Intel Atom 1.2Ghz
• 512MB RAM
• 32GB SSD
• 1024×600 screen (touch)
• Windows XP
• Wifi b/g
• BT2.0
• 1.3MP web cam
• Optical pointer
• JEITA operating time (idle) 7 hours.

Clearly there’s a left-right mouse button on the left of the screen frame too. Note that the RAM is only 512MB which is OK for basic Windows XP Home use with three or four apps running but will disappoint the heavy users amongst us.

As for pricing, local Onkyo price is 64800 yen which is about 740 dollars; higher than we would like to see. Availability is unknown.

Onkyo BX websales site. (You’ll find a few other recognizable devices there too.)

We’ve got an email out with UMID to try and clear up the status based on this information.

Thanks for the tip Thomas.

Customers and bloggers spend a lot of time feeding back what they think about UMPCs and MIDs. Wouldn’t it be great if the same happened from the other direction? I mean it’s a given that everyone in the smartphone and netbook business should be buying up a few MIDs and UMPCs so that they can analyse the designs, scenarios and potential. Right? If Apple haven’t got a lab full of UMPCs and MIDs then I’ll eat my motherboard!

One company that is now providing feedback and that should be praised for their openness is AMD. Patrick Moorhead, VP and member of the ‘Office of Strategy’ of AMD has just kicked off an 8-part blog series called “Will MIDs and UMPCs Inherit the Earth?” It started yesterday with an introduction (and a hat-tip for myself and our podcast partner over at Meet:Mobility, Sascha. Thx Patrick!) and will go on to present general thoughts on MIDs and hands-on feedback with 4 mobile and handheld devices. The UMID M1, Viliv S5, Viliv X70 EX and Archos 5 Internet Tablet.

In Part 2 today we’ll get a feel for Patrick’s thoughts . Let’s hope that they are positive and influence AMD to take some of that cash and re-build the momentum that was lost when the Geode project was put to one side. AMD have publicly said that there isn’t a successor to Geode but maybe the Bobcat and Brazos projects gives us some clues. How about a gaming-focused UMPC?

One of the big questions for me is ‘What Operating System’?’

Stay tuned to Patrick’s blog here on the AMD website.

Spot the difference. On the top, the Eking S515 available in China and through Mobilx in Europe. On the bottom, the PsiXpda (that’s Sye-Ex P-D-A) which has just been launched by PsiXPDA in England.

Yup, they’re the same device which is excellent news. Why? It means activity, availability and competition which is great for everyone. Lord knows we need some movement in this market.

PsiXPDA has been set-up to bring mobile computing to high end users according to Ewan Spence, a partner in the company. We did some work with Ewan on MIDMoves last year where he tested out a number of mobile devices in his ‘elements’ tour. He’s also involved with writing content for All About Symbian and a number of other websites.  One could say that he’s a blogger that has brought a mobile device to the market where others have failed!

I spoke to Ewan earlier about the project and asked him about target markets, numbers, prices and the future and he was very clear to point out that this device isn’t intended to be a huge mass market product. “10’s of thousands” is the target here which, across a market of over 1 billion people, shouldn’t be too hard. It’s not going to be the only PsiXPDA product either. There’s room for more although Ewan wouldn’t comment on anything particular. We guess that they’ll be spending quite a lot of time going round CES and, hopefully, keeping track of UMPCPortal.

The PsiXPDA will be available from next week in Europe with the same specs as we’ve got for the Eking S515. The operating system will be Windows XP (sensible move in our opinion) and there will be an unlocked 3G modem pre-installed. Pricing is set at the 500 UK pounds mark which includes UK taxes. For a device with 3G included, that’s not bad at all. US pricing is not yet set although if you drop the 15% tax off the UK price and convert to dollars, you probably won’t be far off. PsiXPDA are also looking at Linux options.

On the question of categorization, Ewan held back from using the UMPC term preferring to call the device a ‘Pocket computer.’

One other snippet of information we managed to get out of Ewan was that there’s a docking station coming. We were wondering what that port was for on the bottom! They are expecting it soon and apparently it’s a fairly simple affair with 2xUSB and a VGA output. That’s all that’s needed so if it’s well priced it’s a must-have.

Our unboxing of the EKing branded version of the device is here. Full specifications and information on the PsiXPDA website as is the contact point for orders.