I’ve just finished the photo shoot of the Viliv S10….

View the full gallery (70+images) in the UMPCPortal Gallery.

Meet:Mobility Podcast 45 is now available. Streamed live (meetmobility.com/live) on 12th March 2010 with special guest Charbax (Twitter, ARMDevices.net)

In the podcast we talk about the mobile computing highlights of CeBIT including the Archos 7, four convertible netbooks, the new Atom processors and ION GPU options and much more.

Full show notes and links to download/listen are at Meet:Mobility

Once again we had a great audience for our live open review last night. Over 600 people dropped in to watch JKK and I testing out the Viliv S10 in an extended, close-up, warts-exposed review session.

We recorded two videos from the sessions which are up at Ustream.TV (I’ll try and get these over to YouTube soon) but as a summary, let me go through some of the things we found out.

Hardware: Both of us are very impressed with the build quality, plastics and styling of the S10. It beats every other convertible 10”-er out there.

CPU differences: The difference between the 1.6 and 2.0Ghz version is of course noticeable. The 2.0Ghz version is much smoother in general operation and the difference was very noticeable when we compared the use of Microsoft’s Surface demo software. The 1.6Ghz version benefits well from the fast SSD though and once I had turned off Aero, the UI responsiveness went from poor to good.

Battery life: The production samples we have don’t show remaining battery time and only count down in 10% charge increments but we took measurements throughout the session and as the meter dropped to 80% I calculated that the device would run connected, in-use with 100% screen backlight, light browsing and video clip playback for 7.5 hours. For such a slim device it’s incredibly efficient.

Heat and Noise: None. Silent and cool to touch. One small patch gets warmer but it’s hardly worth mentioning.

YouTube video playback. 720p using Flash 10.1 beta was good (only tested on 2.0Ghz)

Video. MKV, AVI, WMV. H.264, Divx, WMV9, MPeg2 all handled well. 1080p played in Windows media player. NOTE: I now see that there are some additional codecs installed on this production sample. It’s obviously tweaked in terms of video software but it proves it works!

Special features: USB file transfer client. Fast SSD. 3-point multitouch.  Analogue video output. (S-video, VGA, component)

Loudspeakers: Very poor.

We talked at length about the value of multitouch in slate and laptop mode and clearly there’s a lot to be learnt here. Multitouch is new territory for me and I can see it fitting well with programmable gestures and on screen keyboards in tablet mode but I still can’t get used to holding 1.2KG of tablet. For me, multitouch in tablet mode is only going to be useful and feel natural when the weight is 800gm or less. As I said, i’m only starting the multitouch journey right now and maybe I haven’t ‘got it’ yet. If you’ve got thoughts or experience with multitouch, your input here would be greatly appreciated.

JKK will be doing some Viliv S10 videos this week. Keep an eye on JKKMobile. My unboxing overview is here.

The Viliv S10, Lenovo S10-3T and Gigabyte T1000 sit in the 1.2-1.5KG bracket and are therefore just outside the range that we normally focus on here at UMPCPortal but given the multiple usage scenarios offered by the touch-capable convertible form-factor they are still worth looking at.

The four interesting models in the 10” screen size range right now are:

• Viliv S10 – 1GB RAM, Multitouch (1366×768) Z530 1.6Ghz Windows 7 Home Premium  32GB SSD. 779 Euro (expected)
• Lenovo S10-3T – 1GB RAM, Multitouch (1024×600) N450 1.6Ghz Windows 7 Home Premium 449 Euro
• Gigabyte Touchnote – 2GB RAM, Single Touch N280 1.6Ghz (1366×768) Windows 7 Starter, 569 Euro
• ASUS T101 MT – 2GB RAM, Multitouch (1024×600), N450 1.6Ghz CPU, Win 7 Home Premium. 320GN HDD. 499 Euro

I’ve talked about the relative pricing of the four devices here but what about the features? Sascha got to play with the S10-3T, the T1000 and the S10 at CeBIT last week and here’s his hand-on video. [S10 appears later in the video here.] You can see how slim the S10 is compared to the other two devices.Viliv have done an excellent job with size, weight and styling. “They are kinda bulky” says Sascha as he holds the Viliv S10 and points to the other two devices!

*** We’ll have the S10 and Touchnote T1028M in a live session today.***

Our live, open reviews are becoming extremely popular and tonight we expect an even bigger turnout for one of the stars of the ‘netvertible’ world, the Viliv S10. Slim, stylish and multitouch capable; it really shows how designs on the Menlow platform can be taken another step further than with Pinetrail.

Live session will be held here on UMPCPortal.com/live

Start time in your location.

Tonight we’ll have not one but two Viliv S10’s being used. JKKMobile has the 2.0Ghz version in Helsinki and I have the 1.6Ghz version here in Bonn. We’ll also have the Gigabyte Touchnote and the Viliv S7. JKK also has a little tablet surprise too. The Hanvon tablet is going to get an airing!

We’ll run two cameras and the chat session is open as always. The sessions usually run to about 2 hours and we’ll be recording it.

Live session will be here on UMPCPortal.com/live and also on jkkmobile.com/live

Start time in your location.

Full model details and pricing range is unknown at the moment but we’re now one step closer to launch of the Viliv S10 multitouch convertible. Dynamism have put up their pre order page.

Pricing starts with a 60GB HDD and XP at $699 which appears high for a device that isn’t much more than a 10hour version of the Gigabyte Touchnote that I’m using to write this. SSD versions start with a 32GB Windows 7 version and go right up to the 64GB version with the 2.0Ghz CPU and built-in HSDPA. Clearly pricing is going to be much much higher for that version so we’re probably looking at the $700 – $1200 range here folks. Lets hope it’s a little less at the high end!

As I said, full details aren’t known and availability is stated as ‘soon’ but we have been promised one of the first samples so you can expect an extensive live review session when it turns up here at UMPCPortal.

For a reminder on the specs, a gallery, some videos and related links from around the internet, check out our product information page for the Viliv S10.

With options for 2.0Ghz Intel Atom CPU, multi-touch, SSD and 3G, a 1366×768 screen, 10 hours of battery life, 1.2KG in weight and a very good looking and well-built form factor, it’s no wonder that the Viliv S10 beat the Lenovo S10-t3 and the ASUS T101H to become Laptopmag’s best of CES netbook. The question is though, how much will the Viliv S10 cost in fully stacked form?

The S10 is a device I’m watching carefully though and if it turns out to be significantly faster and more usable than the Gigabyte Touchnote i’m using right now, it might be my next laptop.

Viliv tell me that it should launch very soon in South Korea with a follow-up launch in the US in Feb. Full pricing details are still unknown.

Here’s a video I made at CES that demonstrates the multi-touch capabilities. I’m still not convinced that multi-touch screen is better than multi-touch mouse pad but i’ll have to test it out in tablet mode when we get one for testing here in the next few weeks.

Viliv S10 Specifications and links in the product database.

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

With just a few hours to go before the madness kicks off in CES, Viliv have slipped out a few pages of marketing for their new offerings.

Four devices are listed with 2 of them directly targeted at the mobile computing sector. The N5 and the S10.

Naver have the details (thanks to @digihunter for the tip)

Head over to Naver for more details.

N5

• 1.3Ghz CPU
• Windows 7 OS
• 32GB SSD
• GPS
• 1.3MP cam
• Optical mouse
• HSPA option
• ‘Up to’ 5 hours battery life.
• 399gm

N10

• 2.0Ghz Z550 version will be available.
• Multi-touch
• 128GB SSD option
• 10 hours battery life
• 3G options.
• Possible issue: Only 1GB RAM.
• 1.2KG

Full specifications in our database.

Viliv S10

Viliv N5

With just a few hours to go before the madness kicks off in CES, news about those two, very similar 4.8” UMPCs/MIDs has surfaced.

The Viliv N5 specs have been revealed…

…and the UMID BX (was M2) gets a hands-on.

Head over to Naver for more details on the N5 and Lazion for the UMID and stay tuned here because I’ll get hands on with these very soon after arriving at CES.

Via UMPCPortal (UMID News , Viliv News)

Meet:Mobility Podcast 38 is now up. Recorded on Dec 30th 2009.

(Show details below)

Listen, subscribe or download the podcast at Meet:Mobility

You can also find the podcast on Mevio where it’s available in a number of different formats and on iTunes (Please rate the show on iTunes.) You can also subscribe via RSS.

On previous MIDMoves adventures you saw me in San Fransisco and Taipei and at each of those events I got hands on with a new 5” Intel-based MID. I’m expecting both of these new devices to launch while I’m in Vegas for CES in a few weeks so here’s a quick rundown of what I know so far.

As you can see, both devices have an extremely similar design. On the left, the Viliv N5 that was announced just a short while ago. On the right, the UMID M2 that we’ve already had time with.

Both devices will be based on the Menlow platform, have a 1024×600 touchscreen and an integrated mouse pointer. Wifi and Bluetooth too. Questions remain over the battery life but based on what I’ve seen with the forerunner to the UMID M2, the M1, battery life on the M2 should be good. If Viliv continue their run of high-quality UMPCs, the battery life on the N5 is going to be good too.

XP, Windows 7, 3G and SSD options should be available so the only real difference in basic specifications I can see is the GPS on the N5. That’s not a deal-breaker for most so it really leaves two differentiators; pricing and the all-important hands-on testing!

That’s what we’re planning to do at CES in a few weeks starting on the 6th of Jan so stay tuned for this interesting battle of the 5” Clamshells because these two could be great mobile computing options.

(We might get some N5 specs and pics soon so again, stay tuned!)

We’ve just been invited to see the Viliv N5 at CES.

4.8”, 1024×600, Clamshell design, 3G, Wifi, GPS and we can probably expect Viliv’s usual high quality build and battery life. The UMID M2 has a competitor!

Note that the S10 is launching too. We should have some more details very soon so stay tuned.

2009 was, again,  a tough year for designing, building and selling UMPCs. Windows Vista continued to drag down performance and the economic situation meant that many UMPCs didn’t reach the market. Despite that, the advances we’ve seen in 2009 have been some of the best ever. Performance was boosted with the availability of high-speed SSD drives. Battery life was improved through the use of the Intel Menlow platform and market pressure meant that the price/performance ratio took a huge step forward. In one of our videos this year I talked about ‘double the battery life, for half the price.’ That’s how far we’ve come since 2006 but into that equation go more features like GPS, 3G, haptic feedback, better designs, silent operation and lighter weight. Only last week, Fujitsu launched the UH900 which makes it, if our database serves us correctly, the first 5.6” UMPC to break the 500gm barrier. Amazing.

In this article we would like to highlight four products that we think deserve ‘Best of 2009’ status.

Best UMPC of 2009.

Viliv X70 EX, SSD.

We’ve chosen the Viliv X70 EX SSD because of it’s focus on quality and it’s flexible form factor. Battery life, build quality and disk speed help to make this a solid and reliable device and a good part of an ultra mobile setup that can go from sofa to car to desktop. The SSD helps to make the X70 EX rugged too which is very important. 3G, Car mount, quality casing solution and even voice capability are options if you want them.

Viliv have proven that many of the most important elements for quality ultra-mobile computing can be put into a device at a very reasonable price. A huge step forward.

We also considered.

• Viliv S7. Another very solid and reliable device with amazing battery life. The S7 is focused on ultra-portability though and is best used on a table-top.
• Fujitsu U820/U2010/Loox U. A device from 2008 that is still able to offer excellent all-round UMPC qualities.

Best Mobile Accessory of 2009

This was an easy one. First tipped as accessory of the year in March, it proved itself during the rest of the year. The Novatel Mifi 2352 (GSM/UMTS) version is simple, reliable and performs very well as a bridge between a single 3G data connection and a WifI hotspot that up to 5 devices can ride on. With a built-in web server and router firmware it’s exciting to imagine how this access box could turn into a content delivery platform. We predict many variants and versions of this popping up in 2010.

We also considered:

• Nothing else came close.

Stay tuned here and at Carrypad.com for details about how you can WIN A MIFI 2352 over the next week.

Best Mobile Software of 2009

2009 was the year that the mobile application market took off in a very very big way. There are thousands of mobile applications to choose from but the one application that continues to help mobile computing users more than any other is Mozilla Firefox. Version 3.5 saw a much faster javascript engine being introduced and it’s plugin ability allows mobile and small-screen users to tailor their web experience in ways that bring huge productivity and efficiency advantages. Notable plug-ins include the ever-useful Grab and Drag, No Script and of course, Mozillas own Weave plugin which is a bookmark, password and tab syncing software that can save a lot of time and keypresses.

We also considered.

• Google Chrome for it’s CPU and javascript efficiency.
• Tweetdeck
• Amazon Kindle for PC
• PDF Annotator
• Favorite applications from the Wakoopa UMPC team

2009 ‘Showcase’ award.

We simply have to give an award to the Archos 5 Internet Tablet. This isn’t a UMPC, isn’t a 3G-capable mobile internet device and is still in need of a lot of firmware work but the technology, operating system and price are a huge step forward for ARM-based devices. The web experience is good (although far from perfect) and the battery life puts all UMPCs to shame. As for sizing, we’ve never seen so much internet-connected capability is such a small device. The Archos 5 Internet Tablet shows us what could be possible in 2010. Full review here.

Biggest Disappointment of 2009

While deciding this award, the team discussed the Crunchpad/JooJoo. We also wanted to list the ASUS R50A too but the first hasn’t been launched yet and the latter was a 2008 device.

In the end we settled on the Always Innovating Touchbook as the biggest disappointment of 2009.

We first reported about it in May and were excited to see what Linux and an ARM cortex processing engine could bring to the sector. The design, a modular slate/netbook design was interesting too. We were so excited, we ordered one. Fortunately for us we weren’t part of the early set of customers and after we read the early reports, we withdrew our order. Users reported stability issues in the software and even stability issues in the device itself; it had a tendency to tip. Battery life was unimpressive, the firmware poor and all-in-all, it looked like customers were being asked to pay to join a beta-testing program. The story hasn’t changed much since then. Always Innovating have released a ‘fix’ for the early balance problems; “a small plastic part that customers can glue at the back of the keyboard part” and there have been a number of firmware updates but core hardware updates need to be done before this is a real product that can serve duty in the ‘pro-mobile’ sector.

It highlights a very important point because the Archos 5 and Always Innovating Touchbook are based on similar hardware and software platforms. Specifications are only half the story.

Top Articles of the year.

Here are the most popular articles of the year. Thanks to Ben for two articles that went viral and crashed the server!

• Wearable Computer Setup powered by Sony UX UMPC
• Gigabyte Touchnote Test.
• Modded Sony VAIO UX does everything – and then some. Is this the fastest, most versatile UMPC in the world?
• UMID Mbook M1 Full Review
• Viliv S5 UMPC. Detailed First impressions.

Top searches of the year. (from search engines)

• Viliv S5
• Viliv S7
• Asus T101H
• UMID M1
• vgn-p limited edition

Also see the keyword analysis article here.

Predictions for 2010

We’ll be posting a UMPC predictions article very shortly so stay with us.

Ben posted an excellent review of the Viliv S7 at Pocketables a few weeks ago and it follows my thoughts to the letter. The Viliv S7 has been working flawlessly here so rather than produce a copy of that review I’ve decided to take a different angle on the device and talk a bit more about the scenarios that best fit the S7 and the types of customers that might be interested in the device.

Firstly though, let me take you few of the key features in a short summary of the device. We have the S7 Premium here with 3G and SSD (non-rotating) storage.

• The Viliv S7 is an extremely small and light laptop style PC; smaller and lighter than any netbook.
• It’s not really an ultra mobile computer as it needs a table to get the best out of it. Micro-laptop is probably the best name for it.
• The S7 includes a touchscreen that can rotate and close back on itself to create a ‘tablet’ that hides the keyboard.
• The storage is based on fast SSD technology which is quieter, more rugged and uses less power than traditional hard drives.
• The fast SSD also gives the device fast boot and return from standby.
• Viliv have used the Intel MID platform which is more efficient than the netbook platform although the CPU is slightly less powerful than a netbook.
• Viliv have designed a high quality battery pack that can support the device for 5-10 hours and keep the device in standby for many many days.
• In the version we’re testing here, there’s an integrated 3G module.

Click through for full specifications and details on the Viliv S7

On the negative side, there are two major trade-offs. Screen size and keyboard. Both are very high quality items but the size of them means that they can’t be used for long-term stress-free input or application usage.  The S7 is, in essence, a high quality, highly mobile short-term use PC.

Full gallery available here.

More on page 2.