Another offer from Expansys. This time it’s the Vye S41 which is one of the only netbook-style devices to offer a convertible screen and a DVD drive. We tested this and moaned about the price back when it was 1000 pounds but Expansys in the UK have it on offer now for half of that price making it much better value. It runs the Intel Stealey CPU platform (think 1.3Ghz netbook performance) with 1GB of RAM and an 80GB drive with Vista OS.  The DVD drive makes it quite unique amongst UMPCs and Netbooks.

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More details in our product pages.

Meet the Vye S41 (Portal page for full specs). This is a mini-tablet / UMPC touting a 7” screen. Some of you may notice that it looks an awful lot like the Kohjinsha SR8. You would be correct in that observation; the S41 and SR8 are actually the same computer, Vye has adapted the S41 to be sold outside of Japan. The S41′s most unique feature is its built in DVD burner. It is very surprising to see the drive in such a small computer. Though the question has to be asked: Do you really need a DVD drive in a computer that is designed to be highly mobile? Find the answer to that and a whole lot more in the full S41 review below. (continue reading…)

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I recently received the Vye S41 for review courtesy of Dynamism. I’ll be testing it over the next week or so but I wanted to share my unboxing photos and first impressions. The full gallery of unboxing pictures can be seen in a slideshow over at flickr.

The box that the unit came packed in was solid, just like the unit itself. There was a surprisingly useful plastic handle at the top, and while the packaging might not be formal, it served it purpose well enough. Opening the box revealed two modules, one housing the S41, and the other containing documentation, power cables, external GPS antenna, and a soft slip case. As I mentioned the unit feels very solid, when closed it feels like a single piece. There is not even the slightest wiggle from the battery which is nice. Pulling the S41 out for the first time, I was surprising to see how small it was knowing full well that this tiny computer managed to fit a full sized DVD burner inside. The hinge that holds the screen closed is firm and consistent, adding to the solid feeling of the device. The vertical hinge that spins the screen around into tablet mode feels firm as well.

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UMPCPortal have been fortunate enough to be able to build some good relationships with resellers over the last few years which means there’s a nice two way channel for information that can go to and from potential customers.

For example, yesterday I contacted Gigabyte about the rumored 912, 8.9" netbook and I should be getting some official news very soon. In the other direction, came the following information for UK and Australian customers…

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