I do remember the Sony Mylo but to be honest, I don’t actually remember what its purpose was. Was it a games machine? An MP3 player? An Internet device? I’m going to have to do a little check…BRB ….[elevator music]… …. Aha. Yes. It was a mobile Internet media player and one that I quickly diss’ed based on its small screen size. I also said that if when they produced one with a 4.5″ 800×480 screen, i’d be ‘first in line to test it out. Maybe i’ll have to keep […]

I don’t know about you but when I read PCMag reviews by Cisco Chen I often get the impression that he hasn’t taken (or been given) enough time with the device. He’s better than most and obviously has a lot of knowledge but then when someone’s that good you don’t expect them to start calling the mouse pointer on the Q1 Ultra the ‘best and most comfortable.’ In his review of the Fujitsu U810, though, he seems to have had a fair amount of time with the device and has written a well balanced article. I haven’t had the chance to test the U810 yet but from what I’ve heard and understand from other owners, what he’s saying is pretty much spot on.

PCMag Fujitsu U810 review.

Don’t forget that there’s some good pricing on the U810 at the moment (if you’re in the U.S.) so unless you’re waiting for an HTC Shift, this could a good time to make up your mind!

More U810 reviews and news links

Ctitanic has reported that the Asus R2E is launching in November. Somewhere. Maybe he’s referring to North America because it’s already launched in Italy (availability due around now, price 1200 Euro) so I guess it’s going to be appearing worldwide soon. Unfortunately its still an 800×480 device. I really hope they took the opportunity to swap the back-light out for a LED one though. To drop in a power-saving Intel CPU and not optimise the backlight would be silly.

ASUS R2E specifications (unconfirmed) and news links.

Well done to Thoughtfix. He found a way to open up his Nokia N810 competition to the world!

So how do you win a Nokia N810? Easy. You create a video about how you would use your Nokia Internet Tablet and you post it as a YouTube video response to Thoughtfix’s original video here. The video will be judged and if its the best one, you’ll be able to pick yourself up a Nokia N810 from Dynamism. It’s the second most viewed device on the portal which gives a good indication of the desirability factor!

I might enter but to be honest, I know I couldn’t beat what Dan himself did on Saturday. While I was in my cellar in Germany, U-streaming out to the world, Dan, working in Arizona, leaves his desk for a coffee break , flips open his N800 and calls me on Skype. I faded him into the u-stream feed and to the 35 people that were watching and listening at the time. I even managed to record it. Now that’s cool use of technology! Maybe I’ll enter the video as a response ;-)

The latest info on the competition is available at TabletBlog.

Earlier this month, the latest version of the Vye Mini-v mini convertible notebook/UMPC, the S37B, went on sale in the U.S. It’s due to be available in the UK soon and Europe-wide through a network of resellers. VyePC sent one over last month and its been given a jolly good thrashing ever since.

Introduction and Overview.

The Vye S37 is a notebook form-factor ultra-portable PC with a convertible touchscreen built on Intel’s Ultra Mobile platform 2007. Specifically, it use the Intel Stealey A110 processor (800Mhz) alongside the GMA950 GPU. The version I am testing, a production sample, is fitted with a 100GB drive and 1GB of RAM. It also has the 3-cell, small-version battery and is running Vista Home Premium. Retail versions are shipped with the 6-cell battery and a 120GB drive but apart from that, have the same specification. 800Mhz doesn’t sound much does it! Its not, but fortunately processor power is not the only thing that determines the speed of the system. Graphics, hard disk and memory are important too and one of the great advantages about the S37 it that it includes a standard 2.5″ 5400 RPM notebook-size hard disk and not a reduced-size 4200 RPM 1.8″ drive that you would find in many other small and portable devices. In addition, its possible to upgrade the memory to a usable 2GB via a memory card slot on the underside of the device. Configurations with 200GB HDD and 2GB RAM are theoretically possible on the S37 and that already sets it apart from the UMPC crowd.

[summary]

Update: WiBrain hands-on review is available now.

While we were chit-chatting away last night, one of the members on the IRC channel (sorry, I’ve forgotten who it was.) tipped us all that the WiBrain website had been updated with new B1 information. It looks a lot better but in my opinion….hmmmm. Jkk rushed off to blog it and this morning, Jenn has commented too.

New and old.

The specifications are now official and include the VIA C7-M processor, a 4.8″ 1024×600 screen and a web-cam. Beware the HSDPA ‘choices.’ They are probably optional just as they are on the Everun. I’m in touch with the OEM for this and should be getting one to test as soon as they are available.

WiBrain B1 info page (UMPCPortal)
WiBrain website.

In-depth HTC Shift review now available.

Edit: This is a short review based on a lot of study but a fairly short amount of time (hours not days!) with a production sample device. Think of it as a ‘what I know so far’ personal review. I will be getting a final-viersion HTC Shift for a longer-term and more formal review very shortly.
Edit 2: I have done further testing now… click here.

The HTC Shift has been the #1 most viewed UMPC on the portal for months and months now. It took a hit when the Fujitsu U1010 news was peaking but quickly re-gained the top spot. I think its mainly due to the design. It represents what many people believe is the best form-factor for a portable PC. Slider keyboard, slim frame and the fact that it can be used in the hand AND as a mini notebook is really unique. Its stylish too. Even before the first HTC Shift info was leaked I believed that this was the best design. The UMPC-X was the result of a brainstorming session and just look at the similarity! The HTC Shift is right up there on my list of favored UMPCs and I think it could actually replace the Q1 Ultra as the best all-round UMPC. I might buy it. I’ve had hands-on now and I’ve watched and read other reports so I’m in a position to be able to make a decision. Here’s a run-through of the device with my thoughts about the features and my final decision. Read on…

I really enjoyed the live session that we ran this evening. I think it was well worth the effort. 30+ people contributed a lot of good info and a special thanks goes out to JKK and Thoughtfix who skype’d in. JKK called in from Finland and Thoughtfix gave us a few minutes live, from his N810 in Arizona during a few minutes he had free. Now that’s mobile Internet for you! Both conversations were recorded and are available via the links below. Well worth listening to.

Thoughtfix calls in from Arizona on his N810. I think that must be the first live, recorded Skype call on the N810! Video and audio here..

JKK calls in from Finland to talk at length about the ‘clamshell’ form factor and mids. Video and audio here.

Thanks to everyone that joined in.