Hilarious. Engadget hates/likes UMPCs!

Posted on 19 January 2009, Last updated on 11 November 2019 by

Is it because it’s Sunday?

A few days ago Engadget posted a rather sarcastic item about the Loam F7. Actually it was spot-on from the consumer perspective because, quite frankly, it looks cheap. The hilarious part of the story comes when they post about the Viliv X70, a device that has similar specs.

Maybe we’re just hot for sleek, thin, ultra sexy renders of handheld computing devices, but we dare anyone to call the unit pictured above unsightly (and mean it). Shortly after showcasing its swiveling S7 at CES, Viliv has taken the wraps off of its X70 Atom Communication MID.

Apart from the fact that we highlighted this nearly three weeks ago (our fault for not tipping them!) it seems that they’ve fallen in love with an Origami device. Check the specs at Gadgetmix.

  • Atom Silverthorne 1.33GHz processor
  • choice of SSD: 8GB/16GB or HDD: 30GB/60GB
  • Windows XP or Linux
  • 1GB RAM
  • optional WiMax module (mobile broadband)
  • Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and WiFi b/g (no ‘n’)
  • Weight: 660g
  • built-in GPS (Sirf Star 3)
  • SDHC slot
  • dimension: 210(w) x 117(h) x 22.5(d) mm

Apart from the 22.5mm depth, it’s nothing different.

Mickey-taking aside, it does prove that people are susceptable to a nice design, whatever it is. There’s always been a possibility that a ultra mobile PC or MID would berak through and this article from Engadget underscores that.

Viliv uncovers gorgeous X70 Atom Communication MID – Engadget.

15 Comments For This Post

  1. Eraserhead says:

    doesn’t the first line say it all “Maybe we’re just hot for sleek, thin, ultra sexy renders of handheld computing devices”

    This device looks really good and sleek, and the other one looks like ass.

  2. zak says:

    yeah , first one looks rubbish also has via c7. this one looks good in the render.

  3. zorg says:

    What do you mean “susceptable” [sic]? Good design is worth money. Beautiful things work better.

  4. John says:

    Were the articles written by the same author? Because there can be a bit of opinion difference between the different Engadget authors.

  5. bkos says:

    Why all this anger towards engadget?

  6. admin says:

    No anger here. Just laughing and mickey-taking at the mis-match.

  7. proroadie says:

    function over form. 5″ 16×9 sub 1″thick with 8MP cam, 3MP facecam, 3G/CDMA/EV-DO, GPS, Wifi, tooth2.0+, Haptic Multi-touch, MicroSD, Android.. Northrup Grumman or GenDynamics can whip this up in a year, 6 months ago. The market is there, just waiting around… still waiting… into 2010…sigh…so disappointed with this market…

  8. EC says:

    “Cheap” isn’t that what made the Netbooks create such a BOOM?

    I think we NEED/WANT more like that to attract more attention to the UMPC sector, just look at where the Netbooks are now in sales and price, all(?) thanks to rather cheap EEE 701s (no?)

  9. Claim says:

    It was shown at CES. The launcher is very unique on top of Windows XP.
    http://www.myviliv.com
    There is launcher flash.

  10. SkratchBoard.com says:

    We think the S7 is totally hot. We have been wondering what would be our “3rd device”, and the S7 comes pretty close to it. There are still a few things that we’d like to see it improve. We just blogged about it at http://www.skratchboard.com/?p=353#more-353.

  11. EC says:

    3rd, though I end up having 2 or 3 pocketable devices my dream is to have ONE, or perhaps two, depends (where the 2nd one would be a simple phone).

  12. AP says:

    If Apple ever makes an MID or handheld the MacFan boys at Endgaget and Gizmodo will be drooling over it.

  13. EC says:

    Drool you do over something you don’t/can’t have right?

    So the important (to Apple) would be the millions who would actually buy it, with numbers like “6.9 million iPhones, 2.6 million Macs, and 11 million iPods” sold during Q3 of 2008 from what I gather. Also more than 10 million iPhones in 2008, so yes I wouldn’t mind an iPhone with keyboard and full OS, or as you say an MID :)

    http://gizmodo.com/5066543/apple-quarterly-earnings-69-million-iphones-sold-more-phones-than-rim

  14. AP says:

    Most people cannot afford Macs as they are so overpriced. May be there is a reason why PCs have 90% market share and Microsoft had to bail out Apple in 90s. Iphone, Macs and Ipods in my opinon are overpriced and will never reach to masses likes PCs have.

    By the way you can drool over something you have…Which something the MacFan boys tend to do even they own it.

  15. EC says:

    Well since I don’t consider myself a fanboy and I have def “been there done that” with mostly MS OS’ uptill just recently (kind of like Chris Pirillo if you’ve heard of him?) I believe I can reply to this.

    The myth that Macs are “so overpriced” might have been true at some point, and I will give you that I have never bought an Apple monitor or extra RAM from them due to the overpricing but generally speaking it’s not so for the most part any more. Not only for what you get but also by looking at what you pay for SW, since SW designed for Macs, will so to speak bring money indirectly or directly to Apple when sold, they are able to sell the SW at better prices.

    Let’s just take a real life example:

    MS Office for PCs
    Small bus/pr0 $449/$499

    http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/FX101211561033.aspx

    MS Office for Mac
    $399.95
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/TQ744LL/A

    Yes the Home&Student edition is the same right now (wasn’t before) and obviously MS SW isn’t the ideal example as obviously it’s in MS’ interest to make their NON MAC SW competitive with what’s available for the Mac. Bottom line is while it bothered me in the past when I had to buy SW for my PC (the price it is) now I have to confess I’m pleasantly surprised at the pricing. No I am NOT saying that prices are a “deal” SW never is, well ok aside from things like OpenOffice :)

    The fact however that I have spent $0 on any firewall/spam/virus protection which I didn’t only spend a huge amount of money on before but had to worry like an idiot is in my book “priceless”, so am I now an MS hater, NO, I’m typing this on my EEE with XP, and I run XP under OS X w/VMWare, OS X on the left and XP on the right 24″ Dell monitor, yes no Apple monitors here, due to price I got TWO Dell 24″ monitors for less than ONE 24″ from Apple, so yes one needs to “look out”.

    >May be there is a reason why PCs have 90% market share and Microsoft had to >bail out Apple in 90s.

    Well lets not compare Oranges and Apples (pun intended) here, since one is a SOFTWARE company (now more recently with the exception of a few hardware products) and the other mainly makes computers along with the OS. This would be like saying “Hey look at the OIL COMPANIES they are doing great but the US automotive industry has to be bailed out” :)

    So one can’t really compare the two side-by-side as such, and frankly NOT ALWAYS is the fact that a company isn’t doing great a sign of poor service/product, take OQO and even worse off Flipstart neither have any huge success numbers as such, one is gone (from the UMPC market (for now?)) the other is barely known within the computer world, poor products? NO just certain things have not helped them, timing, technology not at the level to support the platform fully etc etc etc.

    >Macs and Ipods in my opinon are overpriced and will never reach to masses >likes PCs have

    Al is that you hiding behind “AP” instead of “AL” :), the wording is starting to sound so familiar “opinon” and “masses”, not to mention the strongly opinionated not backed up with but rather ignoring of factual evidence :)

    >By the way you can drool over something you have…

    OH, so what do YOU drool over?

    >Which something the MacFan boys tend to do even they own it.

    The derogatory comments about individuals that think differently (pun intended) than yourself does bring the alias “AL” to mind once again :)

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