Sad news from Viliv today. We’ve just heard that the launch of the clamshell handheld, the N5, has been pushed back to June. This follows a series of delays and means that availability is not likely until July. I know many of you are waiting for it so the only thing I can say is that I’ll be in Computex in a few weeks and will be meeting with Viliv where I’ll try and get the latest information and try to find out what their next move is. Remember at CES, they were talking about Android devices. Maybe they have something new to show us!
May 18th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
New article: Viliv N5 launch pushed back to June. http://bit.ly/dzgzBO
May 18th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Sad news for many (there are more and more companies launched new devices but took forever to release.) but I’m glad that I’ve just bought a UMID BZ yesterday.
May 18th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
You’ll regret it soon.
May 18th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
“Maybe they have something new to show us”, or maybe they’re just wandering around making things up as they go. i’m not into apple products at all but give them credit for at least announcing their plans and(drumroll) STICKING TO IT. is that idea rocket science or something? with umpc’s/mid’s, ridiculous delays are the norm it seems. maybe it’s their way of keeping everyone’s expectations low. if it is, it’s working.
May 18th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Apple hardly ever announces their plans. They usually but not always announce a product when they launch it and available to buy. One example of them announcing something before it was available is the iPad and that was delayed a few times.
May 18th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
A week ago Viliv told me about a Europe release in end of May :D …
May 18th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
I hope this is true… I’ve been waiting since February and tempted to get a UMID.
May 18th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
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May 18th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
I emailed Viliv and they said end of May but now this ??!? I’m fed up of waiting, think i’m going for an Mbook as no doubt late June it’ll be pushed back to December or something. Very poor
May 18th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Go ahead and buy a UMID. I dare you. I’m betting you’re going to be playing the waiting game though.
May 19th, 2010 at 9:05 am
I’ve been waiting months for this, granted a few more weeks might not be too much but who knows if it really will come out then ? Plus with UMPC’s every few months or so a new ‘great’ device comes out so when do you make the splash and get one ?
The Viliv does look superb but i’ve got the chance of a cheap BZ so i probably will get it. Have it for 9 months or so and then move onto something else which will be new.
Just after all the delays its not 100% it’ll be out end of June/July
May 18th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Can’t wait
May 18th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
If they add in an ability to flip the screen for tablet mode like the S7 does, then I’ll be whipping out my credit card!
May 18th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
If you’re going to wait for the flip screen, I assume you’ll be waiting till 2011 or something! The Viliv guys are so off with their releases.
May 18th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
That’s true, but unfortunately at the same time they are the only company producing good MIDs/UMPCs.
May 23rd, 2010 at 6:58 am
I so desire (and want) this screen to rotate, I wouldn’t dare to think twice getting one.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Holy butt-fu&*ing monkeys. Enough is enough already!!!! I need this device for my storm chasing trip in July. If this keeps up, that’s all she wrote for that. Thanks an effing pantload, Viliv!
May 19th, 2010 at 1:52 am
Stormchasing trip? Awesome! Let us know what device you buy and how you use it.
May 19th, 2010 at 2:36 am
I am going to bring my iPad for basic photo editing…going to leave the netbook at home because I don’t want to be tempted to do video editing while on the road…going to save that for when I get back. Just waiting for the camera connection kit to come. I like to pack VERY light on these trips.
May 19th, 2010 at 1:01 am
@Aaron: i doubt that. The Size of the device is just too small in order to add a proper swivel.
Would look quite bulky either^^
The Design of the 4,8″ clamshell is just fine, i would never ever buy a UMID :D
And I can wait. They delayed the S5 also i think. But finally it was out AND is still avialable today :)
May 19th, 2010 at 2:02 am
Yeah I know, it was more wishful thinking than anything. It will likely be the S5 for me.
May 19th, 2010 at 1:30 am
It will be cashflow problems I bet. No preorders so they’ll have to stump up the cash before they order components in batches cheap enough to be economic.
May 19th, 2010 at 4:32 am
For those who are considering UMID M1, check the battery drainage issue first. Mine drains the battery about 1% per an hour even if it has been completely shut off. So the battery will lose all the power less than 4 days even if you never turn it on. If I had known this issue before, I would have not bought one. I don’t know about UMID BZ though.
May 19th, 2010 at 6:40 am
Well I guess June is only a few weeks out so this isn’t the worst news but I hope the delay is a sign they’re getting the design and production behind it and not that they’re just hitting long lead times on components.
That said I’m starting to come round to the idea of an Android tablet/slate so they better not hang about too long or renege on the low entry point pricing.
May 19th, 2010 at 10:01 am
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May 19th, 2010 at 10:02 am
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May 19th, 2010 at 10:26 am
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May 19th, 2010 at 11:11 am
i yesterday bought an p11z vaio to get over the next few weeks til the n5 comes… the umid bz is actually no substitute for the n5 due to the missing 3G modem. i kept an eye on the fujitsu UH900 but this has onyl a wimax modem which eliminates it, too…
and guys PLS don´t compare the apple toys with our highend umpc´s. i only can shake my head when reading a few comments here…
May 19th, 2010 at 11:15 am
I wasn’t comparing Apple’s “toys” with anything…unless the N5 comes out, my only option is to bring the iPad. I’m hoping that it comes out in time. I brought an OQO 02 storm chasing two years in a row until I sold it (after the company folded). I have really missed the convenience of a serious ultraportable since then, and the N5 looks to be about the best thing invented since my old HP200LX (which I still use and still works).
May 19th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Guys, Viliv is a small-medium company back in Korea. So its a pretty small company in American and European standards. The original Viliv, the S5 was delayed, I know because I have an S5. It took me 5+ months from the original launch date to acquire one!
Android eh? I wonder if its based on Moorestown? This summer’s gonna be really exciting!
May 19th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Maybe I’m in the minority, but the Viliv S5 still has more appeal than the N5. The only question is whether the launch of the N5 is finally going to drop S5 prices, which are still in the same ballpark as they were a year ago!
May 19th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I doubt there will be a huge price drop. The S10 Blade is now selling and the S5 prices didn’t drop much. I assume a model price will fall when there’s a successor, like the minor drop in M1 after the BZ was introduced.
May 19th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
It seems to me that the N5 is considered the successor to the S5, since they are both 4.8″ UMPCs. But yeah, I’m starting to think there may not be much of a price drop…I haven’t bought the S5 yet but am about to pull the trigger. Initially, I was going to wait for the N5 but I think I prefer the form factor of the S5. I find the clamshell device awkward, especially when used with a bluetooth keyboard.
I just wish Palm Graffiti was available for Windows, because that was such an intuitive interface — much better, IMO, than a tiny built-in or virtual keyboard.
May 19th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
I had an eye for the S5 and been waiting for the N5 forever. The S5 is the best in its class if you don’t mind the virtual keyboard. Only one thing missing in the S5 is the expansion card slot. The jog dial isn’t the best but not a big deal. There’s a model with 7 hrs battery life available from Amazon if you’re interested, also comes with a car kit.
May 19th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Shame. The N5 is the most interesting UMID of the year. I’ve been searching for a clamshell (because of the keyboard) for ages. The UMID BZ was a miss because of the 512mb and the lack of 3G slot. I will be waiting for N5, but it sucks that’s being delayed :(
May 19th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I agree with “Another Guy”, The Viliv N5 in the best designed pocket sized computer so far. I have been waiting for this design and power in a windows based device since i heard the words “pocket pc” and windows CE, back in 1997.
I currently have the Umid m1. I love this machine. just needs more ram, full USB port, and a pointing device, Queue the Viliv N5. PERFECTION. there hasn’t been anything better. Current devices owned, OGO Model 1 and Model 2, almost all Pocket pc’s made, Palms devices, Kohjingsha SK3, SX3, Dell XPS 1530. and all I want is the N5. Can’t hardly wait!!
May 19th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Ravellar, perfection would be screen rotation to tablet mode^^
-> Car mount possibility for example
May 20th, 2010 at 1:12 am
The Kohjinsha PA has it all, however, it’s kind of ug.., well I like the design and look of the Viliv N5. I must say that the Kohjinsha PA is the most advanced device I had ever seen, if only it had 1gb of ram I woild have bought two of them.
May 20th, 2010 at 7:54 am
I really cannot understand why Viliv continues to put a 1GB max memory limit on their products. Until they address this mistake, i’ll look elsewhere for devices.
May 21st, 2010 at 12:25 am
I agree that it’s a shame that the S5 doesn’t have an SD card slot. The other drawback is the lack of a built-in mic; I think Viliv shot themselves a little bit in the foot by not compensating by including a headset with mic, but I can pick up one of those. Some people are unhappy that the S5 doesn’t have a camera, but I consider that an advantage, because a lot of environments, such as gyms and some corporate offices, don’t allow cameras onsite.
Amazon seems to have the best deals on the S5 right now. I opted for the $599 premium package; much as I’d love the 32GB SDD version, I couldn’t justify the extra $200. I was planning to wait for the N5 to launch in case S5 prices would drop, but ran out of patience today!!
May 21st, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Congrats on the purchase. We’ll be right here in 2013 still waiting for the N5!
May 22nd, 2010 at 5:10 pm
LOL, thanks! I’m glad I finally took the plunge. I waffled for the longest time but the bottom line is that, despite the lack of SD slot and mic, I’m pretty happy with the S5 specs. Best of all, I’ll have it in a few days :-)
May 21st, 2010 at 2:43 am
Nossa!Viliv N5 launch pushed back to June. | UMPCPortal – Ultra Mobile Personal Computing
http://bit.ly/bk5p2M
May 21st, 2010 at 10:45 am
i got emailed from dynamism that bz will launch the revised version of the bz maybe in June. is this true? hopefully we have more info on computex. if bz release the revised version the N5 will get some competition there i guess…
May 21st, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Natex – Would love that to be true ! I’ll believe it once i see a few news items. Surely if Umid are going to release a new BZ they would announce something soon specially if a lot of people ‘might’ be buying a machine from their rivals.
June 1st, 2010 at 9:14 pm
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