Three stories merged into one today when Techcrunch posted a 30-second demo video by Michael Dell proving that the Dell Mini 5 exists and will be out in a ‘couple of months.’ (MWC, CeBIT?) Techcrunch also added (‘recap’ was the word they used) some information from the Tihnte teardown and an interesting Chinese PC Online story (translation) that talks about a prototype Dell Mini 5 called the M101M. Apparently this was picked up on the black market for over $1000 which is clearly not the price it’s going to hit the ground with. Based on the (similar) HTC HD2 it could reach $700 but with the Archos 5 8GB [info] at around $300 and the iPad 3G 16GB [info] at $629 it would be crazy to ask for such a price; especially given the Dell Mini (low-cost) brand.
If we were to guess at a price we’d say $499 but we see a sweeter spot for this at the $399 level.
Some might say MSI is mad to try and get tablet news out there right now but I think otherwise. There’s a huge wave of new tablet-focused customers searching and learning today so it makes sense to try and get news and images out.
Digitimes is helping them out today with news that their tablet, a Nvidia Tegra2-based device seen running Android with a 10″ colour touchscreen in the image above, will be out in the second half of 2010 for a price of about $500. Clearly MSI are a long way away from any formal commitment saying only that they will have different models based on customer demand.
The Archos 5 Internet Tablet is already a great bit of kit but if you’re looking something a little bit bigger, more sofa friendly and with a few more features a 7” version makes sense.
Data-mind.co.uk, a wholesale distributer for Archos products has a new Archos 7 Android listed in their catalogue for an amazing 127.65 UK Pounds. (Trade price, before tax = about 200-250 pounds retail price.) If the Apple tablet appears for around 600-pounds (we’ll find out later – join me at UMPCPortal.com/live for chat), it better have something extremely special on board!
Obvious enhancements are stereo speakers, web cam and CD-input. An 800×480 resolution isn’t as high as it could be but is still going to work out well for the Android operating system (and means Appslib devs don’t have to make two versions of Android apps) and will make web sites and ebooks a bit more comfortable to read. Thumbing the on screen keyboard will be easier in portrait mode but more difficult in landscape mode.
Size-wise we’re looking at a very light and slim 203x107x12 mm which is going to be maybe 100gm more than the original Archos 5 Internet Tablet. Under 300gm!
We assume that the platform is the same Ti-OMAP 3-series delivering that same good experience as we see on the Archos 5 (full review)
Yes, this could be a fake but it makes so much sense for Archos to push out a 7” version that even if it is a fake, I’d expect it to happen soon anyway. That just leaves a 3G version of the A5 (with slider keyboard please!) and then Archos will have one of the most interesting range of ‘smart’ devices yet.
The Archos 5 Internet Tablet is already a great bit of kit but if you’re looking something a little bit bigger, more sofa friendly and with a few more features a 7 inch version makes sense.
Data-mind.co.uk, a wholesale distributer for Archos products has a new Archos 7 Android listed in their catalogue for an amazing 127.65 UK Pounds. (Trade price, before tax = about 200-250 pounds retail price.) If the Apple tablet appears for around 600-pounds (we’ll find out later join me at UMPCPortal.com/live for chat), it better have something extremely special on board!
Obvious enhancements are stereo speakers, web cam and CD-input. An 800×480 resolution isn’t as high as it could be but is still going to work out well for the Android operating system (and means Appslib devs don’t have to make two versions of Android apps) and will make web sites and ebooks a bit more comfortable to read. Thumbing the on screen keyboard will be easier in portrait mode but more difficult in landscape mode.
Size-wise we’re looking at a very light and slim 203x107x12 mm which is going to be maybe 100gm more than the original Archos 5 Internet Tablet. Under 300gm!
We assume that the platform is the same Ti-OMAP 3-series delivering that same good experience as we see on the Archos 5 (full review)
Yes, this could be a fake but it makes so much sense for Archos to push out a 7 inch version that even if it is a fake, I’d expect it to happen soon anyway. That just leaves a 3G version of the A5 (with slider keyboard please!) and then Archos will have one of the most interesting range of ‘smart’ devices yet.
If Inbrics really can bring the M1 to market for $200 then we’re looking at a very good value MID/Phone but somehow I get the feeling that the mention of $200 was really a ‘CES Press Special’ i.e. whatever you say in Vegas, stays in Vegas! The market could bear $300 for something like this so there’s no reason it would launch at such a low price.
A capacitive 800×480 screen on Cortex with a full implementation of Android along with a nice design and that productivity-helping slider keyboard makes this a ‘must watch’ device. We would have like to have seen a larger screen for real high-end usage and we wonder how long this device will look ‘high-end’ considering the pace that new high-end smartphones are entering the market but it’s interesting all the same.
Here’s a video of the device at CES a few weeks ago.
In addition to the S10 Blade [Portal page] and N5 [Portal page] that Viliv showed off at CES 2010, they also have a new PMP device called the P3. I wouldn’t be mentioning any old PMP, but this one has WiFi and runs Android (and Win CE as well, for reasons unknown), making it potentially a capable MID. Despite what appears to be a speaker at the top of the device; the P3 is not a phone.
The insides are ARM Cortex A8 which is running at 800MHz, and Viliv says it’ll be able to handle 720p playback and .mkv files which is pretty sweet, however, the resolution of the capacitive OLED screen is only 800×480, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to output content at an HD resolution, but maybe Viliv will announce something at a later time (there is a dock connector on the bottom). It will be available in capacities of 8/16/32GB of flash storage and also has a MicroSD slot for further expansion. A vibration motor (presumably for touch feedback) will be included in addition to an accelerometer.
Naturally, jkk managed to get his hands on the Viliv P3 while he was at CES, have a quick look below:
I am definitely not a fan of this device. Why why why would anyone want to use a huge, heavy two-screen device? Sub-optimal for reading. Sub-optimal for writing. Sub-optimal for battery life. Sub-optimal for costs. What do you think?
A Viliv S10 with a Pixel-Qi screen would be a far far better solution. One screen. One backlight. Dual-mode. Real keyboard. Productive operating system. However, weight needs to be cut down drastically from the 1.2KG of the S10 which is why converged smartbooks/readers will probably end up as dockable single-screen tablet-only style devices.
The Archos A5 Android device is a great value mini tablet but what about 3G? Tethering (with certain phones) seems to work well but there’s nothing like built-in 3G and that’s what’s inside the Dell Mini 5 MID that appears to be getting nearer to launch (MWC, Feb perhaps?)
2 MicroSD card slots and a 1530mah (5.6wh) battery sit alongside the 1Ghz Snapdragon platform. Battery life could turn out to be on the low side for heavy users but if the Dell Mini 5 has a true Google Android experience built in along with the camera, a gps, compass and a ‘smart’ price, this could make things tough for Archos, especially as they are looking to release a 4.3″ Android phone.
Three stories merged into one today when Techcrunch posted a 30-second demo video by Michael Dell proving that the Dell Mini 5 exists and will be out in a ‘couple of months.’ (MWC, CeBIT?) Techcrunch also added (‘recap’ was the word they used) some information from the Tihnte teardown and an interesting Chinese PC Online story (translation) that talks about a prototype Dell Mini 5 called the M101M. Apparently this was picked up on the black market for over $1000 which is clearly not the price it’s going to hit the ground with. Based on the (similar) HTC HD2 it could reach $700 but with the Archos 5 8GB [info] at around $300 and the iPad 3G 16GB [info] at $629 it would be crazy to ask for such a price; especially given the Dell Mini (low-cost) brand.
