The UK company ICD (Innovative Converged Devices) has an interesting product called the Ultra. Its a 7 inch device based on the Nvidia Tegra 2 platform and runs Android. (Detailed overview here.) We weren’t able to see it running so we can’t confirm if this is a true Google Android phone device or just a build based on the open-source components. Like the Mobinnova Beam, if it comes with Google apps and the Marketplace, it’ a good indicator that Google are taking the non-voice segment seriously.

ICD Ultra specifications

The IC Ultra is heading for Verizon in the US and as ICD is known to be working with T-Mobile in the UK, we hope that it will reach the EU shores too.

It’s not confirmed right now but the Mobinnova Beam could be the first non-voice Android device to get the full Google seal of approval and if it does, it could become quite the mobile all-rounder.This is the lightest 8.9 inch laptop-style device we have in the product database!

The Beam is coming to AT&T with HSPA and Android with a 3D UI and a super light weight of around 820gm. That’s lighter than any other netbook out there thanks to the small, 24Wh battery and fanless processing platform based on Nvidia Tegra 2.

Sizing-wise, the Beam is slightly deeper than the  EeePC 901 but significantly thinner. In terms of battery life, we’re looking at an on-net, in-use life of 8-10 hours (estimated) which means you really could leave this device on, and connected, all-day.

Pricing and availability is unknown right now but we’re watching this one very carefully. If it gets Google approval, it could signify the start of Android-based productivity and that’s why we’re reporting it here on UMPCPortal. This has pro-mobility potential.

Full specs, article links, videos in the Beam product page.

There hasn’t been much that has excited me at CES so far this year, but this Inbrics MIDphone running Android is probably the coolest thing that I’ve seen yet. They are calling it the Inbrics M1 MID for now, but don’t confuse it with the UMID M1 [Portal page]. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good slider, and this one looks rather sleek and promising. Unfortunately Inbrics doesn’t even seem sure that they’ll release the device at this point, but I’ll definitely have my fingers crossed. Jkk says that the keyboard is pretty good and jkk knows his slider keyboards very well. Inbrics says they’ll be improving the keyboard a bit as well.

After testing the N900 I’m a bit scared to think about a primarily landscape device as a phone. The issue is that you almost always need two hands to use it. Without really solid portrait orientation support on the M1 (and any other primarily landscape device) it might be tough to make this a mainstream phone.

Check out a video below from jkk and click through to jkkmobile for the press release (under the video) which gives a few details of the device.

[youtube]FVm5mhqAYxk[/youtube]

I was considering using the phrase “who isn’t? inch somewhere in this post, but I would be remiss not to mention that I’m actually happy to hear this news. There are already a bunch of random no-name devices out of Asia that will boot Android, but when a big company steps in, others take notice, and generally this leads to competition, which breeds innovation, and in the end we get devices that users actually want.

TechCrunch has revealed that HP is working on a slate device that will run Android. You may have seen that an HP slate running Windows 7 was revealed yesterday during the Microsoft keynote. Apparently the Android version is quite similar, possibly a bit smaller. There isn’t a lot of info at the moment, but you can catch a quick teaser below (supposedly of the Windows 7 HP slate, but as we’ve heard, they should be very similar).

[youtube]IIIjTDnX2Y0[/youtube]

Our first CES 2010 post of the day is the press release by Spring Designs of their new eInk/LCD combo eBook reading device, The Alex.  The device features a 6-inch eInk screen at 600×800 resolution and a 3.5-inch LCD display with a 320×480 resolution.  The device weighs in at 310 grams (11 ounces) and 7500 ePage turns and around 6 hours of media playback.  Key features include the Android OS and wireless connectivity to surf the internet, listen to music, or watch video on the LCD screen portion of the device while reading on the eInk screen above.

The price seems to be a bit higher than its closest rival, the Nook from Barnes and Noble, at $399.  Still, the form factor and features of this device make it a real winner for people willing to pay a little extra for a fantastic eInk reading experience.  Spring Design created the Alex as an open systems device with the ability to download any book or document that conforms to the Adobe ePUB/PDF/DRM standard or .txt or HTML format.

Check out the device on the Spring Designs web site and this video taken at CES 2010.

The Alex eReader

If you’ve spent any time in the tech end of the blogosphere lately, chances are that you’ve heard plenty of info about the Nexus One, a new phone from Google that they are calling a “superphone inch, implying that it is one step up from the smartphones that we’ve come to know.

Google had scheduled and official press event today and is revealing all about the Nexus One, which is an HTC handset designed very closely with Google. It is running Android 2.1 software which Google says will be available to other existing Android devices soon.

Check out an animated 3D tour of the Nexus One.

Even cooler than a simple official announcement is that Google is already selling the phone, and it couldn’t easier to purchase. Just go to www.google.com/phone. Currently the phone can be purchased at a subsidized $179 with T-mobile as the carrier, or unlocked (for use with any SIM card/GSM network) for $529. Also on board for carrier subsidies, but not available until Spring 2010, is Verizon and Vodafone.

One major fine print detail about the unlocked and unsubsidized version: Google says that the currently available Nexus One does not support AT&T or Rogers 3G bands. So phone calls should work on these networks (and perhaps even EDGE data), but you won’t be getting fast 3G cellular web access. Here is the official text:

The currently available Nexus One device is unlocked and will recognize SIM cards from any mobile service provider using the GSM standard, but is incompatible with the frequency band used by the AT&T and Rogers networks for 3G data (see below). Additionally, the Nexus One is incompatible with CDMA networks such as Verizon and Sprint.

[My emphasis on currently available] It seems that Google is hoping to support these bands in the future with a slightly modified Nexus One. They also go on to say the following:

We are working hard to provide Nexus One phones optimized for the Verizon network – please stay tuned. The Nexus One for Verizon will not be a GSM device, so it will not be compatible with T-Mobile, AT&T, or other GSM networks.

Alright enough about carriers, how about specs? I’ll give you the quick details, but you can jump over to the tech-specs page for even more.

• 3.7-inch 800×480 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• 1GHz Qualcomm ‘Snapdragon’ QSD 8250 CPU @ 1GHz
• 5MP camera
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• AGPS
• Digital compass

Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about this phone. Now I understand why HTC was holding back on an Android version of the HTC HD2. It makes me happy to see that Google has made the landing page for purchasing the phone extremely simple (in typical Google fashion). I’m looking forward to a version of this phone that will support the necessary bands for AT&T 3G as that is the carrier which I’m currently using, but it isn’t exactly clear if they are working on a version of the Nexus One that will support it or not.

Good tablet  news coming in via Pocketables.

SMiT will bring a 7″ Android tablet to CES. There’s no information about the specifications and just a fuzzy image so let’s add this one to the ‘hit’ list and see what we can find out over the next few days. Is it going to be a ‘real’ Google Android deices or just another basic Android build. I fear the latter but it will certainly be competition for the W1060.

Pocketables: SMiT invading CES with MID tablets in tow.

Smarthouse reports:

An Android based device which is set to be shown privately to core HTC customers at the CES Show is set to incorporate new Qualcomm processors, touch technology and new software from Adobe.

It makes complte sense for HTC to be exploring this potential. They have all the right relationships, design skills and positioning to make a good job of it.

Questions still remain about what the best size/format/capability for such a ‘tablet’ is but maybe that’s somethign we shouldn’t worry about. If so many consumer devices are going to hit the market in 2010, there’s a good chance that one of them will gel with you.

Source HTC To Launch Apple iSlate Competitor – Smarthouse.

Via Slashgear.