You’ve probably seen that Chippy jumped across the big puddle to attend IDF. He is got his live feed running and we are already seeing some interesting stuff.

Jkk nabbed some screenshots of Chippy showing the UMID M2 just moments ago. Info on the M2:

– New housing
– Normal USB plug (no proprietary dongle)
– VGA out
– 1.2GHz and 1.6GHz Atom CPU options
– 1GB RAM
– Windows 7

Otherwise the same as the M1 (same keyboard, screen, etc). Looks even more like the Netwalker [Portal page] now.

Jump over to jkkmobile to see the screengrabs, and tune in to Chippy’s live stream to see what he is currently up to.

I seem to be going through a sort of ‘gadget depression’. I used to see lots of cool MIDs and UMPCs get announced and was really excited for them. Lately though, I usually look at a device and see it as a poorly thought-out, half-baked, swing in the dark.

Before I begin this little rant, let me say that I’m not an Apple fan-boy. I’ve never owned an Apple computer. The only Apple products I’ve owned are the iPod Touch, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS.

From the perspective of mobile devices, I’m becoming increasingly upset at the inability of other companies to release solid, usable products. Apple has never made a phone prior to the iPhone and yet they come out of a left field with an incredibly polished package, and now everyone wants to copy them, but can’t even manage that. We all know that the iPhone does have limitations, it isn’t the end-all be-all device, but is the most complete and intuitive mobile device that I’ve ever used, and for that matter, the most enjoyable and probably even most useful. But this post isn’t here to praise the iPhone. To me it feels like there is something more to Apple than what we see with other companies. Some sort of vision that they stick to that allows them to made products that people really want.

What is it about Apple that allows them to make extremely usable products? Is it simply the fact that they have a ton of money to spend on projects? I find it hard to believe that if another company really dedicated their time to making a great product, they couldn’t achieve it. And yet I continue to see these miserable attempts copy Apple or launch a product that has a clear approach to its design and an actual vision about what it should be able to provide its user. Maybe it’s more profitable for a company to make a bunch of half-baked products and sell a few of each than to have one product that is great and sells well. I can’t quite say.

I realize now that this post is really about that fact that, lately, I have not been impressed by most mobile device offerings being released. Maybe it’s because Apple has set the bar really high and others are still working on catching up? Whatever the case, I can’t wait until I find a new device that I’m actually excited about, and I’m hoping that it won’t be from Apple.

We saw an influx of these sort of devices at this year’s Computex, but it looks like we are now seeing the first honest attempt to bring one to market.

You’ve probably picked up by now, but the XPPhone is a mobile computer (running Windows XP) that packs in a bunch of wireless and ceullar radios to make it also function as a phone. It supports most 3G specifications and even has optional WiMAX.

In general, the idea of a Windows XP running phone isn’t one that I’d be very excited about because it would mean most likely having a really hot phone in your pocket that would quickly run out of battery life. However, adding some viability to the device, the XPPhone claims to be able to wake up from standby when there is an incoming call or SMS, which makes this whole concept a bit more realistic. Still, I don’t know how fun it will be to pull the thing out of your pocket, send a text, then put it back into standby. I’m sure someone out there will love it though. Here are the specs according to the official website:

• • CPU： AMD Super Mobile CPU
  • Memory：512M/1G
  • SSD: 8G/16G/32G/64G
  • HDD：30G/60G/80G/120G
  • LCD: 4.8′ TFT Touch-screen LCD 800*480
  • Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
  • Network：GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA (HSDPA/HSUPA)CDMA/CDMA2000 1X/CDMA1X EVDO,TD-SCDMA，TD-HSDPA
  • Wireless：WiFi 802.11b/g,WiMax(optional),Buletooth,Stand-alone GPS
  • Camera Specifications:CMOS, 300k/1.3 Million
  • Ports:1 x earphone jack,1 x microphone jack,Docking Connector (include VGA output signal ),1 x USB 2.0, SIM Slot
  • Power Management:
  • Battery: Removable Lithium-ion
  • Talk time: about 5 hours,Stand by time: about 5 days
  • Real life: about 7 hours(Standard), about 12 hours(Large)
  • Talk time，Standby time，Operation time may vary depending different usage.
  • Weight: 400g (include battery)

Apparently white is not a girl’s colour. At least that’s what my wife and daughter tell me. “Blue or Red would be better. This is just going to get dirty. inch Hmm, since when did women think about practicalities?

Despite that, I’ve managed to convince my wife to take on the S7 as a personal mobile computer. She works in the health and fitness industry and is often out and about at customer premises using Windows-based measurement and analysis software so she’s agreed that it would actually be quite cool to turn up with this.

I’ll be setting her up with a 3G SIM card and all the software she needs and she’s promised to report back in early October.

I’ll still be doing a full review of the S7 but as I’ll be away in IDF next week, expect that in early October too. Hands-on and first impressions thoughts coming before the end of the week. Don’t forget that the three-J’s are also testing the S7. That’s JKK, Jenn and James

Viliv S7 information and specifications here.

JKK and I have had some fun tracking our Viliv S7’s from South Korea over the last four days and it turns out that the German customs organization is a little tighter than the Finnish one. No surprise there! Consequently, JKK picked his up from the DHL office this afternoon and has already videoed the unboxing. Remember this is a retail version of the high-end, 3G+voice, 32GB SSD S7 that should be available at Dynamism very soon. As a bonus, you get to see the very girly white leather case!

Viliv S7 – Full specifications, other videos, gallery and more on our information page.

A live session is still planned for tomorrow but depending on whether my S7 turns up, we may push the convertible shootout to Wednesday evening. Stay tuned for the final information but whatever happens, we’ll be online on Tuesday evening as planned.

JKKMobile Viliv S7 UMPC

As the Viliv S7 makes its way towards us here in Germany (as I write, it’s somewhere between Seoul and Cologne expected Monday or Tuesday) it’s clear that other’s are ramping up for the big launch too.

Jenn downloaded some of the new press images [full set of 47 images here] and she’ll also be getting one next week. Dynamism have put the device up for pre-order too. Pricing is better than I thought with the mid-range 32GB SSD version up for just $659. I was honestly expecting (and worried about) pricing nearer 800 dollars. Of course it’s more than a netbook but don’t get me started on that one. I’ve a list as long as my arm detailing differences between a netbook and this UMPC. 800gm and 8 hrs of battery life is the best figure. 1hr per 100gm makes it extremely strong in battery life/weight ratio.

Our information page for the Viliv S7. Click through to see images, videos and news related to the Viliv S7.

Pricing:

There are three versions of the S7 available at Dynamism

The entry level S7/60 with a 60GB hard drive and the 1.3Ghz Atom CPU with 1GB RAM and XP Home. A good combination for those that want to use the S7 mainly as a media player. $629

MID-Range 32GB SSD version. This is the version to go for if you want silent operation, a little more speed with boot-up and application access and the ruggedness that comes with having a PC with no moving parts. $659.

The high-end SSD/3G version obviously adds the HSPA (high speed up/down) modem which we understand is a voice-capable Huawei model as found on the X70 and S5. $799

For more information and to register for availability and special offers, see Dynamism.com

A few things to think about:

• Battery life. 5-9hrs depending on scenario.
• Small form-factor. Significantly smaller than an ASUS T91.
• Light weight. 20% lighter than the lightest netbooks.
• Convertible touchscreen.
• Touch-typing capable keyboard. Not up to the sizes of 10 inch netbooks but around the same size as early 7 inch and 9 inch Eee PCs.
• GPS Update from Viliv: No GPS on thess retail versions.
• Fast SSD. The Viliv SSDs are fast enough to make a noticeable difference when compared to the HDD versions.
• VGA, Component and S-Video out.
• SDHC capable card reader for up to 32GB SD card expansion.

Despite the great features it has to be said that if you’ve got a netbook, the S7 may be difficult to justify but if you don’t have a netbook and want a ultra mobile PC to cover table-top, mobile, handheld, car and other duties, the S7 is a real multi-scenario mobile computing gem.

Live session with the S7.

The S7 is due to arrive on Monday or Tuesday here and JKK and I have planned a live session for Tuesday evening after the Archos press event. Stay tuned for more information.

The interwebs were set ablaze by our earlier article showing you an awesome wearable computer setup powered by a Sony VAIO UX380N UMPC. Now we’re back with more from the creator himself. I sat down (virtually) with fiveseven808 and asked him som questions about his wearable computing setup and what he might hope to do with it in the future.

We’ve waited a long long time to see a production Viliv S7. An early prototype was seen at CES in Jan 2008 and the re-design was seen over a year ago at IDF. Finally the production devices are moving out the door. At least in Hong Kong.

One early adopter in Hong Kong, ‘bad_one’, has been providing some updates in the forum. He’s also sent over some images so it’s time for the first end-user ‘proxy’ review of the Viliv S7 3G (1.3Ghz)

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