For those looking for the perfect handheld PC for road-warrior and productivity work, the Viliv N5 has to be near the top of the list. Sliders and tablets are great but nothing beats the clamshell format for practicality in terms of usage and ruggedness. Very similar to the UMID BZ, the Viliv N5 offers a desktop operating system on a very efficient Intel Menlow platform with long battery life, an excellent video playback experience (up to 1080p tested successfully without any modifications) fast SSD and, in the version we’re testing here, the convenience of built-in 3G. The optical mouse really helps navigating round Windows where sometimes, a small touchscreen isn’t the best solution and, like the Fujitsu UH900, the N5 goes for a keyboard size that works for both touch-tapping and thumb usage although as always with keyboards that try and do both, it’s not optimal for either scenario.

Viliv N5 specifications, images, link, videos.

In testing over the last 4 days I’ve been impressed with the multitasking performance of the device. Compared to the UMID BZ it offers a smoother experience with none of the SSD-overload that is all too easy to experience on the BZ. The finish of the device is fantastic and represents Vilivs usual attention to detail.

See our Live, Open Review for more detailed hands-on work.

On the downside there’s no analogue video out (the VGA, composite, S-Video port is blanked-off) and the screen touch-layer is heavier than a lot of modern UMPCs. The brightness, too, is noticeably less than on other devices, especially the BZ. Windows 7 Home Starter limits how you can change your desktop (setting the display DPI to 125% really helps though and the video below was taken before I had made that adjustment.) The 32GB SSD is partitioned for a recovery installation and you end up with just 11GB of user disk space.

A note about battery life.

As I type this I’m seeing 25% battery left after 2.5hrs of use which equates to over 3hrs online usage. The screen brightness has been at 100% during this period and both Wi-Fi and 3G have been on concurrently for about 1 hour of this. Unfortunately, the battery life indicator on the Viliv N5 only shows remaining capacity in steps of 5% and it can be inconsistent and non-linear. With careful set-up, I expect users to be able to get 4hrs out of the device but not much more than that. The battery has only 15Wh capacity so with Windows 7 on the Menlow platform, don’t expect anything more than this.

All the important points are covered in the video below but as I write this, a second video is uploading which compares the Viliv N5 to the UMID BZ. There are advantages on both devices and as we learn about the UMID SE, maybe there’s a third option coming soon. Stay tuned for a second post focusing on the differences between the UMID BZ and Viliv N5.

Just as we expected, the Dynamism pricing details for the Viliv N5 that we did our Open Review on last night are now available. Dynamism have sent the details over and as with previous Viliv launches, are including a special offer. If you order between July 6th and July 15th you get a free battery worth $50. That’s worth having because the N5 battery is tiny and yet appears to offer 3-5 hours of usage.

As we already know, there are only two models of the N5 available and both are Atom 1.3Ghz based with a relatively fast SSD. The 3G model also has voice capability.

Event Date:             July 6th 1PM EST through July 15th
Shipping Date:         July 19th and fulfilled based on order date
Promotion:              Free spare battery ($50 value)
32GB SSD                $649
32GB SSD with 3G    $799

Details and pre-order will be up at Dynamism later today.

We would have liked to have seen cheaper pricing of course, especially considering the similar UMID BZ is only $499 but the N5 does look (and perform) slightly better than the UMID BZ. With more RAM and faster SSD it’s more of a multi-tasker and definitely Windows 7 capable. Remember though that there’s no video-out and you only get Windows 7 Home Basic.

JKK and I will continue testing the N5 over the next week or two so keep an eye out for more content from us and if you want to discuss the N5, i’ve opened a new sub-forum. As usual, all the specifications along with links and comparison devices are in the UMPCPortal database.

Viliv have just shipped an N5 to me (and I suspect other bloggers) for long-term testing and it’s expected here on the 25th. (Friday) so if all goes to plan, you should be seeing an unboxing video on Friday afternoon. I’ll try and sync up with JKK to get a live session going too.

As for availability, I’m expecting the delivery here to coincide with an announcement of pricing and availability at Dynamism so stay tuned over the next few days.

The N5 has been the #1 device on the UMPCPortal product list for a long time now so obviously a lot of people are interested in it. You can find out more, see videos and view additional information from other websites through our Viliv N5 tracking page.

Good work, Pocketables! The team over there have picked up two news items on the Viliv N5 today. Together, they give us a good indication that the product is ready for pre-sale.

News item number 1 shows the Viliv N5 being advertised in Japan with XP (Standard Edition) and Windows 7 (Premium edition)

News item number 2 shows the Viliv N5 advertised by Dynamism in the latest Laptop magazine with 3G and 4G options.

We’ve also spotted the ‘Standard’ edition at GeekStuff4U, indicating a mid-June availability but given the fact these availability always slips, we’re still expecting July availability.

We will be meeting with Viliv at Computex early next week so we’re expecting to hear full details, prices and availability. Finally! We’ve got our fingers crossed that we can walk away with a review sample too so stay tuned for news of a live open review when we get back after Computex.

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!

Viliv N5 news and specifications are here.

With just a few hours to go before the madness kicks off in CES, Viliv have slipped out a few pages of marketing for their new offerings.

Four devices are listed with 2 of them directly targeted at the mobile computing sector. The N5 and the S10.

Naver have the details (thanks to @digihunter for the tip)

Head over to Naver for more details.

N5

• 1.3Ghz CPU
• Windows 7 OS
• 32GB SSD
• GPS
• 1.3MP cam
• Optical mouse
• HSPA option
• ‘Up to’ 5 hours battery life.
• 399gm

N10

• 2.0Ghz Z550 version will be available.
• Multi-touch
• 128GB SSD option
• 10 hours battery life
• 3G options.
• Possible issue: Only 1GB RAM.
• 1.2KG

Full specifications in our database.

Viliv S10

Viliv N5

With just a few hours to go before the madness kicks off in CES, news about those two, very similar 4.8 inch UMPCs/MIDs has surfaced.

The Viliv N5 specs have been revealed…

…and the UMID BX (was M2) gets a hands-on.

Head over to Naver for more details on the N5 and Lazion for the UMID and stay tuned here because I’ll get hands on with these very soon after arriving at CES.

Via UMPCPortal (UMID News , Viliv News)

On previous MIDMoves adventures you saw me in San Fransisco and Taipei and at each of those events I got hands on with a new 5 inch Intel-based MID. I’m expecting both of these new devices to launch while I’m in Vegas for CES in a few weeks so here’s a quick rundown of what I know so far.

As you can see, both devices have an extremely similar design. On the left, the Viliv N5 that was announced just a short while ago. On the right, the UMID M2 that we’ve already had time with.

Both devices will be based on the Menlow platform, have a 1024×600 touchscreen and an integrated mouse pointer. Wifi and Bluetooth too. Questions remain over the battery life but based on what I’ve seen with the forerunner to the UMID M2, the M1, battery life on the M2 should be good. If Viliv continue their run of high-quality UMPCs, the battery life on the N5 is going to be good too.

XP, Windows 7, 3G and SSD options should be available so the only real difference in basic specifications I can see is the GPS on the N5. That’s not a deal-breaker for most so it really leaves two differentiators; pricing and the all-important hands-on testing!

That’s what we’re planning to do at CES in a few weeks starting on the 6th of Jan so stay tuned for this interesting battle of the 5 inch Clamshells because these two could be great mobile computing options.

(We might get some N5 specs and pics soon so again, stay tuned!)