Sharp’s press conference has just finished at CES 2013 and within it was one of the important technologies of 2013 when it comes to mobile devices and power consumption. IGZO.
As CPU, GPU and comms power requirements fall, the screen becomes a very big, power-hungry issue. IGZO screen technology could really help extend in-use battery life and that’s why we’re watching it closely.
The power used by a screen in a laptop is becoming a major issue. As other components in laptops reduce their power, the percentage of total system power used by the screen and backlight is growing. 20-30% average is common but if you’re just reading a static page, the backlight could account for up to 50%. Come Haswell, that could jump to 70% or more in quiet-state operations. Advances in battery technology aren’t forthcoming so anything to get rid of those LED backlights is going to be worth taking a close look at. IGZO (Indium, Gallium, Zinc Oxide) technology could be one of the few answers.
Meet:Mobility Podcast 47 is now available. Recorded on 9th April 2010.
Chippy, JKK and Sascha cover news about the iPad, the JooJoo, ICD Gemini, Hanvon Tablet, HP Slate and other consumer and mobile internet devices.
Full show notes, playback and download info at Meet:Mobility.
SUBSCRIBE
You can also find the podcast on iTunes (Please rate the show on iTunes.) You can also subscribe via RSS.
Meet:Mobility Podcast 47 is now available. Recorded on 9th April 2010.
Chippy, JKK and Sascha cover news about the iPad, the JooJoo, ICD Gemini, Hanvon Tablet, HP Slate and other consumer and mobile internet devices.
Full show notes, playback and download info at Meet:Mobility.
SUBSCRIBE
You can also find the podcast on iTunes (Please rate the show on iTunes.) You can also subscribe via RSS.
While smartphone fans might not be over-interested in this relatively bulky bit of kit, if you look at it from the MID angle (which is where it’s positioned) the story is very different and the Sharp IS01 is ticking a lot of boxes as we go through the specifications.
The Sharp IS01 is a cross between an Archos 5 tablet and a UMID BZ ultra mobile PC and that could really hit the mark by offering long battery life, a fun operating system build and the components needed for more productivity than on the average phone. A 5 inch screen, Snapdragon processor, Wifi, BT, 3G and a 5-row keyboard, 5MP camera, GPS, trackball and, importantly, a full set of Google Android Apps (yes, the marketplace appears to be there) in a 227g package is going to give the upcoming Viliv N5, a Windows-based 5 inch clamshell a run for it’s money although at present, that money element is an unknown. It’s also targeted at the Japanese carrier KDDI which, combined with Sharps history of Asia-only products, doesn’t bode well for European and US markets. We’ll be looking for imports though.
The IS01 is due for release in October but a developer version, the JN-DK01 should be available in the summer.
Via Engadget.
Hands-on, Akihabara
Update: Thanks to the 800+ viewers we had on the live session. It’s great to have so much feedback on a live session. Video recordings are always available here.
On Friday evening at 1900 GMT (check your timezone here) JKK and I will be LIVE again.
For the first time ever it’s an ARM-only show featuring Cortex CPUs from Freescale and Texas Instruments. The Sharp Netwalker will be there and, if Mr DHL does his job, the Archos Internet Tablet (Android version) too.
We’ll be focusing on the Mobile Internet experience as usual but we’ll be giving a hardware overview, software overview (as much as we can given that these devices are brand new on the market) and trying to answer your questions.
The Sharp Netwalker is kindly provided to JKKmobile by Conics.net. The Archos Android Internet Tablet is kindly provided by you readers. (Please keep supporting our advertisers!) The session is unsponsored so bring beer and expect a no-holds-barred session.
Start time 1900 GMT. (Time in your location)
Live chat, audio and video
provided in the LIVE! page.
Bring your own food.
*1 About 50% chance right now on the Archos tablet. 1545 Tablet has just been delivered.
Session will be recorded.
If its not one thing, its the other. The long old story of potential deal-breakers continues.
UMID M1 Screen angle + USB dongles.
HTC Shift Battery life + screen res.
Viliv S7 Colour
and now, wobbly keys on the Sharp Netwalker which, given the importance of keys, is quite the problem. “The keyboard (14mm pitch, 0.8mm stroke) so far is a mixed bag for me… inch says Jenn. “I’m not liking the keyboard at all.. key caps bend to all directions. inch says JKK.
On the positive side, build quality gets a thumbs up along with the optical mouse, battery life and screen angle but performance is again, a bit wobbly. Standby, application start-up times and browsing speeds appear to be varying between acceptable and poor.
For a two-handed thumb-style mobile device, the Netwalker may have missed the mark. The Ubuntu UI is unrefined, the keyboard caps not ideal for thumbing and the processing power slightly less than is needed for a smooth experience. There isn’t even any Bluetooth.
At well over $500, the Netwalker is going to have problems competing with the UMID M2 that is said to be launching at $499. Even with 512MB of RAM and Windows XP it will fly compared to this device. Battery life will be much less (at around 4hrs) and the looks and build quality may be slightly less than you’ll find on the Netwalker but for me, the UMID M2 (due to launch in Q4) still has the edge.
Sharp Netwalker information page.
JKK is planning a UMID Mbook vs Netwalker head-to-head. We’ll see if we can get a live session up very soon.
The UMID Mbook (#11 in the charts today) represents one of the smallest most efficient PC’s in the world. The Netwalker (#8 in the charts today) represents one of the most powerful ARM-based devices in the world. Both platforms are capable of running desktop operating systems and being designed into a handheld form factor. This comparison photo proves that.
The image comes from a side-by-side photo set and review that appears on PC Watch. It’s actually the new Kohjinsha PM on the right but it’s the same device as the UMID. Check out more images and thoughts on their site. [translation] (Via JKK)
The question is, how does XP on the UMID compare to Ubuntu (ARM version) on the Netwalker? PC Watch focuses on the UMID in their article but stay tuned because JKK should be getting a Netwalker very soon so he’ll be able to answer that question.
I suspect that the differences between the platforms will become very clear when using Firefox which is available on both systems. On the Netwalker you’ll be waiting 50% longer for page loads and wondering why flash doesn’t work everywhere. On the UMID you’ll be happy that the browser is quick because you’ll get less runtime when using it. The classic ARM vs X86 trade-off.
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