Rover A700/Ahtec X70GT /Gigabyte 704 rolling out.

A couple of reports have come in over the last few days about pre-order and availability for the Gigabyte M704. The M704 is basically a 1.2Ghz version of the slider U60 UMPC with an LED-backlit 7", 1024×600 screen but it’s also available under other brands. Its actually made by Flextronics (previously Arima) in Taiwan.    [...]

Eee PC leading. Is this news?

Among the new netbook sector competitors, the Eee PC is expected to retain its lead. Is this news? The Eee PC isn’t just a product now, it’s a brand that has serious value and momentum in the netbook market. You can guarantee that Mums and Dads across the world will be going into their local [...]

JKKMobile. video review of the ASUS Eee PC 900

What is there to say about the Eee PC 900 that JKK hasn’t already covered yet? It’s mobile, productive and people absolutely love it. The big question is, do you need a small, lightweight, good value mobile computer like the Eee PC 900 or do you want a mini-laptop like the HP2133 and MSI Wind, [...]

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HP 2133 Mininote. XP testing wave!

Laptop magazine and jkOnTheRun are reporting back from their initial tests with upgrading (yes, it’s an upgrade in my opinion) from Windows Vista to XP on the HP 2133 MiniNote. Just how much evidence do OEMs need to convince them that installing the shiny Vista option is going to degrade the quality of their [...]

UMPC Offers. (UK and AU) Eee PC free RAM and Vye PC price cuts.

UMPCPortal have been fortunate enough to be able to build some good relationships with resellers over the last few years which means there’s a nice two way channel for information that can go to and from potential customers.
For example, yesterday I contacted Gigabyte about the rumored 912, 8.9" netbook and I should be getting some [...]

iQO - The Ultra Mobile Mac!

I was of the understanding that Leopard  wouldn’t run on VIA but maybe I’m wrong. Either that or this is a nice little remote-desktop scam! The Leopard install is legitimate and works quite well.  However, I am still working on two final issues which are video resolution, presently limited to 800×480, and wwan which [...]

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UMPC Moblogging with Live Tracking. notes

My most recent live-tracked UMPC photoblog went a lot better than the one I tried to do before and the main reason it worked was because I turned off 3G on my mobile phone thus extending battery life by over 100%. Smartphones still have a battery life issue in these online scenarios though and my [...]

Sharp-Willcom D4 UMPC With Intel Atom Centrino, Vista Hits the States on June 20th

If, for some reason, you were interested in picking up one of Sharp-Willcom's new D4 WS016SH UMPCs, the device will be available in the States starting on June 20th from GeekStuff4U. Personally, I would not be thrilled about dropping $1,526.33 on a device running Vista huffing and puffing with only a 1.33Ghz processor and 1GB or RAM—but to each his own. [GeekStuff4U via BGR]

Eee PC 900. Live video hands-on podcast. (Today. 20:30 CET)

Update: The chat channel is already active with chit-chat. Tonight could be a big one!

If you're free in about 5 hours from the time of this post and you have any interest in the Eee PC 900, join JKK, Sascha and myself for a live video podcast this evening. JKK is unboxing the device as I type so keep an eye on his blog for videos and thoughts before we kick the video podcast off.

More info on the Eee PC 900 in the product page.

Us = JKKMobile, the king of the Eee PC, Sascha Pallenberg, king of EeePCnews.de and myself, king of my own castle!

The video will be hosted by JKK (see his page) but I will be hosting it with an additional video channel at UMPCPortal live. Action starts at 20:30 CET, 18:30 GMT but we'll be there until much later in the evening. See you in the chat room.

Sharp-Willcom D4 UMPC With Intel Atom Centrino, Vista Hits the States on June 20th

If, for some reason, you were interested in picking up one of Sharp-Willcom's new D4 WS016SH UMPCs, the device will be available in the states starting on June 20th from GeekStuff4U. Personally, I would not be thrilled about dropping $1,526.33 on a device running Vista huffing and puffing with only a 1.33Ghz processor and 1GB or RAM—but to each his own. [GeekStuff4U via BGR]

Eee PC 900. Live video hands-on podcast. (Today. 20:30 CET)

Update: The chat channel is already active with chit-chat. Tonight could be a big one!

If you're free in about 5 hours from the time of this post and you have any interest in the Eee PC 900, join JKK, Sascha and myself for a live video podcast this evening. JKK is unboxing the device as I type so keep an eye on his blog for videos and thoughts before we kick the video podcast off.

More info on the Eee PC 900 in the product page.

Us = JKKMobile, the king of the Eee PC, Sascha Pallenberg, king of EeePCnews.de and myself, king of my own castle!

The video will be hosted by JKK (see his page) but I will be hosting it with an additional video channel at UMPCPortal live. Action starts at 20:30 CET, 18:30 GMT but we'll be there until much later in the evening. See you in the chat room.

ASUS Eee PC 900 battery capacity update.

It appears that Asustek, Hong Kong, have decided to offer users free upgrades of the Eee PC 900 batteries due to a slip-up that saw reviews and presentations include a larger capacity battery than was actually shipped. While this is good for Hong Kong, it may not apply to the rest of the world. ASUS are also saying that the standard battery for the Eee PC 900 will be the 4400mah version.

Via jkkmobile.

Top 20 UMPC Product Websites

The 'River of Links' has been running on UMPCPortal for just under 2 years now. In that time we've highlighted nearly 800 quality, UMPC product-related articles. Over 200 different websites are referenced in the database but the Top 20 websites (*) that appear most in the database (apart from UMPCPortal of course!) and deserve a place in your bookmarks or feed list are:

jkontherun.com

www.gottabemobile.com

www.pocketables.net

www.engadget.com

jkkmobile.blogspot.com

ultramobilepc-tips.blogspot.com

www.mobiletechreview.com

reviews.cnet.com

www.pcmag.com

laptopmag.com

blogs.zdnet.com, gizmodo.com, www.trustedreviews.com, www.tabletpcreview.com, www.internettablettalk.com, blog.icube.us, www.brighthand.com, mykohjinsha.blogspot.com, www.viaarena.com, ubertablet.blogspot.com

'Well done' to the JKOnTheRun team and all the websites that are producing quality UMPC-related content.

The River of Links continues to be updated regularly and is available here and via RSS.

* Single-product, original articles only. No resellers. Does not include generic UMPC articles.Can I get any more disclaimers in here?

MSI Wind official announcement. Product tracking on!

Although I was a little hesitant to drop this one into the database based on the fact that no-one knows how big it is, an official weight of around 1KG puts it in the correct ballpark.

MSI made an announcement on their web page a few days ago and I've now transferred the details into the product portal where i'll track and update info when available. If you spot errors or new info, just let us know!

MSI Wind product page.

Source: Engadget

Atom CPU performance figures.

 

These figures put the Atom ahead of previous estimates which put the Atom @1.6Ghz at the same performance level as an A110 at 800Mhz. A Samsung Q1 Ultra with the A110 returns 2700 and 3000. Remember that the Atom processor can do hyperthreading. I have no idea what affect it has on the test compared to real-life scenarios.

One tip-off I had mentioned the following:

Intel Atom 1.6ghz with HyperT = about 950mhz Core Solo or 550mhz Core2Duo or 1.2ghz Athlon 64

Note that it's not clear if this is a Z-series or N270 Atom processor that has been tested so there are still unknowns here. Again, only hands-on reviews are going to show the real story. It was a Z series Atom processor that was tested.

More news on Atom details: Launch details and SKU's,  MID progress overview, Atom detailed overview, Video performance details , Basic Computing platform details.

Source: EeePCNews.de

PIMPin'. Intel Poulsbo docs reveal 1080i HD video support for MIDs.

I was taking a look at the promotional PDF for the CoreExpress Atom-based Single Board Computer [Lippert] on Friday evening and couldn't help noticing the very impressive video playback rates that are presented. The video playback figures seem to be far better than any embedded graphics co-processor has achieved in a small form factor pc to-date and they appear to be better than any dedicated PMP has been able to achieve too. As far as I can tell, it's even better than Apple TV. Over the weekend I've been doing a little more research and sure enough, the figures are confirmed in official Intel documentation.

The Name Game Continues: ULCPC

Microsoft does not seem interested in completing projects. Instead, something new is announced and out of the oven pops a new acronym. Consider the ULCPC naming convention announced on April 3. What exactly does this mean? Are Ultra Low Cost PCs different from Low Cost PCs? Should we all worry about LCPCs? Are these Mobile systems? In which case, why are they not called ULCMPCs? Are they mobile and pocketable? How about ULCMPPCs?  

Microsoft marketing is in trouble. Even the domain names are taken by squatters. Apparently someone at Microsoft didn't check the domain names first - and grab the singular and plural. Worse, with so many letters to remember even the Microsoft announcement misses the "C" in the second "PressPass question - answer section."

Microsoft needs help. Instead of spinning new acronyms that no one will remember or repeat, consider the stance most people wish politicians would take - admit you are wrong - and move forward. Forget  ULCPC phrases and simply go with "Mobile PC."

Asus EEE PC 900 unboxed

It was bound to happen. Here they are, the first pictures of the EEE 900 unboxed.

The specs are as predicted - Celeron 900mhz, 1GB RAM, 12GB SSD, 8.9 inch screen, multi-touch trackpad. The keyboard and battery are the same as in the older models. At 990g, it also still weighs under a kilogram.

What's interesting is the box design still features an EEE 700 on the front. No matter though, now that the first ones are out in the wild it won't be long before the rest of us get our hands on them!

Click on for the rest of the pictures over at JKK's site.
Original source (google translated) here.

Intel MID promo video

Here's a nice promo video for your Friday night viewing pleasure. Have a great weekend everyone.