New Kohjinsha UMPC Coming

UMPC Portal is reporting that Kohjinsha is breaking it’s recent silence with a new UMPC, the SK3, designed to run Windows 7.  The device looks great from the pictures (all serious information appears to still be in Japanese) and will be available in Japan by the end of the month today.

I came very close to buying a Kohjinsha device some months ago but it ended up being pushed off my wishlist by other more mainstream small touchscreen devices (like my current main Netbook, the Gigabyte M912M). However, the look of this one, especially presented like a Franklin planner on serious steroids as it is here, is very appealing to me. It seems like it is trying to fill the no-man’s land between MID and Netbook…if such a place actually exists. The Windows 7 angle also sounds interesting. Maybe this will be a winner for Kohjinsha and get them back on the Euro/US UMPC map.

Check out the partial specs, according to UMPC Portal, after the jump.

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Mobile Reporting Kit

Blogging has became a way of life for many and when this happens you have to become creative and like in any other job arm yourself with a set of tools that will allow you to be the best. Because that’s what is it about. People pay you for blogging because you are the best or at least one of the best.

My fellow blogger Steve from UMPCPortal has posted a very good article about his experiences streaming live video for his blog. It’s really interesting to see how he has managed to create a fully portable/mobile solution using an UMPC.

I spent some time testing different webcams, microphones and configurations and have come up with a 2KG setup that will allow you to do live, mobile broadcasting over Ustream with reasonable quality. The total cost of the solution is under $1000 and the setup can not only be used for live streaming but can be used as a complete Ultra Mobile live blogging solution.

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The Archos9 the first UMPC with W7

So far The Archos 9 is the first UMPC announced with W7. A complete different picture than when Vista was about to be released. It’s like OEMs are being very cautious this time.

Unlike its predecessors, which are basic touchscreen internet media tablets, the Archos9 is a touch tablet that can run a full computer OS. It also features a built-in webcam, 120GB of memory, full touch support, an external mic, streo speakers, and a toggled-on optical trackpad and an on-screen keyboard, and will be available in Europe this October—around the same time as Windows 7’s release—for €450 ($635).

Via | Gizmodo Australia

           

Compal KAX15 UMPC

One thing is undeniable, the Original Origamis have left a mark in the design of all SFPC (Small Factor PCs) that came after them. And that’s the case with the HTC Shift design, I have seen at least two UMPC in videos coming from Computex of future devices using the same technology used in the Shift. One of the cases is the Compal KAX15 UMPC.

           

The term for netbook is not good

According to Microsoft the term netbook is not good. 

Guggenheimer pointed out on June 2 in Taipei during Computex 2009 that since some of the mini-notebooks already feature capabilities more than just purely Internet browsing – which is the main purpose of the netbook – therefore the term netbook should be abandoned.

And I’m fully agree with that, even the term MID which was stamped by Intel initially for devices purely designed just for Internet now is being used to call what was before called UMPC. That’s completely crazy. Why to name them by one of it’s functions when these devices can do more than that? How I would call them? Ultra Small PCs (USPC) perhaps? Small Factor PCs (SFPC)? or just keep calling them UMPC? Probably the best thing to do is to keep using the old term UMPC instead of creating a new one and as result more confusion.

Via:  DigiTimes

           

Better with Windows?

Has Asus given up on being Linux’s vanguard in the consumer marketplace? Back when the Eee 701 was the new hotness it came with Linux , and it was widely considered a sure thing that such netbooks would popularize Linux in the real world. Companies like Asus were seen as Open Source saviors who would heavily promote Linux as a cheaper, less bloated alternative to Windows software for weaker machines.

Guess not.

A new campaign has been started, in which a somewhat amateurish looking website extols the fact that Eee PCs run better with Windows using mostly 701s in the demo video. Of course when this campaign first went public there was an outcry across the Linux blogosphere calling it a hoax…but Asus quickly owned up to it being legit.  However, the site itself appears to be the work of an employee of Arbitron, a PR firm with a history with Microsoft (hence why it looks like something circa 1997), so it is likely Asus didn’t do much connected to the site save for give their permission. No Asus branding or logo appears anywhere except in the video.

Still, if Asus is continuing to defect from the Open Source camp on a large scale and will continue to draw back from putting Linux on netbooks in the factory, could they also be stroking Redmond in advance of the Windows 7 netbook release. I am sure some heavy vendor agitation got MS to lift the “3 Windows Only” spiking of their entry level Win7 release.

Check out the demo video at the site…so what do you think…better with Windows? I am a big MS fanboy by and large, but my Asus Eee 701? Better with Ubuntu NBR, actually.

           

Adding 3G to a Viliv S5

This mod is for really brave users that really do not care about warranties or anything like that.

..or upgrade with 3G modem but then you need to solder the pci-e connector, antenna cable and use Novatel EU850D with SIM holder.. cut the metal plates and take away the HDD and replace it with half mini zif SSD.

jkkmobile: Modding Viliv S5: 3G and SSD

           

Viliv S5 premium Air UMPC 25 min review

JKK has prepared the best video review I have seen so far about this UMPC.

           

Microsoft is closing Origamiproject.com

What I can add? That site was abandoned by Microsoft a long time ago, it was unattended never had a team of moderators that could take care of the page and the Original Origami Team was dismembered a long time ago too. From the original Origami idea many other designs have came and Intel who was one of parents of this concept now is calling them MID instead of UMPC.

We launched this website to chronicle the adoption of UMPCs and the opportunities for touch-oriented software packs, to share usage ideas, and to answer questions on these topics. A number of excellent community sites and blogs have been launched about UMPCs, touch applications, and the rapidly changing small PCs. We realize that we cannot cover all current mobile computing topics in a single site, so we have decided that the time has come to retire this site. This will occur around the end of April.

Origami Team Blog : The Next Era of Mobile Computing

           

jkkmobile’s UMID M1 Mbook UMPC impressions

 

I’m looking for a small replacement device for my Sony UX.  This caught my eye today but I still have a lot more to look at before I make any decisions …. the UX still runs.

This device that will fit in the palm of your hand, runs a full version of Windows and has a very usable keyboard.  Click the picture above to see and hear Jkk’s thoughts on this sleek ultra-mobile PC over at YouTube.

jkkmobile

           

SR569: a new rugged UMPC

And we keep posting news about new UMPCs coming soon. The SR569 is a new rugged UMPC that uses a VIA processor. There is only one this that’s not clear to me: Why XP Embedded when from the point of view of Hardware this machine can handle even Windows 7 when it’s released?

Samwell has adopted Via’s Nano processor for a new UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) that runs Windows XP Embedded. The Ruggedbook SR659 includes a seven-inch touchscreen display, a fingerprint sensor, a 30GB hard disk drive, and both SD and PCMCIA expansion slots, the company says.

Nano UMPC runs Windows XP Embedded

           

Kinstone UMPC

Just today I was reading in an Australian Webpage about the grievous death of the UMPC. And I was preparing everything to write about it when I found this a lot better news:

Kinstone presented its 7-inch touchscreen UMPC ‘KS-UMD070VB’ during Hong Kong Electric Fair 2009. Running on VIA C7-M processor(1200MHz) and Windows XP/Linux OS, it supports up to 2GB RAM and 30GB HDD.

The same with TabletPC, UMPC have became zombies. Those that never die in horror movies no matter what you do to them. 

           

OQO is having problems

This is an unconfirmed rumor but if it’s real I would say that it’s a sad news. And I say this because I was lucky enough to have one of these devices in my hand (see pictures) and their quality is really good thou the price probably is what is killing them in this economic crisis. According to rumor published today in Engadget, OQO is having some financial problems:

the company’s in dire financial straits and is looking to sell, and that the Model 2+ may be the last OQO device made, if it ever gets released. More worrisome, European retailer eXpansys is reportedly canceling orders for the MID and removing all the company’s products from the site, due to what it’s telling customers is "uncertainties to stock availability."

           

Reminder: Did you attach that file?

Have you ever forgotten to include an attachment to an important email?

 

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Wibrain releasing M1 in Korea

Wibrain will start developing and selling the Wibrain M1 MID in Korean market, this according to news from AVING USA, page that has published today some very good pictures of this device. 

Adopting a 4.8-inch touchscreen with 1,024*600 resolution, a sliding keyboard and a round-shaped touchpad, the M1 will feature 512MB/1GB of RAM, 8GB/16GB SSD, WiFi/HSDPA/Bluetooth connectivity, mobile TV, and either Linux or Windows XP OS.