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Author information | Steve Paine

Steve Paine - has written 6832 posts on UMPCPortal.

Steve, Chippy, SteveChippy and V4_Chippy are all aliases for Stephen Paine. Steve has been working on internet and web projects since the 80's and, for the last five years has focused on digital marketing. UMPCPortal, this site, where Chippy writes purely about mobile technology. Meetmobility is a site for a hobby that combines travel on two-wheels, camping and technology. There's an accompanying YouTube channel. Find Steve on Instagram (v4_chippy) for his motorbike adventures. on Mastodon and on Twitter (chippy) where DMs are open. SteveChippyPaine has a YouTube channel with 14K subscribers and over 1000 videos of mobile technology.

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HMD 105 4G (2024, Europe) Review

Posted on 17 December 2024

A waste of time or a must-have fallback? A burner? The HMD 105 4G (2024) is the latest low-cost, lightweight phone gadget and has an upgraded 2.5 inch screen. There are significant improvements over the previous model but It falls short on a few potential must-haves. Here is my full review of the latest variant of this €40 featurephone. (Bought, 16th Dec 2024.)

The latest ultra-mobile and handheld computing components, processors and operating systems

Posted on 12 December 2024

Low-power PC platforms are currently undergoing a revolution. Led by advanced ARM designs from Apple, other manufacturers are starting to take steps to reach similar levels of efficiency and power for PCs, tablets, Chromebooks and even gaming handhelds. The fact that Intel has launched a unique and highly integrated X86 processor platform speaks volumes. This new wave of processors could pave the way for new and exciting developments in the world of low-power, ultra-mobile productivity. This is an overview of the market for ultra mobile and low-power processors and operating […]

Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 (Gen 9, 2024, Kompanio 835) Full Review

Posted on 01 November 2024

The 2022 Lenovo Duet 3 with the Snapdragon 7c processor was a great Ultra-Mobile PC, but the Lenovo Duet 11 / Gen 9 2024, running on a Mediated Kompanio 838 is here, and it’s better. Here’s my full and detailed personal review, with no ads! You should find everything you need here. If not, ask in the comments.

Streaming music battery drain – ARM smartphone and Chromebook compared

Posted on 25 February 2024

A Pixel 6 can stream music using just 440mW of power, which is about the same as a handheld DAB radio player. An ARM-based Chromebook can do it in about double that. Despite the relative complexity of streaming radio over WiFi or even cellular data, it’s still amazingly efficient.

Mobile Creators Kit 2023

Posted on 15 December 2023

Previously, over the last 15 years, I’ve written about mobile reporting kits. The focus was on written articles, enhanced with photography. That, of course, has changed as video becomes the primary content type for many people. The mobile creators kit, takes that video-first approach too. It’s tried, tested and relatively low-cost.

Nokia 105 4G 2023 Review – Browser, MP3, FM and more, in under 80 grams

Posted on 18 October 2023

The Nokia 105 4G 2023 costs 40 Euro and comes with a browser! I’ve tested it through, along with battery life and I’ve created a list of missing features, surprises, and a wish-list.

Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebook. 900 grams of ARM-based ultra-mobility in review

Posted on 30 June 2023

Efficient, low-cost and highly mobile. The 2022 Duet 3 is a great companion PC. I still own mine but now that the new 2024 version is available and in my hands, I can only recommend the 8GB RAM version of the 2022 model. The 4GB model limits you to basic Chromebook usage and doesn’t fully open up the Android or Linux systems for normal use. Update: I have upgraded, and i’m reviewing, the new, 2024 Duet 11 Gen 9. The review below is from 2023.

Efficient, Light, Powerful Chromebooks in 2023

Posted on 30 January 2023

Where are the light, powerful Chromebooks? Are you looking for a mobile companion. Something safe and efficient? Me too.

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