I’m going to make a video intro to the Kohjinsha SH6 later today but before I do, let me get something off my chest.
At the top of the list of my first impressions of the SH6 (that I bought with my own money because I felt confident about the McCaslin platform) is, unfortunately, a very negative comment. Its something that is annoying the hell out of me and makes me wonder if Intel have enough control on their ultra mobile PC ecosystem partners because this issue should never have happened. The problem is battery life. This is a device using second-gen UMPC-focused Intel silicon and the new low-power Samsung 1024×600 LED-backlit screen and a device that follows in the footsteps of its 4-hour AMD-based older brother, the SA1. Its a device that you expect to have at least 3 hour battery life and yet, even with its 3-cell battery, its only a 2-hour device. What’s going on? Building a PC based on a 600Mhz power-optimized CPU means you’re at least considering battery life but to end up with a device that has a battery life that’s no better than the first UMPCs of 2006 is very poor indeed and to be honest, does not satisfy my minimum requirement for a useable UMPC. Since finding out about the battery life i’ve been checking and testing everything I can and i’ve even thought that I might have a faulty device but if that’s the case then all the other owners i’ve checked it out with have faulty devices too.
I should try to counter this negative point with a run-down of some of the positive features of the SH6 but I’m not going to. I feel so let down. Fan noise and heat are compounding the problem and Vista is annoying me with its slow startup times, huge unnecessary bloat and need for optimization. For some, the battery life issue might not be a major issue but as someone that knows what should be possible in 2007 I can not ignore that fact that this device appears to be badly engineered. No wonder Kohjinsha are going to offer 6-cell battery for it.
More about the SH6 later when I’ve calmed down. Maybe if I play with the fantastic keyboard and awesome screen some more, it will cheer me up a little!
Update: My mini-review and video intro has now been posted.
