You’ll often hear UMPC owners moaning that Vista is a huge, fat, disk, cpu and memory hog. Its true! On UMPCs of the Ghz class its an absolute killer and came at completely the wrong time for the UMPC market. What we need is a way to cut Vista right down to the bone and then rebuild it as is needed. If it was me I’d leave out handwriting support, voice control support, indexing, pre-fetching, a huge stack of drivers, sidebar, pen flicks and aero. I’m sure there’s a ton of other stuff that could be ripped out to reduce the 8+GB footprint and 50+ process number too.

In two years this could be possible because Microsoft have it planned for 2009 / 2010 according to a report at Windows For Devices. Kevin Dallas, general manager of Microsoft’s Windows Embedded business group has gone public on it. In addition, there will be further enhancements for XP in SP3 which is due next year.

The problem is that the current XPe license prevents it being used for consumer PC builds. That could be a major stumbling block although i see no reason why Microsoft can’t release Vista – Origami Edition with all the optimizations and refinements needed, layered with a fresh toping of Origami Experience. In fact, here’s an idea, why don’t they sell it for $40 and offer it to Linux-based MID owners? Sounds like a cheap way to exploit a new market if you ask me!

A quick background on XPe: Its a componentised version of XP for x86 systems that can be put together to the developers wishes. After build it can act just like a normal version of XP with the ability to add and remove software and run it from a normal hard drive. Its not to be confused with Windows CE which is a different beast altogether.

Source: Windows For Devices.

Thanks to Expansys, I have received the OQO Model e2 (Euro version of the Model 02) for testing over the next two weeks. The timing is not perfect as I’m in the middle of writing the Vye S37 review and have also bought a Q1 Ultra so the OQO has to fight for my time AND against two other very good UMPC devices! Read on…

Everun fans rejoice. The docking station and car mount is nearly finished.

I’ve just received these images of the Raon Digital Everun docking station. They are renders of course so there’s obviously a few things missing (like the connector for example!) and the possibility that the end result could look slightly different but it looks like they are going for an ultra portable solution rather than a permanent desktop device.

It looks like the cover come off and slots in to provide the back-rest. On the rear is a battery charger. Read on for more…

To start the week, here’s a mobile Internet question. An iPhone costs 400 Euro to buy plus 50 Euro per month for 24 months. A Nokia N95 costs 300 Euro and 50 Euros per month for 24 months. Which one would you be stupid not to buy! This is the information circulating in Germany at the moment and the response to the news [in German] is pretty negative. I won’t be bothering to stand in any queues come 9th November. Especially as the temperature here dropped below freezing last night. […]

Can I claim bragging rights for having the first ever news item posted from a device running Ubuntu Mobile please? Thanks! Now lets move on to something a bit more interesting…Ubuntu Mobile itself.

As we learned last month, Ubuntu Mobile is delayed and the final release is now planned for Q1 2008 and unless you’re interested in retro-fitting your Q1 Ultra with it (I dont really see why you might want to do that unless you have an urge to run it on a small flash disk.) your first chance to come in contact with it will, possibly, be on MID devices in the second half of 2008. Thats if anyone takes it on. There are certainly other options including RedFlag and Pepper software who i’m sure would oblige by adapting their UI for a different core Linux build. [continued…]

I just stumbled across this interesting statistic while I was writing in the forums about the Q1 Ultra. Its all about how much weight you have to carry to surf the ‘net. The Q1 Ultra weighs 680grams and returns 3 hours of hard web browsing. That’s 190 grams per web hour. Read on to see what happens when you apply the same calculation to other devices with standard batteries.

I think this is a Portuguese site that’s got hold of a prototype HTC Shift and given it a very good 5-day test. There are some nice images and the translation reveals a few interesting things. Firstly, only HSDPA is accessible via the Windows Mobile component and secondly, there are some elements of Windows Mobile hidden away. This could bring hope to those that want to run a browser, media player or simply input text for 11 hours on one battery charge!

The reviewer comments on the screen to saying that “all who have had the opportunity to assess, the HTC Shift will leave them flabbergasted.” (A useful translation to remember if you ever go to Portugal no doubt!) They also think that the screen is good at 1024×600. I’m glad its not just me that thinks that.

No word on battery life I’m afraid but its a very good read, even in translated form. The HTC Shift is due to ship within the next three weeks. (Expansys, sister company to a large HTC distributor, are still quoting 6th November)

Original at pcdebolso.com

Via JKKMobile

Wondering if you’ll need Windows XP on the Eee PC? Fancy a 30GB hard drive? A bit more RAM perhaps? What about Bluetooth? Or more battery life?

If so, take a look at the Packard Bell Easynote XS because its about ready to go on sale in the UK for 350 pounds which I estimate to be close to the cost of the high-end Eee PC. You’ll take a hit in the style department but that’s about the only negative point. Size-wise its slightly larger (5mm all-round) than the Eee PC but compensates by being 5mm thinner. In terms of weight the two devices are evenly matched. The 1.2Ghz VIA C7-M should drive XP Home well (I’m pleased its not Vista!) and will offer similar performance to the 900Mhz Celeron in the Eee PC. As for the battery life, I’m hearing that it’s going to hit four hours quite easily and that’s a figure I’m confident to relay based on previous experience with the VIA platform. 1G RAM, 30GB hard drive (I guess its possible to upgrade this too given a screwdriver and lack of guarantee requirement!) and even a DVI-out port.

Packard Bell UK have put up information on their website now so expect to be able to pre-order soon.

For the intermediate to advanced user, I think this is the better choice of the two and I’m actually thinking of buying one as my mobile work tool. I could save myself a fair bit of money and give myself more battery life than with all the other mini notebook options. (Click for interactive comparison chart.)

Previous news about the Easynote (and concept Nanobook)

Thanks to forum member 2800gt for the tip.