I’m coming to the end of my own OQO E2 tests and review and I can related quite well to what Simon Dale has to say over at the Pocket Size blog (that I hadn’t seen until today.) The OQO is a wonderful machine but its targeted so high that it puts it frustratingly out of reach for the average customer. Reading through Simons review it looks like he loved the OQO but just couldn’t justify the cost and has picked up a Sony UX1 instead.

Since I returned my review unit to OQO a week ago today I have missed it! So much so that I have been trying to get my hands on one all day. I’m afraid that its just too expensive!!…Instead, to feed my addiction, I have ordered a Sony UX1XN.

Now that the SSD-based UX1 has come down in price to a respectable 800 quid, its worth considering. I don’t like the high screen res or the keyboard but on the other hand, you’re getting one of the most powerful UMPCs on the planet! The only other options to consider are the Amtek U560, which is due for launch right about now, and the Raon Digital Everun. Maybe I’ll send Simon an Everun to test out!

   
OQO E2, Sony UX1, Amtek U560 and Everun comparison page.

Pocket Size blog.

If you live in or around the Benelux area and want to get a little hands-on time with mobile devices, check out the following.

Next week, for 2 days on the 16th and 17th November, UMPC-Shop.nl will be holding open days where they will be demonstrating the Adapt range (Amtek T700 and T770) the Raon Digital range, OQO Model e2 and the Gigabyte U60. As they say in Holland…"Maak zelf kennis met populaire UMPC?s van Adapt, Raon Digital, Gigabyte en OQO en kom naar de UMPC demodagen bij UMPCshop.nl in Rotterdam" Which translates to something like ‘get acquainted with popular UMPCs from…Come to Rotterdam.’ (I think!) Anyway, they speak good English, French, German and the crazy mother-tounge of Holland so you’re all welcome. I’ll be up there on Friday afternoon doing photo’s and videos  so let me know if you’re gong to be there.

More info here.

In about 7 hours, the iPhone goes on sale in Germany. Its going to bring an improved mobile Internet experience to many many thousands of people. The same will happen in the UK tomorrow. The iPhone is being sold by T-Mobile in Germany but Vodafone have countered with a rather nice offer which has piqued my interest a little more than the iPhone. From tomorrow, they’re offering the Vodafone Qbowl with an unlimited Internet access and flat rate calling package for 35 Euro per month. The Qbowl is actually the […]

Daily Tech reports the following in their review:

…the Eee’s processor is actually running at 630MHz instead of the alleged 900MHz that has been such a popular number until this point. [my emphasis]

People are reporting that the 37whr battery is returning 3.5 life which is a 10w drain average. As we’ve seen on other Intel-based UMPCs, the drain rate average is usually a bit higher than that so this might be one reason why it’s looking so efficient.

Update: The reviewer reports in the comments that  "surfing over WiFi brings that up to 2:45 or 3h" That’s about what i’d expected – a 12-13W drain rate which compares to Intel UMPC battery life figures of 2006. Funnily enough I don’t see anyone complaining about battery life.

Full and detailed review at DailyTech.

Over the next few weeks I’ve got quite a few head-to-head articles planned.

The Everun will be going up against the OQO Model e2. The Easynote XS will be going up against the Eee PC (and the SH6 for good measure.) and the Everun will also be going up against an ARM-based mobile Internet and media device, the Archos 605 Wifi which I decided to buy for testing purposes.

ARM vs x86! Value and pocketability against power and flexibility.

I’m seriously tempted to get down to the T-Mobile shop at midnight tomorrow and pick up an iPhone but alas, the Paypal gadget account is dry until I get shot of some of the other UMPCs hanging around my office.

If anyone has any specific tests they’d like to see, please leave your message after the tone.

I keep reading reports about the Q1 Ultra being slow. Yes, out of the box it’s slow. After I did my usual optimisations it was slow. After the windows updates it was slow. It was painfully slow…until I rolled back the WiFi driver to the bog standard Microsoft one. After that point, everything started moving along nicely. This was only a few days after I got it of course so it wasn’t prolonged pain but since then, every time I hear those reports of slow Vista/Q1 Ultra combos, it makes me wonder if someone else is having the problem.

I don’t know if every Q1 Ultra out there was affected but its worth checking yours if you feel it’s a little on the sluggish side. The symptoms seems to be 1) Bad WiFi connectivity 2) CPU spikes.

Forum threads at Origamiportal and GottabeMobile are the ones you need to read for answers but there seem to be a number of solutions and part-solutions. My solution was simply to install the default Windows driver for the WiFi but there are other solutions. Does anyone know if Samsung have actually fixed this issue? I’m quite amazed that the device has been out for months and people are still having issues.

Totally dwarfed buy the digital camera setup here [left] is an OQO UMPC.  Via Crave.net I’ve learnt about a company that’s using UMPCs as data-backs for professional photographers.

This is high-end stuff! Crave recons on a price upward of $10K. Woah. And to think, I did a similar thing for around $1200.

Image: Megavision

• UMPC Digital Photography.
• Live photo blogging demo.
• Kohijnsha UMPC – Digital photographers dream.

I’ve just canceled my order for an Eee PC… and placed one for the new black version that is supposed to be shipping in a week. Expansys have them listed and after a quick chat with them, the delivery date seems real.  If it arrives next week it means I can do a head-to-head with the Easynote XS and the SH6. That will be fun! Eee PC 701 specs and links here.

Black Eee PC 701, Kohjinsha SH6 and Packard Bell Easynote XS. Head to head next week?

Via JKKMobile.