We mentioned a few weeks ago that the Wibrain i1 was being re-born as the EKing i1 and that some people had ordered via Ebay. [Their first impressions and discussion here.] We also managed to collect comments from a number of people that wanted to order the Eking i1 through a group order. Based on that (we like to think!) Mobilx, the ever UMPC-loving resellers from Hungary have negotiated a shipment and price.
513 Euros (including EU taxes, about 430 Euro for exports) will buy you the i1 with the 1.33Ghz CPU, 1GB RAM, 60Gb drive and the big 5hr+ battery life. Unfortunately the device is without 3G.
Update: Note that the price is excluding Windows XP.
Having done a lot of testing with the Wibrain prototype version of this I can tell you that not only is the battery life huge but the usability is fantastic. The mouse pad is superb and the keys are slightly improved over the B1 version that Wibrain sold in 2007/8. You’ll have to put up with 500gms of weight, a non-pocketable form factor and, lets be honest, not the most stylish of designs but its excellent value.
- UMPCPortal Eking information page. (including links to my in-depth hands-on Review and Gallery)
- Mobilx EKing information and order page.
Timescales should be 2-4 weeks but keep an eye on the Mobilx info page for more details on that.
New article: Eking i1 (Was Wibrain i1) UMPC Available from Mobilx. Price. http://cli.gs/b706VE
Chippy, can you confirm there is indeed no GPS built into the E-King i1?
I vaguely remember you mentionning it did have it in your overview video with the pre production testing model, something about an external GPS antenna port.
Shame E-king has dropped the multiple color casings though, I was sort of hoping to get my hands on an emerald one.
Confirmed, No GPS. Sorry.
A littlewhile back while cruizing UMPC portal, I saw someone mentionning some kind of 3G card with built in GPS. Does this sound familiar to you? Or is it just a pipedream? ;)
If id REALLY want 3G, I guess theres always those router devices that will allow a simple wifi network with internet capabilities on the go. Maybe even a USB 3G dongle, but ill have to inspect the USB port location on the i1 first for that. ;) Ive seen its not as obnoxiously placed as the B1, so thats a relief already.
Price is good, improvements over the B1 are significant and it can challenge the other MIDs nicely on spec, plus it’s actually a MID you can buy in Europe today!
I can just about get over lack of 3G, but sadly I just can’t get over the design!
What operating system would be reccomended for this device?
Mobilx seems to have an abundance of choices. ;)
I aim to do alot of TV/Movie viewing, interactive internet, and maybe even some gaming (The key placement just BEGS for some console emulator gaming), so probably a nice lightweight OS would fare best in these conditions.
I would love to put an nlited XP version on it, but frankly Im not sure how to do this. Can the i1 boot from a USB mass storage device? If so, I could possibly spin-off an ultralight version of my spare legit winXP disk onto one of my 16gb pendrives and attempt an install that way. (Unfortunately I dont own a USB CD/DVD-rom drive)
Chippy, since you’ve had hands-on experience with both the UMID M1 and the EKing, if you had to pick one between those two, which would it be?
I’m ready to put my SC3 on Ebay and purchase one of these two, but I’m unsure which. I’m pretty sure I could burn out some sentences darn easily with the Eking’s split keyboard as I’m so used to texting on my Blackberry. I wonder if thumb typing on the UMID would be more difficult.
If i’m honest, the Wibrain i1 with 3G fits my usage better than any other device i’ve used. The mouse pad is superb from the moment you start using it. The keyboard takes a while but then becomes very fast. I’ve had 2hr sessions in bed or on the sofa with the i1 that were more comfortable than any other device i’ve used. (The Pepperpad 3 got close but had crap battery life and processor power and was huge in comparison)
The problems are: style/size and the fact the that eking has no 3G.
The 3G i could put up with but I found that the style really put me off it in the end.
Its on of the best microblogging style UMPCs out there and I wish someone would give it a makeover.
Hope that helps you.
That’s exactly what I was looking for. I need a UMPC for updating my website in a pinch. I dont want to have to carry a heavy laptop everywhere and my blackberry with data package is way too slow.
I have no desire to watch movies or play video games on a UMPC. My need are strictly internet surfing, website updating, email, facebook, etc.
Great news!! Thanks Steve!
But i wondered if you could answer me the same question as Mike:
How would you decide between Umid mbook and Eking i1?
The pricing is quite the same so i’m struggling between these two for weeks now, but at the moment i would order an eking if it would be available.
The Eking is available, the UMID isn’t. So maybe that will make your choice?
Just watching the live stream, and the UMID din’t overly impress me in build and the way you plug in USB devices.
If you don’t mind the look/size of the Eking, then it seems to be a pretty good choice.
Exactly. If size and looks arent an issue, eking is better. Ergonomics, SD slot, USB, battery life. Just not as fast as UMID due to HDD vs fast SSD.
Steve
Do the original Wibrain docking station and car mount work with i1?
Id like to see mobilx stocking some nice extras for the eking. ;)
Like the abovementionned carmount (providing it fits).
Id also like to know what already comes with the i1. Lanyard? Felt cover?
Wibrain told me NOT to use the B1 docking station with the i1 prototype I had because it was untested. The DC-in was different between i1 (proto) and b1 so there’s a good chance it won’t work. BAtteries are interchangeable.
I was about to purchase the Eking i1 from Mobilx, then I realised the operating system had to be to purchased apart …
Which OS should I go for?
XP would be +80€
XP Tablet is +129€
It makes quite a difference.
I only experienced XP so far. Would the tablet edition be an improvement for the Eking?
Tablet only adds some stylus programs like journal. I dont think the 4.8″ screen lends itself for inking verymuch. Id just go with a simple XP. Vista if youre feeling adventurous. ;)
Im going to do some tests myself, using a USB pendrive and an old computer to see if I can install an nlited XP from it. This way the e-king wont be running redundant services like printer spoolers and drive indexing (so the HDD will spin down more easily). Only problem is I dont know where to get the proper drivers for the E-king i1.
Maybe Steve knows if theres a driver CD included with these devices?
After some looking around I noticed this thread:
http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5324&forum=24
And in post #6 a driver DVD is mentionned. This was with a version bought from ebay somewhere, but ill just assume the DVD will come with all of them. Ill be buying my eking i1 empty then. ;)
Good point. I should have mentioned that in the article.
The Mobilx supplied Eking doesn’t include XP.
I’m sure we can get XP drivers from somewhere. I have pre-release XP driver here that I took from the prototype i1 but I guess XP drivers will appear.
Ah, see Sokonomi post about DVD here.
Steve.
Chippy, you know I’ve been a fan of your site for a long time and I’ve emailed you on many occasions. I like where this UMPC market is heading and I look forward to what’s coming around the corner.
Now, I must say that after watching all of your unboxings, various videos and such, I really believe that the Eking is the device that has the best functionality.
That said, it’s not exactly the prettiest and might be one of the ugliest. I just think that if someone can take that design to the next level with your 3G, use of higher quality plastics and just make it more pleasing to the eye they will be the overall winner… I’m saying this from a purely functional and ease of use point of view. I think the split keyboard design (gigabyte m704 too) is the usability design winner. The UMID looks nice, has curves, it’s white, etc. but when I see you working with it in the video it has me running back to the Eking.
Your plastics issue was also noted in the gigabyte m704. I still think that design is a winner but it needs a thorough updating to the newest processors, drives and such.
Oops. forgot link to that eming article : http://tinyurl.com/denf6s
Theres still one thing that has me wondering about the eking i1 though.
How is the screen gloss? Is the E-King i1 usable outdoors?
The i1 I tested had a superb screen. Up there with the Q1 Ultra.
But, gloss is a problem outdoors. Always. Bright daylight, yes. Bright sunlight, no/difficult.
Steve
Hmm I was afraid of that. My samsung Q310 notebook has a gloss on its screen that makes it utterly impossible to use in pretymuch any kind of outdoor situation. Im just looking at a really expencive mirror when I take it outside.
Hence why im now looking for a nice productive UMPC, I dont like being couped up in summer.
It makes me wonder though, arnt there some sort of screen filters you can buy for it? I assume the “geek mirror” problem is quite common..
Chippy, are you going to install windows 7 on the eking. would love to know how performance and battery life is with new windows. I am seriously considering selling my Aigo, I am just not using it that often. Really need larger HD and longer battery life. There is a USB port on the Eking right? I want to be able to plug in my 3G usb stick.
unfortunately i dont have the i1 any more. it went back to mobilx
The Eking i1 has no 3G option? Yes I read this in mobilx but if you go on the official Eking website http://www.ekingumpc.com/en/index.asp in the initial slideshow one of the images is the rear of the device without battery and is clearly visible the place for the SIM card!!! Actually Wibrain prototype was with HSDPA modem and antenna right? So why to cut this option out? Does someone knows something about?
Thats what id like to know, too.
Also why is mobilx asking extra to install an OS? Earlier reports of people buying the i1 straight from e-king said it came with windows XP home pre installed. Does that mean mobilx will just whipe the drive clean if you dont pay for an OS? ;-) Just saying.
if you go to the official eking website, they’ll have a step by step guide telling you how to install an OS from a USB flash drive. The doc file is available in Chinese only.
Could you tell me what E-kings official website is perhaps? Because I think ive been looking at the wrong one then. ;)
http://www.ekingumpc.com/en/ ?
There next to no info on that page, so that cant be the right one I suppose?
Oh.. Chinese only.. big help that will be. :’P
If you go to the Chinese site, you will see a longer list of choices, the 3rd choice will be Services/Support> Driver downloads, (instead of Order Online in the English site), from there you can download drivers, etcs…
Hmm, it seems theres only 1 driver download, and even that link seems to be dead? Not sure whats happening there. :’)
You have to go to http://ekingumpc.com/ directly instead of going to http://ekingumpc.com/en and switching back to Chinese.
I cant figure it out, and translating it isnt working eighter, probably because of computer jargon. ;)
http://nl.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fekingumpc.com%2Fdownload.asp%3Fnid%3D2&lp=zh_en&btnTrUrl=Vertalen
I wish I knew wich ones Id need, to intergrate into a winXP installer.
I cant figure it out, and translating it isnt working eighter, probably because of computer jargon. ;)
I wish I knew wich ones Id need, to intergrate into a winXP installer.
Here’s an English tutorial:
http://komku.blogspot.com/2008/11/install-windows-xp-using-usb-flash-disk.html
Ah yes, I was really convinced that one would work, I tried that one on my test rig. It all went swimmingly untill I had to go from TXT setup to GUI setup. It all just went black and no stick activity after exiting TXT setup. Maybe its just the computer but I doubt it.
Ive bought an IDE/SATA to USB adapter to try and see if I can get a basic DVD drive running on that, but its still USB so I have little hope. :’)
USB DVDRom is ur solution then.