Hop over to JKK movile to see some pics of the new Gigabyte T1000P.

Basically we’re looking at an updated version of the T1028X with Pinetrail and a Multitouch screen. This will go head to head with the Viliv S10, Asus T101H, Lenovo S10-3T.

It’s a shame they didnt take the chance to update the design but at least all the upgrade ports and 3G antenna will still be there. This is a big advantage for people wanting to upgrade with 3G modem, SSD and 2GB RAM.

jkkmobile: Gigabyte convertible netbook T1000p at CaBIT 2010.

You wouldn’t want to be left up the creak without this now would you!

EviGroup launched the Evigroup Pad last October and have been busy since then to try and improve on the design. The result is a multitouch, SSD-capable version called the ‘Paddle.’

Available for 699 Euro (estimated April to June availability) the Paddle will come with a new software layer called ‘Scale’ (see video below) which promises to make organising and viewing your documents and media a lot easier. Certainly a large touchscreen helps to get a good overview like this so we’ll be interested to see exactly how well it is implemented come launch time.

Other improvements include an optional Wifi antenna (great for stealing the Wifi from others in press conferences!!) and discreet positioning of microphone and web cam. Battery capacity is unknown at this stage but we’re suspecting the battery can’t be more than 25-30wh meaning 3-4hrs max battery life on this 1.6Ghz Intel Atom / Windows 7 HP platform.

Clearly this is going to compete head-to-head with devices like the Archos 9 and the Netbook Navigator Nav 9 but you’ll also have to consider the ASUS T91 MT and slightly heavier ASUS EeePC T101 MT, Lenovo S10-3T and  and Viliv S10 which include a keyboard for much the same price.

Evigroup Blog (French) (Translation)

The very interesting multitouch-capable Viliv S10 Blade is imminent and baseline pricing has already been set at $699 by Dynamism. After we posted that news though, someone managed to reveal the full Dynamism pricing structure for the devices and there’s been a big discussion, mostly negative, going on in the comments section.

The pricing has since been removed from Froogle but here’s the detail:

1.6Ghz Models:

• Viliv S10 32ssd –  Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z530 1.6GHz 32GB SSD Windows XP $699.00
• Viliv-S10/32ssd – Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z530 1.6GHz 32GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium. $797.00
• Viliv S10/32ssd/3G – Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z530 1.6GHz 32GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium Built in HSPA modem. $889.00
• Viliv S10/64ssd – Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z530 1.6GHz 64GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium. $857.00
• Viliv S10 64ssd/3G – Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z530 1.6GHz 64GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium Built in HSPA modem. $949.00

2.0Ghz Models:

• Viliv S10/2.0GHz/64ssd – Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z550 2.0GHz 64GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium. $987.00
• Viliv S10/2.0GHz/64ssd/3G – Intel® Atomâ„¢ Z550 2.0GHz 64GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium Built in HSPA modem. $1,079.00

Note that these prices are unconfirmed but they look correct to me. I already predicted $1200 for the high-end versions.

Note that the entry-level version does not support multi-touch (although an upgrade to Windows7 should enable that) The 2.0Ghz version starts with a 64GB SSD at a shade under $1000.

A quick comparison to my current convertible touchscreen device, the Gigabyte Touchnote T1028M, which runs 2GB on a retro-fitted 64GB SSD and 3G, tells me that the S10 is not something I should be upgrading to UNLESS….

• I want up to 10 hours battery life. (compared to my current 2+4 using my standard and extended batteries)
• I want hardware decoded video and flash video (Flash 10.3 supports the GMA500 under Windows 7 now although I haven’t seen this working in practice yet.)
• I want a much more stylish device
• I want a lighter (by about 400gm) device.
• I want a multitouch touchscreen

My worry with the S10 though, despite the advantages, is that Windows7+1.6Ghz+SSD might not be fast enough to give an noticeable improvement over XP. Indeed, based on RAM requirements, the device could run into memory problems after extended or heavy use in which case. The same issue is true of the 2.0Ghz versions. I would personally choose XP as the OS under 1 GB scenario and that renders the multitouch screen useless.

Competitors.

If you consider the 2.0Ghz version, there are currently no competitors at this screen size so lets take the S10 1.6Ghz version with the 64GB SSD, 3G and Windows 7 Home Premium and compare it to German Euro prices for competitors.:

• Lenovo S10-3T 1GB RAM, Multitouch (1024×600) Windows 7 Home Premium 449 Euro
• Gigabyte Touchnote 2GB RAM, Single Touch N280 1.6Ghz (1366×768) Windows 7 Starter, 569 Euro
• ASUS T101 MT 2GB RAM, Multitouch (1024×600), N450 1.6Ghz CPU, Win 7 Home Premium. 320GN HDD. 499 Euro

View all devices in the database

Clearly there’s nothing out there that exactly matches the specifications of the S10. If the SSD is fast it will make a lot of difference to the performance of the device. The Menlow platform should also help with battery life too although do remember, the battery life is untested at the moment.

Upgrade prices for a Touchnote T1028X.

• 3G retro-fit. 100 Euro (USB stick for 49 Euro is also a solution)
• SSD Retro-fit 64GB fast SSDs such as the one I use in my Touchnote are around 200  Euros.
• Extended battery: Approx 60 Euros
• Home Premium upgrade: 67 Euros.
• Single-to-multitouch upgrade: (Not recommended due to warranty issues) Around 100 Euros.

Example: Total upgrade cost for 64GB/3G/2G  is around 420 Euros bringing the price of a Touchnote T1028X with single touch screen to around 890 Euros which is going to be very near the Dynamism price for the high-end 1.6Ghz S10. The advantages of buying the S10 are: 200-400gm weight saving, better looking, multitouch, hardware video decoder.

Or, you could stick with the ASUS T101MT with the 1024×600 screen for 499 Euro. Add a USB 3G stick and SSD for 250 Euros and you’re at about 750 Euros. For some, in fact many, I think this could be the choice they will make.

Touchnote upgrade for me?

Personall, the  Viliv S10 Blade has come in at about $100 more than I expected but when I calculate what I’ve spent on my Gigabyte Touchnote to bring it up to similar specs, the cost is much the same.  The S10 isn’t actually that OTT considering it’s not a netbook and only two years ago, you would have dreamed of such pricing!  Having said that, even considering the advantages of the S10, there’s no major reason for me to upgrade my Touchnote for the S10.

What do you think? Did Viliv price the S10 too high or, considering the battery life and SSD advantages, is it acceptable?

Full model details and pricing range is unknown at the moment but we’re now one step closer to launch of the Viliv S10 multitouch convertible. Dynamism have put up their pre order page.

Pricing starts with a 60GB HDD and XP at $699 which appears high for a device that isn’t much more than a 10hour version of the Gigabyte Touchnote that I’m using to write this. SSD versions start with a 32GB Windows 7 version and go right up to the 64GB version with the 2.0Ghz CPU and built-in HSDPA. Clearly pricing is going to be much much higher for that version so we’re probably looking at the $700 – $1200 range here folks. Lets hope it’s a little less at the high end!

As I said, full details aren’t known and availability is stated as ‘soon’ but we have been promised one of the first samples so you can expect an extensive live review session when it turns up here at UMPCPortal.

For a reminder on the specs, a gallery, some videos and related links from around the internet, check out our product information page for the Viliv S10.

When the news about the Nav 9 (then the 8192NN) first hit last month there was a lot of negative feedback about a $1200 asking price. We held back from reporting the story, instead choosing to contact the guys at Netbook Navigator to see what was going on. Since then we’ve had a good back-and-forth about specifications, pricing and target markets and as a result of all the feedback they’ve had, Netbook Navigator have re-positioned their product with a much lower entry point. You still get the multi-touch (resistive) screen, Windows Home Premium and 16GB SSD (which is going to be tight for Win 7) but the entry level pricing is a much more interesting $799.

Details, specs, gallery, links on the Netbook Navigator Nav 9 in our database.

Clearly there are many that will be comparing this to a $499 iPad (funny that the Apple product is lowering the pricing bar!) but remember that this is a productivity-focused tablet with support for everything you’re used to on your desktop. Yes, your USB printer will work, Skype, Bluetooth and USB keyboards and you’ll get full Adobe Flash support for YouTube support up to HQ mode.

Others will be comparing it to the ASUS T91 MT and at $484, no-one can argue with the serious competition that Netbook Navigator have there. [Sidenote: Anyone got the T91 MT? If so, let us know how you’re getting on with it.]

You’ll pay for all this multitasking flexibility with a very poor 2.5hr battery life but there’s a factory option ($50) for a large capacity (x1.5) battery. 3G and large SSD options also exist.

Personally, I’m not a large format tablet fan and would not look forward to multi-touching this 2lb device while holding it in one hand but, as with everything, there’s always a customer out there and if the build quality is good, this lowers the entry point for sub 1KG multi-touch tablets nicely. Battery life needs to be improved to 4hrs minimum on the next round of these devices though.

Source: Netbook Navigator.

Like the Lenovo S10-3T and Viliv S10 , the ASUS T101MT is a 10 inch convertible netbook with a multitouch screen. The T101H is based on the Pinetrail platform with the N450 CPU and GMA3150 GPU but, like the Lenovo, the base version only comes with Windows 7 Starter and 1GB RAM. The high-end version comes with Windows 7 Home Premium and 2GB of RAM that can be upgraded to 3GB. A 35Wh battery should keep the device going for about 4 hours.

There still doesn’t appear to be any information about availability or price but as I mentioned in the video, now that Windows 7 and Pinetrail is here, there shouldn’t be any major delays now.

Full specifications and links are being tracked on the T101MT product page.

JKK also has a video of the T101MT at JKKMobile.

With options for 2.0Ghz Intel Atom CPU, multi-touch, SSD and 3G, a 1366×768 screen, 10 hours of battery life, 1.2KG in weight and a very good looking and well-built form factor, it’s no wonder that the Viliv S10 beat the Lenovo S10-t3 and the ASUS T101H to become Laptopmag’s best of CES netbook. The question is though, how much will the Viliv S10 cost in fully stacked form?

The S10 is a device I’m watching carefully though and if it turns out to be significantly faster and more usable than the Gigabyte Touchnote i’m using right now, it might be my next laptop.

Viliv tell me that it should launch very soon in South Korea with a follow-up launch in the US in Feb. Full pricing details are still unknown.

Here’s a video I made at CES that demonstrates the multi-touch capabilities. I’m still not convinced that multi-touch screen is better than multi-touch mouse pad but i’ll have to test it out in tablet mode when we get one for testing here in the next few weeks.

Viliv S10 Specifications and links in the product database.

I don’t see encouraging information coming from the Window 7 chit-chat at All things Digital. I was hoping for hints of a slimmer system, a componentised architecture perhaps, ‘mobile Internet’ and ‘handheld’ keywords but all I can see is the word ‘Multitouch’ everywhere this morning. New hardware requirements, a complex software layer. Gates says:

There’s a lot in Windows 7, and our goal is to produce fantastic PCs with our hardware partners.

Windows 7 is not the optimised platform we are looking for in handheld land. I guess there are plenty of other options to look forward too though. I hear that the Moblin-based Ubuntu Mobile distribution for Atom and Stealey hardware (not Ubuntu Remix for netbooks – that’s something else that’s quite interesting.) is just about to move into Release Candidate status so I’m far more interested in that right now.