Asus have kindly sent me their marketing image pack for the R2H which I’ve uploaded to the gallery and product info page.

Two things to note from the close-ups.

1) No docking port.

2) VGA,TV-out and Ethernet port on board.

This, for me, puts it above the Samsung Q1 and in the same media-oriented bracket. Considering the gps, webcam, fingerprint scanner and tv-out, its going to sit above the Samsung Q1 in terms of specifications and in the same media-oriented bracket. If the price is better than the Q1, this is going to knock it for six.

Regarding launch date, we’ve heard two rumors of week 37 in Europe. That’s the week starting 10th Sept.

tags: umpc, asus, r2h, images, ultramobile

A number of people have asked me if I know the status of the Asus R2H, probably the most eagerly awaited Origami ultra mobile PC so far.

Well I don’t know much but I do know that the project is still alive and somewhere on this planet are boxed R2Hs being stock-piled ready for the word ‘GO’.

The R2H was supposed to be launched at the beginning of August but, as always, a good project isn’t a good project until the dates have slipped!

The R2H is going to be a feature-packed device with its optional GPS, fingerprint reader, single sign-on software and web cam but the original specifications included the Celeron processor which wouldn’t be my choice. Especially 6 months after the specifications were announced. Lets hope they’ve taken the time to update that to a Pentium-M.

I have a couple of PDF’s for those that need to read as much as possible but one of them is in German. Both are from March so beware, specifications might have changed.

Press release
Marketing flyer (German)
Carrypad R2H data sheet (links and pics too!)

Regards
Steve / Chippy.

[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/images/pepperpad3-1-small.jpg[/img][img]https://www.umpcportal.com/products/umpcimages/pepperpad1.jpg[/img]

The Pepperpad web-pads are not Origami-spec devices. In fact, they dont even run Windows. They are Linux devices aimed at home use. However, having said that, they provide a huge amount of functionality and also include a consumer remote control. Sofa heaven!

At the moment, Pepperpad are selling off stock of the current model to make way for the new one resulting in some attractive discounts.

The current models are being sold off at [url=http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~645660.asp]the ecost website[/url] for $499 which is a nice discount over the normal $800 price. In addition, the new Pepperpad 3 can be bought for $500 if you already have an existing Pepperpad. You just need to give them the serial number of the original Pepperpad for a $200 discount.

The new Pepperpad 3 is upgraded and runs an AMDLX800 processor (like the Vega that has been announced) which, being a standard x86 processor, can potentially run a huge amount of existing Linux software. It has Bluetooth, Wifi, 7″ screen, HD, the mini keypad and is available in silver, back and PINK!

So the trick is to try and convince your friend that you can get them a Pepperpad for free as long as he buys a Pepperpad 3 for you!

$500 ultra mobile PC (-like devices) are here!
Carrypad has more details and spec sheets
[url=https://www.umpcportal.com/journal/2006/08/two-umpcs-for-1000.html]here.[/url] Read the full story

At JKOnTheRun, I’ve just read about the Ilium Inscribe on-screen keyboard software for tablets and umpcs.

It looks like it just might work!

Instead of tapping the screen, giving you one chance to get the correct key, Inscribe allows you to drag across the screen between letters for a whole word. Using this method, Inscribe can determine the keys you were really aiming at by using direction changes. What a great idea.

Personally, I’m still a fan of keyboards but I’m very slowly coming round to the idea that keyboardless operation might be possible with some training. Speech recognition, well-mapped function keys, on-screen pen and thumb-keyboards and handwriting recognition used in the right places are going to reduce the number of situations where a keyboard is required.

If this scribe method is enhanced, it could evolve into a hybrid scribe/gestures input method where the shape is analysed and translated into the likely word using dictionary lookups, contextual info and spelling rules.

Steve / Chippy.

Two Non-origami UMPC’s for $500 a-piece is the offer that I’ve just taken a look at. (U.S. Only)

I’m talking about the Peperpad UMPC’s. (Yes, yes. We can argue all day but they are ultra-mobile PC’s whether you like them or not!)

Here’s the deal:
If you’re really really quick, the original Pepperpad is being cleared out for $479 on ecost here.
(and here. The site seems a little unreliable.) Thats a $300 discount and is already a good deal as far as i’m concerned. But, here’s the better bit. When you’ve got the original Pepperpad in your hands, use it for a $200 discount on the Pepperpad 3. Total cost for 2 UMPC’s under $1000. (you can keep the original!)

So we’re talking about two versions of the Pepperpad mobile web tablet. The original is based on the 624Mhz Xscale processor, has a graphics accelerator, 8.5″ screen, sd slot, and runs a special version of Linux. Its got a keyboard, hard drive and..well.. take a look here at the specs here.
The new version, the Pepperpad 3, is not available yet but it is a slightly smaller version (7″ screen) and has better wifi, and importantly, runs an AMD LX800 (like the Vega) which means its x86 architecture is binary-compatible with many many versions of Linux software out there. In theory, it should be able to run Windows but that totally depends on the internal hardware. If Raon Systems can run WIndows on an LX800 then maybe the Pepperpad 3 can too. Full Pepperpad 3 specs are here.

Don’t panic about the $479 offer though, it looks like the normal clearout price is $499 anyway (from around $800) Not sure how many they have left.

Regarding the discount on the Pepperpad 3, all you need to do is quote the serial number of your original Pepperpad and Pepper Computer will take $200 off the price of the Pepperpad 3.
In total, thats about a $500 / 30% saving on the two devices. Not bad at all. Here’s the info page at Pepper Computer. I can’t see anything that says that you can’t do this but it might be wise to double-check with Pepper. I’ve left a message with them and will confirm this as soon as I know for sure. Pepperpad have confirmed that this IS a valid way to purchase both the Pepperpad and Pepperpad 3 together.

I’ve got a soft spot for the Pepper devices. I like the way they’ve designed to a small hardware spec and the way that they’ve made sure the software is fit for the purpose. Much like the Nokia 770 really (although that one really does need a processor boost!)

Meanwhile back in Europe, we’ll just keep dreaming!

Regards.

Steve / Chippy.

The other night I was downloading the MoTR podcast on my pocket PC via Bluetooth to my mobile phone’s UMTS (3G) modem. 350kbps isn’t such a bad rate and this is one of the ways I’ll be looking to use for streaming my music from home to my UMPC when it turns up in a few weeks. It appears though that we have slightly different mobile phone contracts than our U.S. cousins. This setup might not be possible for many people.

I put the question to the JKontheRun team in their MobileTechRoundup: Why do you need a separate cellular modem when you’ve probably got a mobile phone with a GPRS/EDGE/EVDO/UMTS/3G/whatever modem always with you and already available via Bluetooth or USB? They gave me the answers.

In the U.S. many contracts state that you’re not allowed to ‘tether’ your PC to cellular data via a mobile phone. This sounds a little crazy but I guess its aimed at keeping controls on data downloads. Data plans are often flat rate in the U.S. (see footnote) and I guess you could happily download a huge amount of data if you’re using a tethered PC and potentially run a VOIP application as the end device has enough processor power to run the codec software. Of course this theory goes out of the window with relatively powerful devices like UMPCs and smartphones that have built in cellular modems, GB drives, SD card slots and USB host capability.

For the time being though, the way to get round it in the U.S. (and please correct me if I’m wrong) is to buy a USB-based cellular modem, put your SIM card into that and then download to your hearts content. As a result of this little loophole, a number of USB-based Cellular modems are now being offered.

Mobility Today has tested three in the last month and seems to be happy with the results. The only downside being that it can put an extra strain on the battery. I’d also add that they’re expensive, ugly and who the hell is going to know if you’re using your mobile or a data modem anyway just by looking at the data usage?

Anyway, that said, you might not have a GPRS/EDGE/UMTS mobile or you might want to buy a new SIM card with a data-only contract for cost or billing purposes so there’s a few cases where these things might come in useful. If so, check out the reviews at Mobility Today.

Franklin Wireless USB EVDO USB adaptor
Falcom Samba 75 GPRS/EDGE USB adaptor
Falcom SAMBA GSM/GPRS USB adaptor

Steve / Chippy.

footnote: In Europe, flat rate plans are starting to appear. In Finland for example, you can even use HSDPA (1mbps) for 10 Euro per month. In Germany, flat rate is around 40 Euro per month (also 1Mbps if you have the phone and the coverage.) at 1mbps, quality video streaming and thin client working (vnc, remote desktop) are possible. Another case for a WebOS?

Maybe someone can double check for me but it looks to me like the original link and any search for ‘vega’ on the Kgadget website (the site that did the slightly strange review about the Vega.) results in an error. They’ve been removed.

As I posted yesterday, Raon digital distanced themselves from the review by issuing a statement to us, further increasing the speculation that the review was untruthful. Either Kgadget picked up on it and decided to backtrack or Raon Digital had a little word with them.

Either way, I think I can safely say that we’re back to square one with the Vega and that as far as performance goes, ony RaonDigital have the information we need.

Regards
Steve

I forgot to tell you all about the email updates that are available. Simply enter your email address below and you’ll receive a confirmation email before you know it. After the confirmation you’ll receive one email per day with all the Carrypad news for the previous 24 hours. Compact, bijou and with an opt-out option!

Regards
Steve /Chippy.