A few more images and some info has surfaced through the Korean-language Shinhojun blog.
Translation reveals some information that I’d interpret as ‘there’s no built in WLAN. The USB is used to enable a radio environment.’ Indeed, in the images, you can see a USB hub with a BT or Wifi adaptor attached.

From hazard the W-LAN is not had built-in the size of the product inconveniently

There’s an image of video performance specifications that I can’t translate. If any of our Korean readers can help out, please leave a comment.

Without Wifi, this is going to relegate the device to a different league. I can not see myself plugging in a wifi stick every time I need internet access. Lets face it, thats over 50% of the time. If its true, its dissapointing.

On the positive side though, what it does prove is that Windows XP will run on an AMD LX800 making the Linux-based Pepperpad 3, also an AMD LX800 device, an interesting challenge for hackers!

Babelfish translation of Shinhojun blog.
Vega data sheet (Carrypad product portal.)

Regards
Steve / Chippy.

I’ve been involved with a discussion on Origamiproject.com about whether the Nokia 770 internet tablet is an Ultra Mobile PC.

My take is that it should be called a ultra mobile PC for two main reasons. Number one, its more than a PDA and runs a desktop kernel. Number two, it should be in the bracket just to stimulate designers into seeing what could be done with such a small form factor.

I’m a big fan of what Nokia have done and the direction they are coming from. Unlike Microsoft who decided on a desktop OS and then ended up with a very expensive piece of hardware, Nokia took a hardware requirement and then started to fit the software into that. OK it falls a little but short of the mark but when thermo dynamics is never going to be your friend, starting with a hardware spec seems a sensible choice. The Nokia 770 mark II is going to be a very interesting device indeed. (Nokia confirmed that they were looking at a new device and they’ve only got a few weeks until the big buying season starts.)

There’s a similar thread here.

Anyway, along the same lines, Thoughtfix the UltramobileGeek, who owns both devices, has just started a series of blogs comparing the two devices starting off with an ‘in the box’ look. The Nokia wins round-1!

Steve.

[update3: Gadgetkorea got hold of the Vega for review.]
[update2: more Vega pictures and notes. Journal entry here.]
[update: Vega details now in the product portal.]

AVING, a Korean website have some great pictures of the Vega ultra mobile PC that was supposed to be launched next week. OK, its not an Origami-based ultra mobile PC and some will call it a pocket PC but its running a full version of Windows XP and it looks great. In the original article (Aving.net. More pictures available at their site.) there’s talk about 6 hours battery life and, if i was able to translate and convert correctly, a top price of about 700,000 Won (550 Euros/ $700)

• AMD Geode LX800 processor
• Widows XP HOME operating system
• 256MB of memory
• 30GB hard disk
• 4.3 inch LCD
• measures 160 X 80 X 27.5mm and weighs 480g
• wi-fi antenna. (Built-in wifi unconfirmed.)
• connector for GPS antenna
• USB ports.
• available in September (regional availability unknown)

Looking forward to the 10th August? I am!
Via Navigadget.

The title sounds a bit like a school playground boast doesn’t it – “and my Dads got a Ferrari. And it goes 500 miles an hour.” – but I think I’ve found my 1500,- Euro ‘Carrypad Office companion’ that I was talking about recently.

Its been quite a simple choice as it all boiled down to whether a docking station was available. The eo 7110/easybook P7 was at the top of the list just waiting for a docking station to complete the requirements but last week, Tablet Kiosk knocked it off the top spot with the announcement of the 7200 series. The UX series had been near the top but the cost was too high and the screen too small.

The biggest problem was actually finding a supplier for the device in Germany. This is a problem that occurs often in Europe. Although there’s close to half a billion people here, there’s something like 20 official languages and a heap of red tape to get through to be able to sell something here. Consequently, devices are always delayed and sometimes never ever make it. Fortunately Tablet Kiosk have a partnership in the UK with Pocket PC solutions so I was able to contact them to confirm they could ship into Germany. Then, during conversations about UMPC’s with Coxion in Finland, they mentioned that they were buying some 7200 series units for testing and assessment, well, to cut a long story short, I’ll be buying one on a no-support basis through Coxion. As I’ll probably pop the lid within the first week, that’s fine by me.

The i7210 has a few issues (I can’t see any way to use the hi-def 7.1 channel audio on the device. The 80gm touchscreen might be too sensitive for me. Is there a built in mic? Will the Pentium perform efficiently? I’m worried that the pointer ‘pad’ won’t be as nice as a pointer ‘stick.’) but, as a mobile office companion, its as good as it gets for the price point.

What I am looking forward to is the dual-screen output when docked, (800×480 on the ultra mobile PC and 1200×1024 on an LCD screen is a lot of screen space!) the S-Video output (this might replace my pvr.) getting a wall-mount, (its got standard VESA mounting holes) and opening it up to see if I can retro fit a DVB-T digital TV receiver back into it (the Asian versions of this device have a DVB-H receiver in them. I assume its just a USB-bus device.)

There will be plenty of reports up on Carrypad when I’ve got the device at the end of August (fingers crossed.) I’d be interested to hear from existing founder/ecs/daewoo ultra mobile PC owners out there so if you’ve already got one, drop me a line.

Regards
Steve / Chippy

From the land where unlimited 1Mbps 3G connectivity costs 10 euro per month and were many mobile phones are born comes not one, but two ultra mobile PC announcements.

Coxion have been in the mobile computing market for a while, selling mainly to business and vertical market customers (that means bulk sales!). They’ve contacted me to let me know that there’s new things going on!

Firstly, the WebBook 3G. The new version of the WebBook (here’s the existing one.) looks interesting. The unit is slightly re-designed, will utilise Windows XP embedded and has 3G support built in. The design looks very much like what we’d like to see in our Carrypad concept, although it’s not ideal for consumers as it’s using Windows XP embedded. We’ll try and get hold of detailed specs for this one.

More interesting though, is the information about UMPC’s. Coxion aren’t just reselling UMPC’s, they’re modding them too! Thats right. If you want UMPC’s with flash drive and 3G module built in, have a word with them. We’re going to torment them into giving us a modded eo/t700/P7 with a few new accesories they’ve been working on.

On their new mobile computing web page they show the WebBook range and the Tablet Kiosk 7200 series UMPC.
[Correction. Its an unbranded 7200/H70/Mininote thats shown on the website.]

If you’re in Europe and looking at a bulk ultra mobile PC purchase, it could be worth having a chat with Coxion. I wonder if they’re able to get me on of those lovely Tablet Kiosk i7210 UMPC’s?

Regards
Steve / Chippy.

Ctitanic has just posted some ‘tips’ that are related to a teaser campaign that is running at the moment.

The teaser ad (shown here at the Raon Digital website) hints at a new Pocket PC ‘Vega.’ OK. Nothing too exciting there. However, Ctitanic’s tips show a UMPC-like specification.

• AMD Geode LX800
• DDR SDRAM 256MB
• 30GB HDD
• 4.3inch LCD
• Windows XP home
• 350g

The specs come from a Korean website. (babel translation link.)

Windows XP on an AMD LX800 is possible but it will be like running it on a PIII 500Mhz. The Pepperpad 3 uses the same chip but has a tailored version of Linux running as the operating system. No one has had a chance to test this out yet so the LX800 remains an unknown quantity.

Its due to be released on 10th August. Next Thursday. All very interesting.

Thanks Ctitanic at ultramobilepc-tips

And there’s more new ultra mobile news to come……stay tuned for the next post.

Steve / Chippy.

There’s a fun site over at origamibattle.ning where you can choose between UMPCs in random ultra mobile PC fight-offs. I spent ages doing it yesterday wondering when it would come to an end. I gave up when I realised it was a continuous stream of random ultra mobile PC pow-wows!!! Current winner over there is the ASUS R2H. Funny that, its winning over here too.

Based on the last 15,000 hits on the product portal, this is how the top ten ultra mobile PC ‘viewing chart’ looks right now. It’s very clear is that the winner of the Carrypad product portal readers chart, by a large margin is the ASUS R2H, which hasn’t even been launched yet. Bring it on ASUS, your customers are waiting!

[Click to go to the data sheet, images and links for each device]

• Asus R2H (12%)
• Samsung Q1 (8%)
• Tablet Kiosk eo V7110 (8%)
• Averatec AHI (7%)
• Paceblade Easybook P7 (full review here) (7%)
• ECS H70/Founder mininote (6%)
• DualCor cPC (6%)
• Sony Vaio UX series (5%)
• Amtek T700 (5%)
• Flybook V33 (4%)

Our previous results, from back in April when the Samsung Q1 was winning, are here.

Regards
Steve.

[Update – Added VX3 data sheet to the product portal here.]

The mobile PC design company, Mo-Bits, are working on a new UMPC, The VX3 ruggedised 7″ UMPC.

We’ve seen the X15 design before (the 7″ version shown below is due to go into production in September but we still don’t know how its going to end up looking or who will brand it.) and the VX3 looks to be based on the X15-7 original design. The specifications (pdf download here) are excactly the same apart from the ‘ruggedisation’ and re-style.

We’re talking about a VIA C7-M / VX700 based ultra mobile PC here. The VIA VX700 being the space saving, advanced integrated north/south bridge that is, as far as I know, in the DualCor cPc and capable of mpeg-4 and WMV hardware acceleration. The fingerprint sensor is show on the picture along with a camera and a docking port. There are no left-hand mouse buttons shown so I hope that the pointing stick integrates a left hand button ‘push’ sensor like on the eo v7110/easybook P7.

In these clothes, the VX3 looks far better than the X15. Our suspicion that the X15 case shown was just a test moulding looks to be right.

‘Ruggedised’ always means higher production costs and niche target market so don’t expect this version to turn up in your local electronics store. In fact, it appears that this ruggedised version is a late edition to the X15 family and could have been specified by the company financing the production run. To me, that almost confirms that this device won’t be branded by a mainstream electronics company. At a guess, we could narrow it down to brands like Motion Computing, Roda Computer, Itronix, GoRoo or DRS Technologies who already work in sectors which might be interested in a ruggedised UMPC.

Thanks to Mo-bits for the new information.

Mo-Bits VX3 Data sheet and links
Mo-Bits X15-7 Data sheet and links
Mo-Bits X15-5 Data sheet and links.

Steve / Chippy.