Pocketables

Meet the new Pre, same as the old Pre

Well, maybe not on the inside, but the outside sure looks like more of the same from HP/Palm. According to the website of the French carrier SFR, this is the upcoming Pre 2. Needless to say there is no mention of date but the site did give us some intriguing details of the specs of the device, and some subtle refinements of the design.

My feeling is that due to the fact that the original Pre never lived up to its hype (and fell far short of its projected sales), subtle changes may not be the way to go for Palm at this point, especially with HP backing them. Some bold innovations and reworkings may have more of an effect on the handset's “what if?” status as a device that should have challenged the iPhone but didn’t. After all, the Pre was overwhelmed and left for dead in the smartphone market when it first came out, and now things are much more crowded and cutthroat.

Check out the rumored specs, translated by PreCentral from the French, after the jump.

Palm to release WebOS phone sans keyboard?

In what could be the first clear change of direction since Palm was acquired by HP, word has leaked about an upcoming smartphone that will be running WebOS but be without the physical keyboard of previous Palm WebOS designs.

Instead the new phone, codenamed Mansion, will sport a touchscreen with 800x480 resolution causing it to somewhat resemble the current gaggle of Android superphones such as the Droid X and Samsung Galaxy S, as well as ‘tweener devices such as the Dell Streak. My take on the move is that HP is looking to create a small-form tablet with phone capabilities similar to the Streak while also jettisoning the Palm Pre/Pixi design style. The easiest way to do that would indeed be to go for the all-screen “iPhoneish” look that Palm’s original designs were deliberately avoiding.

OQO Model 03 could be on horizon, but its time may have passed

With no shortage of handheld computers and even smartphones doing their darndest impersonations of tiny computers these days, it's easy to forget about one of the early pioneers. OQO looks to be making a comeback of sorts, or at least its Chinese arm is, with the big hurrah set for Q3 2010. But is anyone still looking for a high-priced, full PC experience to steal time away from their powerful smartphone?

According to the guys over at UMPCPortal, there's a website at www.oqo.cc that looks to be promoting the successor to the original OQO Model 2 and the never-released Model 2+ that was to be the first OQO based on the faster Atom architecture. Apparently the Chinese website went down around the same time the American branch closed up shop, but now they are back and causing a stir.

From the translated info gleaned off the site, it looks like the new Model 03 will be available with four processor options, the 1.2GHz Z515, 1.6GHz Z530, 1.86GHz Z540, and the 2GHz Z550. The latter processor currently resides in certain models of the new Sony Vaio P and would make one killer pocket computer, especially paired with the rest of the hardware specs, including a 128GB SSD, 2GB RAM, and a multi-touch 4.8-inch, 1024x600 LCD screen. There's no shortage of wireless radios either, with WiFi & Bluetooth 2.0 as well as optional 3G.

Now for the bad news, and that's the rumored price. Long considered one of the reasons OQO failed to successfully move units, a high price just will not fly with the bevy of options today, but it seems like OQO might not have learned its lesson. If we're to believe the 31,888 yuan price being listed, which comes out to around $4,700 USD, the Model 03 just might find its potential customers exclaiming "three strikes and you're out."

iWatch Q839 mini VAIO P clone resurfaces as newly launched 3GNET MI13

 

Remember that miniature VAIO P clone we saw several weeks ago from Chinese manufacturer iWatch? The diminutive UMPC has resurfaced as what appears to be an identical rebranded version from 3GNET at a launch event in Shenzhen. Sporting virtually identical specifications as the iWatch original, the MI13 sports a 5-inch WVGA screen, a 1.1GHz Atom Z510 CPU, 512MB or 1GB of RAM, a 16GB HDD or 32GB SSD, WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, and an ever so slightly larger 3.7V, 1850mAh li-on battery. The device measures 6.9 x 3.35 x 1 inches (WxHxD) and weighs around 16 ounces. The original version ran Windows XP, and I presume this will do the same; in the photos of the desktop it seems to have an Android-esque interface, but I'm uncertain whether this is just a desktop UI or something else.

From these photos, the device looks better than the original renderings from iWatch. But the underpowered hardware is still a disappointment, especially when compared to other UMPCs such as the Viliv N5. The 3GNET MI13 is available in China now for 4000RMB, which works out to around US$590. The company mentioned at the launch event it hopes to offer the device internationally in the coming months. You can see more new photos of the UMPC after the break.

Dell, Viliv first to earn my personal boycott thanks to their long delays

If I'm looking at my calendar correctly, we're entering what amounts to the second full week of July, or the seventh month of the year. Thinking back to late last year in the months leading up to CES 2010, there were rumors and sightings of some exciting new products on the horizon. From Dell, in October we first saw the innovative Dell Streak, an Android-based tablet with a 5-inch screen and cell phone functionality. On the other side, we had a cool little clamshell UMPC that would be called the Viliv N5, which was basically a continuation of Viliv's popular S5 tablet with the addition of a keyboard.

The whole reason I'm even looking at my calendar is because it's time to start thinking about CES for 2011, where hopefully I'll be able to check out the upcoming Dell Streak and Viliv N5 - oh, wait a minute! Didn't these already come out months ago? What's that you say? They're not out yet, but coming soon? Seriously? Silly me, I thought the second versions are the ones we were talking about, but I vividly remember actually seeing and using one of the N5 units at Viliv's booth, and Dynamism is just now taking preorders on the model from last year?

Exaggerations aside, the delay from both companies has been ridiculous and, dare I say, unwarranted. But luckily with all of this extra time for my sanity to kick in and ask why I need these devices that I so lusted after all those months ago, I've come to one conclusion. I'm not buying either device, even if for no reason but pure spite. Dell Streak and Viliv N5, consider yourselves boycotted.

Kohjinsha brand bids farewell as Inventec pulls the plug

 

Over the past few years, Kohjinsha has been a notable manufacturer of unique and interesting UMPCs, handtops, and mini notebook. No stranger to the Pocketables site and forums, Kohjinsha products such as the SA, SC, and PA series have frequently graced the pages here. So we were sorry to hear the news that the brand will be bidding the market farewell.

Its parent company, Taiwanese-based Inventec, has decided to stop using the Kohjinsha brand due to losses over the past year linked to slowing netbook/UMPC sales. All is not lost, however, as Inventec has stated that the Kohjinsha team will be transformed into an R&D/product development operation, developing new devices to be released under the Japanese Onkyo brand. You may remember that some of Kohjinsha's recent products are already available as Onkyo devices like the NX series, a rebranded Kohjinsha SK tablet PC.

I find it sad to hear that Inventec is discontinuing the Kohjinsha brand, which I feel has managed to establish a bit of a name for itself among UMPC enthusiasts, but it's encouraging to hear the company's legacy of developing unique devices will live on through another name. Are you sad to see Kohjinsha go?

[DigiTimes]

Review: Sharp NetWalker PC-T1

Eight months after the launch of the NetWalker PC-Z1, Sharp unveiled the NetWalker PC-T1, a 5-inch tablet version of the Z1 clamshell.

Released last month in Japan, the T1 features the same 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU (ARM Cortex A8), WVGA touchscreen, 512MB RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, optical mouse, and Ubuntu 9.04 operating system as the Z1, making it a questionable addition to the NetWalker family. Is the tablet form factor so compelling that last year's specs, which already weren't that good in the first place, can be repackaged and successfully sold today?

You can read my full review below or grab one for yourself at Conics.net, who is currently selling the new NetWalker PC-T1 for about $540, to find out.

Inventec Dr. Eye MID packs Android 2.1 into an e-dictionary body

 

As most people would agree, a touchscreen-based soft keyboard still has a ways to go before being comparable to a decent hardware keyboard. But in the case of most tablet MIDs out there, consumers don't have much choice. One company looking to change that is Taiwanese firm Inventec with its Dr. Eye Android MID, which features a full QWERTY keyboard in a miniature clamshell form factor very reminiscent of an e-dictionary.

On show at Computex this week, the Dr. Eye MID runs Android 2.1 powered by a 624MHz Marvell processor, with a 4.8-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen, 128MB RAM, 512MB of local flash storage expandable with a microSD card (up to 16GB), a front facing VGA webcam, and WiFi connectivity. The device measures a compact 5.5 x 3.3 x 0.8 inches and weighs less than 8.8 ounces. Intended primarily for students, the Dr. Eye will be available in three configurations differing in terms of connectivity options. The N18 base model will only include the WiFi as described above, the mid-range N23 adds, GPRS and Bluetooth, while the top-end N31 also adds 3G. Check out more images of the keyboard-packing MID after the break.

iWatch Q839 UMPC is like a miniature VAIO P with WinXP, 3G, and WiMAX

 

Ever wish that the venerable Sony VAIO P was even smaller and be truly pocketable? Chinese manufacturer iWatch may have what you're looking for with its new iWatch Q839 UMPC. The miniature laptop/handtop, with its 5-inch WVGA touch screen, doesn't quite match the original's hardware, running Windows XP with the choice of either a 1.1GHz Atom Z510 or 1.2GHz Z515, 512MB/1GB of RAM, and a 16/32GB SSD. But it compares favorably with WiFi, WiMAX, 3G, and Bluetooth connectivity and has a similar 2-3 hour battery life from the 3.7V, 1800mAh li-on unit. The Q839 measures 6.95 x 3.46 x 1 inches (WxHxD) and weighs only 13 ounces. Check out more images after the break.

BPhone smartphone/UMPC hybrid runs Linux and available to order

When we first saw the Cool BPhone at the beginning of the year shrouded in mystery, we questioned its product classification with its small size, full cellular phone capabilities, clamshell form factor, convertible swivelling 5-inch screen, and full QWERTY keyboard and trackball. It was a curious UMPC/smartphone hybrid. Other major questions surrounding the device included the unknown hardware and software, availability, and price.

Now out of the blue, all has been revealed with the BPhone being available for international order from Chinagrabber along with the release of the final specifications and new images.