Pocketables

Optima unveils OP5-E MID with Maemo

Looking much like an iPhone but having more in common with a keyboard-less Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, the OP5-E MID by Optima is currently undergoing one last round of software tests before launch.

While the 5.6" x 2.9" x 0.69" slate's 806MHz Marvell PXA320 CPU, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, T-flash/microSD card slot (up to 16GB supported), and 4.3-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen may not be enough to immediately grab your attention, its integrated 3G capability and Maemo Linux operating system certainly make the device more interesting.

Viliv S5 enhanced by XP Tablet PC Edition 2005

This guest article was submitted by Hector Gomez.

It's only been two days since I installed Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 on my Viliv S5 and already the MID, which natively runs XP Home, has become a lot more useful to me. I'm hoping that it will get even better in the days to come. Installing the Tablet features on the S5 didn’t take too long and I was able to do it without reinstalling the OS, which made it quick and easy.

So far, one of my favorite features is that the TIP (tablet input panel) shows up when you click in a data-input field so that you don’t have to use the virtual keyboard. Not that I don’t like using the default on-screen keyboard or anything, but when I'm holding the S5 while standing, it feels more natural to write on the screen and either manually insert the text or set it to automatically insert after a certain amount of pause.

What I also like doing is using Windows Journal in portrait mode. It's great! It transforms the Viliv S5 into a little notebook that lets me take notes and email them or, as you can see in the video I put together below, convert my handwriting to regular text. The scratch-out gesture, which will remove the ink when I simply scratch out about 60% of the writing (you can see this demonstrated in the video), is also working great.

W100 MID phone runs Windows Mobile 6.1

Since ARM-based Windows Mobile devices being called MIDs is a trend that clearly isn't going anywhere, I'll just go with it and introduce you to this 5.6" x 2.9" x 0.66" slate-style MID phone running WM 6.1on its 4.3" WVGA display.

It's called the W100 and is most likely the successor of what eventually became known as the Zhongyi S101, that Linux unit with the portable dock attachment. I heard something unconfirmed about a second-gen device a couple of days ago, so I recognized the company logo (the company, by the way, has never been officially named as Zhongyi) when my newshound presented the W100 to me yesterday and am going to assume that it's where those next-gen model rumors came from. It makes sense, really, as the W100 "one ups" the S101 with a slightly modified design and a small boost in some of its specs.

The new unit still makes use of the Marvell PXA310 processor, but this time it's clocked at 806MHz instead of 624MHz. It also has 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, tri-band GSM, 2600mAh battery, 3.2-megapixel rear camera, standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and miniUSB port. What it doesn't have, however, are 3G (GPRS/EDGE only) and the S101's 4GB SSD and dock attachment. Well, okay, so maybe the W100 is just the interim successor.

Thanks, Rah-Rah!

SmartQ 5 MID will also run Windows CE

Users of the low-cost SmartQ 5 that was originally released with Ubuntu will soon be able to run Microsoft Windows CE 6.0 on the compact MID's 4.3" WVGA touchscreen as well.

It's a little unclear whether the two operating systems will actually be dual-booting, which PCpop seems to suggest, or if WinCE will simply be an option for consumers, which Smart Devices implies. The latter does sound more likely (Smart Devices is the maker of the device, after all) but considering that the company's "end of June" timeframe for making the OS available came and went, the former (which was written just two days ago and presumably contains more current information than the original, albeit official, news) may not be too far-fetched either.

In both cases, the WinCE installation will include game aids by Chinese software development group LBE, DreamScene, and the highly regarded TCPMP.

Thanks, Oberto!

BenQ S6 MID relaunches with Windows XP

BenQ announced today that the previously Midinux-based S6 MID will be released with Windows XP and unlimited 3G through Taiwanese mobile phone carrier FarEasTone. Those not scared off by a three-year contract will be able to take advantage of NT$1890 (~$57)/month subsidized pricing, while commitment-phobes can pay a non-binding fee of NT$13990 (~$424) and be done with it.

The Z500 Atom-powered slate has been available in various parts of the world (US not included) for nearly a year now, so those who have already spent some time with the device will instantly feel at home with the unchanged hardware. In fact, the only real new feature of the 6.3" x 3.5" x 0.9" MID is the operating system. Everything else, including the paltry 512MB of RAM and 4.8" WVGA touchscreen, is still the same. Sure, the 8GB SSD is an improvement over the original 2GB/4GB, but a low-capacity SSD is still a low-capacity SSD.

[CNET Taiwan]

Gaming, the UMPC/MID, and you

This guest article was submitted by Steven Law.

So, you're on the road and tired of listening to the music you have on your UMPC or MID, watched all the videos, read all your emails and ebooks, and don't have any websites you want to check out (or have no internet connection . . . where are you, in a submarine?) What to do? Well, you could take a nap do some work game!

You certainly won't be playing Crysis, but there's a large number of gems available, especially if you're willing to go back a few years. In fact, there are so many that I couldn't even begin a comprehensive list here; what follows are just some sources to get you started.

Inkia shows unnamed Atom-based MIDs

Portable consumer electronics from China aren't always held in high esteem and are therefore often overlooked. No one's missing out on much by skipping the devices in most cases, but when two new Chinese MIDs come equipped with the Intel Atom N270 and an array of Z5xx series processors, we'd be remiss not to give them a closer look.

Inkia International recently added two new slate-style Intel MIDs to its website and has just begun promoting them. Both units run Windows XP or Linux on 1GB of RAM and an SSD up to 32GB. The MIDs also support 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS and have 800 x 480 touchscreens.

Share your story, win a MID

Whether or not you're already a proud owner/user of an Intel MID, if you can tell the folks at MID Stories how something like the Viliv S5 or UMID mbook M1 would enhance (or currently enhances) your mobility and digital lifestyle in at least 300 words and a couple of photos, you could win a $599 gift certificate toward a brand new MID from Dynamism or one of four accessories.

A video can also accompany your submission and each person may enter the giveaway up to five times (all entries must be unique).

How do/would you use a MID? What does it allow you to do that you can't do on a smartphone or netbook? Start working on your entries and get them in by July 31st for a chance to win.

Intel to supply Nokia with chips for mobile devices

In a conference call scheduled for tomorrow, Intel is expected to announce a new deal it's penned that will see its mobile processors tucked inside upcoming devices by Nokia.

Exact details are still under wraps, but given Intel's recent showcase of Moorestown-based mediaphones at Computex and the partnership with LG it announced several months earlier, news of the PC chip maker's aggressive interest in the cell phone market is hardly out of left field. A deal with Nokia, on the other hand, is extremely significant, not to mention surprising in the very best way possible.

Could the rumored Nokia N900 be revamped to include a little Intel inside?

UPDATE: The announcement (press release) wasn't what many were hoping for, but I think the two companies entering a "long-term relationship to develop a new class of Intel Architecture-based mobile computing device and chipset architectures" that involves "innovative hardware, software and mobile Internet services" is great news.

[Bloomberg via IntoMobile]

3G UMID mbook M1 MID status update

My friends at Justek sent me an update and a few photos (courtesy of UMPC Fever) of the upcoming 3G UMID mbook M1 MID. The unit is currently being tested in Hong Kong, where the 3G functionality is said to be "good and fast," and is headed to Justek in Australia next.

The full retail shipment, which was previously expected as early as this month, still doesn't have a firm ETA but the good news is that Justek isn't anticipating any inordinate delays and will keep Pocketables updated.