Pocketables

xpPhone 2 specs updated and revealed

After a few slight delays from the original announcements of the xpPhone 2, the manufacturer ITG has finally unveiled the exact date for a press conference and has even updated a few of the internal components. Let's dig in, shall we?

First up, let's talk about the CPU. Originally planned to be an Intel Atom Z530 at 1.6GHz, the processor has now been changed to an Atom "25xx" series one. It's got either 1GB or 2GB of RAM as well, along with storage capacities of 16GB, 32GB, 48GB, or 112GB. All of that powers the 4.3-inch display that can run Windows 7 now and Windows 8 later this year. 

As for connectivity, the xpPhone 2 will sport EVDO Rev. A 800MHz and CDMA 1x 800MHz antennas. There's also 802.11b/g WiFi and GPS for home internet use and navigating, respectively. 

The press conference has been scheduled for March 10th. That isn't anywhere near the originally-promised release dates, but better late than never. I expect to learn about pricing and availability when the conference takes place. 

[ITG]

Steven Sinofsky reveals more Windows 8 information

Hey! Are you tired of hearing about Windows 8? No? Good. Neither are we!

Today, Windows President Steven Sinofsky wrote a blog post on the Building Windows 8 blog, detailing the process that went into developing Windows for use on the ARM architecture, as well as confirming (and denying) a few myths about the next iteration of Microsoft's desktop operating system.

First off, WOA (Windows on ARM) will be able to run the traditional Windows desktop. Devices using those processors will have complete access to the desktop, along with desktop versions of apps — including Microsoft Office. In Sinofsky's own words: 

"...we’ve designed WOA to look and feel just like you would expect. WOA enables creativity in PC design that, in combination with newly architected features of the OS, will bring to customers new no-compromise experiences."

Unfortunately, not everything is perfect. Sinofsky stated that you won't be able to install WOA on other devices, nor will you be able to install apps from outside the Windows Marketplace. That certainly won't go over well with people who are used to Windows; after all, in existing Versions of Windows, users can install apps from wherever they want.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, WOA PCs are estimated to ship at the same time as their x86/x64 counterparts. This means that WOA should take off at a rapid rate when compared to the competition, especially given the fact that you can get a full desktop experience with better battery life. 

I won't make any rush decisions on what I feel about Windows 8 just yet, but I am super happy to hear that ARM tablets/PCs will be able to access the traditional desktop. Let's just hope we can also access the traditional Start button, too.

[Building Windows 8]

AMD talks about its 2012-2013 lineup of tablet chips

I love reading stories about tech underdogs making amazing products and rising up to the top. Unfortunately, when I think of those stories and the companies within them, AMD doesn't really come to my mind. The chip manufacturer certainly makes some compelling products, but the market is dominated by the likes of Intel and ARM. 

Part of that domination comes from the fact that AMD hasn't been in the tablet space very much. But the company wants to change that starting this year. Since AMD owns CPU and GPU factories (remember ATI?), it believes it will be able to offer a better overall experience because it has the technical know-how in both processing and graphical products. 

The onslaught, like I said earlier, will start this year, with AMD's Z-series. The Z-series will be going into tablet/fanless devices and will be ultra-low voltage (4.5W) chips. They will also be SoCs, so expect to see some very good graphics performance, as well; I wouldn't necessarily say that AMD will market the graphics side of the SoC with the Radeon branding, but it's certainly a possibility. 

2013 will bring the next iteration of tablet chips from AMD, codenamed Tamesh. Unfortunately, we don't know much about Tamesh; what we do know is that it's going to deliver incredible battery life into fanless tablets and clamshells. 

I really hope AMD can up its game in this category. In my opinion, the company has fallen way behind in the mobile space. Based on what we've learned today, I think that it has a chance to compete, although we'll have to wait until manufacturers start using these chips in production tablets to get a final outcome.

[Engadget]

ARM-based Windows 8 devices to have restricted desktop experience?

Although I've repeatedly told you about my excitement for Windows 8, I have been worried about one thing dealing with the operating system's dealings with ARM processors: there was a possibility that the devices with an ARM processor inside wouldn't be able to access the traditional Windows desktop. 

That rumor was somewhat squashed today. While ARM devices will be able to run the Windows desktop, Microsoft will restrict the apps that will run on ARM to ones with a trusted certificate that the company itself will sign and hand out. This move is an attempt by Microsoft to keep battery life up, but I don't think it's necessarily the step the company should be taking for battery optimization. 

However, if this rumor is true, it will make me feel a bit better about the future of desktop operating systems. For me to fully utilize and and enjoy a mobile device, I need all the productivity apps I can get. My Mac has all of my office suites and editing software I need for various tasks, but that's not something I can say about my iPhone or my Dell Streak 7. I can imagine that Microsoft will have an easier time convincing more developers to write for the Metro side of Windows 8, anyway, but I still hope I can use the traditional desktop for more demanding applications.

I will probably purchase a Windows 8 tablet; the only thing I've got to decide is Intel or ARM. It all depends on if this turns out to be true.

[The Verge]

Microsoft to give Windows 8 ARM beta to developers in February

I don't know about any of you guys, but I am so pumped for the release of Windows 8. For me, the wait for it is almost as excruciatingly agonizing as the wait for any holiday morning for a child.

Luckily, time keeps going and we're always creeping closer to Windows 8's release date. The newest report of this is about the Windows 8 ARM beta. As you all know, my favorite addition Microsoft made to Windows 8 is ARM support, which opens up the possibility for small, UMPC-like tablets and gadgets. According to this new report, Windows 8 on ARM is now stable, meaning that the beta can start to roll out to developers so they can start to write their apps for the new architecture and operating system. 

So, given the fact that small tablets are insanely popular with consumers nowadays and that Windows 8 on ARM is stable, I believe UMPCs can make a strong comeback with consumers. And like we've seen with Windows Phone 7, there should be a wide selection of different form factors and styles to fit everyone's needs while still providing a killer experience. 

[CNET]

Pandora gaming handheld to ship en masse next month

With so many tablets and phones coming out these days, it's fantastic to get back to Pocketables' roots: handheld computers. Those of you who've been with us for a quite while probably remember the little device you see above: the Pandora open-source handheld gaming console/UMPC. We just learned that the company, despite numerous setbacks for its production and shipments, is going to ship more than a mere 4,000 2,800 devices starting next month. 

Of course, this is after an antagonizing four years of waiting for the company to get its act together and ship the darned thing. The specs are still decent for what the device is, but they're not as spectacular as they were when it was originally announced have been updated since the original Pandora, and the updates are as follows: 512MB of RAM and a new OMAP3 processor. The company even states that PSX can run full speed at just 650MHz, although it's overclockable to 800MHz. That's all that was updated though, and the device still keeps a 4.3-inch (resistive) touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480, WiFi, Bluetooth, host USB 2.0 port, and two slots for SDHC cards, which you can actually boot off of (if your OS of choice supports it). It's "created" to run Linux, but you're obviously welcome to toss any operating system you can on it. 

Over 70 investors poured over almost a half a million Euros ($650150) to get this project started up again. Head to the link below to preorder yours as a thank-you to those investors. 

[OpenPandora preorder via UMPCPortal]

ITG xpPhone 2 being released soon, puts Windows 7 and 8 into your pocket

I wasn't quite expecting this bad boy to be talked about during the week of CES, but the ITG xpPhone 2's release has been reconfirmed via email to us today.

The successor to the original xpPhone comes with some pretty nice specs for such a small device, including a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 2GB of RAM, and up to a cool 112GB of solid-state storage. The screen measures 4.3-inches diagonally. As an added bonus, the xpPhone 2 achieves up to 18.5 hours of continuous talk time, which is a pretty amazing feat by any standards. 

Unfortunately, there isn't a set price yet but I would expect one quite soon. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to all of your thoughts on this new UMPC/smartphone hybrid, and if you'll be spending your hard-earned cash on it when it's released.

We should be getting a sample unit in for review some time after the xpPhone 2's formal press conference this month, so stay tuned.

JXD S7100 brings some gaming to Android tablets, invites lawsuits

While most of the 7-inch Android "tablets" that emerge from China are little more than low resolution resistive touchscreen devices of questionable quality, occasionally one stands out from the rest. The JXD S7100 is one of these tablets, bringing to the table what look like great gaming controls while still maintaining a low $140 price point.

For being so cheap, the tablet/gaming console boasts some very impressive specs. It comes with a dual-core ARM Cortex processor, Mali 400 graphics, 512MB of RAM, 2MP rear and .3MP front cameras, 16GB of storage, HDMI out, and a 7-inch 800 x 480 display. Just for reference, the Cortex A9 is the kind of chip powering current high end smartphones, and the Mali 400 is the exact GPU found in the Galaxy S II.

As far as software, the system is running customized Android 2.2, supposedly including "Apple games, Sony games, Nintendo games, and Sega games." If this apparent promotion of questionably legal emulators doesn't get them into trouble, their PSP-like button design or their ripoff of Apple's website design still might.

Even with the potential infringement problems, the S7100 still has some great hardware at an even better price, with the added bonus of some game controls that look surprisingly good. Although importing it from China probably wouldn't be worth it, if it somehow makes it to the US or other countries it certainly seems worth a look.

[JXD via Droid Gamers]

NVIDIA announces Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor

Just the other day, when the HTC Edge was leaked, I said that quad-core mobile devices were coming soon. It was too long of a wait, but NVIDIA today announced that our wait might soon be over, since the company unveiled the newest processor in its Tegra line, the Tegra 3.

The current heir to the Tegra throne, the Tegra 2, brings soild performance in a small and pretty efficient package. The Tegra 3, on the other hand, will be even more efficient while offering performance up to three times the performance of the former.

The Tegra 3 will also be able to show off its muscles for at least 12 straight hours. During that time, you can play demanding games and even watch HD content. 

For even more power efficiency, NVIDIA actually stuck a fifth core into the processor. This odd-duckling of the bunch will be tasked with handling more mundane activites, like browsing the web or checking emails. But once you start having a bit more fun, the other four cores will start up and churn out impressive performance. 

You can expect to see NVIDIA's new chipset making its way to tablets (and eventually smartphones) sometime in the beginning of next year.

[Informationweek]

Ubuntu plans to bring desktop Linux to smartphones

Just after news that some manufactures are planning to put the tablet-friendly Windows 8 on smartphones, Mark Shuttleworth of Canonical announced that the company will be bringing their popular Ubuntu Linux distribution to smartphones. This full-on desktop OS could result in some more very cool UMPC-like smartphones that can still capitalize by the light processer and battery load of Linux.

For those who don't know, Ubuntu is a desktop based on the Linux operating system, and the most popular distribution in the world. This also makes it the third most popular desktop OS, behind Windows and OSX. Ubuntu works much like any other desktop OS, with many browser options, office suites, free applications, and interfaces. Ubuntu is based on Linux just like Android is, but the difference is that Android has been customized by Google for mobile use. 

While Android does have an advantage for now in terms of UI, the Ubuntu team has been working to make their offering more effective for mobile devices. Implementation of multitouch support is almost complete, and a new, more touch-friendly interface called Unity has been implemented. Shuttleworth also said that although the OS will maintain a coherent look and feel throughout PC and mobile versions, smartphone and tablet versions would also receive form-factor specific tweaks.