jkOnTheRun

The cheap, sub-notebook class gets sub-classed... and more expensive

I'm swamped today but happened to catch a little news in Google Reader after lunch. Is it just me or are the laptop companies trying to kill the newest sub-notebook market before it really hits critical mass? Don't get me wrong: I love what was started by the OLPC and the Asus EEE PC. It just appears to me that folks are trying to cash in on it by maximizing profits in the early stages. Here's what I've seen:

• The OLPC was planned to be around $100 or so and turned into a $200 machine. 100% increase.
• The Eee PC 701 was looking to be a $200 machine and quickly turned into a $400 purchase. Again, a 100% increase.
• The 901 Eee PC offers a little more storage, slightly bigger display and higher resolution. $549 is the pre-order price on a device that shouldn't require massive retooling from a build standpoint. Yet, the new features will cost you almost 40% more than the old model.
• HP's Mini is a nice machine that might have a wee bit more power than these competitors and it certainly has a beautiful screen and more usable keyboard. Based on the price, "you won't even need to consider this purchase". It starts at $499 and the highest-end XP model is just over $800. Who's dropping $800 without blinking? Even at the mid-range, you're looking at $600 or so... still not a "whim purchase".
• The MSI Wind is forthcoming as well: $610 is the pre-order price.

Each of these devices offers different feature sets, sizes and weights to be sure. It almost seems to me that folks are trying to create sub-classes of the sub-notebook class though. I also see prices trending up, not down. There's cheap and functional and there's expensive and faster. What happened to the $200 and $300 machines? Are the components truly driving the prices up or is the profit margins that are increasing?

How to use a USB keyboard with a Nokia Internet Tablet

I always travel with a folding Bluetooth keyboard, but I know that there's a few smaller-sized USB keyboards out on the market as well. I don't use one with my mobile devices because my current solution works and I never thought to use one with a Nokia N800 or N810 Internet Tablet. Amazingly, it can be done, so if you've got an OS2008 device and a USB travel keyboard, you might want to pick up an inexpensive Female-Female USB adapter; I found one on-line for under $3. You'll also need to install the free USB Control application on your Nokia and then make sure you define the right keyboard layout in the Control Panel of your Internet Tablet. There's a video of all the "how-to magic" at the Internet Tablet School if you need the visuals. Great way to make use of an old USB keyboard, especially with the keyboard-less Nokia N800!

UMPC and sub-notebooks screen-size, resolution: the trend

It's interesting to watch the trend of screen size and resolution in the UMPC and sub-notebook market. Every initial UMPC in 2006 that I can think of had a 7-inch display, which was the standard size defined the Origami Project. Over the next one to two years, designers learned that 800 x 480 wasn't optimal so we've witnessed resolution bumps to a more useful 1024 x 600. The trend-setting Asus Eee PC started at the less than optimal screen size and res, but the next-gen model is already at 8.9-inches and the higher res. The HP Mini is an outlier with an even higher resolution on the 8.9-inch display.

I don't know what's the "optimal" size and res for an ultra-portable device, and quite frankly, that varies for each individual. Still, I'm excited to see that some manufacturers are going just a wee bigger on the display: 10-inches. We've heard of Asus bringing a 10-inch Eee PC to market this year and it wouldn't surprise me to see others follow; Dell and HP come to mind. 10-inches is a nice compromise between usability and portability. Perhaps not as much as an 8.9-inch screen, but certainly more than a lower-res 7-inch screen. I expect that by next year, 7-inch displays are relegated only to UMPCs while sub-notebooks gravitate towards the 8.9- and 10-inch sizes. Some LCD panel manufacturers are already shifting their production lines in this direction and one even expects to manufacture 1.5-million small displays this year. Not a lot when relatively compared to the mainstream 13- and 15-inch market, but quite a bit for a market that was practically unheard of two short years ago.

Going back to the optimal size and resolution preference, I'm torn between 8.9- and 10-inches myself. I'd use either of these at WXGA and probably be happy and productive. How about you? What's the ideal screen-size and resolution on your "dream device"?

Sharp Willcom D4: Vista in your hand for $1,526

Those outside of Japan won't get any subsidized deal on the Sharp Willcom D4 clamshell computer. Nope, you'll have to order from an importer and add your own WWAN connectivity. Jenn at Pocketables found that Geekstuff4U is taking pre-orders for the D4: $1,526 and some spare change gets you on the list for a late June delivery if all goes well. That puts the D4 in the same price range as an OQO with a similar feature set, although the D4 is a clamshell, not a slider.

I'm still not sold on how well Vista will run on a 1.33 GHz Centrino Atom and I don't have any coin left after purchasing my Q1 Ultra Premium anyway. Does anybody else's gadget-bank have enough dough in it for the D4?

Is the Palm Foleo rising from the ashes with WiMAX?

The Register seems to think that the Palm Foleo might resurface, only this time, it could include integrated WiMAX connectivity. Their guess stems from a beta invite that Palm recently sent out to test an "innovative new product". Palm Infocenter has the full wording of the invite but these qualifications do support the Reg's thoughts; the first three are required while the last four are optional:

• Sprint Subscriber
• Bluetooth headphones or car kits
• WiFi Router access
• Existing Smartphone Users
• Heavy to Medium e-mail users
• Heavy phone users
• Travel for work with their phone

My first thought was that the device is the rumored Palm 800w along with support for the Sprint Airave femtocell device for seamless cell to VoIP calls. Now, I'm not so sure because the optional qualifications point towards a device that offers heavy e-mail support.

If this is the Foleo II, there's hope for the device given all the inexpensive, sub-notebooks that are popping up. My advice to Palm if it is: keep the price under $400 for a portable computing device; under $300 if it's just a companion device like the original Foleo was meant to be. Thanks for the tip, Dave!

More MID videos: IdeaPad U8 and Aigo

Josh Bancroft promised many more MID videos from the Intel Developer Forum he attended and here's another part of that delivery. Josh has two separate videos right here and each provides an early look at two expected entries in the Mobile Internet Device space. A few thoughts came to mind as I viewed them:

• The Aigo reminds me very much of the Nokia N810 in terms of form factor.
• The IdeaPad U8 has all of its hardware keys on the right side. Does the device rotate 180-degrees for lefties?
• There's still quite a bit of work to do in the operating systems of each. In fairness, these are pre-production units, but I see some opportunity to make these even more finger friendly.

All in all, these look pretty sweet for a handheld and pocketable Internet device. These definitely fit more in the "companion device" category from what I can see; not a bad thing as they fit that definition better than original devices meant to be companions.

HTC Shift reviewed: the other side of the coin

James offered up an HTC Shift review a few weeks back that was less than glowing. Fellow MobileTechRoundup podcaster Matt Miller provided a similar one and we discussed the pros and cons of the device on a recent show. The takeways in my mind were: less than adequate battery life, poor inking, and not a good overall performance to price ratio. That's why I'm highlighting another HTC Shift review today. TabletPCReview was impressed by their first look (which had me scratching my head in wonder) and now they have their full review available.

They seem marginally less impressed by the device but still feel there are more pros than cons. If you wrote the Shift off from your potential purchase list, you should probably take a look at the review. Me... I'm still scratching my head in wonder, but in fairness I didn't review the device. I simply used it for a short time at this year's CES. For me personally, the Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium is a better purchase for roughly the same price. It's actually less, but I'm including my purchase of a folding Bluetooth keyboard to even things out a little since the devices don't match up spec-for-spec.

First Centrino Atom computer hits Japan in June: Sharp's D4

Japan will see one of the first computers powered by the Centrino Atom come June: Sharp's D4 ultramobile PC. It's definitely portable, might be pocketable at 84 x 192 x 26 millimeters and should weigh about one pound. The device will be sold through Willcom, a mobile carrier, for $395 but customers will have a two-year commitment around $21 a month which includes unlimited data.

Somewhat surprising to me is that the D4 will run Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium; I'd be curious to see how the device handles Vista with the 1.33 GHz Atom and 1 GB of RAM. The D4 also has a 40 GB hard drive, a slide-out keypad with 64 keys and a 5-inch display that tilts slightly. Not a bad price for such a device, but it's likely that Willcom is subsidizing it to a degree. The entire design looks similar to the approach of the HTC Shift, only smaller.

(via InfoWorld)

Which device spec do you prefer: price, small size, storage capacity or other?

With the trend of notebooks getting smaller and lighter, I figure now is a good time to ask this question. The Asus Eee PC clearly started a trend towards both a low price and a small size; the compromise was in terms of performance. Not that the performance is bad, but relatively speaking, it is lower than higher-priced notebooks. Now I see that Acer is planning a low-cost 12.1-inch device that will top out around $450. That unit is expected to complement their 8.9-inch device which should start around $300.

While most mobile users want it all (great performance, tons of storage, portability, connectivity and, oh yes, a low, low price), I'm not sure we're there just yet. So my question to you as we continue down this trend of smaller, lighter and cheaper is: what do you value most in a device like this? Put another way: if you have to compromise on price, storage capacity, performance, or size / weight, which would you choose? Just curious.... I realize that everyone's needs and requirements are different of course.

MIDs on parade

More Intel Developer Forum goodies from Josh Bancroft. He's taken thirty-odd pics of the various Mobile Internet Devices shown off in Shanghai and he posted the lot of them on Flickr for your enjoyment. Bonus points to the first reader that likes one enough to make it a "this is what I'm lusting for" screensaver. I think you'll have seen most of these if you've been following the MID progress, but there are some current devices tucked in there that make for good size comparisons. I see the Samsung Q1 Ultra and an iPhone in there for example. Then again, the iPhone is a MID in my book.

Josh Bancroft leaves fingerprints on his first MID

Josh Bancroft, passionate blogger and Intel employee, was over in Shanghai at the IDF, or Intel Developer Forum this past week. He got his first hands on with a MID and captures it for posterity it in this brief video. Josh puts his fingerprints on the Gigabyte MID with slide-out keyboard, so if you haven't seen this device enough just yet, here's another 90-seconds or so. Just a basic look at the hardware and touch-friendly user interface. BTW: great IDF coverage in Twitter and on your blog Josh. Good stuff! Folks interested in getting a feel for the IDF experience at Shanghai will want to check Josh's overview vid. I like how he tries different websites to see if they're blocked in China. I won't spoil the surprise by telling you which are and which aren't.

Qualcomm to power Snapdragon-based, pocketable MIDs by year end

Wow, I almost forgot about Qualcomm's plans for Snapdragon, a low-powered 1 GHz processor that uses only 500 mW. Stacey Higgenbotham offers up a great interview with Qualcomm's president and CEO, Dr. Sanjay Jha, and there's some useful tidbits of info worth sharing. By the end of the year, we should see a some pocketable devices with this chip. By pocketable, Qualcomm means that the displays will be in the 4- to 5-inch range. I anticipate that Samsung will be among the first to offer such a device, but there's no details on branding just yet.

The devices will be Windows Mobile or Linux-based, have broadband access (one of Qualcomm's specialties) and of course, be web-capable. Some might argue that Windows Mobile does not a MID make, and in it's current implementation, I can understand that thought as web-surfing is a chore. Yesterday's announcement of a new, enhanced Internet Explorer Mobile version by the end of 2008 might change some people's minds.

How to: add a USB webcam to the Nokia N810

Those Nokia N810 owners are finding more uses for the USB on-the-go support every day. The latest entry attaches an external USB web-cam to the Internet Tablet which comes in handy since the integrated cam is front-facing only unlike the swivel barrel of the older model. With a little Terminal wizardry, an installation of Mplayer and a Creative web-cam, you too can have a recursive picture of the N810 looking at itself looking at itself looking at... OK, you get the idea... if you don't, just watch the video. And don't blame me if you get dizzy.

KCT - REDFLY setup experience

While I was benchmarking the latest UMPC, James got his first impressions up on the REDFLY mobile companion. I spent some time this morning with my pre-production loaner unit and wanted to comment on the setup process. Often, poor instructions or a challenging setup can just kill a device's out-of-the-box experience. Not the case with the REDFLY and it emphasizes a thought James has already shared: the simplicity of the device is essentially a feature.

I called upon my career days as a hands-on Quality Assurance tester and followed the included instructions to the letter and they worked to perfection. Essentially, I just downloaded the REDFLY software on the loaner AT&T Tilt right over the air and then USB-tethered the smartphone to the plugged in REDFLY. That was it; the REDFLY pulled the drivers it needed right from the phone and in 15 seconds from the time I connected the phone, I saw the above screen. Very impressive.

Everex Cloudbook to hit Japan with touch screen

You can hardly find an Everex Cloudbook anywhere but word is leaking out that a model will soon be hitting Japan with a 7-inch touch screen.  This new model gained Bluetooth and 802.11a which along with the touch screen bumped the price up to the equivalent of $600 over the US price of $399 for the original model.  All of the other specs remain the same including the Via processor and 30 GB hard drive.

(impress via engadget)

How to use a USB Ethernet adapter on the N810

Remember that tasty tidbit we shared about USB-On-The-Go support for the Nokia N810? Looks like it's coming in plenty handy... if you know how to use it. Frequent jkOTR commenter and Gear Diary contributor team member, Joel points out that you can use this feature to connect a Nokia 810 to wired Ethernet via USB. It's pretty technical, but explains all the steps involved, right down to every last daunting command in a terminal window. Then again, if you own a Nokia Internet Tablet, you're likely not completely in the dark with Linux, so have at it!

Updated: Nokia drops N810 price by $90 then ups it $50

Not sure if Nokia is making way for a WiMax-enabled Internet Tablet or trying to boost demand, but from a budget standpoint, it really doesn't matter. The Nokia N810 is now listed for $389 on the Nokia N-Series site, which saves you $90 over the old price. This is the newest model, a refresh of the N800, which adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard so you aren't limited to the on-screen virtual entry system. It also has the latest operating system (which can be installed on the older N800) and integrated GPS. You might find better online deals, but it's nice to see that Nokia is offering a good price for this versatile handheld too. When I want a pocketable web-centric device, I grab the software upgraded N800 from my desk and go. With AJAX and Flash 9 support, it's great for the web-based activities I'm often doing. Bear in mind that you'll either need to use the integrated WiFi or bring your own web connection to the N810 as it has no WWAN capabilities by itself. Of course, if you have a phone that uses DUN or Bluetooth PAN, you can use that with the N810.

Update: Robert Nelson over at Gadgetell points out that this might have been a one-day deal or foul up by Nokia. The price now reflects a $439 price tag. Um... Nokia?!?

Asus Eee PC 900 to start around $499 next month

So it looks like that larger screen on the Asus Eee PC will cost an extra $100 here in the United States. That's the expected price of the 8.9-inch model, aka: the 900 series, based on a LAPTOP magazine interview with my best bud remote acquaintance, Jonny Shih of Asus. $499 will get you the new model, which is expected to have 8 GB of flash storage with Windows XP or 12 GB to 20 GB of storage with Xandros Linux. Like the Everex folks and their CloudBook, Asus is considering the Intel Diamondville platform for future Eee PCs; that's a no-brainer to me as Intel certainly won't continue to make 900 MHz Celeron CPUs forever.

At $499, we start to bump into the fuller featured notebooks, but one feature they don't have is the smaller size of the Eee. Pending what we see out of HP with their 2133 / Mini-NB device, I'd probably trade up to the new Eee PC for the larger screen with 1024 x 600 resolution.

(via Eee Site)

Intel-powered MID from HTC expected later this year

DigiTimes notes that HTC will have a MID entry later this year, running on the new Intel Atom platform. Hmm... this doesn't sound like the refresh of the popular HTC Advantage or the Shift, so it must be something else. The expected device will have handset functionality, so it sounds squarely like an iPhone competitor at this early point. Although the device is x86-based and can therefore run Microsoft Windows, my gut tells me that it won't. The MID device class is really geared for a smaller device with a lighter and mobile-oriented operating system. HTC clearly has expertise in designing devices that run Windows Mobile, not Linux variants, so could this just be another Windows Mobile unit like the Advantage, only smaller and more phone-friendly? Then again, x86 is overkill for WinMo, so could be it Ubuntu Mobile or other Linux after all?

(via Pocketables)

Are small, cheap notebooks poking holes in "sails" of UMPCs, MIDs?

Last night during our podcast recording, James brought up a good point worth sharing before the show is published. I had asked Matt and James if they felt as I did: I've been completely underwhelmed with the UMPC and MID developments coming out of CeBIT. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but at this point, I figured we'd have a slew of Menlow-powered devices, many in a more affordable price range and with a noticeable increase in run-time. So far, none of my expectations have been met.

That's when James made the insight: small, inexpensive notebooks like the Eee PC and its peers have taken the spotlight... and the sales dollar. Come to think of it: more folks seem excited about the larger-screen Eee PC than any handheld I've heard about from CeBIT. Mainstream consumers definitely equate more with a traditional notebook form factor and the corresponding functionality it brings them. When you can provide that feature set in a reasonably priced package, it's sure to capture attention.

2008 is still young, just like the UMPC and MID markets, so there's time yet. Meanwhile, how are you feeling about developments so far? We've been waiting for the new Intel chipset for some time. Now that it's here, was it worth the wait?

How to get your EV-DO modem working on Xubuntu

Just a quick follow up to my Xubuntu on the Asus Eee PC post. A short bit of fiddling has provided me with my must-have function: support for my EV-DO USB modem. A trick that didn't work for me on Xandros Linux did work well in Xubuntu. Since the OS doesn't know what USB device you're using for a modem, you need to tell it. In a terminal session, it was just a matter of typing the following lines:

sudo modprobe -r usbserial
sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0x1410 product=0x4100

Bear in mind that the vendor and product numbers will vary depending on the modem you're using. There's a pretty solid list of vendor / product numbers over on the Ubuntu Forums.

It's possible to dial out on the EV-DO modem through a command line like I used to do in Xandros, but I decided to install KPPP for a GUI-based approach. Once I did that, it was a simple few steps to configure the connection. For Verizon Wireless, the modem should dial the number #777. The user ID is your 10-digit phone number (the one assigned to the modem) followed by @vzw3g.com. Example: if your number is 212-555-1212, your ID would be 2125551212@vzw3g.com. The password for the connection is vzw. That's all you need.

Once configured, I just started up the connection in KPPP and I was good to go. Speedtest.net is showing download speeds of around 500 kbps, but I'm in my home office on the fringe of coverage. On my next coffee break, I'll run the test to see if I get a full-bandwidth connection. Sure would be nice if I could make use of the integrated GPS in the USB727 too...

Xubuntu for your Eee PC: another good OS alternative

As nice as I and my 10-year old son find the user experience on the Asus Eee PC, I'm actually enjoying Xubuntu more than the out-of-the-box Xandros build. I suspect many mainstream consumers would as well since it's quick and more Windows-like, read: less of a transition for most people. I haven't benchmarked anything but the overall system feels a little more peppy than it did with Xandros or Windows XP. At the moment, I can't use my Verizon USB727 EV-DO card, but I'll be looking into that. If I can address that issue, I'll likely keep Xubuntu on the Eee for a mobile work; if not, I'll probably go back to XP as I need my always-on connectivity.

Folks considering this change should definitely check out the eeeXubuntu Wiki page as there's a custom build of Xubuntu specifically for the Eee PC, complete with all the drivers. Plus, it's built from the latest version of Ubuntu, which is rock solid; the notable difference is that Xubuntu uses Xfce instead of GNOME for the desktop environment.

Next generation Eee PC details slowly leaking out

As I battle my fifth full day of the Flu (which explains my MIA status since late last week), CeBIT is gearing up. There's no official press release yet out of Asus, but I expect some detailed information on the next generation of the Eee PC based on a post from French site, Blogeee.net. The English translation can be found here and so far, there's not much we didn't already glean from the Asus press event at CES 2008.

Asus still expects to offer an 8.9-inch display, which I have to believe will run at 1024 x 600 or better in terms of resolution. Blogeee.net expects one Gigabyte of memory standard and SSD capacity up to 12 GB. Since an 8.9-inch display could fit in the current Eee PC chassis, my gut tells me that the new 900 model will be no larger than the current 700 units, which is fantastic from a mobile device perspective. Expect to pay a premium for the extra screen size and storage... thoughts are around 30% over current models, but that remains to be seen from an official word yet. I still think that would be a great value for a very portable notebook.

Update: Engadget confirms most of the above details and has some hands-on pics of the new 8.9-inch Eee. Looks slightly larger than the first gen and the trackpad appears to be bigger. w00t!

(via Eee Site)

The draw of small notebooks

Now that I'm using a very small notebook again, the Fujitsu P1620, it's making me realize some things that I had forgotten from when I used its predecessor.  This has to do with the draw of carrying and using such a small notebook computer, something that I think has been a big factor in the popularity of the Asus EEE PC.  The Fujitsu is almost the same size as the EEE PC and I can certainly attest to the usability of a notebook computer so small.

The huge interest in the EEE PC after it was announced surprised a lot of people but I have to admit I was not one of those.  I had been using a P1610 for months and was never disappointed to find it attracted a lot of attention everywhere I pulled it out.  Don't get me wrong, the main reason the EEE PC has been so popular is no doubt the cheap price but I can tell you the form factor plays a big role in the interest that people have in the device based on my experience with the Fujitsu.  I am finding the same high level of interest in the P1620 the few days I have been carrying it around and that jogged my memory over how interesting people always found the P1610 when I was using it.

One most notable example was last year when I attended the BarCamp Houston, a geek festival with a lot of savvy people who are pretty familiar with mobile computing.  At the beginning of the BarCamp agenda I was sitting in the orientation presentation with probably a hundred people and I had the Fujitsu in my hands taking notes and surfing the web.  I didn't realize how many people were intrigued by this little notebook until after this session.  Over the period of the next few hours I was approached by no fewer than 20 people who had seen me using the Fuji who wanted to see the "tiny notebook".  You have to realize that just about everyone at this conference was carrying a notebook of some sort as these are highly connected people.  Every single person who asked to see the Fuji admitted they were highly interested because they could see that the size was perfect for carrying everywhere and using it with little or no trouble.  They would try the keyboard and once they saw they could type fine on it with a little practice each one of them said they'd buy one in a heartbeat if they could get something similar for a good price.  Enter the EEE PC and you see why this genre has really heated up and why I think HP intends to make a big splash in this area.  It's all about the size (and cheap price).  :)  It's also why UMPC will soon come to signify one of these small notebooks and not a handheld device of some type.  Numbers always win in the naming business.

Ongoing thoughts on the Fujitsu P1620

I keep getting my head filled with additional thoughts and impressions of the P1620 as I continue to use it heavily and I intend to share them from time to time, like now.  I had forgotten how perfect the P1620 form is for reading ebooks with eReader in portrait orientation.  The 8.9 inch screen is ideal for reading books as it presents almost a hardback book's worth of print that is easily readable under any lighting (or none at all).

I am also thoroughly impressed with how well the P1620 docks and undocks.  When I dock it into the port replicator it is attached to all the peripherals plugged into the hub in just two seconds and automatically rotates the screen to landscape if necessary.  It just works.  This is an area of frequent frustration with the HP 2710p on the other hand as it seems to take forever before USB devices are recognized by the device for use.

More thoughts as they pop into my head.  Here's a screen of eReader so you can see what I mean (click to enlarge):

Bluetooth PAN connectivity arrives for Nokia Internet Tablets

As much as I enjoy using a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, it's not without its challenges. First and foremost to me is the difficulty in pairing it with a non-Nokia handset. Time and time again, I receive e-mails from readers who are frustrated by the same problem because without WiFi, you're limited to apps and data on the device only.

Luckily, the issue caught the attention of the Maemo community, because there's a new add-on that supports Bluetooth PAN connectivity. PAN or Personal Area Networking has become increasingly more common the newer Windows Mobile devices; the older solution was DUN or Dial Up Networking. With this add-on, you should be able to tether your phone wirelessly by setting up a PAN, just like I did with my Windows Mobile device and a MacBook Pro. The free add-on is for the Internet Tablets running the new OS2008 only.

Update: this add-on is looking for a dependent package (bluez-utils), so I'm still futzing with trying to get it to work with my lowly EDGE connection on the Dash.

Update 2: Works as advertised. I never thought I'd be this happy to see an EDGE-based PAN for the Nokia. ;) My earlier issue: I didn't have the latest version of OS2008; once updated, this worked just fine!

HP has high expectations for their sub-notebook: 2 million ordered

We weren't kidding when we said that 2008 will be the year of small inexpensive computers. According to DigiTimes, the OEMs in Taiwan are predicting up to 13 million units produced in the space this year. Out of those numbers, HP has apparently contracted Wistron to make 2 million units of the HP 2133, the 8.9-inch, low-cost sub-notebook that we've been been hearing about for the past week or so. Now what's been contracted for vs. what's actually going to be produced and sold could change, but the number is staggering. To put it in comparison: the original Samsung Q1 UMPC series has sold a few hundred-thousand units in the past two years. One other tidbit in case you were wondering: DigiTimes shows that the HP unit will have a traditional hard drive only, so folks holding out for SSD might be left wanting for more. I was thinking that HP might consider a low-capacity flash storage model similar to the Asus Eee PC, but it doesn't appear so at this point.

CNet: HP 2133 to be VIA-based, starting at $499

See, this is why I read articles to the end! If I had stopped halfway through this CNet article discussing the Palm Foleo and inexpensive sub-notebooks, I would have missed this quote:

"The 2133 from HP will have an entry level model priced at $499, and will have a Via processor, we're told."

Of course, I don't know who told them that, nor what the credibility of the source is, but it coincides with a insider confirmation that Steve suggested the other day. It also works out nicely with this quote from an UltraMobileLife post on the HP 2133 (Note: a VIA-sponsored site written by VIA employees):

"While I can't make any comments about which platform HP would be using for a UMPC..."

Two thoughts: why else couldn't a comment be made on a VIA site unless plans to use VIA were already known and why would a VIA-sponsored blog cover a UMPC that wasn't going to run on a VIA chipset?

I think it's relatively safe to end any speculation on the brand of CPU in at least one model 2133, now it becomes a question of which VIA chip will be on the inside. Since the new 64-bit Isaiah chip is pin-compatible with the VIA C7 and slated to ship in the spring, we could see the older chips inside at first and later see a model with the new ones under the hood. It's also possible that Digitimes was correct and there will be an Intel-based model at a higher price, especially since I expect several models based on the CNet quote. Either way, if the starting price is $499, HP has a shot a making a dent in the small notebook market and has definitely piqued my interest in this device.

ZaReason dropz ZaCloudbook

Wow, when it rains, it pours. After at least three delays of the Cloudbook debut, at least one reseller has packed it in. Eee Site indicates that ZaReason is calling it quits and won't be taking any new orders for the Cloudbook. The company did receive a shipment of the $399 notebook from Everex and got them out to customers, but at this point, they seem to be losing more money than it's worth on what's likely an already low margin unit. It's not a complete wash-out for the Cloudbook as it's still expected to hit WalMart soon.

Lenovo X300 review: Mossberg impressed

That thin and light X300 from Lenovo isn't quite as thin and light as the MacBook Air, but it's darn close. So how does it fare in a review from Walt Mossberg? Better than you might expect considering the X300 is a Windows machine and Walt believes that

"both the Mac operating system and the software that comes with it are superior to the Windows operating system and built-in software offered on the ThinkPad"

Having said that he notes the advantages the X300 provides in a similar sized package: higher screen resolution, more ports, optional GPS and WiMax support, an optical drive and removable battery. There are two battery sizes available for the X300: a half-size and a full-size. This allows for a non-optical drive configuration where a half-battery can be used in its place, which gets you around 6.5 to 7 hours of battery life. I suppose I can see why Walt calls the 64 GB SSD "paltry" in size, but if I can run XP on an Eee PC with 4 GB of storage, I can certainly run XP or Vista with 64 GB and rely on the cloud for storage. It's not something everyone can (or wants to) do, but it's doable for those who are truly mobile.

Best Buy spills beans on updated Nokia Internet Tablet?

Next thing you know, Best Buy will give all of you my Reward Zone points. Ah, I'm not worried: I don't even have a 100 in my account. Yup, it looks like a Best Buy ad gave away an updated Nokia Internet Tablet based on what I'm seeing over at TabletBlog.

The first thought was that this was a Nokia N830, but then we'd all wonder "what happened to the N820?" since the N810 is the most recent model. No, it looks like the N810, but the device coloring is changed. Could a new black casing and orange backlighting on the keyboard mean that a WiMax model is just around the corner or is this scheme just an early Halloween paint job? Hmm.... inquiring mobile minds want to know...

Everex: how would you like a 22-inch CloudBook?

LAPTOP Magazine interviewed Paul Kim, Directory of Marketing at Everex, and has a little more information on the upcoming CloudBook as well as a forecast for future products in the line. Note: I've reached out directly to Paul regarding the CloudBook delays, but he has not responded yet.

Some interesting tidbits from the interview show that Everex has set a minimum expectation of "equal success" against the Asus Eee PC based on specifications. Touchscreen CloudBooks should appear for consumers in the third quarter of 2008, but I can't see that being a big sales driver for the mainstream target audience for two reasons: one, a touchscreen in a notebook form-factor serves minimal practical usage unless the screen rotates around and down; two, it's yet unknown how the gOS will take advantage of touch. Then again, it's based on Ubuntu 7 and we've seen a few positive touch and ink situations there.

It's clear that Everex is considering more for the CloudBook line than the inexpensive, portable vision they're starting with based on talk of 22-inch displays. I think they'll have to change the name on that one. How about the AnvilBook? ;) Before I forget, the LAPTOP piece states a February 15th availability date for the device at WalMart, so we're apparently back to a launch next week.

Father of the UMPC Otto Berkes- the Asus EEE PC hits the sweet spot

Otto Berkes is one of the true visionaries at Microsoft as witnessed by his UMPC/ Origami project.  He's the brain that pictured what an ultra-portable computer needed to be to fill the needs of consumers.  He's taken a look at the Asus EEE PC and his take on the ultra-portable notebook is spot on.

The Eee adheres to some of the core tenets of the ultra-mobile PC – a low-cost, highly mobile, full-fidelity companion computer.  In fact, the Eee PC hits one of the key UMPC targets dead on; there’s one place where all of the other UMPC products missed – price.  People expect mobile devices to be affordable!  Asus’s R2H UMPC launched at a price point two to three times higher than the Eee, but the basic technology backbone was similar, with a 7” display, low-end Intel CPU/chipset, standard PC I/O and hardware compatibility.  Sure, the R2H also has a hard drive, GPS, Bluetooth, a fingerprint reader and runs real Windows but the additional features don’t justify significantly higher cost.  A $1000 companion device will have few takers regardless of functionality.

Good product design is ultimately as much about what to leave out as what to include.  And with the Eee PC, Asus got a number of things right that they got wrong with their R2H.  It’s small enough to toss in a backpack or bag, light enough to carry all day, inexpensive enough to afford as a secondary computer.

Otto (and Asus) gets it.

(via GottaBeMobile)

Get the CloudBook experience... on an Asus Eee PC

The Everex CloudBook sub-notebook might be delayed, but if you want the gOS experience it will offer, why not take a CloudBook competitor and load it up? The installation steps appear to be fairly straightforward for the Asus Eee PC based on this list at Cheap Linux Ultramobile PCs, or CLUMPC for short.

You'll of course need the latest gOS build and Ubuntu drivers for Asus Eee PC if you want your WiFi to work. Once you're installed and configured, you can close your eyes and pretend your Eee is a CloudBook since the physical differences are pretty minimal.

(via Small Laptops)

Everex will supply Windows XP drivers for CloudBook

Including Windows XP drivers with the Asus Eee PC has been a big hit, so I'm not completely surprised that Everex will be following suit. CloudBooker has confirmation from Paul Kim, the Director of Marketing at Everex, that XP drivers will be available at Everex.com for download. The CloudBook is probably better suited to run Windows XP than the 4G Eee simply because it has almost eight times the on-board storage capacity: 30 GB vs. 4 GB. However, you can easily run a full installation of XP on the Eee and have 1.5 GB of storage left; more if you slim down your XP installation with nLite.

The CloudBook release date still appears a little foggy. The original January 25th date brought us news of a delay to the end of February even though other sources indicated February 15th. All signs still point to the end of February, apparently due to changes in the gOS Rocket operating system. The gOS home page indicates that Rocket is still in beta, so I'm still leery of the dates we have. We met with Paul Kim from Everex earlier this month, so I'll dig out his business card and see if I can find any additional details.

(via UltraMobileLife)

Get a Nokia N810 at 15% off: GeekBrief.TV

I don't watch it as much as I'd like due to time contraints, but Cali Lewis and her GeekBrief.TV video show has been in my iTunes subscriptions like... feh-ever. Turns out that one of her many sponsors is Nokia and on the GeekBrief.TV sponsorship page is a code for 15% off a Nokia N810.

Rather than post the promocode here, I'll direct you over to Cali. When you swing by over there, why not check out one of her latest shows? She crams in a bunch of great information into a handful of minutes nearly every day!

Ultra-portable news roundup

Today has already been a day for some significant news in the ultra-portable/ UMPC/ MID space so here goes.  The Everex Cloudbook is now being delayed until February 25 for release according to engadget.  The Cloudbook has already been delayed once and it seems Everex is having trouble getting it out the door once again.  Kevin and I saw the Cloudbook at the CES in Las Vegas early this month and it is anxiously awaited as another low cost notebook to compete with the Asus EEE PC.

Speaking of the EEE PC, earlier rumors of a model with a touch screen are being shot down by Asus according to DigiTimes.  Asus has determined that their customers do not want a touch screen on a notebook form factor and are not planning on introducing a model that includes touch.  I personally don't see a need for a touch screen on a notebook device but that's just me, a lot of people expressed excitement at the news that there would be a touch EEE PC.

In other news, Shen also pointed out the company's market research has determined that touch screen is not a highly demanded feature for Eee PC customers, and therefore it will suspend plans to include the option of a touch screen panel in the next generation of Eee PCs.

DigiTimes also snuck in something we haven't heard before from HTC, the makers of the Shift and my beloved Advantage.  In a press event covering the launch of the HTC Shift this nugget slipped in about the Advantage:

HTC plans to launch a 5-inch mobile computing device designed to replace the HTC Advantage in 2008, said company sources at HTC.

No word on what changes HTC might be considering for the Advantage but it's great to hear they are going to refresh what is already a dynamite mobile device.

Hook a USB device to your Nokia N810 thanks to USB-On-The-Go

Thanks to Joel for the tip on this one. He shared a link to a Nokia Developer Forum that has a tasty little mobile tidbit in it pertaining to USB. Apparently, the Nokia N810 supports the USB-On-The-Run-Go supplement which, if you have the right USB cable, can expand compatibility of your Internet Tablet. Here's an excerpt of this mobile goodness:

"In Slave role N810 acts as a FAT-format memory card or with g_ether driver as a USB networking card. In Slave mode you can connect your tablet to your PC and it shows up by default as external memory card. Using USB-OTG host mode you can connect your USB memory stick to your tablet, you can also connect tablet to various other memory devices like digital cameras, memory card readers or even to a external hard disk. The N810 can supply limited amount of power to external USB device and no extra powered hub is needed."

The needed cable is nearly identical to most mainstream USB cables except for one slight difference: a single pin that dictates slave mode when open and master mode when grounded. Folks are apparently hacking their own although I've read reports that some online retailers carry this type cable connection. This of course doesn't mean full compatibility with every USB device under the sign, but it shows potential. Thanks Joel!

Delay rains on CloudBook debut... late February is the forecast

Today was supposed to be the day you could snap up a $399 Everex CloudBook at WalMart, but the release is now a little foggy. ComputerWorld notes that "last-minute software tweaks" are pushing availability out to late February at the earliest. If I had to guess, I'd say there some driver issues or (even worse) some problems with hardware itself. The Linux-based gOS operating system is already running on Everex desktops (also sold at WalMart), so I can't see what else the problem could be. Dropping the bad news on the actual release date isn't a very positive sign either. Let's hope the issue is resolved quickly while the low-priced sub-notebook device class has some momentum.

Did Asus negotiate a killer XP deal for the Eee PC?

This isn't a surprise as we knew Asus would be offering the Eee PC with XP pre-installed, but I've been watching for it to see what the price would be. I can't remember if I heard, read or dreamt that Asus was trying to work a deal with Microsoft on the XP licensing, but I'm thinking that happened based on the reported price.

The Register indicates that the 4G-X (an Eee PC 4G model with XP) works out to $468. My purchase of the 4G with Linux was the standard $399. Add in that Asus is also bundling a 4 GB SDHC card and optical mouse and it sounds to me like they got a good deal on XP licensing costs. Just a guess based on the news, but if correct, that bodes well for potential purchasers in other countries.

I'm still running XP on the Eee PC, which I installed just before CES and only because my USB727 modem isn't yet supported in Linux. I'll be going back to Linux on the device at some point, but I made the mistake of loading eReader on the Eee... I have to finish the book I started before I go back to Linux. *crosses fingers and wishes for a Linux build of eReader*

Browser battle: a draw between Nokia's N800, N810

Jenn has another installment of her mobile browser wars over at Pocketables; the latest chapter pits Opera against the Mozilla-based MicroB application. Opera is the default browser on the N800 while MicroB appears on N810. Jenn also included a beta release of MicroB on the N800 for comparison. The end result is... well... not very dramatic in terms of load-times, but that could be influenced by loads on the server side of things as well.

What's interesting here is that Jenn tested these both with WiFi and 3G signals. I've had nothing but trouble trying to pair an N800 with my Dash (just to test it over EDGE), so how'd she do that with her AT&T Tilt? Is it just me or have other folks struggled pairing an N800 (or N810, for that matter) to a Windows Mobile device?

Protect and carry that Eee PC with a hard drive case

Bob Russell pinged me with a nice tip: folks are reporting that this $22 Case Logic Hard Drive model works pretty well. Overstock is currently selling it and it should be just fine considering the dimensions of 10.7 x 9.6 x 2.0 inches. Should be plenty of room for your Eee which measures 8.9 × 6.5 × 1.4 inches. The Eee PC comes with a soft case so I'd probably leave that on when using this Case Logic unit since there's some extra room to spare there. Here's the original mention of this case, which also has some insight on Gutenbrowse for the Nokia N800.

Any other case recommendations by Eee PC users out there? Thanks Bob!

Walt Mossberg reviews the Asus Eee PC: "cramped"

It's the Eee PC that's cramped, not Walt. Just wanted to make that clear. ;) And "cramped" is a valid statement both in the display resolution and the keyboard. I'll admit it: if that keyboard was just a smidge smaller, even I (the mobile mighty mite) wouldn't be able to touch-type on it worth a darn. As an Eee PC owner, I think the review is fair and accurate... from a particular point of view. However, as many of the commenters to the review have pointed out, the device isn't meant to be a business class device and it's quite good for its intended use.

There's both a written summary of the review as well as a brief overview video if you're interested. I can't dispute all of the shortcomings pointed out, but when I look at what I'm getting for $399, I think it's a pretty good deal, a very capable device and offers some slight "wow" factor; I lost count how many times I was stopped and asked about it at CES. Thanks for the tip, Greg!

Add Gigabyte to the roster of low cost notebook makers in 2008

How quickly the market gets crowded! That's fine with me: the more computer manufacturers that make small, sub-notebooks, the more choices mobile tech consumers will have. Yesterday, it was Acer, Dell and HP that jumped in the planning pool for an Asus Eee PC competitor. Today it's Gigabyte, who also had an Intel Menlow powered Mobile Internet Device (MID) on display at CES. Or was it an Aigo?

Regardless of the MID, there's no disputing that the low-priced notebook market is heating up. Gigabyte plans to follow the 7- to 9-inch display crowd with an offering in June, which would proceed after an expected April launch of their MID. Intel's Shelton platform is the rumored engine, which is apparently a single-core chip with a 1.6 GHz clock speed and 533 MHz front side bus. Hmm... a bit more oomph than the underclocked 900 MHz Intel Celeron in the Asus Eee PC; will that equate to a price around $500?

Vulcan's $699 Flipstart fire sale: it's only logical

I'd like to think that the rash of upcoming, low-cost sub-notebooks is pushing the Flipstart price down, but I think it's more of a strategy to move the product off shelves. Perhaps the Vulcans realize that new chipset platforms are around the corner and we'll soon hear plans off a new model? Doesn't really matter what the reason is from a consumer perspective: this little chunky-monkey of a pocketable computer now starts at $699! When it first arrived earlier last year, the unit was $1,999 and James offered up a nice video first look of it.

Is it worth $700? In my opinion, for those looking for the pocketable form factor have to give the Vulcan Flipstart some consideration. If instead, you're merely looking for portable and not pocketable, there are several other current and soon-to-be-had choices for this price or less provided you can make do without Pentium M performance. How about it: deal... or no deal? No deal for me: I find the 512 MB of RAM a little too limiting and I'm not certain you can upgrade it.

7-inch CloudBook isn't out yet and there's a 9-inch model coming

I guess when you're predicting success, you don't have to deliver on the first notebook model before planning your second. Oh, I just shuddered with a memory of the Osbourne debacle. Hopefully we won't see a repeat of that mess with the Everex CloudBook.

Last week, we got a look at their first offering: a VIA-powered, Linux-based (gOS) notebook with 7-inch display, 30 GB drive and full keyboard. We are expecting to see it hit WalMart.com for $399 this weekend, but we weren't expecting to hear about a follow-up model so soon. Computerworld notes that a 9-inch model will be available later this year from Everex, but aside from the larger display, no other specs are available. Everex plans to keep the device at or under $500, so I'm anticipating a higher resolution, more memory (say a gig) and perhaps a 60 GB hard drive. I'm still wondering about the expected 5-hour battery life claim on the first model, but I think my Asus Eee PC would get stormy if I added a CloudBook to the stables.

Keep Windows Mobile and N800 calendars in sync

With more and more devices everywhere, synchronizing important data continues to be a challenge. We've got tasks, contacts, e-mail, notes, docs and other info getting scattered around and of course, we expect to have instant access to all of that info regardless of the device we're using.

For this reasons, I often highlight ways to make the experience better; even if it takes multiple tools and some complex setup processes. The way I see it, the more synching options the better! Seems like David Hautbois agrees as he developed a free Python app called Erminig to synch the standalone GPE Calendar on the Nokia N800 with Google Calendar. GPE Calendar is a separate app and not included by default on the Nokia Internet Tablets. Jamie Bennett goes a step further and combines Erminig with the $10 GSyncIt application that keeps your Google and Outlook calendars in alignment. Add Microsoft ActiveSync and you've got a roundabout way to keep your events in sync between Windows Mobile and the Nokia N800.

Asus Eee PC news roundup: mod market and competitors coming