- Warner Crocker

I don’t think jkkmobile ever met an Asus Eee that he didn’t find a way to put a touchscreen on. And yes, he’s at it again, this time demoing the steps needed to add a touchscreen to the Asus Eee 901.

 jkk, and others, have proven that the Eee is indeed mod-able by the end user. It brings to mind and interesting question. With the wave of ultra-sub-mini-net-low cost-mobile notebooks about to land, how many and which of the other devices will be so easily configurable?

- Warner Crocker

I find this fascinating. Mike Arrington of TechCrunch fame is asking for folks to help build a “dead simple web Tablet” that will cost under $200. The other specs on his wish list:

The machine is as thin as possible, runs low end hardware and has a single button for powering it on and off, headphone jacks, a built in camera for video, low end speakers, and a microphone. It will have Wifi, maybe one USB port, a built in battery, half a Gigabyte of RAM, a 4-Gigabyte solid state hard drive. Data input is primarily through an iPhone-like touch screen keyboard. It runs on linux and Firefox. It would be great to have it be built entirely on open source hardware, but including Skype for VOIP and video calls may be a nice touch, too.

I think he’s serious as he says he’s organizing a team of folks to spec it out and that marketing docs are coming soon. They are looking for folks to help withe customized Linux and Firefox code.

Looks like the follow through will be happening at TechCrunchIT.

Given the NetBook (or whatever you call it) craze, Fujitsu’s reaction to it, Apple’s intransigence or inability about coming up with a Tablet, wouldn’t it be intriguing to see something like this get off the ground and actually fly, sparked by this kind of input?

- Warner Crocker

We’ve reported about the Dell ‘E’ before. It looks like more info on Dell’s entry into the ultra-mini-sub-low-cost-mobile notebook is slowing making it into the stream via DigiTimes. Once again we hear of the $299 price tag, but this post says we’re looking at an August time frame for release. No mention of of the earlier speculation that the Dell ‘E’ will have a Splashtop like Instant On.

 

- Warner Crocker

Jenn at Pocketables has gotten her hands on the Kohjinsha SC3 Mini-Notebook and turned it inside out in a very thorough review. She covers all the bases and has a large array of pictures of just about everything except the factory floor where the unit was assembled. Intriguingly she’s reporting that the Menlow based (previously Silverthorne) system is running Vista Home Premium SP1 surprisingly well. Note that the system she’s reviewing has 2GB of memory. She was also surprised about the smaller size when comparing it to others in its class, including the vaunted granddaddy of the ultra-sub-mini-low-cost-portable notebooks, the Asus Eee PC.

She covers the highs and some lows about the device, and it is worth a read. How about that handle?

- Warner Crocker

I imagine we’re going to see more and more of this kind of testing on the ultra-sub-mini-net-low cost-mobile PCs as they continue to roll out. But for now, jkkmobile is testing out Vista on the Asus 901 Eee PC running an ATom processor. Note that he’s running this on a 30GB drive. As things continue to evolve in this sector this sort of trend will be an interesting one to follow as we continue to wander through the OS murky zone between XP, Vista and whatever Windows 7 will bring. Check out the video.

 

- Truc Bui

I'm sure you're all getting tired of reading about these 8.9" and 10" screened devices here on GBM. They all have the same basic specs: The 1.6GHz Atom processor, small SSD drive, 8.9" or 10" screen, small keyboard, average battery life, and a choice of OS. Joining the fray is the ECS G10IL scheduled for a September Stateside release as reported by LAPTOPMag. The only real newsworthy item here is its marketing strategy in a feeble attempt at differentiation. According to the article:

...ECS vice president of sales Henry Kwan... thinks his company’s G10IL entry will bring something new to the market. Kwan shared that the G10IL will:

• Have EDGE, HSUPA, and HSPDA mobile broadband support. It will not have WiMAX support, like the Everex CloudBook Max.
• Come in two display-size variations: an 8.9-inch and a 10-inch. The 10-inch display will be the most likely to hit the U.S. market.
• Be available in the U.S. starting in September. There will be an 8GB SSD version running Linpus Lite 9.4 Linux and a 80GB hard drive version running Windows XP. Pricing will start at $399, but the least expensive systems will not include 3G options.
• Will be the first mini-notebook designed and marketed for business use, not education.

Call me naive, but I don't see anything new or groundbreaking. I just see another $400 small notebook. It's like marketing a Kia subcompact for its low fuel consumption to appease the environmentally conscious versus marketing the same sized car from Hyundai for its low price to draw in those affected by a lackluster economy. In the end, it's the same car. What do you think it will take for the plethora of devices to REALLY stand out?

 

- Truc Bui

There has been a recent push for the small UMPC/ULCPC/MID/Netbook/Mini-whatever-the-catch-phrase-of-the-day-is devices to include some implementation of 3G connectivity. Joining Asus's eee Pc and Fujitsu's U810 (and the others who started life with WWAN), Acer's Aspire One is also getting its own 3G connection. I know that with the Fujitsu U810 as well as the T2010 with WWAN capabilities, users are locked in to AT&T's network. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not as you are not only locked in to a specific carrier with these devices, you are also locked to the device. If the UMPC is the only computer you have with 3G connectivity, it will be the only computer you can access the web with, unless, of course, you have another way of getting wireless data. What would you rather have, a small USB or ExpressCard 3G modem or would you rather each device have its own dedicated modem? I wonder if the integration of WWAN into these supposedly low-cost devices is one of the reasons being given for their seemingly high price. What are your thoughts and comments on these small netbooks having WWAN built-in?

- Truc Bui

Daewoo Lucom's Lukid has entered the UMPC arena with a mini notebook, this time geared towards the education market . Although the Lukid isn't marked for US release, its use of Intel's Classmate platform provides movement within the lower-cost, lower-powered education sector where educational integration of technology is on the rise. The 9" screened device is powered by Intel's 900MHz Celeron processor, 512MB RAM, 30GB HDD and runs XP. The price for these devices runs 549,000 KRW, which based on today's currency conversions, totals roughly $530.

Unfortunately, as Matthew pointed out, roadblocks remain for America's transition in integrating technology into the curriculum. There has been signs of progress, however, as can be seen with the utilization of HP's Mini Note into the Fresno Unified School District's educational plan starting next year. I'm hopeful the release of MSI's Wind at $500 will churn more interest in other school districts to adopt integrated technology.

- Warner Crocker

Not helpful.

Information Week has published a UMPC Buyer’s Guide. Problem is Bill O’Brien, who wrote the article, needs a little more information. First, he falls prey to the astounding market confusion over UMPCs, MIDs, Netbooks, Subnotebooks, Mini-Tablets and the like. He actually tries to invent a new class of devices called “Notebook UMPCs.” That name, unfortunately, makes as much sense as anything else, and I guess no one can blame him. I have difficulty sorting that out myself. Second, he confuses some info on the difference between MIDs and UMPCs and that confusion runs through the article. As an example, when it comes to listing devices for the guide he lists TabletKiosk’s UMPCs, the v7110E and the TufTab v7112XT, in a very short list of MIDs. (Of course that list is short because we still haven’t seem much come to market in the MID line.) Third, as is the case with many, he gets caught up in the keyboard issue as a defining point. He overlooks completely the huge differences in chipsets, storage, and price points.

But Intel, Microsoft, and OEMs should take note of just how poorly they’ve been communicating their message in this murky arena when it comes to this statement:

Because the only real distinction right now seems to be that if they're Windows-based you call them UMPCs, but they're MIDs if they run Linux, they are doing an excellent job of muddying the water.

So are you, Bill. So are you.

- Rob Bushway

Looks like Microsoft is listening to feedback regarding XP and ULCPCs, allowing XP Home to be installed on devices up to 14.1" and those sporting touch screens. This is a change from their previous policy of not allowing touch screens, and limiting the screens to 10.2 inches. They also increased the diskspace requirement from 80 gb to 160 gb. The June 30 XP deadline for other devices still stands, though.

Kudos to Microsoft. Now, if we can just get them to widen that new policy to screens smaller than 21" and active, touch, and normal, then we'll all be happy

via InfoWorld

Technorati Tags: XP, ULCPC

- Sierra Modro

HP announced today a large scale deployment of the HP 2133 Mini-Note to the Fresno (Calif) United School District. The 7,000 Mini-Notes are going to kids in K-12.

“The HP Mini-Note is a powerful laptop that is small enough to fit on students’ desks along with their textbooks and papers, allowing them access to the Internet and educational content from around the world without leaving their seats,” said Kurt Madden, chief technology officer, Fresno United School District.

That's a huge commitment that the school system is making to getting excellent PCs into the hands of (probably all) its students. As important as it is to get the technology to the kids, it is equally important to help the teachers understand how to effectively use the technology in their classes.

HP also announced the HP Professional Development Program to assist in providing training to teachers on using technology in the classroom. This is in addition to their existing program, The Teacher Experience Exchange, a joint HP and Microsoft project that provides free resources to teachers through a community environment.

I'm impressed with HP for these commitments to providing both the technology and training to K-12 students and their instructors.

Read the Press Release

- Warner Crocker

Asus created such a sensation with the Eee PC that it totally disrupted the mobile computing market. Now, Asus seems to have both the wherewithal and the desire to turn the early success into a ubiquitous range of devices to fit every need and apparently every hand size. The tiny keyboards on the early Eee models (and other ultra-mini-sub-net low cost portables) aren't for everyone, and Asus has announced that they will be adding larger keyboards to two different models in their 900 range. The 904 and the 905 will run Atom processors and offer larger keyboards. According to DigiTimes this is going to replace the 901, which if I'm remembering correctly just launched recently.

This market seems to change almost overnight, and I'm not so sure playing "up the keyboard size" is a good thing for it in the long run.

- Warner Crocker

As we look at the immediate future of mobile devices, Ink is still very much a second class citizen. The ultra-sub-mini-net low cost notebook pond is so full of contenders swimming around in the shallow end, you need a Baywatch-sized cast of lifeguards to sort them out. Running along side that pool and parallel with that development is a move towards touch and multi-touch (Windows 7). But touch and multi-touch haven’t dipped their toes into the shallow end of the pool with all those ULCPCs yet. Forget the shallow end. I want to leap off the high dive and do some serious swimming around with the adults using a device that let’s me get some real work done.  For me, and I’m sure for others, that means note taking in Ink. Ink is getting left behind, which is still puzzling to me, given how many folks have to take notes in their daily chores.

I’ve been using an evaluation unit of Motion’s F5 Tablet PC quite a bit lately. I really enjoy the mobility of that device and the Inking works very well, although I wish it had the Inking enhancements of Vista. I even enjoy the handle. Running EverNote on that device gives me the ability to Ink away in rehearsals or meetings and have that information back at my desk or at home, or anywhere that I can connect up for that matter. But I don’t need all the bells and whistles (or the price tag) of the Motion F5. As I watch how things are evolving these days, and enjoy the note taking I do on the Motion F5, it leads me to want a device that incorporates Inking but with the parameters that seem to govern the rise of the netbooks.

Here’s what I think would work well:

• An 8 to 10 inch Slate form factor
• Some sort of minimal OS that allows access to the Internet, but also allows for a similar Inking experience to what we have in Vista
• WiFi, BlueTooth, and 3G
• Instant On
• Works well with Windows Live Mesh or another file syncing option
• A price point between $600 and $900

Here’s what I think is completely unnecessary for this kind of device:

• A keyboard
• An optical drive
• Multiple ports
• Complicated and overhead heavy media playback features

Yeah, I know. I’m dreaming, but follow along here.  My needs are actually pretty simple. I want to be able to take notes in Ink, have them sync to a more powerful desktop or Tablet PC automatically. I’ll use the Internet or Cloud for other rudimentary chores (email, document creation and review) I might need to do while I’m using this device. With the exception of enough power to run an active or capacitive digitizer, I don’t need to have a lot of power on this device. I certainly wouldn’t need lots of storage, or too many of the other bells and whistles we get on Tablet PCs these days. They are nice, but for this device I don’t see them as necessary. I want this to be a low cost Netbook with Inking. I know that flies in the face of marketing considerations that are governing the market today, but I think there are quite a few note takers who would gladly take advantage of this kind of device.

Here is range of my other thoughts on this.

File Syncing

The advent of some excellent file syncing options, and the potential for Windows Live Mesh, and Apple’s MobileMe, have led me to believe that I don’t need a full featured PC when I’m taking notes. I believe I can rely on that kind of Cloud communication, (when I have connectivity) to do my work. But the key is sliming everything down. Heck, a device that could run EverNote successfully might be all that we need, so maybe if the EverNote folks come up with a Linux based option that allows Ink, we’d be all set.

Silverlight

Maybe we’ll have a shot at something like this once Microsoft takes the wraps off of Silverlight. Some talk as if that’s the real future because of its potential for low overhead. We certainly haven’t seen enough yet to know whether it will be or not. I certainly hope that, in combination with Live Mesh, it might provide an opportunity for an Ink Enabled Notebook, but then that would require some OEMs to get on board as well. Adobe Air and Microsoft’s Silverlight are going to be in competition in this low overhead space, and both are aimed at the increasing number of users who have multiple devices using multiple platforms. Here’s hoping one of them won’t leave Inkers high and dry.

Apple’s Role

Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch line has proven that you can get a lot done on a small handheld device. I believe it is about to prove you can do even more here shortly with the roll out of iPhone 2.0 and MobileMe. The only thing missing is a larger screen and Inking. Maybe that’s all that the long rumored Apple Tablet needs to be. Expand the iPhone size a bit, add credible Inking, and go.

Get Rid of the DRM Overhead

From an OS standpoint, I certainly don’t need the overhead that the various DRM schemes force Microsoft and Apple to employ so they can bring the latest and greatest in media to small devices. Would I give up some media playback possibilities on this dream device? Again, I’m hoping that’s what Silverlight or Adobe Air’s low impact solutions offer us. So, if they do, great. But then let’s craft an OS that doesn’t carry this legacy DRM code around.

Quite honestly, I don’t care who comes up with an Ink Enabled Netbook first. It could be a Linux based system, come from Microsoft, or come from Apple. Maybe Asus will get smart and realize that they came very close to a good Inking solution  with the R2H UMPC, although it was encumbered with so many other problems. When I look at the early starts on what we’ve got going at the moment, I see great potential. So, somebody take some notes and get cracking on this.

 

 

 

- Warner Crocker

Looks like the MSI Wind has finally gotten in line for FCC approval here in the States. (Thanks to jkkmobile for the link, where you can find lots of pictures.)

But at the same time, we’re seeing reports of another delay in shipping (this time to July 7) due to a continuing battery shortage that we reported on earlier. Let’s hope this isn’t too much of a bumpy ride.

 

- Warner Crocker

Om Malik has been checking out the new class of ultra-net-mini-sub-low cost portables, most specifically the HP 2133 Mini-Note and thinks that they are a “genetic experiment gone wrong.”  He sees some pluses but mostly he sees minuses and he lists a spate of features that he feels should qualify a device in this category.

1. Instant On
2. Doesn’t generate too much heat.
3. Minimum 5 hours of battery life.
4. Must feature at least four communications options: WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth & Wireless Wide Area Network connection to, say, an EVDO or HSPA Network.
5. Less than three pounds (Batteries included).
6. Screen size of 3.5 to 8 inches (wide-screen proportioned)
7. The primary function of the computer should be cloud-based activities that can include everything from listening to live music, reading blogs and watching videos. Writing research reports or cranking out spreadsheets isn’t the primary purpose of these machines.
8. It should cost no more than $300. This isn’t a computer; it’s a communications device. It should really be an on-the-go device. It is a device for the moments when your cellphone isn’t enough, and laptop is too much. An iPhone should qualify.
9. Its innards, ports should be geared for Internet-based activities — from making calls on Skype to consuming RSS feeds — though it should be able to handle external peripherals.
10. In the future it should move away from the keyboard and have a touchscreen interface that allows one to sift through large amounts of data (or web pages) quickly, as cramped keyboards and touchpads can be hard to use.

I can’t say that Om is far off and his list of specs make sense, especially when it comes to price. I think we’re a ways off from seeing that consistently, although a few are trying to make that happen. The most interesting spec he lists though is number 10. It makes Om’s ideal device sound very much like a UMPC.  It raises the long term question about how this class of devices is going to play with Windows 7 and its multi-touch environment. Will they stay away from touch screens and stick with Linux and the Windows XP environment (as long as they are able to) or are we going to see development that actually puts touch screens on these devices in the future? I’m not holding my breath for the answer to that question, and if nothing else, the rise of the ultra-net-mini-sub low cost portable class has proven that the market won’t either.

- Warner Crocker

Looks like the MSI Wind is experiencing some delays. From what I’m reading we’re talking about a new shipping date is June 27. What is also intriguing here is that MSI seems to have some problems getting enough 6 cell batteries and until supply opens up are going to be shipping 3 cell batteries. MSI will be dropping the price to $479 because of the battery switch, but that will obviously drop the battery life.

I’m wondering if we’ll see battery shortages with other ultra-sub-net-mini-net-low cost-portable notebooks? Let’s hope this is just an anomaly.

 

Via MobileWhack.com

 

- Warner Crocker

Not only is there mass product and naming confusion in the ultra-sub-mini-net-low cost notebook market, it looks like we’ll all be working overtime to deal with the different price points. Not only is Engadget reporting news of Dell’s ‘E’, coming in at $299 for its 8.9 inch model, but they’ve also got a report that Asus Eee 901 is going to be prices at $599 in the US for both Windows and Linux versions. The Eee 1000 and 1000H(10inch) looks to come in at $699 and $649 (depending on if it contains a hard drive or not.)

I imagine that this is only going to get more confusing in the early stages of this autumn when these devices really get going. Wouldn’t you love to see these manufacturers decide to get these devices in big boxes? I doubt that will happen given the different price points and the low margins.

- Warner Crocker

Engadget got a hold of some slides of Dell’s entry into the ultra-net-sub-mini-low cost-notebook market and it looks like Dell might have decided that Asus doesn’t own all the E’s in this space. Although the naming might change, at the moment it looks to be called the Dell ‘E.’ Not only do the slides reveal an 8.9 inch ultra-portable, but also a 12.1 inch model called the ‘E Slim,’ which is going after the thin market. Supposedly the ‘E Slim’ is 0.8 inches thick.

Other interesting news from the Engadget post, Dell is also adding in Linux based Instant On called BlackTop. No conclusive evidence as to whether or not this is related to Splashtop.

And the price on the Dell E starts at $299.

Check out more slides here.

- Warner Crocker

Yesterday I asked the question Where are the MIDs? Today via UMPCPortal we’re seeing that Intel is kinda, sorta talking about MIDs at Computex on their Chip Shots blog. I don’t think there is any real info there beyond the typical “things are going according to plan.”

On another front, Kevin Tofel is pointing to an InfoWorld article that says Intel is waiting for a hit product to get the MID Market rolling. Are we talking chickens and eggs here? That’s how I read that article.

Confusing? You betcha. I still maintain that due to the apparent surprising success with the ultra-net-mini-low-cost-portable line of mobile devices and Intel’s long term roadmap for the MID platform that we are looking at 2008 before we see MIDs on the market with any significant impact. Especially if the InfoWorld headline is to be believed.

 

 

- Warner Crocker

It has been quite a busy few weeks for mobile minded geeks these days. First the world was swamped with ultra-net-mini-sub-low-cost PCs from Computex. Then Apple released its much anticipated iPhone 3G, and now we’re seeing that HP is announcing a slew of new notebooks and devices. Throughout all of this, especially at Computex, there was very little news about that exciting new MID platform from Intel we’ve been hearing and writing about since CES. Yes, a few companies made some noise on that front (UMPCPortal has a quick run-down) and this morning Pocketables brings word that the Digifirends MID (pictured below) is heading to the US sometime soon with “contracted sales through Sprint and NextWave.”

We know that Intel has pushed back the rollout from early summer to later in the fall, but the absence of further news is intriguing. I’m not sure if they are just letting the ultra-net-mini-sub-low-cost PCs and iPhone 3G news runs its course, or if we’re looking at more possible delays.

I keep reminding myself of Intel’s very straightforward talking points at CES. What we would see in the MID platform in 2008 was only the beginning. The roadmap for 2009, 2010, and beyond was what this was all about. The deeper we get into 2008, I wonder if we aren’t seeing some re-evaluation of time lines and release dates, regardless of what the issues are. On many levels that only makes sense.

For now we’ll just have to wait and see.

UPDATE: Turns out we and just about everyone else got some info wrong on the DigiFriends MID. There is no deal with Sprint and NextWave for the sale of this device at the moment. DigiFriends does not have a 'contract' but they are in 'contact.'