How many times have you heard one of your colleagues saying that a certain BlackBerry saved his life? Well what if someone told you that a RIM handset was exactly the piece of mountain equipment needed to save a man from falling over 700 feet and most likely dying?

David Fitzherbert is the guy in question. He was skiing in Switzerland when he dropped for about 70 feet until he was finally trapped between two rocks thanks to its Berry in his breast pocket. That extra thickness saved him for continuing the drop towards an imminent death. Simply amazing! Not to mention that RIM can use a whole different selling pitch now: BlackBerry Saves Lives!

From now on remember to pack your smartphone whenever you’re going on vacation, no matter what your friends tell you. And no matter if you’re not going to have good reception!

via TheSun

Tags: Accidents, BlackBerry, Projectors, RIM, smartphone, switzerland, Ultra Mobile PCs, Virgin Mobile

Viliv has a new MID for us, the X70 and this time is a 7-inch model. It has the same size of those first Eee PC netbooks but the only difference is that it doesn’t come with a keyboard. The X70 is the follower of the S5 and it will offer you a WSVGA screen, an 1.2/1.3GHz Atom processor, 16 or 32GB of SSD storage space, HSPA, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS and XP. The device is ready to boot Windows XP in less than 5 seconds and it has an impressive battery ready to offer you about 5.5 hours of video playback. All that will be available for just $599, which is the same price its predecessor, the S5 carried. Now imagine if Apple had launched an iPhone-like MacBook tablet/netbook. Would it look anything like this?

via dynamism

Tags: iPhone, Laptops, MacBook, MID, Mobile News, Portable Devices, s5, tablet, Ultra Mobile PCs, Viliv, X70

We are not sure if Apple has a netbook simmering this year, but if it looks anything like the above concept, they can be sure they have a winner in the mini-notebook segment too.  The above concept was designed by Adam Benton for MacFormat and looks like an iPhone that’s had one too many meals and runs iPhone OS 3.0.  The entire Home directory will be stored on a Apple cloud server and frequently used files are cached locally.  For charging, the netbook can be docked and also connected to a variety of devices using its USB and FireWire ports.  Integrated 3G connectivity to keep in sync with the Apple servers and Bluetooth A2DP audio profile round out its wireless options, and for those reticent about using the virtual keyboard, a hardware keyboard can also be paired via Bluetooth.

Sounds nice, right?  Let us wait and see if Apple has something that matches this concept or ups the ante a bit more.

(more…)

Tags: Apple, concept, Laptops, netbook, Ultra Mobile PCs

The age of androids and robots to assist humans has been heard of and with news that GeckoSystems has unveiled its own offering in the Carebot MSR 3.87, it looks like we are slowly advancing towards the future where both humans and robots will exist side by side.

“The new CareBot MSR 3.87 can automatically watch over grandma or the kids, patrol your home, and/or run errands for 8 to 14 hours continuously without recharging. This capability, along with GeckoTrak(tm) and internet-based video conferencing, enables our CareBot to perform like a family caregiver, enabling them watch over their loved ones, even when they can’t be there physically.”

GeckoSystems recently developed GeckoTrak(tm) hardware and software that enables the CareBot to automatically follow grandma from room to room. GeckoChat tells her when it’s time to take her medications, and can even remind her when her favorite television shows are coming on. GeckoChat is a specially designed assistive technology that enables caregivers to teach the CareBot what to say, and when.

The foregoing combination of sensor-fused technologies brings a new level of cost effective situational awareness to their adaptive, intelligent, multi-tasking personal care mobile robots. Situational awareness is the environmental understanding resulting from blended sensor systems and the common sense implications of those combined perceptions that enables the CareBot to “know” (i.e. be “situationally aware”), for example, when someone should be contacted immediately about the care receiver’s current condition.

(Source) Press

Tags: androids, Business, capability, care receiver, carebot, common sense, current condition, errands, family caregiver, geckochat, grandma, medications, Mobile News, mobile robot, mobile robots, perceptions, personal car, Portable Devices, sensor systems, situational awareness, television shows, Ultra Mobile PCs, video conferencing

NEC has unveiled a new 8-bit All Flash microcontroller (MCU) with integrated constant high-current drivers, and 32 kilobytes (KB) of flash memory, which expands the μPD78F8024 product line. The new device is suitable in applications such as home electric cookers, battery chargers, and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting.

Based on the µPD78F8024 MCU, an NEC Electronics’ all flash 78K0/KB2 MCU with integrated constant high-current drivers, the µPD78F8025 has expanded memory of 32KB to meet increasing software requirements.

NEC Electronics’ new µPD78F8025 MCU features:

• integration of an All Flash MCU and constant current driver in a single-chip for smaller board space and fewer off-chip components;
• NEC Electronics’ All Flash MCU with an A/D convertor, and I2C and UART interfaces, offering precise sensing and flexible communication interface;
• built-in current drivers with protection circuits for efficient and highly reliable drive systems. Both the new µPD78F8025 and µPD78F8024 devices offer higher performance in a compact single-chip design.

Samples of NEC Electronics’ μPD78F8025 device are available now, starting at US$5 per unit. Mass production is slated to begin in 2010, with expected monthly mass production of 4,000,000 units.

(Source) Press

Tags: battery chargers, board space, chip components, chip design, communication interface, flash memory, flash microcontroller, flexible communication, increasing software, Laptops, led lighting, mass production, mcu, microcontroller solutions, Mobile News, nec electronics, Portable Devices, protection circuits, Ultra Mobile PCs

The S5 MID from Viliv is finally available for pre-order. You will get it starting with May 8 if you decide to purchase it. The Atom-powered MID will be available from April 27th for $599 which is $50 less than previously expected. Besides that $50 off you will also get a free spare battery, a car kit and a leather pouch, an overall value of $135. What do you think? Are you excited to get the S5 or are you looking for something a little more wallet-friendly?

via dynamism

Tags: MID, Mobile News, Portable Devices, s5, Ultra Mobile PCs, Viliv

Slashgear has recently put up a video giving the breakdown, and walkthrough of Samsung’s forthcoming SWD-M100 Mobile Internet Device.

We don’t know much about the SWD-M100 other than it runs Windows Mobile 6.1, features an Opera browser, has an accelerometer, and 2-cameras; a 3MP one on the back and a 0.3MP on the front. There is also a microSD memeory card slot for memory expansion and a port for TV output.

Sounds, and looks, cool. I remember when UMPC’s first came out and they were all the rage, oh how the times have changed.

Tags: media, MID, mobile internet device, Mobile News, Samsung, Samsung, swd-m100, Ultra Mobile PCs

Taiwan-based electronics normally don’t get much attention. The brands they carry are virtually unknown. But you may be surprised at how some of these eye-popping gadgets gain attention when a familiar brand opts to carry them under their wing.

One gadget worth checking out is the Winmate Tablet PC V280. This PC tablet sports an elegant, practical design and aluminum-magnesium alloy construction with ports that are individually sealed with protective rubber plugs.

Features:
• 10.4-inch SVGA (800 x 600 pixel) display
• 4-wire resistive touch-screen
• Three (3) USB 2.0 ports
• RS232 connector
• Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 jack
• Microphone
• Headphone Jacks

These are perfect PC tablets that companies can use for industrial operations. A worthy investment to raise the level of business and technology common these days.

(Source) Rugged PC Review

Tags: aluminum, gadget, gadgets, pc tablet, Portable Devices, resistive touch screen, sports, tablet PC, taiwan, Ultra Mobile PCs

It’s never to late to see a new MID in action. And today we have one from Mio supposed to run on Windows Mobile. The device will feature a great 800 x 480 screen, GPS, WiFi, USB out, a full QWERTY keyboard and a 667MHz ARM processor. The MID will come with Windows Mobile 6.1 inside but since this is just a prototype for now Mio could always postpone the actual launch until Microsoft decides to give us Windows Mobile 7. We have no launch date available yet and there’s no price tag for it yet.

via jkOnTheRun

Tags: MID, mio, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Portable Devices, Ultra Mobile PCs, Windows Mobile

It hasn’t even been a full day since we last learned this thing actually existed and already images of it’s innards, spilled across a table, are circulating the internet.

For those of you not paying attention, the Sony Vaio P is Sony’s entrance into the netbook market. They market the product as the lightest 8″ netbook, clocking in at a mere 1.4 pounds, but theres a catch. Where the netbook suceeds in weighing close to nothing, it lacks in typical features.

But let’s be honest, for those with the money the lack of a traditional finger pad probably isn’t going to be an issue. Because really, who does work on these things anyways?

You can see the rest of the gallery to here, thanks to jkkmobile.

Tags: netbook, Sony, Ultra Mobile PCs, Vaio P

The Exper Style Netbook from Turkey is 8.9-inch in size and boasts superior features to allure the prospective buyer. The Netbook employs Intel’s Atom processor and 1GB RAM for faster processing. It has Windows XP Home Edition pre-installed and equips an 8GB SSD for storage.

About 1kg in weight, the Netbook supports 802.11 B/G Wireless standards and also includes digital webcam. The Exper Style 8.9 inch Netbook bears a price tag of about $470.

Via: ShiftDelete

Tags: Exper Style Netbook, netbook, Ultra Mobile PCs

HP will surely arrive at CES with a few new products including some new laptops. People even say that the company is going to release quite a few new notebooks later this year including the new Mini 1000 Mi.

While the Mini 1000 Mi will get you some of that mobile Internet as early as next week for a starting price of only $379.99 for the Linux edition, we don’t have any idea when the other new notebooks will arrive. And these are a 13.3 inch Pavilion dv3z starting from $799.99, a 16 inch dv6t starting at $679.99, a 17 inch Pavilion G70 starting at $799.99 and a 15.4 inch Compaq Presario CQ60 which will start at $469.99.

CES is closer and closer and we’re more and more interested in the marvels it will uncover.

via Engadget

Tags: Laptops, Ultra Mobile PCs, Uncategorized

Yup that’s it, no specs or other information, just the picture you see above. Apparently what you see above is ASUS’s new S121 netbook-laptop hybrid, complete with a 12.1-inch screen (hence S121?).

There’s no telling where this thing will be released first or if it will even hit the states but at least we know what it may look like.

More pictures below.

Read (Engadget)

Tags: ASUS, Laptops, Mobile News, netbook, Ultra Mobile PCs

We have a new Hello Kitty for you gals and girls. It’s the C1 Netbook which has the whole Hello Kitty mark on it. Like any other netbook it weighs under 3 pounts and it packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive and a 10.1 inch display. Two USB ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11b/g WiFi and the usual Windows XP Home complete the specs’ list.

But unlike any other netbook, the C1 has Hello Kitty written all over it. That’s why it would cost you no less than $890 to get it. Too much you say? I agree!

via cnet

Tags: C1, Hello Kitty, Laptops, Mobile News, netbook, Ultra Mobile PCs

Following the lead of its predecessor, the MSI Wind U120 shows one more time that affordability is again one of MSI’s priorities. With the same 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, a 160GB SATA hard drive, 1GB DDR2 RAM and weighing only 3 pounds this netbook could be the best choice if you have to travel a lot and you need a computer!

Here’s a full list of its features:

• CPU: Intel® Atom™ Processor 1.6GHZ
• Chipset: 945GSE + ICH7-M
• Graphic: Intel GMA950
• Memory: DDR2 6673 MHz 1G On Board
• Display: 10 inch (1024 x 600) LCD, LED Back-lit saving
• HDD: 160 GB (2.5 inch SATA)
• Card Reader: 4 in 1 (SD/MMC/MS/XD)
• I/O: D-Sub x1, USB 2.0 x 3, Mic In, Headphone, RJ45
• Battery: 6-Cell
• Wireless: 8.02.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V2.0EDR Intel® WiMAX Technology / 3.5G (HSDPA) Solution
• Webcam: 1.3 M
• Sound: 2 Speakers
• Dimension: 10.23″ x 7.08″ x 0.38″ ~ 1.29″
• Weight: ~ 3 lbs (w / 6-Cell Battery)

Choose between white or black and start enjoying the integrated 3.5G modem which will get you a fast internet connection! The netbook will cost around $550 and will arrive sometime next month. Possibly just in time for Christmas and possibly from your favorite carrier.

via liliputing

Tags: MSI, netbook, Portable Devices, U120, Ultra Mobile PCs, Wind

Is Psystar trying to get free publicity out of the the whole Apple trial situation? The company has launched a new Mac clone desktop equipped with a Blu-ray and a new NVIDIA GPU. Leaving the fact that Blu-rays and Mac OS don’t quite mix that easily yet aside, Psystar seems unstoppable. No matter what Apple’s lawyers have said so far the company is going forward with its product.

An open notebook is apparently being created by Psystar. Psystar has confirmed it so you can expect to see one soon. I wonder how much the Mac clone notebook will cost. And where will such a notebook be actually built?

via cnet

Tags: Apple, Laptops, Mac clone, notebook, Portable Devices, Psystar, software, Ultra Mobile PCs

Asus has another Eee PC ready for you. It’s the 10 inch Eee PC 1002HA. There’s nothing really particular here to see folks, although the features of the 1002HA might make you see it as a regular notebook. The netbook will sport a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD and a two-cell 4200 mAh battery. The Eee PC 1002HA will be arriving in Europe for €449, or about $565.

Tags: ASUS, Eee PC, Europe, Laptops, netbook, Portable Devices, Ultra Mobile PCs

HP has been involved in the netbook business for quite a while. After its 8.9 inch Mini-Note 2133 we’ve analyzed in the past, we have just seen the new HP Mini 1000. Well actually we haven’t really seen it, since it’s briefly shown on HP’s site (check image above). The link doesn’t point to anywhere yet but that’s going to change soon. We know the HP Mini 1000 is a 10 inch netbook and its starting price is $399. We’ll be waiting for the hot specs then! Maybe someone… cough… HP… cough… should write up a nice press release about it!

Tags: 1000, HP, Laptops, Mini, Mobile News, netbook, Ultra Mobile PCs

I thought this was another netbook launched by Dell when in fact it’s the same Mini 9 we’ve seen about a month ago. The Dell Vostro A90 it’s a netbook which will launched in Japan only for now, and it will cost around $972 which is way out of my league when it comes to netbook prices.

The price is preposterous considering the fact the A90 doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It’s the same Mini 9 inside a new case. Anyone readying this from Japan? What do you think?

Tags: Dell, Japan, Mini 9, Mobile News, netbook, Portable Devices, Ultra Mobile PCs, Vostro A90

We’re about six hours away of the Apple MacBook event and we are anxious to see if any of the rumors we’ve had so far will be confirmed. So far we’ve seen the Brick Aluminum design; we’ve heard about the Apple netbook which is supposed to cost around $900; we’ve seen Best Buy prices which also revealed different color schemes and we’ve read quite a lot about the price cut everyone is expecting.

We don’t know that many things about the Air and we hope we will be in for some surprises. As we did with other Apple events, we’re going to keep you updated later on today when we’re going to be covering the event.

Tags: Apple, event, Laptops, MacBook, Notebooks, Ultra Mobile PCs