In February 2007, Sony will make available a flash version of the VAIO UX Micro PC, which sold out completely at sonystyle.com. The newest version of the device is the Sony UX390N Premium Micro PC, which comes equipped with everything that the original version did, as well as wireless LAN and WAN access, a complete keyboard, and a 4.5" widescreen display. The major difference between the new UX390N Premium Micro PC and the original VAIO UX Micro PC is that the latest version has a 32GB flash memory drive.

The inclusion of the 32GB flash memory drive means faster speeds for booting up, running applications, and writing data to the harddrive. It also means more reliable data storage because there are no moving parts which are more susceptible to damage due to falls and collisions. The lack of a spinning disk also means a longer battery life.

The Sony UX390N Premium Micro PC is Windows Vista ready. It will be available in black in February, when it will go on sale for about $2,500.

Samsung Electronics America at the CES 2007, announced the new Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) model, the Samsung Q1P SSD which is truly unique as it uses a SSD solid state flash memory-based hard drive instead of a conventional rotational media-based hard drive.

The Samsung Q1P SSD has been equipped with 32GB of SSD (solid-state NAND) flash memory and has a faster boot time, when compared to traditional models. It is also capable of reading 300 times faster (53 MB/s) and writes 150 percent faster (28 MB/s) than models with typical hard drives.

The Q1P SSD runs on the Intel Pentium M ULV 1.0 GHz Processor and uses Windows XP as its OS. It comes bundled with 1GB of RAM and is equipped with 7" WVGA Touch Screen (280 nits, 800x480). Measuring around 9.0 x 5.5 x 1.0 inch, the UMPC also includes Two USB 2.0 , I/O Port , One Type II CF card, H/P Jack, VGA, DC-In

The Samsung Q1P SSD model's battery life is also much better and would also include features like; WiFi and Bluetooth for easy Internet access. One will also come across the AVS Now feature, allowing users to enjoy a host of multimedia applications, including video, movies, music and still photos, without booting up Windows. The Q1P SSD UMPC is currently available with an MSRP of $1,999 (U.S. Market).

HP is all set to launch a new tablet pc, the upcoming HP tx1000 widescreen convertible tablet is based on the the popular Pavillion series and is outfitted with a twistable touch-screen. This one too will be Windows Vista capable and also comes bundled with a removable LightScribe-compatible DVD burner (we like!). Other features include; built-in webcam, fingerprint reader,12.1-inch widescreen LCD, 5-in-1 flash card reader, Altec Lansing stereo speakers, dual headphone jacks, an HP mini remote control, WiFi, twin omni-directional microphones and so on! No word on pricing or availability and HP is playing the guessing game with us techies!

Here's a sweet little Wireless Tablet Client from ViewSonic: the V212/V212x client just got approved from the FCC. The tablet features easy-access buttons like mouse right/left click and browser quick launch. It includes a microphone and speaker as well. The screen is a largish 10.4" TFT active-matrix LCD running at 800x600 (V212) or 1024x768 (V212x) resolution.

The V212 tablet client features a VGA port at the back, as well as two USB ports, predictably for a keyboard and mouse. There's also a CF card slot, which is good. The tablet runs Windows CE 5.0, and is bundled with WordPad, Citrix client and Word/Excel/PowerPoint viewers.

The tablet client can run off the included battery or from an AC source. It supports 802.11 b/g WLAN standard and has a status indicator LED on the front, indicating signal strength. At the heart of the V212 is an Intel X-Scale PXA27X processor running at 520MHz.

No word on its availability or price, but it should be out soon. Check out the extended entry for complete product specs.

LG's "e-book" has nothing to do with those electronic books you can download. Instead, it is an "ecological notebook" that is fed by fuel cell batteries. The batteries work on natural gas, methanol, and other "Earth-friendly" kinds of liquefied fuel. It recently received a Red Dot Award nomination for "Best Concept Design" for 2006.

I can see why. It's about time someone invented a notebook with a convenient carrying handle. I'm always afraid that I'm going to drop mine, or something. Anyway, this little number also comes with 4 OLED displays and, as you can see by the keyboard, sensitive control elements.

American Power Conversion (APC) has announced five new additions to its Power Ready Notebook Case line. Each of these have places for the electronic notebook, necessary cables, as well as places for PDAs and cell phones, all in a compact and padded storage area.

The models include The Power Ready Notebook Messenger, priced at $39.99, which has an over-the-shoulder design with front panel pocket designed for mobile devices. The Power Ready Notebook Saddle Bag allows you to carry the case over the shoulder or as a backpack at a price of $59.99. The Power Ready Slim Notebook Backpack, priced at $59.99, includes a cable jack and storage for headphones on the shoulder strap, for convenient access to music. The Power Ready Notebook Backpack is a larger case that features a separate notebook compartment for a price of $59.99. The Power Ready Notebook Roller has an upright design and locking handle, and has a price of $89.99.

All of these models should be available in December, to hold all your notebook and other mobile electronic needs.

Fujitsu has announced a step up on the Tablet PC market with the ST5100 series. Two models, the Stylistic ST5111 and the ST5112 are loaded with excellent features.

Each of them is Windows Vista ready at less than an inch thick, with six to nine hours of computing time. They are packed with an Intel U2500 processor, 4GB of DDR2 memory, and 100GB HDD. As for ports, this thing has a FireWire port, a PCMIA, and Gigabit Ethernet. It is also fully capable of both WiFi and Bluetooth.

The only difference between the two is the screen size. The ST5111 is a 12 inch, and the ST5112 has a 10.4 inch. The Fujitsu Stylistic ST5100 Tablet PCs are available now, at prices starting at $2199.

Lenovo today announced that it is going to launch the all new Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet PC. Weighing at 3.8 pounds, the company claims that it is the lightest in its class. It offers new, combined MultiView/MultiTouch screen features in a convertible tablet PC and two new screen choices and other innovative Lenovo features.

The Lenovo X60 Tablet boasts of a 12.1" anti-reflective/anti-glare display with a 170 degree viewing angle. Screen resolutions of 1024x768 (XGA) and 1400x1050 (SXGA+) are available with the X60 Tablet. Intel Low Voltage Core Duo and Ultra Low Voltage Core Solo are supported as is up to 4GB of DDR2 memory and up to a 120GB hard drive. Most Thinkpad X60 tablet models come loaded with Windows Vista Capable and some Vista Premium Ready.

On the connectivity side, the tablet features 802.11b/g wireless or 802.11b/g/n wireless and a built-in WWAN module. It also gets Thinkpad stalwarts like an integrated fingerprint reader, ThinkVantage Active Protection System for the HDD and integrated TrackPoint. The X60 Tablet will begin shipping in December of this year at a starting price of $1,799.

More more info, check out the Lenovo ThinkPad X60

There is something just inherently cool about the new R1 notebook PC from Asus. Not only can the R1 have the much anticipated Vista operating system, but the screen can also do a nifty 180 pivot which can be a real cool thing for presentations.

I guess it’s the fact that it can be used like a whiteboard is what sells me. That device that suited-sleeve guy is using to write is called the Digipen, and it allows you to record and edit images as easy as with paper. Not only do you have color and highlighter options, but the virtual pen has another end that acts as an eraser. I think I’ve seen things in sci-fi movies that look like this.

Not certain how much it costs, or when it will be out, but if I have the money to spare at that point, I would buy it.

Not certain when the Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) is going to peak, but perhaps the Arima UM650UV1 might help. This is probably one of the lightest UMPCs, weighing in at 1.5 pounds.

Looks like the UM650UV1 comes with a 6.5 TFT with WVGA (800 x 480 resolution. The memory is about 512 MB on board, with DDR2-533. What we don’t know right now is whether it has Wireless LAN (802.11 b and g) or Bluetooth 2.0. My sources can’t decide if those two features are internally or externally based. Looks like it has a battery life of 4-5 hours.

Since the details that I have are so sketchy, I don’t know anything about a release date or pricing. I don’t even know whether that keyboard in the picture is for real, either. It doesn’t look like it.

So far, the world of Ultra-mobile Personal Computers (UMPC) hasn’t really “taken off” just yet. I mean, everybody and their dog has a cell phone, but very few consumers have taken the plunge and bought the latest UMPC.

If you are in that “got to have the latest UMPC” minority, you should check out Independent Pioneer’s IPbook A1. This baby’s got a VIA 1 GHz processor, 40 GB Hard Drive, and 512 MB of RAM. This is definitely good specs for supporting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as optional GPS and DMB.

Not only that, this is the first electronic device called a book that actually looks like a book. It kind of reminds me of those Bibles with the zippers on the side. You know what I’m talking about. By the way, what kind of Windows is this UMPC supporting, if any?

I’m guessing since Independent Pioneer is a Korean company, the IPbook A1 will probably limit its release to Asia. However, that is just a guess. The planned release date is Novemeber, at about a price of $850 USD.

This is a first for Nokia. The company finally released its first-ever personal navigation device, the new Nokia 330 Auto Navigation. While earlier reports hinted at the Nokia 330 being a tablet PC, it is now confirmed that it is a GPS device.

Primarily targeted at European markets, the Nokia 330 features a big 3.5" color touch-screen. Offering voice and visual directions, the 330 guides you to your destination. The device also offers quick address look-ups.

The 330 includes a GPS receiver and comes with European maps, helping in your journey across countries. Maps and detailed travel information, including points of interest, are pre-installed on a 2GB memory card. The device lets you select 2D/3D map views as well as language for the voice prompts.

Entertainment options are aplenty, with a music/video player and photo viewer. Map data is provided by Navteq and the software is driven by Route 66 Navigate 7. "Nokia 330 Auto Navigation complements the recently announced GPS and navigation solutions from Nokia. Finding your way across Europe is simple with this comprehensive navigation package, including an integrated GPS receiver and European maps," said Razvan Olosu, vice president, Multimedia Enhancements at Nokia.

The Nokia 330 carries a price tag of €360 (excluding taxes). Expect it in Q4 2006 - just in time for the holidays.

Nothing like a good old leaked image to get the techie adrenaline flowing. We have for you the Nokia 870 Tablet in all its glory and this one is a follow-up to the equally lip-smacking Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. No word on the features (darn) but it does have a little webcam in addition to a Megapixel camera and also has VOIP functionality. Sweet! Keep watching this space for more Nokia goodness!

Via CrunchGear

Japanese company NEC has something to brag about with its new VersaPro digital notebook. The notebook itself sports a 15.4 inch TFT widescreen and an integrated graphical adapter. It also has 256 MB worth of memory with Microsoft Windows XP Professional software.

However, some of its more prime features have to do with security. It comes with a built-in fingerprint scanner so only the user can access it. It is also equipped with a port for non-contact FeliCa payment cards, so you can shop the internet via mobile phone.

All in all, not bad. I wonder if there is plans to send this notebook overseas. Maybe.

Durable enough for military agenda; Catcher (Communications And Telemetry Computing Handheld for Emergency Response) announced the new rugged yet lightweight UMPC made to go the distance.

Built with an Intel™ Pentium 1.7 GHz processor and considered an “all-in-one” box, the Catcher features 2 digital VGA cameras, biometric sensors (very important at that next meeting to detect signs of life), Bluetooth, WiFi, CDMA/GSM cellular support, full-motion video and video conferencing, a digital voice recorder, and a 6.4 inch sunlight-readable display, speakers, microphone, headset jack and a proprietary multi-band antenna. Packed in is a 40 GB Hard Drive with 2GB of Ram.

Whether you’re known for walking into walls, or always on the go in unexpected environments, Catcher is resilient. Capable of withstanding extreme temps (-30c to 55c), high humidity, dust, and 3 food drops to the cement, still it weighs only 5.8 pounds and delivers 8 hours of power. This war toy has no price tag yet; but will set you back at least $5,000.

Via onlyUMPC

Seems some tech talkers have already gotten their hands on the new Pepper Pad 3 Web Tablet- so it is right about time we give you the specs. Improving on the original, this Pad (created in partnership between HanBit Electronics and Pepper Computer) is bigger in content, with applications galore, and brighter, touchscreen included, yet smaller sized, making it simple to carry.

The Pepper Pad 3 is a Linux running based internet tablet, weighing in at only 2 lbs. and measuring less than 1” thick. It is also life resistant and made to handle simple splashes and bumps, making it appropriate to have around the apartment, or bring out to your next luncheon.

Enhanced performance includes – Firefox; said to run 3-4 times faster than the original, and a substantially more responsive user interface- meaning faster load time for Web content or movie display, or switching in between. The big change is due to the AMD processor, built with a more efficient system architecture.

Included on the Pepper Pad are features like Bluetooth, WiFi, a full QWERTY keyboard, USB connectivity and a built-in video camera. DVD quality movies can be viewed on the Pad’s 800x480, 7" screen. Infrared and UPnP capabilities, allow users to wirelessly control their PC, TV, stereo and set-top boxes, with support for hundreds of existing and future A/V devices.

Included applications are secure and considered low maintenance allowing for easy use- without configuration and tech support struggles.

To hype sales- there has been a promotion extended; the new Pepperpad 3 can be purchased for $500, with submitting of the serial number of an existing Pepperpad.

Via Crunchgear

Info has broken about the new Fujitsu Tablet PC designed to follow and supersede Fujitsu’s P1510, through Tablet PC fanatic; Hugo.

The P1610 has an 8.9 inch WideXGA Resistant touchsceen that works at your discretion, comes stocked with 512 MB, and houses an 80 GB HDD measuring only 1.8 inches. The Fujitsu P1610 is also Ethernet/modem, LAN, WLAN, Intel 3945ABG, Bluetooth, G sensor, and UMTS antenna integrated.

This makes my huge hunka laptop self conscious.

(Feel free to watch Hugo's video showcasing the device... but it is lengthy)

Umpcbuzz via Ubertablet

What's better than having a 17" LCD monitor? A monitor that doubles up as a graphic tablet, that's what! Adesso has just the thing for you: the Adesso CyberTablet M17 is a unique 17" LCD display that instantly turns into a graphics tablet for digital pen-based applications.

A definite boon for cartoonists, the monitor strives to reach the goal of a paperless office. It not only allows annotation of documents, but also sports handwriting recognition.

The CyberTablet M17 comes complete with a free copy of PhotoImpact XL to enhance your photos. The active tablet space measures 13.3" x 10.7", and the hi-res monitor supports up to 1280x1024 pixel (SXGA) resolution. The included pen features 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Compatible with both Windows and Mac, the Adesso CyberTablet M17 carries a price tag of US $1,699.99.

Double the capability of its 700w Treo Verizon twin, the 700wx, specially made for Sprint, comes armed with a reported 64 mb of RAM amidst other yet unnamed tweaks- sure to make Verizon users cringe at their commitment to contract.

Rumors of device first appeared on message boards with screenshots of a Sprint PCS connection manager listing a 700wx driver install as an option.

With new information about release date and photos of containing device box; were as sure as to call this confirmation.

Reuters posts that Palm plans an official press release for at least one of its newer Treo offspring, on September 12th, but with approximate 700wx release dates being suggested as August 27th for business consumers,and September 3rd for general retail-
we can't wait for formalities.

Via EngadgetMobile

UPMC’s have not really caught on but I think that’s mostly due to the lack of options out there. Anyways that’s just my two cents and the latest UMPCs /Ultra-Mobile PC comes from the stables of TabletKiosk. The new eo™ i7209 and eo™ i7210 are being powered by the Ultra Low Voltage processors by Intel and sport all the current technologies out there.

All the models in the eo™ i7200 series include an integrated 1.3 Mega pixel CMOS camera with video capture capabilities, a built-in, 4-in-1 media card reader (supports SD/SDIO/MMC/MS) for viewing and storing digital photos and videos and also sport connectivity options like 802.11 b/g wireless LAN and Bluetooth v1.2. This new series have the Microsoft® Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 with Touch Pack as its operating system and is also
Microsoft® Windows Vista™ capable.

The UMPC’s feature a high resolution 7” LCD touch screen with handwriting recognition, an onscreen keyboard, voice recognition, external control devices, a full roaming thumb joystick and dedicated left and right mouse buttons. Where as the eo™ i7210 would include configurations like Intel® Pentium® M 1.0 GHz ULV / 1 GB DDR2 RAM / 60 GB HDD , on the eo™ i7209 one would see specs like Intel® ULV Celeron® M 900 MHz ULV / 512 MB DDR2 RAM / 30 GB HDD.

The eo™ i7200 series comes bundled with the eo™ i72DC Docking Cradle in addition to four additional USB 2.0 Ports, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Networking Port, S-Video Outand VGA Out with Dual monitor support. It has been designed to be compatible with standard computing accessories, including monitor, mouse and optical drive. For an enhanced graphical experience, the company has incorporated Intel 915GMS with embedded 3D engine with Full Direct X9 Compliance and includes dual display support.. No word on pricing but the UMPCS’s should be available by August end. For more info head over to www.tabletkiosk.com.

Xplore Technologies(R) Corp has expanded its line of rugged mobile computers by adding the new iX104C3 Tablet PC with finger print reader. This new tablet PC also includes an user accessible hard drive and PC card bay which gives the consumer better control over the material especially if it’s sensitive.

The iX104C3 Tablet PC is RoHS Compliant and thus is environment friendly. It has a host of connectivity options including wLAN, wWAN, PAN (Bluetooth) and GPS wireless options. This rugged PC can pretty much handle anything and is housed in magnesium alloy casing and includes a shock mounted hard drive and a enhanced XGA display. It is powered by Intel processors and can withstand the extremities of Mother Nature like vibration, extreme temperatures, moisture, and dust. For more info visit: http://www.xploretech.com/index.pl

No word on pricing or availability.

Onlyumpc Via Gizmodo

C1 is not an Origami, its an Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC). C1 features a 8.4-inch touchscreen SVGA display with resolutions of 800 x 600, 80GB of HDD, 1GB DDR RAM, an AGP graphics interface, PC slot, Bluetooth connectivity, Ethernet LAN connection and 802.11b/g wireless connection. The whole system is powered by 1GHz Via Eden CPU. That last feature is big because it allows cards for GPRS / GPS / 3G / Etc connectivity. It doesn't run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or come with the Origami/UMPC touch pack software. What is it then? Anyone knows? We will keep you update on this.

[via jkOnTheRun]

The Top (And Only) Ultra Mobile PCs

A new category of PC called the "Ultra Mobile" has generated a lot of interest, enthusiasm and scorn, depending on your point of view. Positioned halfway between a notebook and a PDA, the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) bears a striking resemblance to the "tablet" PC. Does this remind you of the Apple Newton? I never bought one of those, either. The first thing I noticed in the new UMPC reference platform is the conspicuous lack of a keyboard. It does however, have an optional external keyboard, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the ultra portable concept by giving you another piece you have to carry around with you.

The concept, promoted and designed by Microsoft and Intel, does go a step beyond tablets and PDAs by delivering a full-fledged PC platform, which overcomes a lot of the limitations of existing handhelds and PDAs. The UMPC runs the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. Easy Internet access also gives the UMPC an edge over smaller hand-helds and cell phones with Internet access and web surfing, due to its larger seven-inch screen. I have never surfed the web with a cell phone, and would not look forward to trying to do so on a one-inch screen; the UMPC's larger display makes surfing more doable.

Read More...

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Number 2: And speaking of keyboards, here's one with the real thing. Sony's VAIO VGN-UX50 Micro PC, priced at $1799.99, has a smaller form factor than the others with a 4.5 inch screen, and technically Sony calls it a "Micro" PC and not an UMPC, but as they say, "if it looks like a duck..." It comes with wireless LAN and Bluetooth technology, GPS, and plenty of entertainment and multimedia features. Biometric fingerprinting is also available, and Sony's put it to good use. You can protect access to your applications and secure web sites without having to type your passwords in.

Although the difference is about 14GB of less disk storage, its worth the production. Why? The comparison of the integrated 16GB flash memory of the UX micro PC and 30GB internal HDD of micro PC are indeed awesome. With the 16GB of flash memory in the UX micro PC, its speed performance is way too fast to be compared. For example opening up a Microsoft Outlook program is about 1.5 seconds which is 6 times the speed of the internal HDD UX micro PC that takes about 9 seconds.

Starting up the whole 16GB flash memory UX micro PC takes only 5.6 seconds which is 3 times faster than the other modes that take 17 seconds. By using a flash memory technology instead of a internal HDD it will give the battery a longer life by 13%. Probably some of you might say, increasing operation hours does not really benefit me. OK, then what about the hit impact improvement? Whenever you happen to drop your Sony UX micro PC, you won't need to worry about any data lose comparing to internal HDD. A slight hit will probably harm the whole hard disk if it is on operation.

Other models of the Sony UX micro PC weigh about 520 grams and I would say I'm very happy with this one as it only weighs 492 grams. Cutting down 28 grams is a big work for them. The newest models of VGN-UX90PS and VGN-UX90S boast 4.5 inch WSVGA display screen and 512MB of RAM. It has an operation time of 4 hours and 8 hours for a separated battery pack. The whole UX micro PC will be powered by either Core Solo U1400 (1.20GHz) or Core Solo U1300 (1.06GHz) processor which runs on Windows XP. This incoming models of the SONY VAIO type U will hit the street price of 209,800Yen which is about USD1,807, its on its way to USA and Europe soon.

[via Sony]