Showing: All entries for April, 2006


19Apr2006

Should we blame intel for high costs?

Posted by Joe in General. 2 Comments

Sources say that Microsoft originally planned the UMPC with VIA and hence the price tag of $500 to $700 that bill promised, later they found that OEMs preffered intel over via for its brand name and identity. TG daily reports…

Market sources indicated that Microsoft originally planned to partner with VIA Technologies to promote its Origami Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC), as VIA’s C7-M embedded processor is priced at $700-800, compared to the Intel Celeron M and Pentium M series at $1200-1400. VIA’s chip, however, is not preferred by OEM vendors, including Samsung Electronics and Asustek Computer, because of Intel’s stronger brand awareness and R&D capability, according to the sources.

In another article DigiTimes also states…

Samsung, however, could be in the development phase of incorporating VIA’s C7-M embedded processor in UMPC models, the sources stated.

VIA’s C7-M embedded processor has been adopted by Japan’s PBJ, DualCor and TabletKiosk, according to the company, which believes that its embedded processor line will be a major contributor to its performance in 2006.

VIA, however, declined to comment on news of a potential order from Samsung. Samsung spokesperson Ken Noh, in response to recent speculations that Samsung will roll out an entry-level UMPC using VIA’s chip in the second half of 2006, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that the company has no agreement with VIA

The stock price for VIA closed at above NT$29 on April 18, rising from NT$28.7 on April 17

So, is this the reason that Microsoft announced the UMPC, along with Intel did not even make note of the TabletKiosk or the SmartCaddie, which infact hit the market even before Samsung, Founder and ASUS. One more interesting thing was the processor and the Chipset from VIA, If VIA had not know about the UMPCs why would it spend time and R&D in developing such a processor that seemed to be fitting the UMPCs more than any other mobile out there.

Sources [TG Daily | DigiTimes]

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18Apr2006

UMPC on your Coffee Table

Posted by Joe in General and Videos. 0 Comments
UPDATE: You can now watch video right here - thanks hugo & you tube, life is lot easier this way.

Remember Hugo(yes yes, the same guy with ea coffee cup in a red shirt), yes the one who created a UMPC prototype demo on a touch screen using the UMPC Emulator, is back with a demo of UMPC being used as a Remote Control. It is really interesting to see that UMPC will not be just “Ultra Mobile PC” but a GPS, Mp3 player, Movie Player, Remote Control, Kids gadget, pilots assistant… oh the list seems to be endless as time passes by - Wait all these before even it has hit the shelves, imagine the possiblities

Watch the Video here (you’ll need to download this) | Source [UberTablet]

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18Apr2006

Kids love the “Oreo” - Video Review of TabletKiosk eo

Posted by Joe in Reviews and Videos. 1 Comment

We’ve seen the Video Review of TabletKiosk eo by James (jkOnTheRun) a while back. Now its Rob Bushway (GottaBeMobile)’s turn i guess. This review takes a different approach. Here is what Rob Says…

My kids like calling it “the Origami� and “the Oreo�, my son says it feels just like a PSP or Gameboy, others refer to it as a UMPC or Ultra Mobile PC – whatever it is we name it, it is obvious that Microsoft and Intel have isolated a real “personal� niche. TabletKiosks eo is our real first look at this new form factor and the “Origami experience�. Please use this video review and my “initial thoughts� post as a total review on the TabletKiosk eo and the Origami experience.

In this video review of TabletKiosk’s eo, I take a look at the eo itself, showing my kids interaction with it, an interview with my 11 year old son Dax, overview of the eo, size comparisons with the LS800, software screenshots, handwriting demonstration, resolution demonstration, DialKeys demonstration, and then some closing thoughts. The things that I didn’t mention are covered in the “initial thoughts� post, and if I didn’t cover your particular question or needs, post a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them. I tried encoding this video as a .wmv, but the formatting of the video just never measured up to a quality I was pleased with, so I chose to stick with the embedded Flash Video format

Things that I didn’t cover in the video:

  • Screen rotation is not implemented in the eo – I tried it and it does not work. To be honest, I didn’t miss it and would probably find the experience miserable due to screen real estate issues anyway. The only value I see in portrait with this form factor would be in book reading.
  • I ran out of time to get some outside shot comparisons between the LS800 and the eo. I will tell you that the screen is very nice, but in direct sunlight, it is not viewable. That said, the LS800 VA in direct sunlight is not too viewable either.
  • I had to revert to screen shots verses Camtasia screen recordings for some of the software demos due to some issues with merging multiple avi files together in our current editing software. In addition, the mic on the prototype eo wasn’t working, so that compounded the issue. For the most part, the screen shots captured what I wanted to communicate anyway.

View the Video | Source [GottaBeMobile]

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18Apr2006

VIA lands UMPC order from Samsung

Posted by Joe in Hardware and Samsung. 1 Comment

This looks promising, If samsung can get the cost down to $700, perfect. Digotal MEdia Asia reports thats

Taiwan chip maker VIA Technologies has been selected by Samsung to provide embedded chips for its Microsoft ultra mobile personal computers (UMPCs), according to a report from Digitimes.

Microsoft unveiled its UMPC product idea at the CeBIT IT trade show in March. Microsoft will provide software and general reference designs for the products, which will be about half the size of typical laptops, but different manufacturers will produce the hardware.

The Samsung UMPC will be one of the first to hit the market in the second half of 2006. The device, which is expected to retailer for around $700, will be embedded with VIA’a C7-M microprocessor and VX700 chipset [...]

via [DM Asia] | Read on

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17Apr2006

Exploring the Ultra Mobile PC with Ultranauts

Posted by Joe in Analysis and General. 0 Comments

Ultranauts has the top 10 predictions for the UMPC. Well atleast one (Prediction #2) of which has come true as Microsoft soft is already developing a Media Center Extender. Here is a peek at it.

  1. The UMPC will get off to an extremely slow start
  2. The UMPC will have a place next to your TV remote
  3. A dedicated peripheral industry will emerge
  4. The “Internet Cohort� generation will make the UMPC a cool tool
  5. The UMPC will not be an ideal gaming platform
  6. The UMPC will have limited penetration into vertical markets/applications
  7. The UMPC could play a big role in the automotive market
  8. The UMPC will reap the rewards of open source and alternate OSs
  9. Someone will step in and help you pay for your UMPC… for a price.
  10. In one mighty blow, the UMPC will displace the high-end PDA, the PMP and everyone’s favorite underdog, the TabletPC.

Remember these are just headlines, make sure you read them all in detail [Click here]

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