25May2006
As promised the guys at Digital World Tokyo has a detailed review (or should we say preview) of the Sony Vaio UX Series.
It’s rare that a new product causes as much of a buzz as that surrounding Sony’s take on the UMPC that was announced here in Tokyo on May 16. Looking at the VGN-UX50 handheld PC in the flesh, as we have been doing for the last week, makes it easy to understand at least a little of the hype.
Put simply, the UX50 is one very attractive piece of kit — the sleek blacks and silvers it’s made of instantly ask that you pick the thing up and play with it. Realizing that there’s a Windows-based PC inside with all the functionality of a full-size laptop or desktop simply adds to the “wow� factor.
Throw in a few novelty items, such as the typically Sony IC-card reader, a touch-sensitive screen, a fingerprint scanner and a blue-backlit sliding keyboard for a pretty stunning first impression. In fact, it’s all very reminiscent of previous U series mini Vaios, but that’s another story.
What they reviewed/previewed?
The Japanese Vaio VGN-UX50 model we looked at costs ¥169,800 (US$1,550) and doesn’t include any office software. Adding Microsoft Office 2003 ups that by another ¥40,000. It weighs 520g, measures 15 x 9.5 x 3.2-3.8cm and battery life is rated at 3.5 hours.
U.S. versions of the UX series will have a range of processors to choose from and Cingular EDGE WAN integrated when they launch in July. Prices start at $1,800 [...Read the full preview here...]
NOTE: They seemed to have had some technical issues with this posting and there is something still missing in what they have posted, looks like it would be fixed soon. It’s fixed now
Share This
24May2006
We’ve seen and heard a lot of things about the UMPC. Lately there has been a lot of speculation about the Sony UX series, is this an UMPC or Sony’s answer to the UMPC?
According to Microsoft and Intel, when the UMPC was first announced they said: “The Ultra-Mobile PC is a new kind of computer. It combines the power of Windows XP with mobile-ready technologies that make it easy to access and use your software on the go” Till date we’ve seen many vendors with their own versions of UMPC. Now comes the Sony Vaio UX Series.
Sure it does have the features that all other UMPCs don’t have, but wait is it worth the $1800 - Well we are talking tech and not just style. Sure it does pack
- Intel® Core™ Solo Processor U1400 (1.20 GHz)
- 512 MB of RAM
- 30 GB of Storage with G-Sensorâ„¢ HDD Shock Protection
- 4.5″ Wide SVGA LCD, Touch Screen (will this be good enough for the applications that we run on it?)
- 2 Cameras (Why not have just one that rotates)
- Cingular EDGE Card buit in
- Integrated WLAN, WWAN, and Bluetooth® technology
- Integrated Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
- USB 2.0, Memory Stick Duoâ„¢ slot, headphone and microphone inputs
- Port replicator which includes three USB 2.0 ports, i. LINK®4, VGA, AV-out, Ethernet, and DC-in, and the VGA adapter includes ports for VGA, Ethernet, and AV-out.
- Built in Sliding Keyboard
Well may be, but we’ll have to wait to see the product in person to judge its features and ease of use. Some thing that really bothers me is the Screen Size, Yep Small is beautiful but when it comes to Screens everyone wants it BIG, and when it comes to gadgets smaller the better.
The unit comes pre-installed with Windows XP (SP2) and seems to be ready for Vista, From the pictures released so far it also appears that sony would pack its own version of touchpack to the product. With the sliding keyboard the need for dialkeys is gone. Yes in many ways the product specs and features looks very promising except for the price. Though the unit comes with microsoft streets installed the optional GPS reciever has to be purchased (price not announced yet)
More information on Sony Vaio UX Series
It would have been great if sony had packed the a SIM card slot in to it and made it a phone too (well it would not be much bigger than those black berries). Go ahead tell us what you think.
Share This
17Apr2006
Posted by Joe
in Analysis and General.
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.
- The UMPC will get off to an extremely slow start
- The UMPC will have a place next to your TV remote
- A dedicated peripheral industry will emerge
- The “Internet Cohort� generation will make the UMPC a cool tool
- The UMPC will not be an ideal gaming platform
- The UMPC will have limited penetration into vertical markets/applications
- The UMPC could play a big role in the automotive market
- The UMPC will reap the rewards of open source and alternate OSs
- Someone will step in and help you pay for your UMPC… for a price.
- 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]
Share This
17Apr2006
Posted by Joe
in Analysis and General.
There were a lot of discussions about the target market for the UMPCs. We even had a poll asking “Where do you think UMPC will fit in the Most?” with Personal, Business, Education and All of these as choices and about 50% felt it was a personal device. Now Darrly of Geekzone explores the posibilities of UMPCs on the Sky, If you are thinking as your personal device as a passenger you might not have all the fun (may be for about 2 to 3 hours with current batteries) But as a Pilot device this thing might rock! (well i’m not a pilot either. so if you are one, it might)
Interesting enough jkOnTheRun has a posting on Ultra Mobiles being used on aircrafts (this was with a Sony U-50/70 ultra-portable PC). So what do you think?
Share This
14Apr2006
Posted by Joe
in Analysis.
TG Daily has a nice article covering the major things that happened in the past week and the pricing.
Seoul (South Korea) - The Korea Herald reported Friday morning, Seoul time, that Samsung, Microsoft, and Intel have jointly announced the price and availability of the first UMPC to reach retail stores worldwide, Samsung’s Q1, unveiled last month in a worldwide event, and at the CeBIT show in Hannover. It will be available on 1 May (ironically, in “Q2″) under the brand name “Sens Q1,” and will sell for a suggested $1,250, though some sources are reporting pre-orders are being taken for as high as $1,400.
While sources following the UMPC scene - if there is one - are casting new theories about the possible rising cost of the new form factor, a Samsung source told the Herald that observers should take into account that the company’s own mainstream laptop system, the Q30, sells for easily twice that amount (about $2,500) in Korea.
Samsung’s Q1 UMPC
This news came as one of the new UMPC blogs trumpeted an announcement from Averatec, that had apparently been delayed days earlier, of a UMPC system called the AHI. Like the Q1, the AHI would run on an ultra-low-voltage Celeron processor, have Windows XP Tablet PC Edition pre-installed, and promises a battery life of six hours - instead of the 15 minutes the Q1 prototypes were displaying at CeBIT. The price, according to a source who had attended an Averatec briefing - and had taken home slides to prove it - would be just over $1,000, and may first sell to the European market [...] | Read on
Source [ TGDaily ]
Share This
