24Jan2007
The Soon to be launched Ameo (HTC Athena) from T-Mobile might cost you more than an average UMPC. Sources indicate the price of the device will be around $1500 USD. This device seems to be one of the original OEM device, Not a T-Mobile branded one and has the HTC logo on the top left.
UPDATE: Wired blogs is reporting that the device will only cost $650 with a 2 year contract (pretty close the iPhone price)
MS Mobiles has posted some key points from the original Russian version.
- estimated price: 1500 USD, release date: first half of 2007
- built-in TV out connector and VGA-out connector (yes, you can connect even external monitor to this phone!)
- operating system: Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition with AKU 3.3 - not Windows Mobile 6.0 Crossbow what means: release of this phone is imminent
- display: 640×480 (VGA)
- communications: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, USB 1.1 Host
- cameras: 3 megapixel + VGA (for video calling)
- battery: Li-Ion of capacity 2200 mAh (approx. 2 times the capacity of small Pocket PC phones)
- dimensions: 133×97x20 mm, weight: 350 g
- the construction of the phone is very solid and in HTC incarnation it is available in black color
- stylus does not give solid impression as the construction of the phone itself and is transparent
- in the front, in left upper corner, a small joystick is located (very similar to the one that can be found in Toshiba Tablet PC computers)
- this phone is clear a 2 handed device and after one attaches the keyboard it looks like a mini-notebook
- detachable keyboard uses magnet to attach to the phone so one should be careful not to place credit cards near this device - in order not to damage their magnetic strip
More Pictures after the jump — Continue reading ‘Ameo — First look & more pics’
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17Jan2007
If there is any news or update on the UMPC from Australia, you know it — it was not from Microsoft or Intel or Via but from Hugo Ortega. Hugo has posted 3 part video explaining why he moved from his tablet to the Samsung Q1 as this main computing device.
The following is a succinct three-part video documenting my thoughts and feelings towards Ultra-Mobile PC today and why I was able to replace my desktop, and therefore increase my productivity! So grab some popcorn and sit back and watch another episode of the UberTablet blog; or is that vlog?
Head over here for the Videos [Uber Tablet Blog]
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12Jan2007
Posted by Joe
in OQO, Reviews and Specs.
The OQO Model 2 that was announced at CES last week get the first look and a short review at Laptop Magazine, Verdicts 4.5 out of 5.
[...] Although the 1.5-GHz Via C7M processor is certainly faster than the Transmeta CPU that crippled the OQO model 01, you shouldn’t expect to do more than run productivity apps on this device. The model 02’s performance numbers were low; its 69 score on MobileMark 2005 is less than half than what Sony UX delivered. On the other hand, the model 02 booted up faster than its predecessor, and it opened and closed apps faster.
We were quite pleased with the model 02’s four hours of battery life. To get that endurance, however, you’ll need the double-capacity battery ($199 and included in this configuration). Those who work in short spurts can get by with the standard battery, which lasted for 1 hour and 54 minutes in our tests [...]
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05Jan2007
Posted by Joe
in Asus and Reviews.
If you still looking for varied reviews of the Asus R2H, head over to Brighthand, They have the detailed review of the Asus R2H UMPC. Here is the final verdict from them
Conclusion
The Asus R2H is a device, like other UMPCs, has a bit of an identity crisis. It certainly can’t replace a laptop or desktop as an everyday PC, but it’s too large to replace a PDA.
If you have specific needs and you know the R2 might fit those needs given its feature set, I can’t say it’s not worth trying the R2 out. The cool factor is high for having GPS, a web camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth all crammed into this pretty looking device.
I’ll definitely say it’s been a fun toy to play with. But I can’t shake that feeling that it is a bit of a toy and not much more than that. If Asus had of put in something better than the atrocious Celeron M 800MHz processor it’s a device I would have wanted to play with a bit longer, but alas they did not.
The cost of the device at around $1,000 makes this device worth recommending to curious geeks with a bit of disposable cash to spare, but outside of that the audience is limited.
Pros
- Nice looking with solid build
- Integrated GPS and mapping software
- Lots of ports available for such a small device
- Nice bright screen, great for showing pictures
- Very usable buttons that are nicely placed and thoughtful
- Built-in microphone and camera makes Skype or video chat easy
Cons
- Overall performance is horrible due to slow Celeron M processor, especially slow when in battery mode
- Kind of heavy and chunky for a UMPC
- Some included software is badly implemented and buggy, or just shouldn’t be there at all
- Hard to use the device with native screen resolution because some windows don’t fit on screen properly
- GPS was very finicky to get working.
They also have some more details and test results that has not appeared anywhere else - head over here to read more [Brighthand]
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11Nov2006
Remember that Kohjinsha UMPC alternative that we saw few days back. PC Watch of japan has reviewed the product, but for those who cannot read Japanese, we are limited to the automatic translators out there.
Read the translated Version [via engadget]
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