05Jun2007
If you look the UMPC market, it has been Amtek what has been doing the OEM for many brands. They are showcasing the U560 UMPC at Computex, the second generation of UMPC (which surfaced as a concept at the IDC)
The design initially was incorporated by Sony UX series and followed by the Concept that we saw from Averatec AHI (which seems to be delayed for quite some time now). This features a slide-up screen with full QWERTY keyboard, with a 4.8″ Screen supporting 1024 X 600 native resolution. The device is powered by Intel A110/A100 600MHz/800MHz processor(s) and polymer battery for a good 3600mAh pack with 2 cells. It also packs a 1.3 MP camera.
New U560 UMPC from Amtek [GottaBeMobile] | More pictures at AVING.net
17May2007
The first release of UMPC specifications were minimal and as things are getting more robust, the second version of UMPCs should be more powerful , slimmer and long lasting and ready for Vista. Though there are lots of UMPCs out there that support vista and some even with Aero, Microsoft seems to be getting ready with their next spec for UMPCs
… built-in QWERTY keyboard, 3-4 hrs battery life, 1GB of minimum Ram and less than 1.5 lbs
The second set of possible UMPC specifications under consideration calls for ultra-thin PCs that weigh less than 1.5 pounds, incorporate 5-inch or 7-inch displays .and are housed in an 18- to 20-mm footprint, executives said.
Potential features of the next-generation Origami design at the drawing board include an integrated QWERTY keyboard, a touch screen fully integrated into the LCD, at least 1 GB of memory, and battery life of between three and four hours, said Microsoft Vista development manager Vikram Madan, at the Windows Hardware Engineering conference…
Microsoft To Debut ‘Origami’ Ultra-Mobile PC Specs For Vista [Channel Web]
17May2007
Gigabyte has announced that their version of the UMPC will be ready in Taiwan starting May 22 with an initial shipment of 500 units. They are positive that the UMPC market will be successful estimating about 2 Million units by 2007.
The specifications of U60 are
- Genuine Microsoft®Windows®VISTA™Business or
Genuine Microsoft®Windows® VISTA™Home Premium or
Genuine Microsoft®Windows® VISTA™Home Basic
- VIA® Esther Mobile Technology
- VIA Esther ULV C7-M (1.0GHz~1.5GHz, 400/800MHz, 128KB/128KB L2)
- VIA VX-700 UniChrome Pro II Graphics Integrated
- DDR2-533 512MB on board (Max.768MB)
- 6.5” TFT-LCD WXGA, 800×480, with LED backlight
- with 3G support
all of this at an estimated price of US $920 (according to Gigabyte) but DigiTimes states a price tag of NT$26,900 (US$808).
Press Release | Product Page [Gigabyte]
16May2007
Fujitsu today unveiled the “FMV U8240″, We’ve seen and heard about this a lot, but here is the official word on it.
Tokyo, May 16, 2007 — Fujitsu Limited today announced the addition of the U Series of ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) to its FMV-LIFEBOOK line of notebook PCs. Intended for business users, the U Series is the world’s smallest tablet-convertible UMPC(1), weighing only 580g and with a thickness of only 26.5mm. The new series is available as of today. Combining the usability advantages of a UMPC with robust security features, the U Series has wide-ranging appeal as a powerful mobile machine…
The specs have not changed much from what we heard earlier
OS: Windows XP / Vista Business
CPU: Intel® Processor A110 (800 MHz)
RAM: 512 MB (DDR2 SDRAM)
HD: 20 GB
100BASE-TX
Security chip
and the pricing starts at JPY 144,000 (~USD 1200) to JPY 164,000 (~USD 1350) for the Vista and 1GB Ram.
Press Release [Fujitsu]
07May2007
As we heard, Samsung is ready with its Q1 Ultra to ship this month. The best part comes from the pricing part of it. Samsung has always been the first in this game, Even when the first generation of UMPCs were announced a year back, they were the first to hit the store shelves and even this time.
The biggest compliant about the UMPCs were the price and Samsung seems to have hit the sweet spot. Yes starting just at $799 with the native resolution of 1024 X600.
GottaBeMobile has the full specs compared and the availability of these devices. Here is a sneak peak at it
- Entry — $799
Windows XP Tablet on a Intel Ultra Mobile Processor A100 at 600Mhz, 1GB Ram, 40GB HDD, 1024 x 600 native resolution + all the standard features including Wireless LAN and Bluetooth
- Better Consumer — $1199
Vista Home Premium on a Intel Ultra Mobile Processor A110 at 800 MHz, 1GB Ram, 60GB HDD, 1024 x 600 native resolution + all the standard features including Wireless LAN, Bluetooth and HSDPA.
- Better Commercial — $1499
Vista Business on a Intel Ultra Mobile Processor A110 at 800 MHz, 1GB Ram, 80GB HDD, 1024 x 600 native resolution + all the standard features including Wireless LAN, Bluetooth and HSDPA.
- Best — yet to be announced
Vista Business Premium on a Intel Ultra Mobile Processor A110 at 800 MHz, 1GB Ram, 32GB SSD, 1024 x 600 native resolution + all the standard features including Wireless LAN, Bluetooth and HSDPA.
all of these with more than 4.5 hours of battery life, which has been the next biggget issue in UMPCs so far.
Press Release | Specs & Price Compared [GottaBeMobile]
