E-Lead NoahPad

So, E-Lead will apparently be showing off a new UMPC that looks (not-so-) surprisingly like the Eee PC that everyone has fallen in love with. The main differences are the lack of flash memory, a different distro of Linux, and some sort of weird input interface.

The specs are a 1GHz VIA C7 Eden processor, a 30 gig hard drive, and half a gig of RAM. Then there is the weird hinge that appears to have nearly 360 degrees of movement, oh, and the split keyboard touch interface looking thing that you apparently type with. The Noahpad actually runs the latest version of Ubuntu instead of some custom distro.

Apparently some recommended uses for this thing are a digital photo frame, GPS navigation, video conferencing, and hanging it from a hanger to watch a video while you fry and egg. Not much else is known other than that it will be unveiled at CES.

Hands-on with aigo MID

aigo MID (Gigabyte M528 in US) is 4.8 inches Intel Atom (Z500) based MID which is one of the first group MIDs presented in the world. (BenQ MID in another way is the first MID shown in IDF 2007 as a full function demo. unit). Before I meet the real machine of aigo MID, the first point in which aigo MID attracts my interest is it's Intel Atom processor (also known as Silverthorne). Intel Atom almost the main topic to be presented in IDF Spring 2008. Most of the devices and prototypes using Intel Atom or Diamondville were demonstrated in the IDF and I found aigo MID and LG MID were the representatives for MID engineering design.

The advantage of the Intel Atom (Silverthorne type + Intel Poulsbo) over it precedent, A100/ A100 (McCaslin), is not only the 45nm manufacturing process but also the theoretically 10 times less power consumption which means MID will have much more battery life than the current A100/A110 based UMPC or ULCPC.


My First Impression:
Apart from the interior Intel Atom processor, my first impression on aigo MID is it's size and weight! It is a real small and light and even lighter than Raon Digital Everun which is the smallest UMPC I've played before!
When you holding it, it is just like you are holding a PSP or NDS but with a x86 processing power! My HTC TyTN II weights ~200g and aigo MID is just 352g but with a larger screen size (4.8 in 800 x 480 res.) and full function browser which is what I have expected on a mobile internet device.

Performance and Battery life:
I think most of you may ask the performance of the Intel Atom (Z500) 800 MHz. I do not change it to Windows (smoothly) so far (I just got it for two days~~).
I will pass it to my colleague Pauliu to have a full function test (if we can change it to Windows XP “successfully” – a little bit trick has to be overcome first).
But what I have experienced so far, the Intel Atom Z500 did pretty well in this Linux OS. I seldom felt it laps or hang-ups during normal use.
The Midinux OS very suitable to Intel Atom based device (and I think Microsoft will not want to see this especially they don't like Touch Screen device running WinXP OS).
However, the battery life does not show what Intel promised (theoretically)~~ I don't see 10 times longer in battery life~~(that is for sure >.< )
The battery capacity is 2700mAh, 3.7V (~10Wh). For a normal use, surfing internet with Wifi on and simple text input may give you about 2 hours operating time. Even worse than EeePC 900 and Kohjinsha SR8 !!! However, I did not count exactly the running time. Hope I will have time to test it again (both in Windows and Linux environments)

Kohjinsha SA1F00 UMPC Hands-on

Portable computing devices has been more affordable over the past years thanks to chip manufacturers 'recycling' lower-spec chips making them worthlessly affordable. The Kohjinsha SA1F00 runs on AMD 500MHz, which compared to the latest multi-core CPU, is a crawl. But the slow CPu speed also means lower power consumption, an important factor in portable computing.

You can read about the usual reviews all over the Internet. What I always like to do is to provide first-person usage experience. Theoretically, a UMPC allows you to do computing on the go, but how practical is it, in this case, on the Kohjinsha SA1F00?

How Small:
SA1F00 is small enough to fit in an A5-size notepad organiser. With a zip around it, you can use that as a carrying case instead of the one that comes with the retail set.

Processing Power:
SA1F00 runs on Windows XP Home, one reason why I choose it over the newer models SH6 and SH8. Although the new models run on higher processor and comes with more features, running on Windows Vista negates the processor boost.

Capacity:
With a 40GB harddisk space, you should always keep the harddisk free from applications requiring excessive processing power. I can safely assume that the UMPC is purely a tool for mobile computing, so restrain from storing too many junk files like what we always do in our home PC. Only upload files that you need for the day. If you need to do a lot of intensive computing, it's better to invest in a larger 12" laptop.

Screen resolution:
The 800x480 screen isn't OS-friendly. In fact, most of the pop-up screens will overflow off-screen. Fortunately, you can toggle to the non-native resolution of 1024x600 to see the full window. At this mode, the fonts are interpolated so the screen looks unsharp.

Input devices:
Kohjinsha UMPCs are never short of input options. There is the touchpad, the trackpad, and the touchscreen for you to manipulate the mouse. The keyboard layout is just like a laptop, but some keys are reduced to a very small footprint, like Tab, Caps Lock and Shift. Also, the SA100 is known to have a less-responsive keyboard. Coupled with a small screen, you sometimes may not be aware of typing mistakes until you look closely.

Connectivity options:
Kohjinsha UMPCs comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet port, so connecting to the Internet is a breeze. With 2 USB ports on both sides of the laptop, you have no worries about adding external devices with it.

Battery life:
Although the manufacturer claims almost 4 hours of battery life, you cannot expect it to last more than 3 hours on normal on-the-road usage with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection, lots of web surfing or running of applications. Be mindful of the heat too: the SA100 can get quite hot when used excessively.

Compact Flash slot:
I am appalled to find that the Compact Flash slot runs very slowly. The estimated time to copy 4GB worth of data is almost 60 minutes. The design also make it hard to remove the CF card after inserting. Due to the close proximity to heat vents, the CF card gets extremely hot after a mere 3 minutes. In addition, using the CF slot causes the touchpad to stop function, and I have to resort to other input methods to navigate my mouse.

What Do I Use UMPC For?
Initially when I purchased it, my intention is for mobile web surfing as well as doing photo editing on freewares. 2 obstacles I faced: low screen resolution and slow processor. But when you think about it, it's pretty amazing to buy a full-function computer at a price of a high-end PDA phone that struggles even to do the simplest computing application. Quite often, you really need a portable PC that lets you do what a home PC can do without the bulk and fanciful processing power. Kohjinsha provides a VGA port so you can connect to an external monitor for presentation or desk-bound use. From how I see, Kohjinsha's UMPC is probably one of the most comprehensive low-priced UMPC in the local market.

The SA1F00 is a good buy because of its low price. If I were to spend more than $1000 on a laptop, I might as well pay for a more powerful 12" one that gives you better computing power and a more usable keyboard.

New Eee PC for Complete Mobile Internet Enjoyment

Majority of activities conducted on the laptops today are Internet related. Whether it´s checking emails, reading news, communicating with others or simply utilizing online share spaces, Internet usage has become a big part of the daily computing operations - for both work and fun. To accommodate the increasing total Internet computing demands as well as growing number of users, both young and old, ASUS launches the revolutionary Eee PC to provide users with a new mobile Internet experience like never before.

This is a new line of PCs that focuses on providing users with the most comprehensive Internet application based on three Es: Easy to learn, work, play; Excellent Internet experience and Excellent mobile computing experience, and hence the product name of Eee PC.

Easy to Learn, Work and Play
Learn the latest technology without a technical manual! For easy hands-on, the Eee PC offers two modes of intuitive user interface design: the easy mode and the full desktop mode in order to accommodate both experienced and inexperienced PC users. The Eee PC is also Windows XP compatible.

Excellent Internet Experience
Built-in WLAN connectivity allows users to stay connected for dynamic Internet usage on the go. With the Eee PC empowers users to share photos without waiting till one gets home; connect face to face with just a few clicks; enjoy online entertainment live; stay on top of emails for high work efficiency and more!

Excellent Mobile Computing Experience
The 7” Eee PC 701 weighs at a featherlight 0.89 kg, with large flash-based storage capacity and built-in webcam for compact mobility with wireless freedom. The special solid-state disc design based on built-in flash-memory gives the Eee PC a great shock-proof advantage over traditional notebook PCs allowing extra flexibility and a worry free mobile computing experience.

EeePC 701 Specification
Display：7"
CPU & Chipset: Intel mobile CPU & chipset
OS: Linux/ Microsoft Windows XP compatible
Communication: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet; 56K modem
WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g
Graphic: Intel UMA
Memory: 512MB, DDR2-400
Storage: 4/ 8/ 16GB Flash
Webcam: 300K pixel video camera
Audio: Hi-Definition Audio CODEC; Built-in stereo speaker; Built-in microphone
Battery Life: 3hrs (4 cells: 5200mAh, 2S2P)
Dimension & Weight: 22.5 x 16.5 x 2.1~3.5cm, 0.89kg