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|  | New UMPC from Gigabyte?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
I saw a post over at JKKMobile that linked back to a post in the forums at UMPC Portal, that Gigabyte had a new UMPC called the M704 on their Chinese language global website. Now, if I track back the URLs I can't find it anywhere. It's not on their English language website and it's not at the URL posted in the reports. A search on their Chinese language website under UMPCs only lists the U60, which has been out for over six months. So this news is all based what he said she said that they saw...So this is the specs as they were posted on UMPC Portal: CPU: VIA Esther Mobile Technology VIA Esther ULV C7-M (1.2GHz, 400/800MHz, 128KB/128KB L2) Nano BGA2 90nm, 3.5W~7.5W TDP OS: Windows Vista Premiem
Chipset: VIA VX-700 Memory: DDR2-533, 768MB (default is 768 and it is max, same as U60)
LCD: (pay attention!): 7” TFT-LCD WXGA, 1024x600, with LED backlight
HDD: 1.8" with 5400 RPM,40 or 60 GB
ODD: external optical device supported(external boot?)
CAM: 1.3M pixel CMOS web-cam
Wireless: 802.11 b/g
other Perephireal: Card reader:SD/MMC/SD-IO, USB 2.0: 2 ports, VGA output, DC in connector, stylus, expension port(including 10/100M ethernet jack), Battery 2 cells,3900mAh/cell, 3 hrs
Dimension 190(W)x120.8(D)x30.3(H)mm
Weight 780g There are little comments inserted in the list, so this is not a direct cut and paste from Gigabyte's website. JKKMobile also has a picture: 
This UMPC is very reminiscent of the Gigabyte U60, the noticeable differences being that the processor speed has been upgraded, it runs Windows Vista, the screen is 0.5" larger, the integrated web cam is much more robust at 1.3 mega pixels, it's 40g heavier, 2 mm thicker and it includes a card reader. |   |
| | Two new IGP drivers
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
New today for Windows XP:P4M900(CE)-VN896(CE)_200201e_XP_wIShld.zip
CN896(CE)_200201e_XP_wIShld.zip | |
| MP3 Player Choice and Multimedia Round-up
Monday, November 19, 2007
Everyone has heard of iPod and even Creative players are pretty well known. The last time I was at the airport, to kill a bit of waiting time I looked around the electronics store. There was a whole wall of MP3 players. The choice of colors, sizes, price and brand was enormous. So should you get a well known brand or take your chance on something less well known but cheaper? PC Mechanic has written up an article about how to choose an MP3 player. In other multimedia news:Microsoft Zune 8GB @ Digital Trends
iN Studio 5.0 Smart Speakers @ Techware Labs
Aliph's Jawbone Bluetooth Headset @ Legit Reviews | |
| Medical practice benefits from UMPC use
Monday, November 19, 2007
Surfing blogs is a bit like a conversation between two good female friends over a glass of wine: the thread links along related topics and tangents. And so it was that I found this great blog entry about a doctor in Southern California who uses a TabletKiosk eo UMPC so that he can have patient medical details on hand where ever he is. The Medical Quak blog met with Dr Jack Rubin in February this year to find out how the use of the ultra portable device has impacted his work. "By having his records with him he can also easily generate information from the patient chart to be used for admitting and consultations, thus providing a complete medical history of the patient chart. By having the ability to provide this information, sometimes this can and does lead to not having to order additional tests and wasting time..." What's also fascinating is the way Dr Rubin uses the TabletKiosk eo: "He uses 3 methods of input with the EO, inking, a keyboard when needed, and also uses voice recognition. Voice recognition is very helpful for adding notes while at the hospitals as items are added immediately to the patient chart in the EMR." The TabletKiosk eo is based on VIA ultra mobile hardware design. | |
| Five Pieces of Gear to Crave for
Monday, November 19, 2007
Gear Crave have written up a list of what they feel are the top five UMPCs to date. Two of them, the OQO model 02 and the TabletKisok v7110, are based on the VIA C7-M ULV processor. The article provides a short but sweet summary of the main features and benefits of each of the five UMPCs.For the TabletKiosk v7110: "If you have never used a tablet PC before, brace yourself for a the learning curve, don’t panic, and remember that it’s made for productivity AND portatbility. This ain’t made to replace your desktop, but it will serve you well on the road once you get used to the lack of a keyboard." And the OQO model 02: "There’s also Bluetooth support, a shock-mounted, drop-detecting hard drive, dedicated mouse and zoom buttons, support for HDMI, the list goes on and on." | |
| Vividly lit pentagram wall mounted PC
Monday, November 19, 2007
There have been a lot of lounge room PC case mod projects that feature VIA EPIA boards over the years. They usually try and blend in with the other AV equipment to hide as a DVD player or sit silently on a shelf posing as a clock or collectible. Magnus Persson didn't even have room on the shelf, so he decided to build a media PC that would hang on the wall as a light feature. The result is this bright garish pentagram - a la Vegas - which could be just plain cliché if it wasn't for the straight lines and excellent craftsmanship that is always a signature of Magnus's work. 
"The whole case is made from layered 5mm acrylic sheets. I used 26 sheets of AC Ryan acrylic 50x50cm panels in all - 13 green and 13 black. The case contains a VIA Epia 1500 EX mainboard, 1GB of Corsair XMS2 memory and a 250GB Seagate hard drive, all powered by a 120 Watt Pico PSU." A full work log is featured on Bit Tech. | |
| Specs on the FIC CE260 UMPC
Monday, November 19, 2007
Following on from the news reported earlier that FIC is seeing huge growth expectations for their CE260 UMPC, UMPC Buzz has reported on the subject and included the specs of the unit:- CPU: VIA C7R-M ULV with 1.2GHz frequency
- Memory: DDR2 533/667 memory up to 1GB
- Storage: 1.8-inch hard drive with capacity up to 30GB
- Size: (mm)230×171×29
- Display: 7-inch WVGA touchscreen LCD
- Price: Lower than NT$14,000 (US$432.95)
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| Great gOS holiday project
Monday, November 19, 2007
Addonics Quad CF PCI adapter + a couple of old compact flash cards + VIA pc2500 motherboard + gOS = a silent, low powered solid state machine TechWeekly have articulated a very viable holiday hobby project by suggesting that marrying a CF adapter card (costing about $50) and a gOS developer board from ClubIT (for about $60, VIA C7-D processor included) you have the basis for building a solid state data storage machine. It's the perfect way to try out Linux for the first time, or an easy and cheap way for Linux experts to quickly put together a new system. "The VIA pc2500 Platform boasts the world-beating power efficiency and hardware security of the advanced VIA C7-D processor and the rich digital media feature set and extended connectivity of the VIA CN700 chipset to provide a high performance yet ultra energy efficient computing platform. Fully compatible with Microsoft® Windows® XP/2K/CE and Linux operating systems, the VIA pc2500 Platform combines next generation silicon with its excellent thermal and physical properties and market-leading power, security and performance characteristics to deliver all the necessary performance for productivity, education and entertainment." | |
| FIC getting pre-orders for CE260 UMPC
Monday, November 19, 2007
DigiTimes reports that FIC has had a massive increase in orders for its upcoming CE260 UMPC which was announced during Computex earlier in the year. The model is based on the VIA NanoBook reference design. The company aims to ship about 50,000-60,000 units of the 7-inch panel model to OEMs during the first quarter of 2008.
This model is of course the much anticipated Everex branded NanoBook destined for the US market, bringing a NanoBook style UMPC to America, whilst Packard Bell sells into Europe. Interestingly, the report also indicates that "new models featuring a 9- and 11-inch panel are planned". Such models surely wouldn't end up carrying the UMPC moniker. All of the hype around the Asustek Eee PC has really fueled the fire for a new sub-notebook class and FIC's CE260 model is also heading for a Linux variant in the new year. In this new class, not only is the unit itself light, so is the cost of the OS. | |
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