Featuring a 7-inch WSVGA screen (that's more than 2 inches larger than the S5), the X70 also includes an Atom 1.2/1.3GHz processor, 16/32GB SSD, optional HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Sirf Star3 GPS, 5-second XP booting and 5.5 rated hours of video playback. And yet the X70 measures less than an inch thick and but 1.4lbs in its anti-heaviness.

I still could never see myself using the keyboardless munchkin, but in case you are interested, Dynamism has the systems on pre-order. [Dynamism]

The price: $599 (configured with 4.8" WSVGA display, 60gb HD, Intel Atom 1.33GHz CPU, free spare battery, car kit and pouch)

The verdict: The S5 is a good value, but you may not like it anyway.

At .92lbs, the Viliv is a bit hefty in your hands even though it's 1.5lbs lighter than most netbooks (it's sitting on an Asus Eee 1000HE here). Still, the Viliv kept surprising me with its speed. Loaded with the same processor as the Vaio P, the system doesn't actually run XP faster than any Atom-based, but to see installation bars and downloads move so quickly on such a tiny device is always a bit of a mindfrak.

The resistive touchscreen has passable color, brightness and contrast—luckily, it's also ridiculously accurate. Yeah, the buttons and icons are as minuscule as you'd expect, but I never had a hard time, say, hitting the "X" to close a window (with my precision "nail" tool, of course)...unless my browser was full screen. Then my finger just never fit in the corner properly. For when you need extreme precision, the four-way thumbstick doubles as a mouse, or you can use the bundled "Cube" interface for larger icons (which is fine for a skin, but you'll need to tinker in the real XP sooner or later).

As for the keyboard, it pops up with a conveniently placed button on the right. Pressing keys offers a satisfying moment of haptic feedback. It works about 90% of the time, but however the keyboard skin was designed, your finger press sometimes goes through the keyboard and hits a link or something that's on your screen. It can make typing a simple phrase quite taxing as you unintentionally swap text boxes.

The GPS? It works, but you'll need to supply your own nav software (an additional cost). The battery? It's rated at 6 hours, but we received four hours (and two minutes) when tested with nonstop WMV playback (Wi-Fi on with the screen at medium brightness). Since many manufacturers claim battery life that's double actual testing, I considered four hours to be decent.
The USB, headphone and Multi I/O ports are enough in a device of this size, because between them, you could plug in a keyboard, monitor (with adapter) and speakers. In this respect, the Viliv could make for an extremely portable home-to-office computer.

Here's the issue: I just don't like MIDs. I hate them, really. If I want to use something small, I'll use a smartphone. If I want to use something slightly bigger, that's netbook/laptop territory. The MID, in my mind, is a failed idea of the future still stuck in the 90s. It's a computer that neither fits in your pocket nor serves as your main computer. So if you hate MIDs, the Viliv S5 won't do anything to change that.

But for a MID, I must say, I liked the Viliv. If you are the type of person who can stand the 4.8-inch screen and is looking for their GPS to do a little more, then it might interest you. And at $599, it's sort of the netbook of MIDs—a whole lot cheaper than what you can get from Sony or the soon defunct OQO.

As fast as any netbook

Relatively cheap

Utilitarian but solid build

Accurate touchscreen

Some keyboard quirks

[Dynamism and Video from ITInside]

Devices:
• Ancient Apple Phone Prototypes From Frog Design
• The Red One Camera
• Weird Japanese USB Gadgets!
• The Lego Death Star
• Free Laser Etching of Your Gadgets for a day, from Make's Phil Torrone
• At Gizmodo Gallery: Draganflyer X6 UAV
• At Giz Gallery: 103-Inch Plasma
• A Back To the Future Delorean
• At Gizmodo Gallery: Tiny Projectors That Fit In Your Hand Or Mouth!
• At Gizmodo Gallery: A Never Seen Before Tokyoflash Watch
• The Full List.

We thought about how so many readers never get a chance to see the things we write about in person. We thought it would be fun to get some space in NYC, gather together our favorite things and put them on display for all who would come to visit. Then we found out we had no money because the economy. It's broken.

Then we found out that our friends from Staple Design and Reed Annex would lend us their space for a few days, and our friends at Gizmine gave us a couple of bucks to pull it off, which was awfully kind of them.

So we started collecting the artifacts. One by one, people donated or lent us gear. A month later, we've got a quite a line up, including the biggest and best from this year, strange tech from the far reaches of the world and prototypes from the dawn of the electronic age. We're avoiding stuff you may already own or already see too much of, focusing instead on things you've yearned to touch but have had no chance to. Mark calls it a cross between "Ripley's Believe It or Not and a Smithsonian for gadgets." I'd just say there's going to be a lot of stuff and all of it is great.

The gallery opens this December 4th through the 7th, in NYC at REED ANNEX. What exactly will we be displaying? For now, its a secret, but every day that goes by, it seems another kind face from the gadget world shows up to loan us another amazing gizmo. If you've got weird, wonderful or monumental gadgets you'd like to loan us, space is already tight, but please drop me an email and we'll see if there's a fit. More details to come, so stay tuned.

[Thanks to REED ANNEX and thanks to our benefactor gizmine.com]

Gizmodo Gallery
Reed Annex
151 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

Gizmodo Gallery Reader Meetup
The reader meetup takes place across the street from the Gallery, at a place called The Annex (not to be confused with REED ANNEX where the gallery is hosted.) The address is 152 Orchard Street and we'll be there at 9 PM SHARP on Friday December 5th.

Gallery Dates:
December 4th-7th

Times:
12/4 Thursday
12-8

12/5 Friday
12-8

12/6 Saturday
11-8

12/7 Sunday
11-4

[Read more about our Gizmodo Gallery here and see what else we'll be playing with at the event.]

Product Page [via Gadget Lab]

That changes now.

And what's interesting to Gizmodo readers is that Best Buy's partnered with Dynamism, the english-language reprogrammers and importers of Foreign Geek Fetish objects that we write about now and again. For now, we don't get anything from buying from Best Buy instead of Dynamism. The stuff is already in stock over at the Dynamism store. And they've been written up in the NYTimes, and already have a stellar reputation and customer service. But I'm willing to bet they'll be getting some exclusive new gear at the Escape store, soon enough.

And who's to say they won't get other partners? Hot grey market action coming from Best Buy?! Insanely cool, but it would be a shame if some of the hotter gadgets lost their lust-worthiness because any schmuck could pick em up. Obviously, its a good business deal for Dynamism, but Best Buy is lucky that they've got a buzz worthy company in their corner. (I'm still very, very sour about GeekSquad's shitty service.) - Brian Lam

Escape Store Live [Twice]