UMPCs
”Microsoft Goes Big Brother on Low-Cost PC Makers Using XP
Ten-Inch Version of Eee PC to Come, Says Asustek CEO
The Eee PC will be available in a ten-inch version, says Asustek CEO. Speaking at the launch of the Eee PC 900 in Taiwan, Jerry Shen said that customers were clamoring for bigger keyboards for the lightweight laptop. "The feedback we've received from users has been great," claimed the CEO at a press conference. "Many have asked us for bigger screens and better usability. That's what made us start developing the Eee PC 900." Although he declined to name a release date or a potential price for the ten-incher, the larger size will probably bring the price up quite considerably. [PC World]Microsoft: Touchscreens Old and Busted; Force Sensitivity Is New Hotness
Eee PC 900 Gets Unboxed
With the release of Eee PC 900 imminent, the folks at XEPC have managed to get their grubby little mitts on a final production model. Not only that, but they've posted the glorious unboxing pictures all over the tubes for you to see. Features that are now definitely definite, include: More »Kohijinsha SR8KPO6S is 7-Inch UMPC With Optical Drive
The Kohijinsha SR8KPO6S fits a DVD burner into its tiny, 9.2 x 7 x 1.3 inch chassis. As if that were not enough to stick it in the Eee's face, the 7-inch (1024 x 600) display also boasts touchscreen functionality, an 800Mhz CPU, 60GB HDD, Wi-Fi g support and weighs in at 2.4lbs. More »Dell Rumored to Join Low-Cost Mini-Laptop Race
According to an anonymous source from Compal Electronics, Dell is stepping into the low-cost UMPC market sometime before June, following in the steps of Asus and HP. The source says Compal will deliver 200,000 to 300,000 units per month initially. [CNN]Windows XP Home Gets 2 Year Stay of Execution Thanks to Budget Laptops
Originally set to get the axe at the end of June, XP Home got a call from the brass at Microsoft, delaying its demise for at least another 2-3 years. Not surprisingly, the reason was the increasing popularity of budget laptops like the Asus Eee PC and Intel's Classmate PC. Microsoft has vowed to keep XP on the market until one year after the next version of Windows is released, so it is conceivable that it could live on beyond 2011. [AP via Ars Technica]Intel Classmate 2 Gets Official, Available for Individual Consumer Purchase
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Hands On HTC Shift EV-DO
HTC had their Shift UMPC on display here at CTIA, which packs Sprint EV-DO, an 800 MHz Celeron processor, 1 GB RAM and a 40 GB SSD into a tidy $1500 package. After getting touchy feely with it for a few minutes, I found it wasn't half bad. I was especially impressed by the proprietary HTC SnapView interface that runs on top of Windows Vista, and provides quick access to weather, calendars and emails (similar to the Windows Mobile 6.1 homescreen that it's based around).More »
T Pities Fool Who Bids on Hacked Fujitsu U810 With Live Virus "Still Present"
Shane Macaulay, the hacker who beat a Vista-powered Fujitsu in last week's CanSec West PWN 2 OWN contest has listed the UMPC—with virus "still likely present"—on eBay. Some say this might be Macaulay's idea of a joke, but T doesn't think it's funny when hackers joke around with exploits, especially an Adobe Flash exploit that might "affect 90 percent of computers worldwide." Mac's alleged rationale:This laptop is a good case study for any forensics group/company/individual that wants to prove how cool they are, and a live example, not canned of what a typical incident responce sitchiation [sic] would look like.Note: We can't spot an April 1 listing of any Fujitsu U810 on eBay. [InfoWorld]
Windows XP Eee PC Available at Best Buy in April, Pricing Stays Sweet
Our buddies at LaptopMag have just published details about the long-rumored, US bound, Windows XP Eee PC. The Windows XP version will go on sale at Best Buy for $399, and you won't have to wait too long either, as Asus expects the systems to ship on April 9th. The system that will run the Windows XP OS shall be the standard Eee PC 4G, which LaptopMag have been putting through its paces for over a month. The machine makes a solid impression overall, however, the disk space is a bit limited to run Windows XP and additional applications on top. Asus are considering dropping in a 4GB SD card to aid in the disk space shortage, but nothing has been confirmed to that end. Jump for the complete spec of the Windows XP Asus Eee PC.More »
Intel Nettop Pictured in Higher Res, Still Looks Promising
Earlier this week we saw the first alleged shots of Intel's Nettop UMPC. Well, it looks like evidence for the form factor is further solidifying, as new shots found on Min Thu's Flickr page show the supposed ultra portable in all its glory. There's no new info to go on, but we can clearly see the keyboard is rather sizable, meaning it could easily be thumbed by fat-fingered bloggers, which is great news for us. Shockingly, the carry handle on the outer casing looks even more tragic in a higher resolution and if you didn't think that was possible, hit the link for the proof. [Flickr; Thanks, Jack]
Pix-L UMPC Concept For Bedtime Browsers
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NVIDIA Wants to Buy VIA for Mobile Processor Action?
In case you've been living under the rock that is your desktop PC, the mobile/UMPPC processor biz is hot shit right now. So Digitimes' report that Nvidia was in talks to pick up Via (who specializes in mobile processors, like in the OQO, or their own UMPC) makes sense, particularly with Nvidia's recent charge back into the mobile market with its low power, HD video-eating chipsets. More »Norhtec Gecko Laptop is Another Eee
umpcs
Asustek: 60% of Eee PCs Will Ship With Windows XP
At a recent press conference, Asustek chairman Jonney Shih revealed that about 60% of the upgraded Eee PCs shipped this year will be running Windows XP, with the remaining 40% Xandros based. According to analysts, the move was based on customer familiarity with the Microsoft platform. This comes despite the fact that you will have to pay almost double to stay within your comfort zone. Branch out people! $200 is $200, right? [Yahoo]
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