Compal’s MID slider with global HSPA/EDGE data — first UMPC it, now you don’t

August 19th, 2008 by

Compal’s been a vocal supporter of Intel’s MID followup to the tragic UMPC platform ever since It was announced in April of last year. Hell, the Taiwanese ODM even dedicated a team to crank out all the devices expected in the first half of 2008 but never came thanks in part, to Intel’s Atom slippage. Now Compal looks ready to toss a MID to consumers (either direct or through a third-party manufacturer, it’s not clear) with the unveiling of this handheld at Intel’s IDF in San Francisco. The QWERTY slider packs GPS, a Linux-based OS with media player, browser, eMail and IM clients, and Option’s GlobeTrotter Connect and GTM501 HSPA data kit offering tri-band HSUPA/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity the world-over. No pricing or availability has been announced but we hope to hear more later today.

Gallery: Compal’s MID slider with global HSPA/EDGE data — first UMPC it, now you don’t

[Thanks, Stuart L.]

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Posted in Intel, option, gps, MID, compal, hspa, silverthorne, atom, globetrotter, globetrotter connect, GlobetrotterConnect, gtm501 | No Comments »

Evidence mounts for August Eee PC carnage with $299 Dell E launch

July 15th, 2008 by

Doing with a single E what takes ASUS three, Dell’s mini netbook looks to be on track for an August kill spree. We’ve already seen Dell’s launch timeline and specs, of course, and this morning we’ve got the hushed whispers of DigiTimes’ “market sources” again claiming that the Compal manufactured Dell 8.9-inchers will launch in August for $299. For that price, assuming everything we’ve heard so far is correct, you’ll get an instant-on Linux distro running atop Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom processor, a 1,024 x 600 display, 3x USB, a wee SSD, integrated webcam, WiFi, and more in a 0.82-1.22-inch thick sled weighing about 2.2-pounds. With the netbook market now thoroughly saturated, we expect the Dell launch to mark the beginning of an industry shakeup. Any bets on who will survive?

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Posted in rumor, compal, digitimes, netbook, e, dell e, DellE | No Comments »

Compal joins the Centrino 2 pack with JHL, JHT series laptops

June 20th, 2008 by

Filed under: Laptops

Another day, another batch of Centrino 2 laptops, these ones coming to us from ODM bigwig Compal, which has just announced four models based on Intel’s latest and greatest platform. Those include the 15.4-inch JHL90 and JHL91, and the 14.1-inch JHT00 and JHT01 models, each of which are available with your choice of Penryn processors, along with NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics on the JHL90 and GeForce 9300M GS on the JHT00, or integrated Intel graphics on the two lower-end models. Otherwise, you can expect to get your choice of 5,400 rpm or 7,200 rpm hard drives (no SSD though), a max 4GB of RAM, Intel Turbo Memory, a DVD burner or Blu-ray drive, and integrated WiMAX in addition to the usual WiFi and Bluetooth. No word on a price or release date, but you can pretty safely bet that you’ll be seeing these under any number of brands in the not too distant future.

[Thanks, Michele]

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Posted in compal, centrino 2, Centrino2, jhl90, jhl91, jht00, jht01 | No Comments »

Compal: 8.9-inch Dell laptop coming in June for less than $499

April 9th, 2008 by

Hear that? That’s the sound of pitter-pattering little hearts bursting within the executive board rooms of FIC, ASUS, Acer, and HP among others. This after a Compal Electronics official said that Dell plans to launch an 8.9-inch wide screen laptop for under $499. Taiwan’s Compal would of course assemble the goods. The new ultra-portable is expected “as early as June” — the same time that Intel’s Atom will coincidentally launch. Hmm.

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Posted in ultra-portable, breaking news, BreakingNews, dell, rumor, compal | No Comments »

Compal expects big things from MIDs in 2008 — dedicates team

November 28th, 2007 by

Filed under: Handhelds

While the first generation (and second generation for that matter) of UMPCs fell well short of the bloated origami hype, Compal sees big growth from Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) in 2008. According to DigiTimes, this belief has prompted the giant, Taiwanese ODM to dedicate an entire team to the mobile platform unveiled by Intel in April 2007. As such, MID devices will receive special attention, away from their laptop and UMPC efforts. If nothing else, we find it reassuring that somebody out there can understand the difference between a UMPC and MID device with such clarity.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Posted in ultra-portable, ultraportable, umpc, MID, taiwan, compal, ultra portable | No Comments »

Nokia and others launching “iphone-like” gear by Q2 2008?

October 12th, 2007 by

Filed under: Cellphones

Taiwan’s OEM reporting pulse — DigiTimes — claims that handset makers Asustek, BenQ, Compal and Arima Communications are all “aggressively developing iPhone-like products” for 2008. According to their sources, the devices will run on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform and target business markets with features such as 3G and GPS. DigiTimes‘ sources also claim that Nokia will release its Symbian-based “iPhone-like handset” in the first half of 2008. True or not, that’s a lot of Apple hate-bait to swallow this early in the morning.