Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

Aigo’s P8860 MID was already a potent, handsome piece of machinery in its factory form, but adding in 3G is like adding melted chocolate to a glazed hot doughnut from Krispy Kreme — it’s just better, even though it’s tough to accomplish and potentially harmful to your health. Far-reaching metaphors aside, our pals over at jkkmobile have put together an all-telling 18 minute video that explains how to add 3G HSDPA to this here MID. For seasoned DIYers, the process of opening it up, soldering a mini PCI-e connector / SIM card slot and tossing in a 3G card / antenna won’t seem that difficult. For everyone else, we’d recommend watching thrice to make sure your confidence level is at the appropriate position before delving in. Vid’s after the break, per usual.

Continue reading How-to video shows 3G implant into Aigo P8860 MID

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Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

When it was introduced two years ago, the premise of the Hybrid Dual Portable Computer was simple: mobile OS up front, Windows XP below, and ugly all over. The most recent refresh was a big visual improvement, but MIU apparently isn’t done, teasing another new version that looks far sleeker and packs an Intel Atom processor inside, though exactly which hasn’t been revealed. Beyond that, this pocket-wunderkind offers the same bevy of features as before, obviating the need for a separate nav system, PMP, e-book reader, netbook, and even in-car rear-view camera monitor. It’ll make phone calls too, and with GSM, GPRS, and CDMA connectivity, you’re pretty well guaranteed to be able to check your mail anywhere. No information on price or availability just yet, but hopefully the former stays close to the current version’s $500 and the latter extends to somewhere in North America.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Laptops, Storage

We’re glad to see that Raon Digital isn’t just ditching its Everun Note entirely after having to recall the thing, and better still, we’re stoked to hear that it’ll soon be doling out speedier iterations with built-in SSDs. UMPC Portal has it that two new Everun Notes will be landing shortly, both of which will boast SSDs within. The first newcomer (S16S) will come loaded with Ubuntu Mobile, a 1.2GHz Sempron CPU and a 12GB MLC SSD; the higher-end sibling (D24S) will offer up Windows XP, a dual-core Turion processor and 24GB worth of delicious solid state storage. Look for both to land by mid-November for $659 / $950, respectively.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Handhelds

Before we go any further, we’d like to inform this here Telson UMPC that if Pandora can finally get out of the starting blocks, so can you. Today, we’re looking at new evidence that Digital Cube (the handheld’s new parent) could be inching ever closer to bringing this shockingly thick gaming handheld to market. Out of seemingly nowhere, images have emerged of the portable posing beside a USB 3D camera dongle (saywha?); additionally, we’re told that it will pack a 1.2GHz VIA C7M CPU and feature a 4.3-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 30GB hard drive and Windows XP. Oh, and we’re also informed that it’ll be “released in October” in at least one section of the world, so we’ve got T-minus 27 days to see if that claim is legit.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

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Filed under: Handhelds

The last VAIO UMPC mod we saw swapped out the UX280 CPU for a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo U7600, but this new UX490 tweak beats the pants off that by a long shot. According to “computercowboy,” a forum member on Micro PC Talk, he’s managed to push his handheld to a 45,999 score in Crystal Mark, easily besting the UX280’s 30,069. The swap of this CPU into the UX280 results in radically higher FPU and ALU figures, making it the “fastest UX in the world” — or so says the modder. Now it’s only a matter of time before someone comes along and overclocks this thing, a move which will undoubtedly result in badly singed hands and a melted VAIO — don’t say we didn’t warn you!

[Via UMPC Portal]

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Filed under: Handhelds

We haven’t heard from Clarion since June, and as fate would have it, it was then when the company told us to expect a GPS-equipped MiND in the foreseeable future. Fast forward a few months, and here we have the formal (re)introduction of the ClarionMiND. Definitely dubbed a MID, this Atom-powered handheld is currently scheduled for release in US / Canada this November, while Europeans will have to wait until January 2009. Outside of the oh-so-fresh CPU, you’ll find a 4.8-inch (800 x 480 resolution) display, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a SiRFstarIII GPS module and a rechargeable Li-ion good for two hours (four hours with the optional extended cell). You’ll also get a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card slot and optional real-time traffic support. The just described “standard” model will demand $649.99; the way-more-delicious Premium version doesn’t yet have a price, but it should be out next Spring with integrated 3G.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

Is it really time to shine, BenQ, or are you just foolin’ again? Judging by a product page at Italy’s TIM website and a fresh report from the Italian branch of Tom’s Hardware, the S6 (or MID Aries2, or BenQ MID… gosh, we’re so confused!) is finally ready to order. The Atom-based MID impresses with built-in 3G capabilities, 512MB of RAM, a 2GB SSD, 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, WiFi / Bluetooth 2.0 and — just to really pound the message home / incite jealously — 7.2Mbps HSDPA. The current asking price sits at €429 ($626), and while the value proposition may be debatable, the amount of possibilities packed into a frame this small (6.2- x 3.5- x 0.86-inches) definitely isn’t. Let’s get these out to other nooks and crannies of the wide world, eh BenQ?

[Via UMPC Portal]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Maybe it’s a netbook, or maybe it’s a ridiculously small notebook. Whatever it is, it’s recalled. Raon Digital has issued a recall for its delightfully tiny Everun Note due to a handful of “failure symptoms” detailed on its Korean website. Best we (and Pocketables) can tell, users hearing a high-pitched fan tone, seeing a “Blue Screen phenomenon,” or getting torched by an unfathomably hot CPU have a problematic unit, and even if your battery indicator is acting wonky, you too are entitled to a replacement. It’s not clear whether affected users will be gifted with a new unit or if they’ll receive their old machine back in tip-top condition, but either way, we’d hit the read link and do a little investigating if you own one of these puppies.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Handhelds

Remember that Linux-infused H9 UMPC we spotted last year? Have a look at its proper successor, the Porient H12. The handheld packs a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, a 520MHz Intel XScale PXA270 CPU, 2GB of flash storage, an SD / MMC card slot, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS and DAB / DVB-H / DVB-T tuners. The 10.6-ounce device also features a web browser, RSS reader, multimedia player, PDF viewer and an undisclosed office suite to boot. Pricing has yet to be announced for individual units, though these are available now if you’re down with importing vast quantities. And you aren’t, so that’s that.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

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Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

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Filed under: Laptops

Don’t call it a netbook. Placing Raon Digital’s featherweight powerhouse up against relative monsters like the Eee PC or MSI Wind leaves you looking at a device that is tiny and fast, but at $879 is woefully overpriced. UMPC Portal was loaned one for perusal and found that it stands on its own, filling the gap (niche of a niche?) between ultra-mobile and ultra-portable. The six-page review was itself “written, edited, and post produced on the Everun Note in the car, bed, sofa and on the desktop.” UMPC Portal rates its battery life as below that of your typical 6-cell netbook (3 hours on average or 2:15 if you can’t live without WiFi), but indicates its dual-core AMD Turion X2 gives it the power to “span ultra mobile and desktop duties” — even serving as a respectable gaming machine, which can’t be said for your average Atom-based portable.

[Thanks, benz145]

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Filed under: Handhelds

Not quite sure what happened of late, but extra long lasting batteries are all the rage now. With netbook manufacturers offering up extended cells left and right, it’s only fair that Sharp toss out a Willcom D4 with a super longevous battery, too. The Willcom D4 Ver.L (L stands for Long, loony) reportedly arrives with a lovely CE-BL58 extended battery as a standard accessory, and while the resource-demanding Office application isn’t included, that helps keep the price at ¥97,700 ($901). A fair trade for the hardcore traveler, we suppose.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Laptops

Continue reading Raon Digital’s Everun Note “premium” netbook unboxed on video

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Filed under: Laptops

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Filed under: Handhelds

Continue reading Wibrain shows off Atom-based i1, takes shot at Blackberry

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Filed under: Laptops

Ready to inhale some serious Intel technobabble? Here goes. As it stands, MIDs and UMPCs that utilize Windows operating systems are pretty much restricted to using Vista due to their incongruence with the “low-cost” requirement for still using XP. On top of that, Intel’s chipset used in these critters (you know, with those Silverthorne Atom CPUs) only supports 1GB of RAM. We don’t need to explain how underwhelming performance can be when mixing Vista with just 1GB of RAM. Now, however, a new PDF from Intel details updated System Controller Hub (SCH) specifications that include support for up to 2GB of RAM. What isn’t clear is whether current systems can be updated via a BIOS update, but we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground in hopes of hearing “yes.”

[Thanks, Itto]

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Filed under: Laptops

Ready to inhale some serious Intel technobabble? Here goes. As it stands, MIDs and UMPCs that utilize Windows operating systems are pretty much restricted to using Vista due to their incongruence with the “low-cost” requirement for still using XP. On top of that, Intel’s chipset used in these critters (you know, with those Silverthorne Atom CPUs) only supports 1GB of RAM. We don’t need to explain how underwhelming performance can be when mixing Vista with just 1GB of RAM. Now, however, a new PDF from Intel details updated System Controller Hub (SCH) specifications that include support for up to 2GB of RAM. What isn’t clear is whether current systems can be updated via a BIOS update, but we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground in hopes of hearing “yes.”

[Thanks, Itto]

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Filed under: Handhelds

Although Lenovo’s slick IdeaPad U8 has been floating around in prototype form for a while, it only made its formal debut at the Olympics recently, and now it’s starting to appear on Chinese websites — Zol.com.cn has a huge unboxing and review, while Yesky says it’ll be priced at 4,999 yuan, or about $731. That’s a little more than the “smartphone pricing” we were promised, but we’re guessing those of you looking to import this Asia-only piece were likely always expecting to throw down some coin for it. Tons more pics in the read links — we’re not going to try and depend on machine translation to understand the review, anyone care to give us the gist?

[Via Pocketables]

Read - IdeaPad U8 unboxing and review
Read - Yesky pricing info

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