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MID development slashed as manufacturer interest wanes?

Chris Davies — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:08:14 +0000

Many have accused Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) as being gadgets in dire search of a purpose, and despite Intel’s push for the segment the talk out of Taipei is that the ultraportable touchscreen handhelds are having a difficult time finding traction among manufacturers. DigiTimes is reporting that several companies originally signed up to Intel’s Mobile Internet Device Innovation Alliance (MIDIA) have axed MID development, while those manufacturers who have actually shipped devices have only done so in numbers described as “very weak”.

BenQ, Gigabyte, Quanta and Compal have all managed to partner with carriers – the former two in Taiwan, the latter in Europe – but the unnamed sources say the actual number of MIDs supplied has been far less than Intel’s hype might have predicted. BenQ and Gigabyte – together with Inventec and ASUS – are believed to have “significantly reduced” their R&D on MIDs.

Instead, development attentions have turned to Smartbooks, netbooks and ebook readers, which the sources suggest have replicated much of the functionality a MID might offer. Despite Moorestown being expected in the first-half of 2010, the expectation is that fewer than half of the MIDIA members will actually produce MIDs using the new chips.

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Nokia order Snapdragon Smartbook and Atom netbook from Taiwanese OEMs

Chris Davies — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:23:15 +0000

Nokia have reportedly ordered netbook computers from OEM firms Compal and Quanta, according to the Commercial Times as quoted by Bloomberg. While the source of the information was unclear, Nokia have seemingly ordered both Intel Atom-based netbooks and Qualcomm Snapdragon based smartbooks. The Atom netbooks may ship as early as Q3.

This comes as something of a surprise – or at least it may do to Intel – as earlier this week Nokia announced they would be working with Intel to collaborate on mobile platforms, including Maemo and Moblin, and connected ultraportable devices. It was suggested that Nokia might wait until Moorestown in 2010 or even Medfield in 2011 before adopting Intel processors and chipsets in a device, but this leak indicates that’s not necessarily the case.

As for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset, that caused no small amount of fuss back at Computex for its role in the new ARM-based smartbook niche. A rival to Intel-based netbooks, smartbooks promise all-day battery life together with full wireless connectivity and HD media playback with HDMI connectivity.

[via IntoMobile]

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Compal KAX15 MID with overclocking Atom Z515 CPU [Video]

Chris Davies — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:06:10 +0000

MIDs a failure? No no no, how could that be when this little beauty is headed to the market? Known here as the Compal KAX15 MID, but likely to find itself a variety of alternative brands including Gigabyte and Aigo, it’s based on Intel’s existing Menlow platform and packs an 800MHz Atom Z515 processor, a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Video hands-on after the cut

That processor is actually quite clever, because despite the relatively low billed clock speed it also supports 1.2GHz bursting. While running at 1.2GHz would generally produce too much heat and have too great an impact on battery life, bursting-compatible applications will be able to poke the Z515 into running at the faster speed until the CPU’s controller decides things are getting too hot.

There are also dual cameras, front and back. Squinting at the product spec in the video below (courtesy jkkmobile), it looks like the KAX15 has 512MB of RAM, runs Windows XP (though the press shots have an Android-esque status bar across the top) and have WiFi and Bluetooth. No word on specific launch dates or pricing, but at least the Compal KAX15 will land before Moorestown.

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NVIDIA Tegra hits 12 new MIDs: 1080p, Flash GPU & huge battery life

Chris Davies — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:48:20 +0000

NVIDIA have announced twelve new Tegra-based devices at Computex 2009, which the company is describing as MIDs (Mobile Internet Device). According to NVIDIA, Tegra is capable of up to 1080p video playback, hardware acceleration of Flash video, 25 days of music on a single charge and always-on processors with support for 3G, WiFi and WiMAX.

Other capabilities include gaming at up to 46fps, ten hours of 1080p video playback from a full charge, and the “full desktop internet” experience. Part of Tegra’s strength is its multiprocessor architecture, NVIDIA claim, which allows the CPU, HD video processor and ultra-low-power GPU to work separately or together, balancing application demands with saving battery life.

Of the apparent twenty Tegra-based devices currently in development, seven have been brought along by NVIDIA’s hardware partners to Computex. OEMs include Compal, Inventec and Wistron, names you might remember from their collaboration with Qualcomm’s Smartbook project, announced yesterday. Hopefully some of these devices will hit the $99 price point NVIDIA were talking about back at Mobile World Congress.

Compal Communications, Inc. CN88 (netbook)

ICD Ultra (tablet)

Inventec Applications Corp. Rainbow (netbook)

Mobinnova Mabo (tablet)

Mobinnova ViewBook N910 (netbook)

Pegatron Vivid (netbook)

Wistron M5 (netbook)

Press Release:

NVIDIA Tegra-Based Devices Revolutionize The ‘MID’ Market

High-Definition Internet Experiences and Days of Battery Life Become a Reality

NVIDIA Tegra is revolutionizing the ‘MID’ market by providing high-definition Internet experiences and days of battery life for media playback.
COMPUTEX 2009—TAIPEI—JUNE 2, 2009—NVIDIA Corporation and industry partners today unveiled 12 new high-definition mobile Internet devices (MIDs) all powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra™ processor, the world’s smallest and lowest power computer-on-a-chip. These new Tegra-based devices, which include netbooks and tablets, deliver desktop-class Internet browsing with Flash video and animation acceleration, and up to 1080p video playback. NVIDIA Tegra processors feature always-on operation for instant access to the Internet, which compares to that of cell phone-class power management, and up to 5x the battery life of current netbooks—making days of HD mobile Internet experiences a reality.

“The mobile computing revolution has arrived,” stated Michael Rayfield, general manager of mobile business at NVIDIA. “These new Tegra-based products combine excellent Internet and media capabilities, always-on operation, and wireless connectivity for the un-tethered Internet experience consumers have been craving.”

With more than 20 Tegra-based projects currently in the works today, those attending Computex can see the following devices:

Compal Communications, Inc. CN88 (netbook)
ICD Ultra (tablet)
Inventec Applications Corp. Rainbow (netbook)
Mobinnova Mabo (tablet)
Mobinnova ViewBook N910 (netbook)
Pegatron Vivid (netbook)
Wistron M5 (netbook)

“We’ve seen a groundswell of demand from consumers and telcos around the globe for a highly capable, low power, low cost netbook,” stated Mike Holland, vice president of business development, Mobinnova. “Thanks to Tegra we’ve been able to deliver that and more. With three new Tegra-based devices, we’ll be one of the first to meet that demand.”

Wireless phone carriers around the world are looking to expand the reach of the broadband Internet and agree that the always-on mobile Internet experiences enabled by Tegra-based MIDs will help drive new revenue streams and demand for 3G networks. Government programs to deliver the Internet to more people will have a greater impact since the subsidy budgets will go farther because of the lower system cost that Tegra enables. NVIDIA Tegra-based MIDs will support 3G, WiFi, and WiMax solutions from Motorola, Sierra Wireless modules based on Qualcomm, Icera, Via telesystems, and ST Ericsson to meet the needs of every carrier in every geography.

“Devices based on NVIDIA Tegra will allow us to offer a mobile Internet device that delivers an amazing level of functionality at minimal cost or even free through subsidies,” stated Antonio Domit, Executive Technology Advisor to America Movil, Grupo Carso, and Inbursa. “The combination of a Tegra-based MID and our high-speed national coverage will allow millions of people to access the Internet and have an unprecedented experience. I can imagine the story is the same for every country around the world.”

The Internet experience cannot be complete without great support for Adobe Flash, which is included in over 80% of the top 100 Web sites. In a separate announcement, NVIDIA announced that it has joined forces with Adobe to optimize and enable Adobe Flash to leverage the GPU (graphics processing unit) for visual computing so consumers can experience fluid Flash video and animations using a small fraction of the power needed by other netbooks. In addition to browsing Web sites with Flash, Tegra-based MIDs deliver all-day media processing, including:

Listening to music for 25 days straight on one charge
Watching 1080p HD video for up to 10 hours
Playing video games at 46 frames per second
The NVIDIA Tegra processor is a heterogeneous multiprocessor architecture. Each processor unit is architected for a specific class of tasks—a CPU for running html and Java, an HD video processor that makes streaming HD video playback possible on a netbook for the first time*, and an ultra-low power NVIDIA GPU for a compelling user interface and for Flash acceleration. These processors are used together or independently to deliver a wonderful experience while utilizing minimal power. With its ultra-low-power processor design, NVIDIA Tegra processors achieve up to 5 times the power efficiency of existing products in battery-operated computer systems running compelling visual computing applications.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates breathtaking, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. NVIDIA serves the entertainment and consumer market with its GeForce® graphics products, the professional design and visualization market with its Quadro® graphics products, and the high-performance computing market with its Tesla™ computing solutions products. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. For more information, visit www.nvidia.com.

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Compal, Mitac & more have CULV ultraportables planned for 2009

Chris Davies — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:14:27 +0000

It looks like Intel’s CULV wish may be coming true, as six whitebox manufacturers in Taiwan are apparently ramping up for production of ultraportable notebooks based on the platform. Industry sources have fingered Pegatron, Clevo, MSI, Compal, ECS and Mitac as all preparing 13- to 14-inch CULV notebooks, with the first shipments expected in June 2009.

MSI’s model is expected to slot into the X-Slim X340 range and is codenamed the MS-135X. It has a 13.4-inch display and uses the Celeron 723 processor and GS40 chipset; integrated WiMAX will be an option, and shipments are expected in June. Clevo will also use the Celeron 723 and GS40 in their two models: the W8×0V has a choice of 13.3-inch or 14-inch display, while the R130x has a 13.3-inch panel, and production will begin in August and June, respectively.

Meanwhile ECS will use the Celeron 723/GS40 pairing for its 13.3-inch ECS 130 model, hitting mass production in August, and the 1.6Ghz Core 2 Duo SU9600 and GS45 chipset in their T30, production of which kicks off in June. Compal will have their own 13.3-inch ultraportable, codenamed NTUCO, about which little is known aside from the production schedule, which begins in September.

Pegatron have already demonstrated their CULV notebooks, the 13.3-inch DC3e, RX8 and DC2, as have Mitac with their 13.3-inch 9213 and 12-inch 9212 (which both use the SU9400 CPU and GS45 chipset). However Mitac will follow that in June with the 13.3-inch 9223, which has the SU2700 processor and GS40 chipset.

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Compal reducing MID budget by cutting R&D

Brenda Stokes — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:40:50 +0000

Say it isn’t so! According to DigiTimes, Compal is cutting back on their budget for researching and developing new mobile Internet devices or MIDs because they just aren’t sure if the market is stable enough for them.

Now, this isn’t to say that Compal will quit shipping MIDs, because they still plan to, but the volumes will be decreased, as their attention has been shifted quite a bit to the netbook market as of late.

This doesn’t really seem to indicate the end of the MID altogether. Instead, it just seems to point to a tough economy where companies that normally do very well are struggling to find ways to cut back. Looks like this time around, research into MIDs got the axe.

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ODM Compal making Android-running netbook

Brenda Stokes — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:21:51 +0000

It seems like everyone is jumping on the Android bandwagon these days. Compal even has their hands in the pot, and are rumored to be developing a new line of netbooks that run on Android.

According to a Chinese newspaper, Compal is working out a deal with other notebook distributors to widen their product distribution for this new product line. This should definitely be interesting, especially considering T-Mobile just let slip they will be releasing a tablet PC that also runs on Android sometime next year.

As you recall, Android was developed by Google and made its grand debut last year in the T-Mobile G1. The operating system is powerful enough to run on a notebook, however, so it will be interesting to see Android utilized to its fullest potential.

[via Android Community]

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Mysterious Palm smartphone delay rumors

Chris Davies — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:21:04 +0000

According to the latest rumors, ODM handset manufacturer Compal Communications is facing delays in producing “shipments of smartphones to Palm from mid-year to the end of the year”; the company has also reportedly seen orders from Motorola canceled. While likely to prompt much speculation about the state of the Pre, the report – which originated in Chinese-language paper Commercial Times – fails to mention any specific Palm device.

Update: Palm speaks – after the cut

“Palm’s two smartphones will be delayed as Compal is waiting for Qualcomm’s new chipset solutions that will enable better performance.” Commercial Times report

That, combined with doubts that Compal are even the contracted ODM to produce the Palm Pre, suggest that there’s no reason to believe the next-gen smartphone is delayed. In fact, Compal were rumored to be responsible for production of Palm’s Windows Mobile devices – a segment the company stated in their recent Sprint Q&A that they would be running concurrently with webOS development – which could tip a delay for the Palm Treo Pro.

The report’s blame of Qualcomm chipsets, too, makes it doubtful that the devices impacted include the Pre; Palm have confirmed that the Pre will use a Texas Instruments chip. As for the Motorola rumor, that concerns the Alexander handset – which Motorola is believed to have canceled – and the already-shipping A3100 which the company is believed to have reduced its order for.

Update: Palm has denied that the Pre is facing any delay (though not commented on any other smartphone in their lineup or schedule), just as we thought would be the case. More here.

[via My Pre]

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Viliv S5 gets unboxed, compared to VAIO P & Compal MID

Chris Davies — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:40:32 +0000

Since we’re still waiting to hear when the Viliv S5 MID will land in Europe or the US, our unboxing joy will have to be achieved vicariously through photoshoots like UMPC Fever’s. They’ve managed to score one of the 4.8-inch touchscreen handhelds, and have photos not only of the unboxing but of the GUI, accessories and even a few group shots with the Sony VAIO P and what looks to be Compal’s MID.

Size-wise, the S5 is very similar to the rival MID, being a little thicker (but having a larger battery). It’s considerably smaller in all but thickness to the VAIO P; something to remember is that both the Compal and the Sony have integrated QWERTY keyboards, something the Viliv does not.

It’s also good to see that Viliv haven’t locked users into their “Cube” GUI: the Windows XP desktop is a button-tap away. They’ve also added a translucent on-screen keyboard, similar to that Microsoft provided with the original Origami UMPC pack, though without the curved layout. We’ll have to wait and see how usable that is. UMPC Fever are promising full benchmarks and more on the Viliv S5 MID; until then, head over there for more images.

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Compal APA00 and APA01 touchscreen HD-capable PMPs

Chris Davies — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:44:15 +0000

Compal have quietly unveiled two new internet-connected touchscreen PMPs, the APA00 (black) and APA01 (white). Each has DVB-T digital TV, the ability to record to a 1.8-inch internal hard-drive, native HD support up to 1080i, and WiFi b/g. Control is via the 7-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen, with both PMPs running the uCLinux operating system with a custom finger-friendly GUI.

Under the hood there’s an ARM-based Sigma Design EM8622L SoC, USB 2.0, TV-out (supporting composite and YPbPr) and an FM radio tuner. Supported formats include MPEG 1/2/4, Xvid, WMV9 and H.264 for video, MP3, WMA, MPEG1/2- Layer 1,2 /WAV(PCM) for audio, and JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP for images. Both PMPs are 22mm thick, and can be outfitted with up to 80GB of internal storage.

Don’t hold your breath for a release anytime soon, though, as Compal generally acts as an OEM/ODM for other companies. They’re actually the brand behind a number of MIDs on the market; there’s always a possibility that one of those brands will come knocking, looking for a media-focused ultraportable device to take on Archos’ Internet Media Tablet range.

[via Pocketables]

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Compal Tabasco is mysterious T-Swivel MID: coming to CES 2009?

Chris Davies — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:36:42 +0000

The mysterious T-swivelling MID that was mistakenly identified by some as the Palm Roteo has been correctly traced back to Compal, in the shape of their Tabasco MID concept. On show at Computex 2008 back in June, the non-working handheld was meant to demonstrate a 4.5-inch (or 5-inch) touchscreen device with a 3.2-megapixel rear camera with 2x optical zoom and flash plus a front-facing webcam.

It’s possible that this is the prototype of the follow-up device to Compal’s JAX10, better known as the aigo P8860, Gigabyte M528 and SFR M! PC Pocket. Jenn from Pocketables has tracked down details on the Compal KAX12, which was meant to be demonstrated at CES 2009 by Chinese firm Marasst; the company now claims it will not be showing the KAX12.

There’s no confirmation on whether the swivelling MID in the photos is the same device as the Compal KAX12, but it’s certainly possible. The Palm rumor likely came about because of the concept’s keyboard, which looks like that of a Treo, and the company’s previous rumored use of Compal in manufacturing the Treo Pro.

[via Pocketables]

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