It’s all go at Eston’s render labs this week, with two new tablets in the offing. The company has sliced off the hardware keyboard from their MID-02 and produced the touchscreen-only MID-05, a 5-inch handheld running either Android or Windows CE. If your fingers are too chubby for that, Eston also have the N97 MID, with a larger 7-inch touchscreen and integrated 3G.
Gadgets leaked by text are far less exciting than blurry, hurriedly-snapped photos, but we won’t turn up our noses at a preview no matter the method. It now appears that Cowon have a touchscreen MID in the works, the Cowon W2, according to a test page at the Bluetooth SIG, though specifications are still scant.
If you’ve seen one Chinese MID, the saying goes, you’ve seen them all, and yet we still keep digging through the dross in the hope of turning up something shiny and loveable. The latest glimmer amongst the grubs is the Soyea Z5, an Atom Z515 1.2GHz based ultraportable with a 5-inch WVGA touchscreen, 1GB of RAM, integrated 3G and a choice of Windows XP or Linux.
Navigation firm Mio is planning to use Android for certain models in their next-gen PND line-up. The Mio MiBuddy range will offer both Android models – complete with GPS navigation, media playback and internet access – and versions using the existing Windows CE-based OS of Mio’s current PND range. While specific hardware details and model numbers are yet to be confirmed, Mio has revealed that the Android models will have WiFi and Bluetooth; future versions may add WiMAX.
Kohjinsha’s PA-series MID may have satisfied us that the company is at least listening to critique about form-factor and usability – unlike other mini-notebooks, such as the UMID mbook m1 and Sharp’s NetWalker, it has a rotating touchscreen for use as a slate – but they still seem to have their fingers in their ears when it comes to pricing. According to WOW-POW, the PA MID will come in at 69,800 yen, which works out to a whopping $760.
After Dell CEO Michael Dell confirmed that the company’s Android smartphone would, in fact, make it to the US – albeit with some changes from the original Chinese model – details of a second Android-based device have leaked. According to Tinhte.com and another image supplied to SlashGear, you’re looking at the Dell Streak, a 5-inch WVGA 800 x 480 touchscreen Android 2.0 Donut MID, with WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G WWAN connectivity. Front photos of the Dell Streak – together with size comparison shots – in the gallery, together with a hands-on video after the cut.
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Rumors about Korean firm mintpass' next-gen models have been swirling since the company themselves tipped a bigger, potentially up to 7-inch touchscreen and all-metal construction. Now two possible models have been identified by Moveplayer, who spotted the mintpad 7wise and mintpad WSketch listed on the company's website.
We’re so used to seeing Intel’s Z-series Atom processor range show up in netbook-sized ultraportables that it almost comes as a surprise when a manufacturer puts one in a MID like Intel expected. uSmart have been demonstrating this 4.8-inch WVGA M1C MID at the Hong Kong Electronics fair, complete with an Intel Atom Z530 CPU, GMA500 graphics and an HDMI output.
There’s a lot of discussion about the role of convergence of devices. Everywhere you go, it seems that someone’s pushing the notion that every function needs to be converged into one device. Now convergence is a great idea: the idea of carrying one device instead of multiple devices is compelling, but is it really realistic? Sure, I’d rather carry one device than two, but our research shows consumers will carry two or, in some age demographics, they’ll even carry as many as three.
Having gone up for pre-order midway through September, certain models of Archos 5 Android Internet Tablet are now listed as in-stock and ready for delivery by Amazon. The 160GB hard-drive version, together with the 32GB flash model, are both shipping now; however the remaining versions – of which Amazon only list the 500GB tablet – are still only available for preorder.
SlashGear Japan
