Although none of the machines are expected to be either as eye-catching or as well marketed as the top-tier ultrabooks from Dell, HP, Lenovo and others, what they will have in their favor is affordability. Intel is pushing for $599 to $649 machines, accounting for around 6- to 7-percent of the notebook market overall in 2012.

The new models are coming in Q2 2012, the sources say, as part of a 15m 2012 push for second-tier vendors as the ultrabook market takes off.

Meanwhile, Quanta Computer – believed to be manufacturing HP’s ultrabook for the company – has apparently bought its own CNC machines so that it can create unibody casings in-house. The investment is being seen as an attempt to cut manufacturing costs, reducing the need to outsource chassis production. Rival Wistron, though, is apparently looking to non-metal options, which would open the door to alternative color ultrabooks.

If you have an Acer, Dell, or HP laptop then you have been in indirect contact with a company that is not happy with AMD. The company in question is Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese company that manufactures laptops for the previously mentioned companies. According to Quanta, AMD is in breach of contract after AMD chips used in laptops were defective. The laptops in question were made for Japanese computer maker NEC Corp.

Quanta stated the chips are suffering from from heat tolerance issues in a particular laptop line. However, no specific model numbers have been mentioned. Quanta is suing for breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, civil faud, and interference with a contract, claiming it “has suffered significant injury to prospective revenue and profits”. AMD stated these claims are false because Quanta used the same chips in a different computer without the stated problems. If what AMD has said is true, Quanta could be facing a design issue rather than chip malfunction.

[via DailyTech]

Both parties have indicated that Microsoft will indeed be receiving royalties from Quanta under the agreement, but the amount and means for this exchange have not yet been revealed. Microsoft will likely be twiddling their thumbs over this latest victory, especially since they already long ago eclipsed their Windows Phone 7 earnings with licensing deals from Android-based phones made by manufacturers such as HTC.

Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft, seemed particularly pleased:

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Quanta, and proud of the continued success of our Android licensing program in resolving IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome devices in the marketplace.” – Gutierrez

It’s important to note, and Microsoft reminds us today, that this patent agreement wave with Android is certainly not the beginning of the group’s IP claim program. Microsoft launched its IP licensing program all the way back in December of 2003, since then entering into over 700 licensing agreements “to develop programs that make it possible for customers, partners and competitors to access its IP portfolio.”

So it’s a GOOD thing, right?

Also note – it’s not that Quanta has exactly made a big name for themselves with Android or Chrome OS based devices, but they HAVE created some interesting bits. Check out this video from back in 2009 which shows off a Quanta Android Smartbook:

Update: RIM has called Vinh’s checks on the supply chain “pure fiction”; more after the cut

“While Quanta last week acknowledged that it had laid off a significant number of production workers from a factory focused on producing the PlayBook,” Vinh wrote, “our research indicates that the ODM has essentially halted production of the tablet.” Suggestions had already been made that RIM could have as many as 800,000 PlayBook units stockpiled, after sales of the 7-inch tablet had fallen well short of expectations for two quarters running.

In Q2 2011, the company shipped a mere 200,000, down considerable from the 500,000 units shipped in Q1 2011. RIM has already slashed PlayBook pricing by $200 earlier this week, but is presumed to be feeling the pressure from yesterday’s Amazon Kindle Fire announcement.

RIM is yet to comment on the report, though the Canadian company wouldn’t be the first to quickly abandon a tablet project when initial feedback wasn’t looking positive. HP killed the TouchPad after just a couple of months of sales earlier this year.

Update: According to RIM, it is “highly committed to the tablet market.”

Original estimates were for 4-5m sales of the PlayBook in 2011, but the tablet market proved far tougher to crack than RIM expected. After shipping 800,000 units in Q1, monthly shipments fell to 100,000 units claim the Taiwanese sources. That suggests RIM has a stockpile of around 100,000 units to work through.

Ironically, Quanta’s PlayBook production line was a special request from RIM, which demanded that the ODM set up facilities in Taiwan rather than use its regular Chinese factories. The fear, sources suggest, was that Chinese white-box vendors would quickly copy the PlayBook design if it were produced in the country, something which now seems laughable.

Quanta has confirmed the layoffs – which, at around 1,000 staff, amounts to roughly half of the total workforce for PlayBook manufacture – but declined to comment on RIM’s orders. RIM will attempt to re-stimulate interest in the tablet next month, with unspecified discounts and the release of v2 of the PlayBook’s QNX OS. That will bring native email, calendar and contacts apps, among other things, and help reduce reliance on a BlackBerry smartphone.

Ultrabooks aren’t all that Intel is looking at. The company had tablets, smartphones and netbooks to discuss, with Medfield in the first two and Cedar Trail in the latter. The new Atom processors are picking up pace, too, with Intel saying there’ll be production process shrinking on a yearly basis until it hits 12nm within three successive years. As you’d expect, there are various little flourishes like MBA-style fast-resumes to whet your notebook appetite.

Elsewhere, ASUS turned its attention from tablets like the Padfone to more potent gaming hardware, outing a full range of Republic of Gamers motherboards, video cards and accessories. More interesting, perhaps, is the new ROG notebook and desktop PC line-up, including the G53SX Naked Eye 3D laptop which, as the name suggests, has a 3D panel that can not only show 2D and 3D content simultaneously, but not demand you wear special specs.

MSI had saved most of its hardware for the official first day of the show, with a mass of new laptops along with some fresh Wind Box nettops using Intel’s Core range along with AMD’s Fusion APUs. There’s also a potent graphics card which MSI reckons is enough to take the “world’s fastest” title.

Then there were tablet prototypes: one from Quanta to show of Qualcomm’s dual-core Snapdragon, and a number from Pixel Qi to demonstrate their new 7-inch and 10-inch displays. You can find our Computex 2011 Day Zero wrap-up here, and find all of our ongoing show coverage with the Computex 2011 tag

So far the bulk of the Honeycomb tablets we’ve seen have been running NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset; Qualcomm’s dual-core MSM8660 has reached the market, but in the HTC Sensation smartphone rather than in a tablet. The Quanta slate is only a reference design right now – though we imagine the OEM wouldn’t be adverse to a company picking it up and slapping their brand on it – but it packs mini HDMI, microUSB and a microSD card slot, along with integrated 3G and an audio jack.

NetbookNews reckon the screen is as good quality as a Super AMOLED, which bodes well for future 10-inchers, and there are twin cameras along with a slickly minimalist design. It’s not completely clear whether it’s powered by the MSM8960 which Qualcomm says is on track to sample in June, or the MSM8660. [Update: It's confirmed as the new MSM9860.] To tide us over there’ll be more than 40 new tablets using existing Snapdragon chips.

We’re guessing we’ll hear more details at Uplinq later on; SlashGear will be there, bringing back all the news that matters.

Press Release:

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Family Gains Momentum with Leading OEMs across Multiple Operating Systems

Generation of Snapdragon MSM8960 Processors on Track to Sample in June

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – May 29, 2011 – Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) will be demonstrating the latest Snapdragon®-powered mobile computing devices, including tablets running Android 3.0, at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011, May 31 – June 4. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon family of smart mobile processors has steadily gained traction across a diverse array of mobile operating systems, including Android, BlackBerry, Chrome, HP webOS, Windows Phone and the next version of Windows. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon mobile processors currently power 125 announced smartphones and tablets, with another 250 designs in development, more than 40 of which are tablets.

“We are very pleased with the tremendous Snapdragon traction we have been getting with a variety of companies,” said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of product management, computing and consumer products at Qualcomm. “We are showcasing some truly innovative products from HTC, HP, ASUS and many more OEMs that are leading the mobile computing industry.”

“Qualcomm and HTC agree that a great mobile device starts with a great foundation,” said Kouji Kodera, chief product officer of HTC. “We are proud of our Snapdragon devices, including our HTC Sensation and HTC EVO 3D powered by the MSM8660, which is coming soon, and our HTC Flyer powered by MSM8655, which is now available. We look forward to continuing with the next generation of Snapdragon when the MSM8960 samples in June.”

“We are pleased to be showing our latest ASUS tablet designs running Android 3.0, also known as Honeycomb, here at COMPUTEX,” said HC Hung, vice president of ASUS. “We chose Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile processors to power our tablets because of their ability to provide the optimal combination of processing performance, efficient power usage and wireless connectivity on a single platform.”

Qualcomm has built Snapdragon mobile processors from the ground up to deliver the best mobile processing, graphics and connectivity, intelligently integrated to deliver the highest performance with the least power consumption. The Snapdragon MSM8x60 family of mobile processors is a leading solution for the latest multitasking tablets and smartphones, offering two asynchronous processor cores; an integrated Adreno 220 GPU with twice the processing power of its predecessor; and support for up to a 16 megapixel camera. The Snapdragon MSM8x55 family of processors substantially improves overall user experience, increases system performance and further extends battery life.

At COMPUTEX 2011, Qualcomm will showcase a broad array of smart mobile devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon single- and dual-core processors, including tablets and smartphones from Acer, Anydata, Asus, Compal Communications Inc., Compal Electronics, Foxconn, Foxlink, HTC, Lenovo, QISDA, Quanta and ZTE. Qualcomm will also demonstrate the Snapdragon MSM8660 MDP, which features asynchronous dual-core CPU performance and power savings; console-quality 3D gaming and UIs; and stereoscopic 3D and 1080P video capture, preview and playback.

According to the rumor site, RIM expect to ship two million BlackTab units by the end of the year, and then sell eight million in 2011.  RIM acquired the BlackTab.com domain last month, while differing screen sizes have been suggested: some reports tip a 7-inch panel, others an 8.9-inch one.

DST (dispersive signal technology) will be used in products by the end of the year according to Quanta. DST tech uses an extra layer of glass on a screen that has sensors and is able to locate a pen or finger by calculating the location of the shock caused by the motion of touching the screen.

The tech will allow the use of both fingers and pen input. DST also allows device makers to make thinner tablets and gadgets with touch capability integrated. Quanta would not offer pricing information on the new DTS screen and would only say that price isn’t out of line with its other offerings.

Demo video after the cut

“Acer will be ready with MeeGo-based mobile devices. MeeGo’s open software platform will present our customers with another choice of a friendly, easy-to-use operating system. We are pleased to collaborate with Intel in our continuous drive to provide effortless technologies that empower people at work, home – anytime, anywhere” Gianfranco Lanci, CEO, Acer

Exact hardware details are in short supply right now.  Still, the Wistron W1 is confirmed to be running Moorestown – as announced last month, rather than the newer Atom platforms launched this week – and we’re guessing they’ll all have lashings of wireless.

Meanwhile Linpus Technologies are working on Linpus Lite Slate Edition, a MeeGo based OS which would make the platform even more finger-friendly for touchscreen-only devices, adding in various touch-optimized apps (including mail, calendar, contacts and multimedia), together with Google and LBS apps.  No word on when it will see a public release, however.

Instead of Android, Kumar believes, RIM will use their own BlackBerry OS; that tallies with what we heard yesterday about a compatible platform to the current smartphone line-up, and frankly sounds a lot more realistic than Google’s software.  As for hardware, the “BlackPad” (as the tablet is believed to be codenamed) has been tipped to use Marvell’s ARMADA processor, presumably the ARMADA 618 which we saw demonstrated back in February.

Marvell ARMADA 618 demo:

RIM are expected to prioritise similar functionality to their smartphones only with a bigger display to play with; that implies integrated 3G connectivity and an emphasis on messaging.  Quanta has been tipped as the hardware manufacturer.

BusinessWeek reports that the company is looking to develop a computer similar to the iPhone, which presumably means a tablet with no physical keyboard. Tablets are driving lots of speculation recently with several breaking cover at CES and Apple long rumored to be getting one ready.

Interestingly Quanta actually builds gear for Apple and makes stuff for other PC makers as well. Quanta founder Barry Lam said, “We are looking for joint ventures with some companies that are already successful in the market — if they need some financial investment — as a strategic partner.” This isn’t the first time Quanta has eyed the MID/tablet market. It planned a Moorestown MID for this year and then later backed off citing lack of interest.

The paper reckons Quanta will be responsible for manufacturing the new iMac, while Sintek Photronic will be tapped for their touchscreen panel supplies.  No speculation on what sort of touchscreen that might be; according to Sintek’s site the largest capacitive panel they currently offer is 12-inches, suggesting that Apple may instead look to use an optical multitouch system as implemented on HP’s TouchSmart all-in-ones.

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.

Video demo after the cut

The Quanta machine looks ostensibly like a regular netbook, but it’s considerably thinner – helped by the fact that it’s based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset and thus requires no active cooling fan.  Its display isn’t a touchscreen – we left fingerprints all over it trying to find out – but Quanta have reworked the keyboard to offer one-touch access to not only the homescreen (which still offers three customisable panes) but the slide-out programs menu, key apps like the browser, and individual control over WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth.

This particular model didn’t have a SIM card inserted, but we booted up the WiFi connection and managed to do a little surfing.  In terms of speed, it’s as nippy as a netbook is, and moving up and down the webpage is actually better with the arrow keys since it automatically jumps from link to link.  Slightly less impressive was keyboard flex, with not only the QWERTY itself bouncing and twisting during typing, but – as you can see in the video – the whole base of the Smartbook bending under the weight of the screen when held at the palmrest.  Still, this is a prototype after all; Qualcomm say Lenovo’s will be thinner again, with more pronounced curves at the corners.

As for the concept Smartbook/Tablet hybrid, Qualcomm have demonstrated it before but say they’ve been surprised by the ongoing positive feedback.  The idea is to have a touchscreen display panel with integrated stand that can be used with a wireless keyboard/mouse peripheral on the desktop, with that keyboard slotting into a nook on the back for in-hand use.  Like the Quanta machine, it would offer all-day battery life and WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity.

Quanta Android Smartbook prototype:

Quanta is tipped to be responsible for the 11.6-inch model, and while no specifications for the notebook have been released we wouldn’t be surprised to see Intel’s CULV platform doing duty once again.  The “consumer ultra-low voltage” chips slot in-between Intel’s netbook range of N- and Z-series CPUs and their mainstream line of notebook processors.  Rival OEM Inventec are believed to be responsible for the 10.1-inch netbook revision, which will likely continue to use an N-series processor.

Two enterprise notebooks from HP, hitting the 13.3- and 14-inch markets, will arrive in August.  Intel has previously pushed manufacturers to adopt CULV chips, which as well as offering greater performance over its Atom line make it more money.

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]

Live Quanta M1 MID image and video demo after the cut

The smallest of the five devices is the CCI Compact Handheld, with a 3-inch touchscreen, full internet access and phone.  After that, the mid-range seems to hover around the 4-inch mark, with the EB MID Reference and the Aava Mobile Smartphone both hitting that exactly, while Quanta’s M1, shown above, is slightly bigger at 4.3-inches.  MID Moves‘ Steve shot the M1 video below.

Unlike the others, the M1 manages to squeeze in a hardware keyboard, seemingly using a sliding screen portion similar to the T-Mobile Sidekick.  According to Intel, all of the devices are highly connected and have custom UI’s on top of Moblin v.2.  They’ll also support “Mobile Augmented Reality”, which we’re hoping to see a demo of later.  Moorestown isn’t expected until 2010.

Optical Touch is more cost effective for larger displays, as the dual cameras are cheaper to implement than to offer a full traditional touch panel.  The company has apparently applied the system to various notebooks and displays, for both portable and stationary use, and will begin mass production soon.

While confirmed partners are unknown, Quanta has previously been tipped as the manufacturer for ASUS’ 20 and 22-inch Eee Top touchscreen all-in-one PCs.  ASUS CEO Jerry Shen has confirmed that the two devices will launch in the first half of 2009, and be followed by further, similar models.  Shen has also previously revealed that the company will begin to offer Windows 7 in 2009.

[via jkOnTheRun]