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‘UMPC’ Stories

ASUS R50a UMPC reviewed: underpowered for Vista?

Chris Davies, Dec 29th 2008 Discuss [0]

ASUS' R50a UMPC was always taking on a serious challenge: Windows Vista on a 1.33GHz Atom Z520 processor with 1GB of RAM is asking either for nth-degree fine-tuning or just plain trouble. Initial reports seemed vaguely promising, but Ben over at UMPC Portal has found things less impressive. Chief criticism - aside from the bloatware, cramped writing area and difficult form-factor - is the sluggish performance. Read The Full Story

Viliv S5 MID coming early 2009: 1080p HD, touchscreen, optional 3G

Chris Davies, Dec 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

A MID that promises in excess of six hours battery life is always going to get attention, and that's just what the Viliv S5 did back at IDF in August. The 4.8-inch touchscreen device was slated to launch this quarter; courtesy of an interview with Yukyung, the company behind the S5, we now know it's coming in January or February next year. So, it's late, but is it worth waiting for? If you want a fanless ultraportable with hardware 1080p HD video acceleration, a Flash 10-based interface and optional GPS and DMB, then the answer is yes. Read The Full Story

Fujitsu LifeBook U820 gets US 3G HSPA option

Chris Davies, Dec 22nd 2008 Discuss [1]

Fujitsu's LifeBook U820 UMPC is now available in the US with integrated 3G wireless broadband. The option - which uses AT&T's HSUPA Connect network - is priced at $150, and is only available with the $150 120GB hard-drive update. Two versions of the 3G-enabled U820 are available, one with Vista Home Premium, priced from $1,199, and the other with Vista Business, priced from $1,449. Read The Full Story

WiBrain site reappears; review samples shipping

Chris Davies, Dec 17th 2008 Discuss [0]

The WiBrain saga continues. The UMPC company's site, having been pulled earlier in the week, has now returned; however there's no sign of anything different to explain a period in maintenance. The WiBrain I1 UMPC itself, which speculation suggested may have been killed off, is now headed to at least one reviewer, our old friend Steve Paine at UMPC Portal; however we still don't have anything approaching a firm release date. Read The Full Story

WiBrain site pulled: refresh or company collapse?

Chris Davies, Dec 15th 2008 Discuss [0]

Speculation is growing that UMPC manufacturer WiBrain have closed their doors. After the upcoming WiBrain I1 was apparently shelved, with no new information on the company site and feedback from internal sources that "nothing is happening" with the new model, now the whole WiBrain site has been pulled. Read The Full Story

ASUS R50a UMPC versus HTC Shift

Chris Davies, Dec 15th 2008 Discuss [0]

Now that the price of the ASUS R50a UMPC has come down, even if only a little, it's brought the touchscreen handheld into the consideration of a few more buyers. While we already know that the $1,399 UMPC performs well, its time to see how it shapes up to a stalwart of the segment, HTC's Shift. The ASUS has a faster CPU - Intel’s 1.33GHz Z520 Silverthorne - than the Shift, so as expected it's a step up in performance at least. Read The Full Story

Aeeeris Eee PC UMPC faceplate for touchscreen mods

Chris Davies, Dec 10th 2008 Discuss [0]

We've seen Tablet PC mods of netbooks before, but Aeeeris are making the conversion even easier with their new faceplate for the 700-series ASUS Eee PC. With it, turning your clamshell netbook into a touchscreen slate-style UMPC is even more straightforward; Aeeeris claim it can be done in just 30 minutes. Read The Full Story

WiBrain I1 UMPC shelved?

Chris Davies, Dec 5th 2008 Discuss [0]

Would be buyers of the WiBrain I1 may have to spend their money elsewhere, with rumors that the company has shelved development of the touchscreen UMPC. UMPC Portal are reporting that they've had "direct feedback" that "nothing is happening with the I1 this year"; the company has made no mention of the device on its website, and they're not listed for CES 2009 this coming January. Read The Full Story

AMtek T10L Touch – Atom-powered 10.2-inch netslate

Chris Davies, Dec 5th 2008 Discuss [0]

We've not heard from AMtek's Tablet PC or UMPC departments in a while, but it looks like they've been busy in the meantime. Details of the T10L Touch have appeared on the company's website, and as with the T221 it's a mixture of UMPC and full-sized Tablet PC. On the outside there's a 10.2-inch XGA 1,024 x 600 touchscreen, which is larger than your standard UMPC, but inside there's a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor. Could this be the first real example of a netslate? Read The Full Story

ASUS R50a UMPC available for $1,399: still too expensive

Chris Davies, Nov 21st 2008 Discuss [0]

If the $1,839 price tag of the ASUS R50a UMPC was dissuading you from buying it - and we can't really say we blame you - then we've got good news. Importer Dynamism have the 5.8-inch touchscreen device for $1,399: that gets you a 1.3GHz Intel Z520 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD for storage, together with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, integrated GPS and an integrated 3.5G WWAN module. Read The Full Story

ASUS R50a UMPC shipping now

Chris Davies, Nov 13th 2008 Discuss [0]

The ASUS R50a UMPC has begun shipping, in Europe at least, from retailer Informatic. The 5.8-inch touchscreen device has a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD for storage and runs Vista. There's also integrated 3G HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth and a massive price: €1,475 ($1,839). Unboxing video of the ASUS R50a UMPC after the cut Read The Full Story

Fujitsu U2010 & Gigabyte U60 UMPCs next to get Windows 7

Chris Davies, Nov 11th 2008 Discuss [0]

Benchmarks schmenchmarks - what we want to see is Windows 7 running on more and more devices! Today it's the turn of a couple of touchscreen ultraportables, one old and one new, to take the Microsoft pre-beta OS for a spin. The venerable Gigabyte U60 - rocking a VIA 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM - takes first punt, closely followed by the Fujitsu U2010 (aka U820). Read The Full Story