Sony, Foxconn and Wistron are unsurprisingly declining to comment on the reports, though the companies are already working together for production of various sets.  Apparently only 20- to 30-percent of 2011 models will be in-house designs, with the remainder split equally between OEM and ODM designs.

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.

According to Chong, the Wistron device will be around the size of a business card, and have a pull-out display.  It’s likely that means a fold-around display rather than a true, completely furled panel as we’ve seen in some of the more outlandish prototypes.

What’s unclear is whether the Wistron version will have embedded wireless connectivity, as Polymer Vision’s original Readius design did.  Earlier this year, before the buyer was publicly known, it was suggested that the target market would shift from smartphones to ebook readers; even so, with the proliferation of wireless-connected ebook devices, it seems sensible to keep some form of cellular UMTS connection in place for mobile ebook downloads.

Also unclear is exactly what the Wistron-led company will be developing.  Polymer Vision’s first product was to be the Readius, a smartphone/MID device with a foldable 5-inch e-paper display, integrated 3G, Bluetooth and more.  Back when the sale was announced, it was suggested that the focus would shift from the competitive smartphone sector to wirelessly-connected ebooks instead.

The Polymer Vision team are now working in Wistron’s Mobile Business Group, and the expectation is still that foldable e-paper will reach mass production.  The company was initially spun-out from a Philips research project back in 2006.  More Readius hands-on images here.

The design is relatively basic, with a rubberized keyboard (that LaptopMag compare to that of the OLPC XO-1, but we can’t avoid thinking about the Spectrum ZX) and “almost unusable” touchpad.  Inside, though, is the real draw: Freescale’s i.MX515 platform, with an 800MHz processor and 4GB SSD.

The N900z runs Ubuntu, and loaded OpenOffice Writer in around fifteen seconds; Firefox, even when opened simultaneously, didn’t present any performance issues, though attempting to then play a video clip resulted in sluggishness.  When the video was played on its own, though, it ran fine; Wistron expect the N900z to manage in excess of 10hrs runtime from a single charge, and be priced at under $200 when it eventually launches.

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.

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.

More Qualcomm Smartbooks after the cut

The Wistron machine is seemingly the same device as spotted back in initial ARM demo videos.  ARM’s CEO Warren East described the company’s stance that, far from being underpowered, current netbooks in fact exceed most user’s requirements, and that the Snapdragon chip and other ARM processors are well suited for the Smartbook concept.

The expectation is that the first Smartbook devices will hit the market by the end of 2009, though there’s no word on which manufacturers will deliver to that schedule.  More on the Smartbook segment – including its use of 3G WWAN, GPS and all-day battery life – here.

Since Snapdragon is known for its graphical capabilities, there’s no surprise in hearing that the Smartbooks will also support HD video encoding and screen resolutions up to WXGA 1280 x 768; Qualcomm expect screen sizes of roughly 10 to 12 inches.  The WWAN connectivity could be used for voice calls as well as data access, and the OS will be Linux based but with a “well-designed homescreen” and touch-sensitivity that will present most of the commonly used tasks (internet access, etc) on the top level.

Qualcomm are being upfront about their intention to “cannibalize the netbook market”, positioning Smartbooks as instant-on companion devices to regular notebooks.  The company has declined to confirm which manufacturers are building Smartbooks – though ASUS, Acer, Compal, Samsung, LG, Toshiba and Wistron have all been tipped – but expects the first retail models by the end of 2009.

GeForce 3D Vision relies on a 120Hz-refresh capable display, which sends alternate images to a pair of active-shutter LCD glasses.  These glasses independently flicker their left and right lenses between clear and opaque, allowing each eye to see the images; the brain then combines those slightly offset pictures into stereoscopic 3D.

As well as the glasses and LCD panel technology, any mobile version would also require a high-performance NVIDIA GPU.  The speculation was reported as from “market watchers” by the Chinese-language Commercial Times, while Wistron themselves declined to comment on the rumors.

[image via]

According to the reports, the first Taiwanese-sourced Snapdragon devices will land in late Q3 or early Q4 of this year.  HTC are expected to deliver two smartphones, both based around touchscreens, one with a 3.6-inch display and the other with a larger 4.8-inch display.  It’s unclear which other Taiwan-based manufacturers the sources are referring to.

Meanwhile, Toshiba is said to be planning further Snapdragon devices that will reach the market following the TG01′s launch.  The Toshiba TG01 was announced in February, and looks set to be the thinnest Windows Mobile handset to-date.  Thanks to the Snapdragon chipset, it’s capable of high-quality media performance, including gaming; however the chipset is not only intended for smartphones, but ultramobile devices too.  A netbook – the Wistron Firstbook – was demonstrated recently, using the Qualcomm platform.

Video demo after the cut

Full specifications of the Wistron Firstbook are unknown.  It’s believed to have an 11.1-inch display in addition to integrated mobile broadband, and we’d assume WiFi and Bluetooth are in there too. 

It’s unclear whether the Wistron Snapdragon netbook is a product headed toward production or merely a demonstration platform for ARM.  Based on the fact it shared booth-space with the TG01 – which is launching over the summer – we’d like to think it’s simply waiting for the right manufacturer to brand it.