Windows 7, SSD Netbooks, UMPCs

A couple of more ultraportables have had Microsoft Windows 7 pre-beta installed on them, with information / benchmarks listed.

UMPC Fever has a forum member who installed Windows 7 on a Fujitsu U2010, which worked great, from the included screenshots. They were able to use Vista drivers, and it was supported better than XP. They mentioned it was faster than Vista.

Ultramobile PC Tips had news of another forum user on a Spanish-language site who had installed Windows 7 on a Gigabyte UMPC U60. They reported that it booted faster than Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (SP3) and runs just about as fast overall. It also had no problems with the U60’s WiFi (Vista did). (via SlashGear)
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Gigabyte M912M vs M912X

UMPC Portal has done a comparison between two models of the 8.9″ convertible Gigabyte M912 netbook - one of the very few netbooks that converts back and forth between a Tablet-style device and a regular laptop-style device.

They are comparing the M912M with the M912X (and mention the M912V).

Among the highlights:
- Display: M912X has a higher resolution, but M912M has an LED-backlit display
- Battery life: M912M has a noticeable advantage
- Heat: M912M seems to have better heat management
- Price: M912M is cheaper.

They also mention that an extended 6-cell battery for the M912 series will be available sometime in October (but few details are available).

Read: UMPCPortal

Gigabyte M912V Review (LAPTOP Mag)

Joanna Stern over at LAPTOP Magazine has published her full review of the convertible 8.9″ Gigabyte M912V, one of the most interesting of the netbooks / sub-notebooks.

The model reviewed , the M912V can be had for $699 USD (a very good price given that it has Tablet PC functionality, something that is hard to find in something this size for under $1000), however it may not be available in the US and/or Canada, and maybe limited to Europe and Asia. The display is not as good as the 8.9″ Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 (which is powered by a conventional Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) CPU instead of the M912V’s Intel Atom), but as Joanna points out, The Fujitsu runs well over twice the price.

- LAPTOP Magazine - Review, August 11, 2008

Gigabyte M912 Mini-Review (LAPTOP Magazine)

Joanna Stern at LAPTOP Magazine promised a mini-review of the 8.9″ Gigabyte M912 and she has delivered.

As mentioned yesterday, the M912 is one of the first convertible netbooks / mini-notebooks to offer Tablet PC functionality, and it had some some high expectations, to say the least, which were not met (at least when reviewed). Even removing Norton Antivirus (which slowed it waaay down), it still booted Windows Vista rather slowly. That being said, it has a resistive touchscreen, and it appears the touch functionality worked well (well enough to ignore the stylus).

The model reviewed is the Gigabyte M912v. Joanna mentions a Gigabyte M912m that will have an LED-backlit display that will be much brighter / sharper. They did not release any performance benchmarks or battery life (but will be doing so in a later review). Keep in mind that this will run around up to $700 if you import it into the US (it’s not available here).

Read: LAPTOP Magazine

Gigabyte M912 Unboxing, Video

If you want to see the kinds of ultraportable devices that we in North America will probably never see (unless we pay extra to import it), head over to the LAPTOP Magazine Blog - Joanna Stern’s dealer (her Taiwanese mini-notebook dealer that is) has shipped them a Gigabyte M912.

The M912 generated a lot of buzz in the US and Canada, with it’s 8.9-inch convertible display (converts between a regular laptop form factor and a Tablet PC-like device). The M912 is, so far, the only convertible laptop in its class - it’s about half the price of the Fujitsu LifeBook P1620, but the P1620 is running a much more powerful CPU (versus the M912’s Intel Atom).

They will be putting together a full review in the future.

Read: LAPTOP Magazine

Gigabyte M912 - Pre-Order in the UK

If you are in the UK (probably other parts of Europe as well), you now have the chance to pre-order the 8.9-inch Gigabyte M912.

The M912 is one of the neater ultraportables / netbooks, it’s one of the few Intel Atom-powered “convertibles” that functions both as a conventional notebook and as a touchscreen device.

Expansys has it available for pre-order for the price of £374.95 (319.11 exc. VAT) which is around $745 USD. Update: The price has been raised to £419.95 (357.40 exc.) which is around $835 USD.

Specifications of this model:
- 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD
- Windows XP Home

Read: Expansys

Gigabyte M912 Unboxed, Overview (UMPCPortal)

UMPCPortal has gotten their hands on a “convertible” ultraportable 8.9-inch laptop (or netbook), the Gigabyte M912. By convertible, we mean that the touchscreen display can rotate around and allows for either a Tablet PC form factor or a conventional laptop form factor.

They will be putting the M912 through its paces, live on video, 6pm GMT, and will be answering questions as well. You can view it at UMPCPortal.com/Live.

This is, unfortunately, not going to be available in North America, unless you go through an importer like Dynamism.

Read: UMPCPortal

Gigabyte M912 Models, Pricing

A lot more information about the 8.9-inch Gigabyte M912 has recently popped up on the UMPCFever forums. The M912 is a “convertible” netbook, that is, it converts between a normal laptop and Tablet PC form due to a rotating display, and it’s powered by Intel’s Atom CPU. It’s carrying a lower price (by $30 USD) than mentioned previously.

If the information is correct (and some of it matches previously-known and acknowledged information), we’ll be seeing the following models arriving in Europe and Asia (sadly, not the US).

Gigabyte M912V
- Microsoft Windows vista
- 1GB of RAM
- Wifi, Bluetooth 2.0
- 1280×768 display
- Cost: $670 USD

Gigabyte M912X
- Microsoft Windows XP
- 1280×768 display
- Bluetooth
- Cost: $625

Gigabyte M912M
- 1024×600 display
- No Bluetooth
- $560 USD

The M912V has been mentioned as a model headed for Taiwan (and perhaps other Asian markets)

Read: UMPCFever Forums (Chinese)
via: Tom and Engadget

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