Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1 Hands-On (Akihabara)

Akihabara News has posted one of the first extensive looks at the new 5.6-inch Intel Atom-powered Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1. The CF-U1 is a “rugged’ type of device, made to withstand drops of around 3 - 4 feet and is sealed to protect it from exposure to moisture water.

They’ve posted about sixty pictures of Panasonic’s press conference / demonstration of the CF-U1 in Japan yesterday. There are a lot of closeups of the CF-U1, as well as it’s dock/charging station (it can be docked and charging extra batteries as well), plus a charging station for four batteries. The CF-U1 has a unique two-battery system that allows a battery to be hot-swapped with a fresh battery while continuously operating off of the other battery and without being plugged into another power source.

Included are pictures of the CF-U1 being liberally doused with water, as well as being dropped around three feet or so onto a piece of concrete. It’s very important to note, this is not meant to be used under water! (although the model was definitely pouring a lot of water on it during the demonstration).

Read: Akihabara News

HP 2133 Mini-Note Quick Review (Geek.com)

Sal Cangeloso over at Geek.com has posted a quick review of the HP 2133 Mini-Note.

The topic of why Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) never took off in the numbers and speed in which the netbook / sub-notebook has been debated quite often, in many forums. Most UMPCs were Tabled-based and had no physical keyboards, and most were priced fairly high (around $1000 USD or so, give or take several hundred dollars).

There were plenty of people interested in something smaller than a mainstream laptop (and even smaller than the 13.3-inc and below laptops we discuss here at Small-Laptops.com), but UMPCs were seen by some as being too limited as far as usability was concerned (at least for their needs). As Sal points out, the HP 2133 Mini-Note is changing how people view smaller devices, even if they aren’t the classic UMPCs that conformed to Microsoft’s Origami project a few years ago:

Overall the HP 2133 Mini-Note is one of the most usable devices in its size category….. In many ways the 2133 is a more mainstream version of the ultra-low cost PC (or subnotebook, whatever you want to call it) it will appeal to users who would never have looked twice at a UMPC.

Read: Geek.com

Sharp Willcom D4 - Hands On (Akihabara)

Although it’s a bit pricier than most of the so-called netbooks or sub-notebooks (around $1300 USD), it’s been an eagerly watched ultraportable, and Akihabara News has received a major scoop - they have one of the first, if not the first, hands-on previews/reviews of the Willcom D4.

The Willcom D4 is a unique device - it can function as a phone, but with it’s 5-inch wide touchscreen display (LED backlit along with a 1024×600 resolution), sliding keyboard, and 1.33GHz Intel Atom and running on top of Microsoft Windows Vista, it still falls into the UMPC category (if not sub-notebook).

Because it had Windows Vista, performance was not the best, but Akihabara News was told that a Windows XP version was much faster.

Plenty of photos and a video are included to give you an idea of just what is possible in a package this small.

Read: Akihabara News

First Intel Centrino Atom Device - June 2008

The first of the ultra-small computers based on Intel’s Centrino Atom platform is scheduled to arrive in June of 2008.

The 5-inch Sharp Willcom D4, which functions as a cell phone, in addition to being a touchscreen/Tablet convertible with a 64-key sliding keyboard, was announced yesterday by Sharp.

It’s powered by the Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz) and the Intel US15W system hub. It has a high-resolution LED-backlit display, 1024×600, as well as a 1.8-inch 40GB mechanical drive. While it’s sold as a cell phone ($400 USD with two year plan), it’s obviously a lot more than a cell phone (and it’s not going to be going into your pocket anytime soon).

Article: InfoWorld / IDG

Asus Eee PC 900 Unboxing (XEPC)

XEPC.org has added a large number of pictures of their unboxing of the Asus Eee PC 900, Asus’ 8.9-inch update of the Asus Eee PC “netbook” or low-cost/budget laptop.

As you can see, it’s basically a larger version of the Eee PC and comes in a similar package.

Note: It is in Japanese.

Article: XEPC.org

HP 2133 Mini-Note, Dell Discussion

This week’s MobileTechRoundup features a discussion about the HP 2133 Mini-Note as well as Dell jumping into the low-cost subnotebook arena.

Also, James Kendrick is calling the 2133 the “perfect writer’s notebook” saying:

The keyboard is great for lots of typing with it’s near full size and the extended battery I’m using provides just the right amount of ergonomic tilt to the device for comfort. It is a real joy to have a “real” notebook this size that lets me get web research done at the same time I am writing an article. The Mini is multi-tasking well and it may be the perfect writer’s notebook for all of the reasons I have mentioned.

Speaking of the HP 2133 Mini-Note, WaterField Designs has announced a new SleeveCase for the Mini-Note.

Next Page »