Archive for January 30th, 2007
The i-mate K-Jar has just shown up on the FCC site showing internal and external pictures as well as a copy of the user manual.
The ropey looking prototype looks like a cross between the HTC Universal, with its swivel screen, and the HTC Hermes in terms of size and keyboard layout. However, unlike the Universal the K-Jar sports the one thing that all Universal owners wish for; an external screen!
As you can see from the image above the LCD screen (on the right) is pretty small and seems to be in an odd position. However, this is enough to display the name or number of the incoming call.
Specification of the i-Mate K-Jar is pretty uninspiring:
Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, iMate, K-Jar, i-Mate K-Jar, Tracy & Matt]
I’m sure that I have mentioned this before on the blog but I commute to and from London every day and try to get some work done on the train. As I’m doing more on the blog these days I need to use a laptop more and I need my internet access.
At the moment I have a small Dell Latitude D420 which I carry everywhere with me. It’s light and fairly powerful and there isn’t much wrong with it. I even have a built in 3G card. The problem I have isn’t with the laptop as such but anyone that uses trains regularly and takes their laptop will know (probably) that the space between seats coupled with the tiny seat back tables makes using a laptop pretty awkward, even with a fairly small laptop. There are also few tables on most trains.
Pocket PC mobile devices aren’t quite powerful enough for the job and they also do not run the software that I need to use. But now that UMPC devices are becoming more common I thought that one of these might solve my problem as most of these are designed for hand held operation.
Luckily my friends from eXpansys were kind enough to lend me a few devices (the UBiQUiO and the OQO) to test for this purpose.
So over the next few weeks I’m going to be ‘real world’ testing and reviewing three UMPC devices. I’ll be letting you know which one I think’s best.
The devices I shall be reviewing are:
The UBiQUiO 702
The OQO Model 01
The Samsung Q1
Specification of each device:
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Samsung Q1
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UBiQUiO 702
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OQO Model 01
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Processor
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Intel Celeron M ULV
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VIA C7®-M UL
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Transmeta Crusoe
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CPU Speed
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900MHz
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1.0 GHz
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1.0 GHz
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Memory
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1 SODIMM Socket, DDRII 400, 512MB
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1 x SODIMM slot 512MB Standard
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512MB DDR RAM (fixed)
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Screen Size
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7” Touchscreen
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7” Touchscreen
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5" transflective display
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Screen Res
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800 x 480 Native
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800 x 480 Native
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800 x 480 Native
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Graphics
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915 GMS Internal GFX
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VIA UniChrome™ Pro graphics
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8Mb 3D Accelerated
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Hard Drive
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8mm, 1.8” SFF HDD 40GB
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2.5" 9.5mm, 40GB UDMA
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8mm, 1.8” SFF HDD 30GB
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Ethernet
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Yes, On-board
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No
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Via Docking Cable
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WiFi
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802.11b/g, a/b/g
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QCOM 802.11b/g
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802.11b
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Bluetooth
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Bluetooth 1.1
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Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
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Bluetooth 1.1
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USB
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2 x USB 1.1
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2 x USB 2.0
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1 x USB 2.0
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Firewire
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No
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No
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Yes
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OS
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Windows XP Tablet Edition
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Windows XP Tablet Edition
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Windows XP Tablet Edition
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Audio
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2 x 2W Stereo Speakers
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Built-In 1W Speaker
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Built-In Mono
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Battery Type
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Re-chargeable 28w Lithium ION Battery
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Re-chargeable 26w Lithium ION Battery
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Re-chargeable 14.8w Lithium Polymer Battery
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Battery (Claimed)
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Standard Battery : over 3.5 Hrs
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Standard Battery : 3 Hrs
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Standard Battery : 3 Hrs
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Dimensions
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227.5mm x 139.5mm x 24.5mm
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230mm x 150mm x 25mm
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134mm x 86mm x 23mm
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Weight
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770g
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1042g (with extended battery)
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421g
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Other
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Button : 8 Way Stick, 4 User Key, 3 button (Auto Scale/Select/Menu), Hold , Volume Up/Down, Power/MIO, CAD
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Power on/off switch, 1 x Wireless on/off switch, 1 x D-pad with enter, Left Mouse Button, Right Mouse Button, 4x Function Keys, PageUp, PageDown, Key Lock, Volume Up, Volume Down, Synaptics Transtouch Stick Cursor
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Included accessories: universal power supply (air/auto adapters included), docking cable, desktop stand, digital pen, carrying sleeve
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Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, UMPC, OQO, Samsung Q1, Ubiquio 702, Laptop, Tracy & Matt]
Following my i-Mate JAQ3 post last week, Clove are pleased to announce that they now have the JAQ3 in stock. The save £20 offer has now been extended beyond the preorder period and is now valid until the end of February!
The iMate JAQ3 looks like a fabulous device with a form factor similar to the Blackjack or HTC S620 and packing a full Windows Mobile 5 OS with touchscreen support.
The i-Mate JAQ3 is available and in stock now on the Clove website for just £295 +VAT. Clove are one of the first to offer the JAQ3 in the UK and what’s more, we are offering you a £20 saving over the regular price with the following voucher code: TMJAQJAN07. Simply enter the code into the voucher box on the order form once you have selected to buy the i-Mate JAQ3 and £20 will be deducted at the checkout stage. We think this makes Clove one of the cheapest suppliers in the UK.
To take advantage of the i-Mate JAQ3 preorder offer please follow THIS LINK for the product page on the Clove Technology website and don’t forget to use the voucher code!
Look out for our i-Mate JAQ3 review coming soon!
Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, i-Mate, i-Mate JAQ3, JAQ3, Tracy & Matt]
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista, goes on sale from today.
Prices for the OS in the UK range from about £100 for an upgrade version of the Basic package to £249 for a copy of the upgrade to the Ultimate version of Vista. Compare that to the prices in the US – prices start from $100 (£52) for an upgrade of Vista Home basic to $249 (£127) for the equivelant Ultimate version. US customers pay half as much as in the UK? I’m sure that is going to upset a lot of people!
You can see if your PC is ready for Vista by downloading the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which will help you to determine if your Windows XP-based PC can run Windows Vista.
Matt
[Technorati tag(s): Microsoft, Vista, Windows XP, OS, Tracy & Matt]
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