Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen plenty of odd Android permutations, but UMEC seems to be striving to do something all its own. It’s showing two devices it currently has in the works, one is a videophone / hub / DECT phone / etc. unit (pictured), which might be at home on a countertop, while the other is a brightly hued MID, with similar internal specs but more portable aims. Both are running ARM Cortex A8 processors (like the iPhone 3GS), though there’s some significant OS optimization to be done: everything was incredibly sluggish on the videophone, and the MID was locked up at the time we dropped by. UMEC also doesn’t have the touchscreen drivers working for either device, though the good news is that they’re looking at both capacitive and resistive touchscreens, based on what the reseller that picks these up desires. Luckily, the videophone has USB plugs galore (along with plenty of Ethernet jacks) so we were able to get a quick demo of the device using a mouse and keyboard. The MID also has a full-size USB plug, and both devices sport HDMI out, so the end usage for both of these is really up in the air. Check ’em out on video after the break.

Continue reading UMEC’s Android videophone and MID prototypes stray from the beaten path

Filed under: Handhelds, Household, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Tablet PCs, Networking

UMEC’s Android videophone and MID prototypes stray from the beaten path originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We still gotta wait until September 15th for the whole scoop, but B&H has gone ahead and spoiled some of the mystery of Archos’ Android-based Archos 5, giving the internet tablet its own listing in a number of different storage capacity options, pictures in tow, as well as a $130 DVR station. Prices are currently listed as TBA, but fortunately it looks like the fine fellows at ArchosFans managed to capture the page when there were more concrete dollar signs on each model, to the tune of $294 for 16GB SSD, $370 for 32GB SSD, $320 for 160GB HDD, and $420 for a 500GB HDD. In the DVR station pic we spotted “HD” listed in the video names, which gives us hope that even more of those February leaks are coming to fruition. Screenshot of the with-price listings after the break.

[Via ArchosFans; thanks, Steve and Axel]

Read – 500GB HDD listing
Read – 16GB SSD listing
Read – 32GB SSD listing
Read – DVR Station

Continue reading Android-based Archos gets pictured, briefly priced by B&H

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Android-based Archos gets pictured, briefly priced by B&H originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been playing hide and seek with this peskily mysterious Android MID for a few weeks now, and it looks like at last some light has been shed on the situation. The device is actually just a concept built by Rockchip to display its new RK2808 chipset, which is capable of decoding 720p and apparently squeezing into incredibly attractive, Apple-aping form factors. There’s some action video which reveals that the hardware perhaps isn’t so capable of pumping a smooth web browsing experience to its 5-inch screen, but sometimes you can forgive a bit of clunky when faced with this much sexy. No word on plans to put the RK2808 into a real product, but it sure seems off to a nice, buzz-filled start. Video is after the jump, but you’d better be prepared to rock out.

[Via pocketables]

Continue reading Mystery Android MID found out to be Rockchip-built concept, caught on video

Filed under: Handhelds

Mystery Android MID found out to be Rockchip-built concept, caught on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The problem with your product not existing is that it’s hard to make money off of it, and after a while, would-be buyers start to hate you and everything you stand for. On the plus side, redesign costs hover near zero, so why not play around and shoot for the moon with wild specs that we’ll likely never have the opportunity to own? As far as we can tell, South Korea’s MIU is no closer to launching its do-everything HDPC than it was a year and a half ago — and if anything, they’ve actually managed to regress a bit since they actually had a real live prototype back then. Anyway, the latest round of virtu-changes gives us a larger primary display that’s up to 1024 x 600 (we’ll take all the resolution we can get since the $900 flavor is supposed to run XP), a grand total of three cameras, integrated GPS, HDMI out, and a T-DMB tuner. Strangely, the MID’s phone face has taken on a distinctly E90 accent, right down to the inexplicable S60 screen shot used in the mockup — but rest assured, you’ll be able to buy, sell, and buy an E90 again before you’ll be able to get your paws on the HDPC, which MIU says it’s shopping around to distributors. We’re keeping our easily-dashed hopes in check.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

MIU’s vaporware HDPC now looking like a Nokia E90, but less buyable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Always Innovating sure made good on the promise of removable tablet embedded in a netbook form factor and price — we’ve gone from hardly believable renders in March to a now-shipping $400 ($300 without the base) product as of now. The impressions are already trickling in, but our favorite observation so far is this fridge magnet implementation. The main complaint so far is that the machine altogether is rather heavy for a netbook. It makes sense given that all the computer internals are in the MID-style touchscreen, while the keyboard base adds on 7 hours of purported battery life. So far it doesn’t sound like this is the sexy-slim way to get into the netbook game if you’re not in it for the removable MID capabilities, but for the MID affectionate the Touch Book could provide a nice alternative to the same old same old.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Read – Touch Book first impressions
Read – Touch Book unboxing

Always Innovating Touch Book unboxed, previewed and stuck to a fridge for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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