AMD’s Congo platform getting really official next month?

AMD’s never been much for keeping to the roadmap, and it looks like the curious launch of its Congo platform is evidence of that very fact. If you’ll recall, we actually saw a Congo-based netbook launch way back in June, and it was expected that a flood of other ultrathin machines would follow shortly thereafter. According to DigiTimes, the demand in the market just wasn’t there (thanks, recession!), so everything was pushed back until November. Lo and behold, our Gregorian calendar has that very month on deck for next, and according to mythical sources at laptop makers, the platform should make its super-duper official debut within a matter of weeks. The dual-core Turion Neo X2 L625, Athlon Neo X2 L335/L325 and / or single-core Athlon Neo MV-40 should be front and center, and AMD is apt to announce progress on its Nile and Brazos platforms — both of which should help carry the chip maker through the next two years. Look out Atom, you’ve got some delayed competition coming your way.

Update: Seems as if this may all just be a “second wave” of sorts when many PC makers choose to launch machines based on this platform alongside Windows 7’s debut. AMD informed us that the November delay notion was also false, and we get the feeling that Congo’s just been waiting for Win7 to really get itself out there.

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AMD’s Congo platform getting really official next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viliv’s WinXP-powered X70EX MID now on sale in America

We’re still not exactly sure who among us is buying MIDs, but as with those mysterious video glasses, it’s abundantly clear that someone, somewhere definitely is. Take Viliv’s X70, for instance. This thing’s been around the world a time or two in more than one iteration, but at long last, the E70EX has departed Hong Kong and landed on US soil. Over at NewEgg, the X70EX Express P, X70EX Premium P and X70EX Premium 3GP are available for immediate shipment, though you’ll still have to justify the $599.99, $729.99 and $879.99 (respectively) price tags. Good luck with that, and be sure to let us all know how it turns out.

[Via Laptoping]

Read – Viliv X70EX Express P
Read – Viliv X70EX Premium P
Read – Viliv X70EX Premium 3GP

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Viliv’s WinXP-powered X70EX MID now on sale in America originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: VIA EPIA-P720 Pico-ITX motherboard plays 1080p, doesn’t sweat much

While NVIDIA’s Ion has been getting all of the attention of late, VIA’s been doing this 1080p thing for quite some time. We actually heard earlier this year that the company’s EPIA-P710 Pico-ITXe board was capable of playing back glorious 1080p video clips, but now we’ve got video proof that the unit’s successor truly can. According to VIA, this mobo is the first from it to come with the VX855 Media System Processor onboard, which is obviously the secret sauce involved in delivering the high-res graphics. Head on past the break for a peek at the demo, and good luck resisting the urge to build a new SFF HTPC over the weekend.

Continue reading Video: VIA EPIA-P720 Pico-ITX motherboard plays 1080p, doesn’t sweat much

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Video: VIA EPIA-P720 Pico-ITX motherboard plays 1080p, doesn’t sweat much originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qi Smartbook U1000 rolls with WinMo, few buttons

By definition, the Qi Smartbook U1000 isn’t a smartbook. It’s more like a touchscreen MID, but we’ll let the semantics slide (just this once). Based on a 624MHz CPU, Windows Mobile 6.1 and a 5-inch touch panel (800 x 480), this Chinese device is also equipped with WiFi and a mysterious camera ’round back. Sadly, that’s about all we know, but those who find themselves in Shenzhen should definitely check it out. Just be wary of those KIRFs — we hear they’re kind of prevalent over there.

[Via GadgetMix]

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Qi Smartbook U1000 rolls with WinMo, few buttons originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sinchun’s 8.9-inch UMPC-891A holds onto the past with XP

Sinchun got the price right: 2999 Yuan (about $439 US), and the netbook-style specs make a lot of sense for this form factor. Unfortunately, Windows XP does not. Paired up against a stylus-driven 1024 x 600 touchscreen, Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a variety of smallish SSD options, there’s plenty of room for 7’s touch enhancements to shine on the UMPC-891A — but not enough expanse for them to choke up. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from slapping it on yourself. The biggest point of caution here is the 2 hour quoted battery life — let’s hope the Archos 9pctablet brings us a truly helpful amount of battery life in the UMPC space.

[Via Cloned In China]

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Sinchun’s 8.9-inch UMPC-891A holds onto the past with XP originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sinchun’s UMPC-501 5-inch tablet makes its grand entrance

You know, for all the buzz surrounding Android-powered MIDs — most of which we’ll probably never see — it sure is nice to see an actual device that’s ready to hit the shelves for a change. Case in point: the UMPC-501 A is a rather nondescript 5-inch (800 x 480) touchscreen device by Sinchun Electronic Co., a company located deep within the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Weighing a mere 350g and measuring 6.3 x 3.75 x .87 inches, this bad boy sports a 1.1GHz Atom Z510 processor, 1G RAM, SSD storage (size to be determined), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, 3G, a SiRF Star III GPS, a removable battery (so this is definitely not the Apple Tablet then?) and ships with Windows XP Home (yeah, guess not). Barring any unforeseen events, it should be available sometime this month for under 3000 Yuan ($441). Now if only someone would stick this thing to a fridge. Get a closer look after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Sinchun’s UMPC-501 5-inch tablet makes its grand entrance

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Sinchun’s UMPC-501 5-inch tablet makes its grand entrance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kohjinsha rebrands mbook M1, calls it the PM series UMPC

Hey, remember that cute little mbook M1 that was all the rage earlier this year? Yeah, you’re looking at it again, only this time it’s sporting a cleaner look and a Kohjinsha badge. The rebranded UMPC gets powered by a 1.1GHz Atom N510 CPU and also features 512MB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, 4.8-inch LCD (1,024 x 600), 1.3 megapixel camera, USB 2.0, a microSDHC expansion slot, built-in WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a headphone jack. It doesn’t appear to tout any sort of inbuilt WWAN, though the included battery should last for right around seven hours before petering out. The only problem? That Texas-sized ¥59,800 ($647) price tag, which should do a commendable job of hindering widespread adoption.

[Via Pocketables]

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Kohjinsha rebrands mbook M1, calls it the PM series UMPC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: Good input device(s) and user interfaces for the ‘over 80 crowd?’

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from a very concerned Mike, who is hoping to give his grandmother a way to properly interact with a laptop.

“I am trying to configure out a really dumbed down and intuitive PC for my grandmother. She recently had a stroke and while she is under my care I would like to repurpose a laptop for her to surf and email her children. Anyone have any experience with what input devices and UI’s are really understandable for the over 80 crowd?”

We know this is a bit “out there” for Ask Engadget, but we get the feeling Mike isn’t alone here. Anyone have any experience with unorthodox input devices and UIs designed for those with limited mobility and / or weakened vision? Spill the goods in comments below!

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Ask Engadget: Good input device(s) and user interfaces for the ‘over 80 crowd?’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Mini 1000 hacked into touchscreen tablet

As all you compulsive modders and gadget freaks know, there aren’t too many devices that a well-applied touchscreen kit won’t make even better. And while there’s nothing really earth shattering about a homebrew HP Mini 1000 tablet, we don’t see too many of them. As with many a similar hack, things are pretty straightforward: remove the keyboard, cram in some components (actually, the term this guy uses is “squeeze”) and then fit the shell back together. Oh yeah, he’ll need to cut a hole in the shell for the touchscreen itself, as soon as he gets the actual touchscreen in the mail. Did we mention that he’ll be laser cutting the window for the display, the webcam, and the speakers at his school? Regardless, he gets into all that (and more) at the myHPmini forums — be sure to hit the read link for some of that action. Who knows, maybe you’ll even be inspired to embark on a similar project yourself. But first, check the video after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading HP Mini 1000 hacked into touchscreen tablet

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HP Mini 1000 hacked into touchscreen tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pre-ordered Viliv X70s delayed to August 11, new customers might have to wait till September

The way we hear it, there are plenty of Viliv fans out there disappointed that Dynamism missed its promised delivery date for pre-ordered X70 units this week. The retailer says that component shortages are responsible for the delay and is now hoping to deliver by August 11, but there’s worse news: new orders aren’t expected to ship until September 2, turning what was once a fashionably late arrival to US shores into a rather embarrassing month-long delay.

[Via Pocketables]

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Pre-ordered Viliv X70s delayed to August 11, new customers might have to wait till September originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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