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You’d think we’d seen every form factor and possible processor combination from Computex already, but III have still managed to surprise us. Their hybrid system combines the base of an HP Mini 1000-series netbook, from which the Intel Atom processor has been junked and replaced with a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M CPU. Meanwhile the display has been replaced with a detachable touchscreen slate, with its own processor, and running Android. The two can be used separately.


The slate functions as a full standalone touchscreen device, running on a 533MHz Samsung ARM-based CPU, and allows for full wireless connectivity and all the usual Android apps. The base section uses the slate as a display, and runs Windows XP - that means the usual range of productivity and office apps will work fine.

Right now it’s a prototype, with III (the Institute for Information Industry in Taiwan) looking for partners to commercialize the idea. It reminds us of the Always Innovating Touch Book, though of course that only has computing components in the slate-screen section.

ITG’s xpPhone was one of the more curious prospects for Computex - something with the form-factor of a MID but resolutely intended to be used as a cellphone - and jkkmobile stopped by to check it out. The xpPhone certainly tries to fit in as much as possible: SSD up to 64GB in size, multiple wireless options including Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G and WiMAX, and an AMD mobile processor.

Contrary to our initial expectations, ITG didn’t cut down the number of buttons on the xpPhone’s keyboard; that’s perhaps because the device is considerably larger than we first envisaged. The 4.8-inch touchscreen is swaddled by a thick bezel, and as you can see in the video it’s a chunky device.

We can’t imagine holding the xpPhone to our head and using it as a traditional smartphone, but with a Bluetooth headset it might be more practical. An estimated five hours of battery life is always welcome, but we’re unconvinced overall; this seems a little too much like the jarring mash of device-types that has led MID sales overall to be disappointing.

Nothing like a new niche to get the concept artists salivating, but this time it’s Freescale Semiconductor who are working on possible Smartbook designs. The company has commissioned six prototypes, ranging from the touchscreen-slate-with-QWERTY-ears you see here to a modular mini-notebook and a leather-clad clamshell.



The concepts are the work of industrial design specialists SCAD, and don’t appear to have reached hardware stage yet. Instead, the renders suggest the different directions the Smartbook platform - which uses ARM-based processors and boast super-long battery life - might go in, to cater for different usage patterns.

In terms of working hardware, the prototypes are slightly less impressive. Freescale have been demonstrating the Wistron N900z, a more traditional netbook-style design in which the most exciting aspect is perhaps its tipped sub-$200 price.

Ethernet over powerline is nothing new - many users are already taking advantage of their mains cabling to avoid stringing Cat5 around the house - but HDMI over powerline is less common. Averlogic wants to change all that; they’ve been demonstrating their 1080p H.264 streaming system at Computex, allowing high-definition video to be squirted through mains cabling.

One transmitter can simultaneously stream to three separate receivers, each of which can output via HDMI, composite or component connections. The transmitter itself has three HDMI inputs and one set each of composite and composite, and everything can be remotely controlled at the viewing end.

Streamed media can be up to 1920 x 1080 at 24p or 60i, together with 5.1 surround sound, and Averlogic claim it has a roughly three-floor, 300m range with 200Mbps data rate. The system is also compatible with the HomePlug-AV and HD-PLC standards. No word on when we could expect to see Averlogic products on shelves, though.

BenQ have become the latest netbook manufacturer to throw their hat into the Android netbook ring, as well as confirming their plans to produce smartphones running the open-source OS. The new hardware should arrive on the market sometime in 2010, though BenQ are keeping specification details for both netbook and smartphone close to their chest.

The company recently announced their latest netbook, the JoyBook Lite U121, which offers either Windows XP or a Linux OS. Based on Intel’s Atom Z520 processor, it’s unclear whether BenQ’s Android netbook will similarly use the Intel range of chips or take advantage of one of the low-power ARM-based CPUs that have been shown to be powerful enough to load Google’s platform.

Acer recently confirmed that they would be offering a dual-boot Android/XP netbook in Q3, seeking to distribute the machine through partnerships with carriers. An ASUS Eee PC based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and running Android was also demonstrated at Computex.

MIDs a failure? No no no, how could that be when this little beauty is headed to the market? Known here as the Compal KAX15 MID, but likely to find itself a variety of alternative brands including Gigabyte and Aigo, it’s based on Intel’s existing Menlow platform and packs an 800MHz Atom Z515 processor, a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard.



That processor is actually quite clever, because despite the relatively low billed clock speed it also supports 1.2GHz bursting. While running at 1.2GHz would generally produce too much heat and have too great an impact on battery life, bursting-compatible applications will be able to poke the Z515 into running at the faster speed until the CPU’s controller decides things are getting too hot.

There are also dual cameras, front and back. Squinting at the product spec in the video below (courtesy jkkmobile), it looks like the KAX15 has 512MB of RAM, runs Windows XP (though the press shots have an Android-esque status bar across the top) and have WiFi and Bluetooth. No word on specific launch dates or pricing, but at least the Compal KAX15 will land before Moorestown.

ASUS have officially launched the Eee PC T91 convertible touchscreen netbook, and already the first reviews are surfacing. Based around an 8.9-inch display which can rotate flat onto the keyboard for slate use, the T91 runs Intel’s Atom Z520 CPU with 1GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1. According to Pocket-lint, it’s a useful compromise between traditional Tablet PC functionality and netbook scale.

They praise the sturdy hinge, which apparently resisted their best efforts to twist it into submission, and the three user-modes on offer. As well as standard Windows XP Home, the T91 offers a quick-boot Eee Mode which allows for internet and Skype access within seconds, and a custom touchscreen-only GUI intended for finger use.

You can see the T91’s GUI in action in the video below [via AsusTablet]. Overall, they’re impressed, describing the T91 as a “welcomed diversion in design”. No word on performance from the Z520 CPU - which has proved disappointing in the Acer Aspire One 751 - but perhaps the touch focus of the T91 eclipses any interest in the 720p playback which so stresses the Atom chip.

The ASUS Eee PC T91 is apparently available in select markets now, priced at around £449 ($684).

We have something of a soft-spot for HP’s Pavilion dv2 ultraportable, the 12.1-inch AMD-powered notebook we played with back in April. Managing to find space for a capacious 500GB hard-drive, 4GB of RAM and a 512MB ATI discrete graphics card, the only potential downside is the ULV processor.

Now HP are preparing at least two new versions of the notebook, together with a new color option. Of interest to anybody who found the Yukon CPU of the original dv2 underpowered, AMD’s dual-core Congo and full Athlon X2 processors are set to hit the notebook; there’s also a white version planned.

The white model keeps the black screen surround - seemingly to prevent eye-strain - but swaps the lower half of the notebook for a glossy white plastic. It looks to work quite well with the silver trim strips, but we find ourselves wondering how it might look after a few months of finger grease and scratches.

No word on pricing or specific availability for any of the new dv2 versions

ASUS have announced the O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player, a compact wired-only media streamer intended to funnel local and network content into your HDTV. Supporting HDMI and composite A/V connections for the display and a choice of USB 2.0, eSATA or wired ethernet, there’s also an optical digital audio output for use with a surround sound amp.


Supported codecs include MPEG 1/2/4, H.264, VC-1 and RM/RMVB, with a list of file formats as long as your arm; check out the spec sheet below for full details. The O!Play HDP-R1 will also play back music and images, including FLAC and OGG files.

The absence of WiFi draft-n support will likely be a deal-breaker for many, though those who have eSATA hard-drives and would like to play content from them might find something to appeal here. No word on pricing or availability as yet.

Wistron’s most endearing Smartbook machine may be the compact VAIO P-lookalike that has been floating around tradeshows for a few months now, but it’s not their only offering with ARM under the hood. Freescale Semiconductors are showing the Wistron N900z at their Computex 2009 stand, a more traditionally designed 10-inch netbook, and LaptopMag shot some hands-on video.



The design is relatively basic, with a rubberized keyboard (that LaptopMag compare to that of the OLPC XO-1, but we can’t avoid thinking about the Spectrum ZX) and “almost unusable” touchpad. Inside, though, is the real draw: Freescale’s i.MX515 platform, with an 800MHz processor and 4GB SSD.

The N900z runs Ubuntu, and loaded OpenOffice Writer in around fifteen seconds; Firefox, even when opened simultaneously, didn’t present any performance issues, though attempting to then play a video clip resulted in sluggishness. When the video was played on its own, though, it ran fine; Wistron expect the N900z to manage in excess of 10hrs runtime from a single charge, and be priced at under $200 when it eventually launches.

Intel have been talking about their upcoming Moorestown platform, and demonstrating it with this Inventec MediaPhone. The device - a voice-enabled MID with touchscreen interface - runs a customized version of Moblin v.2; the bad news is this won’t be appearing on shelves any time soon.



Full specifications of the device are unclear, but according to Intel’s launch (which you can see in the video below) there’ll be pinch-zoom functionality, which suggests a capacitive rather than resistive touchscreen. There’s also a camera on the back, which looks to have a flash.

Much of Moorestown’s hardware will be the same as is used in netbooks; what will differentiate the two will be the UI, and Intel are working on a “ground up” new design. Moorestown is expected in 2010, so don’t expect to see a MID-phone like this until well into next year.

Could someone please ping NEC and remind them that we’re drowning in Tegra, Ion and Snapdragon loveliness at Computex and Intel’s Atom N270 simple won’t cut it any more? NEC have announced a new netbook series, the LaVie Light BL300, using the N280 processor and a choice of HDD or SSD.

The BL300 range - comprising the BL300, BL310 and BL350 - all have a 10.1-inch LCD, with 1,024 x 600 resolution and a webcam, together with WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. They measure between 27.5 and 29.8mm in thickness, and are available in glossy white, red or black.

The BL300 has either a 160GB HDD or 16GB SSD, while the BL310 and BL350 seemingly have 160GB HDDs only. Battery life for the BL300/BL310 is roughly 4.2hrs, while the BL350 gets a bigger-capacity battery for up to 7.4hrs. One of the USB 2.0 ports on each machine remains powered even when the netbook is not in use, for charging external peripherals or PMPs.

Could someone please ping NEC and remind them that we’re drowning in Tegra, Ion and Snapdragon loveliness at Computex and Intel’s Atom N270 simple won’t cut it any more? NEC have announced a new netbook series, the LaVie Light BL300, using the N280 processor and a choice of HDD or SSD.

The BL300 range - comprising the BL300, BL310 and BL350 - all have a 10.1-inch LCD, with 1,024 x 600 resolution and a webcam, together with WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. They measure between 27.5 and 29.8mm in thickness, and are available in glossy white, red or black.

The BL300 has either a 160GB HDD or 16GB SSD, while the BL310 and BL350 seemingly have 160GB HDDs only. Battery life for the BL300/BL310 is roughly 4.2hrs, while the BL350 gets a bigger-capacity battery for up to 7.4hrs. One of the USB 2.0 ports on each machine remains powered even when the netbook is not in use, for charging external peripherals or PMPs.

Mobinnova have announced one of the first NVIDIA Tegra-based smartbook/netbook/shrunken-laptops at Computex, the élan. With an 8.9-inch display capable of playing back 720p video, the élan weighs just 1.84lbs and measures a mere 0.8-inches thick, but still manages to pack in 3G and WiFi, 5-10 hours of continuous HD video playback or up to 24 days of audio playback (assuming the screen is turned off).

There’s obviously Tegra’s clever hardware Flash acceleration, which means full web access and speedy HD videos from YouTube and Hulu, together with a 3D GUI and webcam. Somehow, Mobinnova have managed to make all this fanless.

In addition to the élan there’s another Mobinnova Tegra device, the T8, which throws in a 10.1-inch touchscreen and GPS, plus HDMI and VGA outputs. According to the company these are just the first two of several Tegra-based netbooks set for launch; no word on pricing or availability yet, though.

Details of a new ASUS Eee PC have been snapped at Computex 2009, ahead of the netbook’s official debut which is expected tomorrow. The ASUS Eee PC 1101HA slots into the company’s Seashell range, but offers an 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 display versus the 10-inch screen of the 1008HA. There’s also Intel’s Atom Z520 or Z530 processors paired with 1GB of RAM.

Other specifications include a 160GB hard-drive, three USB 2.0 ports and a multi-format memory card reader. Two 6-cell battery versions are promised, 2,200mAh and 2,800mAh, which are tipped to offer 9.5hrs and 11hrs runtime respectively. Connectivity includes WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and 10/100 ethernet, and there’s a 1.3-megapixel webcam in the bezel.

If it were us, we’d avoid the Z520 processor - which has given Acer such problems in their Aspire One 751 - and head straight to the Z530. You won’t get the top-end battery life suggested, but you’ll have a more usable system overall. No word on pricing, but we’ll hopefully hear more when the ASUS Eee PC 1101HA gets its official announcement later on in the week.