Unlike CES, there is no shortage of newly announced UMPC devices here at CeBIT. Perhaps that’s due to this being the 1st anniversary of the platform’s launch. But if you’re looking for the ultimate in QWERTY portability, then look no further than the new FlyBook V5. This 1.2kg pup packs pretty much everything the discerning road-warrior could want: 1.06GHz Intel Core Duo ULV U2400 processor; up to 2GB of DDR2 memory; Intel 945GM graphics; 8.9-inch, 32-bit color, 1024 x 600 (WXGA) touchscreen display which works with the touch of a finger or included stylus in both landscape and portrait (tablet) modes; 40GB hard disk; 1.3 megapixel swivelling camera built-in to the bezel; Gigabit LAN; stereo speaker; and fingerprint reader. It also brings a reasonable mix of expansion which includes Express card, 2x USB 2.0, and TV-out. The best part, however, is the number of radios packed into this ultraportable. It starts with Bluetooth 2.0, sprinkles in some 802.11a/b/g WiFi, and and then smothers it all with 3.6Mbps UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM. The V5 measures just 235 x 163 x 30-mm and packs a 1.2kg heft making it feel solid, not heavy in the hand. Good thing too, cause those controls you see between the keyboard and display allow you to pick the unit up while in a traditional laptop config and continue navigating the display. The miniature 80-key keyboard of the working prototype v5 that we tapped upon was seriously springy. The reduced size and key bounce would certainly take some getting used to. A sacrifice we’d be privileged to make if we could call this unit our own. Still, things might stiffen up before the April release – The Netherlands and Italy first with the rest of Europe to follow “soon” thereafter. Sorry, no definite plans for a US release date making us want one even more.

From engadget

Gallery: Hands-on with the Flybook V ultra-connected ultra-portable

    

GSM fanboys, rejoice: Core Duo News was trawling the FCC website when they caught the EV-DO-packin’ Portege R400 convertible tablet making another run through the certification process, but this time around, it’s looking to get an HSPDA modem cleared for takeoff. This being the FCC and all, we can’t tell if any of the other specs on this 12-inch, somewhat underpowered notebook have changed along with the 3G standard, but we think it’s safe to assume that the only difference is a Novatel PCI Express Mini Card taking the place of whichever Verizon-compatible modem was once there. So grab your checkbooks, Cingular and T-Mobile subscribers, because there’s a good chance that the re-spec’ed R400 will hit the scene any day now. And if not, hey, it’s never too late to jump on the CDMA bandwagon.

[Via Core Duo News]
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from engadget

We won’t front, Samsung makes some sexy laptops. Their latest lined up for CeBIT include the R70, R20, and Q45: the Q45 is the smallest of the pack, with a 12.1-inch widescreen display, while the R20 features a 14.1-inch widescreen, and 15.4-inch R70. All run Vista on Core 2 Duo processors and feature “built-in USB slots” (thanks!!), while varying perks like the R20′s silver-nano antibacterial coated keyboard, or the R70′s HDMI port, or the Q45′s WiBRO and HSDPA radios.

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from engadget

Asus has a new UMPC quietly on-show here at CeBIT — the T83. Although propped up pert and pretty in the “Industrial” section of the ASUS booth, let us assure you that this is no ruggedized UMPC. Another version based on this design is coming later in the year which should be capable of handling the abuse brought on by the busy hands of children or warehouse crew. Underneath that 7-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display we found XP Tablet running on a 1GHz Via C7-M processor, 512MB of RAM (expandable to 2GB), at least a 30GB disk, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and a digital camera packed into a fanless, 950-gram UMPC. It also features a fully tactile QWERTY and up to 6 hours off battery. Not bad, but the Q1 Ultra (dual core, Vista Home Premium, 1024 x 600 resolution, etc, etc) has a bit spoiled on specs at this point — where was the T83 last year ASUS? Still, if you’re a fan of portable XP or Linux and a sub-grand price tag, well, listen up: the T83 is expected to go global in Q3 for anywhere between $899 and $999.

Gallery: ASUS’ T83 UMPC does the QWERTY swivel

    
from engadget

While there’s already a fair amount of competition in the rugged laptop realm, Rayservers is taking its uber-secure approach and blending it with military-grade toughness for its Cerberus MIL-STD-810F Crypto Toughbook. Aside from borrowing the “100-percent encrypted hard drives and privacy protected internet access” from its other models, this “Secure-Out-of-the-Box” machine also touts a sealed plastic keyboard, 80GB shock-mounted removable hard drive, magnesium alloy case (with handle), and moisture / dust resistance to boot. If these amenities sound familiar, it’s because the actual hardware is a Panasonic Toughbook CF-30, but the AES 256 Encrypted Linux is all Rayservers, and you’ll also find Intel’s 1.66GHz L2400 processor, GMA 950 graphics set, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 13.3-inch XGA touchscreen, DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, PCMCIA, 802.11a/b/g, FireWire, 56k modem, and a trio of USB 2.0 ports on the machine. Of course, the 8.2-pound beast demands a hefty premium for all this literal and theoretical security, as it’ll reportedly cost you about $10,000 (saywha?) to weather a data-jacking invasion and mountainside fall simultaneously.

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from engadget

Samsung’s not the only mega Korean manufacturer with a little bit of hybrid hard drive action to show off this week. Apparently LG is getting into the game as well, as it’s stuffed one of those flash-cached, speed-booting, battery-saving and performance-enhancing drives into the new R400, which should be launching at the end of this month. Along with the snappy 120GB drive, the R400 (not to be confused with Toshiba’s flagship 12-incher) includes a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 graphics card, 14.1-inch LCD, 1.73GHz T5300 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM and Bluetooth. The Inquirer mentions a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam, but we’re not spotting the camera in the pic above. The best news is that all of this appears to be going for the perfectly reasonable price of $1,199 Canadian — about 37 cents in real people money! There’s obviously some shadiness here, and we’re looking forward to LG’s official announcement to confirm the specs and maybe jack up the price a grand or so, but for now we sure are liking to looks of this here R400.

[Via The Inquirer]
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from engadget

The Estari DC15 is the world’s first dual-touchscreen notebook, keyboard not included. It features an Intel Core Duo (1.83-GHz) processor, 2GB RAM, up to 100GB HDD, and dual 15-inch touchscreen displays. No word yet on pricing and availability. Continue reading for another image.

The company has installed virtual keyboard software and users can even use wireless keyboards (or USB ones) if they feel uncomfortable with the concept. One drawback of this model is that it weighs a whole 5.9kg

[via NewLaunches]
from techeblog
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