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SanDisk Unleashes World’s Fastest MLC SSD Family [UMPC] [Netbook]

Sandisk has unveiled it’s first affordable third-generation SSDs based on Multi-Level Cell (MLC) Flash Technology. The G3 model are available in 2 sizes: 1.8″ C18 model and 2.5″ C25 model. Although the G3-family is based on MLC technology, it has a great speeds of 200MB/s read speed and 140MB/s write speed.

It is available in the capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB costing $149, $249 and $499 respectively. Want to know how fast is it? It is equivalent to the 40,000 rpm HDD!

So, finally we are seeing cheap SSDs with great performance. This will let the netbook and UMPC manufactures to start using SSDs again, esp in their premium range.

[press release]

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HP Mini 2140 Review [Netbook]

We mentioned about the HP Mini 2140 few days ago. HP listened to the complaints of the HP Mininote 2133 and rectified them in the 2140. Folks at NotebookReview have given the HP Mini 2140 a good go. Unfortunately, the higher resolution model is not available in the market yet. So, they were able to review only the lower resolution model, which has a resolution of 1024 x 576, which is even less than the those in the market already.

The bigger 10.1″ screen is a better and most importantly, more comfortable to look at, when compared to the smaller, but very high-resolution screen of the HP mininote 2133. The keyboard has not undergone any change, which is a nice thing.

Pros

  • Excellent build quality (BEST in class)
  • Great keyboard (BEST in class)
  • ExpressCard slot offers fantastic expansion possibilities
  • Multiple configuration options

Cons

  • Base configuration has low-resolution screen
  • Strange location for touchpad buttons
  • Screen is too reflective due to second glossy protective layer

Suggestion: Wait for the higher resolution model instead. The current lower resolution model has only 576 pixel vertically, which would hide some of the Dialog boxes. The developers expect at least 600 pixels vertically when designing the applications. So, unless you are in some sort of big hurry, don’t buy the 2140. Wait for the higher resolution model instead, which would be a true upgrade to the mininote 2133.

[HP Mini 2140 webpage]

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How To: Install XP SP2 or XP Tablet 2005 on Fujitsu U820 or U2010 [UMPC]

Many of the Fujitsu U2010/U820 find the Windows Vista quite slow. Well, now there is a ray of hope for them. If you go to Fujitsu’s Singapore website, you can find all the XP drivers there. Note that although they are for the Fujitsu U2010, but they work fine for the Fujitsu U820 too.

Of course, the FM transmitter would not work as it is not there on the U820. So, there is no need to install a driver for that. You will need a copy of XP SP2 or XP Tablet 2005 to the downgrade. It does not matter, whether any company calls the shift from Vista to XP a downgrade, but they also know from inside that it is actually an upgrade for the users.

Thanks Jane for the tip!

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PowerGuard [Windows Mobile]

PowerGuard monitors the battery status of your Microsoft Windows Mobile/Windows CE powered Pocket PC or smartphone. It monitors several attributes, such as battery current, voltage, and temperature. PowerGuard represents these attributes textually as well as graphically. One can export the measurements to a comma-separated logfile.

The PowerGuard can answer all the questions like how much battery drain is caused by keeping the wifi on.

There are two versions: One is the basic freeware version and other one is the paid version which has the ability to predict battery life and export reading to CSV file format which can be later read on the Desktop.

Go to PowerGuard website to find out more

(via wmpoweruser)

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BenQ S6 MID unboxed [MID]

Midmoves have posted some great pictures of the BenQ S6 MID. For those who don’t know about this little MID from BenQ, it is a Mobile Internet Device (MID) with built-in 3G, 2GB SSD, 512MB RAM and a 4.8-inch WVGA display (800 x 480).

BenQ S6 MID unboxed

We have heard great things about it including it’s great browsing capabilities along with breezy HSDPA’s 7.2 MBPS speeds, it surely can be the best MID of all times. Again, my major complain is the poor screen resolution. You can get the resolution in a much smaller Windows Mobile devices these days like HTC TOUCH HD (review) and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1(review)

Keep an eye on midmoves for the full review of the BenQ S6 MID.

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What is the OQO Model 2+ lacking? [UMPC]

OQO model 2+ brought a heap of advancements when compared to it’s predecessor OQO model 2. But, many people were expecting a lot more from the the Model 2+.There is an ongoing talk going at oqotalk.com, where the people are discussing what ‘more’ that they expected from the OQO model 2+. Here is the mini-list:

  • Micro-SD slot: The microSD slot provides the users to easily move data from one device to another. People really yearned for this feature in the Model 2+
  • Front facing camera: Front facing camera is required to do Skype video calls and for other video conversations. People expected it to be a standard feature in the third generation OQO
  • Screen Resolution: The screen resolution has not gone any change since the first generation of the OQO. The WVGA resolution (800×480) is not enough for providing enjoyable web surfing experience. The resolution is simply not even enough to edit the office documents on the go. They should have upped the resolution to the 1024 x 600 to provide decent web experience to the people.

Although the inclusion of web camera would be a debatable issue as in some organizations, the camera-equipped devices are not allowed. But, the OQO should give that as an option rather than not offering it at all.

It looks like the OQO Model 3 will satisy those people.

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Great news for Netbook manufactures – Windows XP to live to 2010+

Vista could not make a big splash in netbook arena due to it’s bulkiness. This paved the way for the Windows XP to live for even more years than Microsoft expected. Talking about Microsoft’s expectations, it expected the Vista to fully replace the Windows XP in each field, which actually did not happen.

Windows 7 may get available later this year or in the begining of next year and we have heard great things about the Windows 7 already. Netbooks like MSI Wind U100 are running Windows 7 Beta pretty nicely already. But, the Windows 7 takes nearly 9GB of storage space, which makes it immpossible to use on the MIDs and Netbooks, which come with small SSDs. That is the sweet spot for Windows XP, which has much less space requirements. Also, the drivers of components used with Windows XP are more widely available. That also reduces the overall price of the device.

[fudzilla]

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Photos of 10-inch Acer Aspire One AKA Aspire One 103 – some analysis [netbook]

Well, that did not take long. Ever since we came to know about 10-inch version of the Acer Aspire One, we were very excited to hear more about it. Blogeee.net has posted few photos of the 10-inch Aspire One, which is now being called Aspire One 103. We did some analysis of the pictures and here is what we have to say: Acer did closely listened to the requests of people and almost all of them have been fulfilled in the Aspire One 103.

The new Aspire One 103 has left and right mouse buttons beneath the trackpad now although, the size of the trackpad still looks much smaller than the ASUS’ 10-inch netbooks like the 1000H. The keyboard has not gone much change as compared to the 8.9″ Aspire One, which already had a great keyboard.

The Aspire One 103 also makes the upgrading a lot easier than before. Now, you won’t have to take everything apart just to get access to the HDD or RAM. On the top-left, you can see the access door to the HDD. On the bottom-left, you can get access to the wireless card and on the bottom-right, you can find the RAM slot. We really appreciate that the Acer has made it easier for the users to change the HDDs. This will let the normal users to easily change the HDDs without sending them to the ACER service center.

The new Acer Aspire One will be powered by 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor. Nice, that they did not go for the Atom Silverthorne 1.33GHz which seems to be adopted by many companies. Another noticeable change is that the second SD slot is now gone on the Aspire one 103. The 8.9″ Aspire one used to have two SD card slots.  This also indicates that there would not be an SSD version. Also, the RAM remains same at 1GB. The HDD capacity seems to be 160GB.

Stay tuned for more information on Acer Aspire 103!

[blogeee.net]

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Viliv X70 – another Atom Powered MID [MID]

Atom powered MIDs seem to be on the rage now! Viliv has unveiled another MID based on Atom platform. It appears that most of the companies are now jumping from Arm-based architecture to Atom-based architecture.

It comes with Intel Atom Silverthorne (Z520) processor clocked at 1.33GHz and a 7-inch WSVGA display (1024 x 600). Although, it sounds a little odd, when engadget is calling this MID a handheld.

Here are it’s specifications:

  • Atom Silverthorne 1.33GHz processor
  • choice of SSD: 8GB/16GB or HDD: 30GB/60GB
  • Windows XP or Linux
  • 1GB RAM
  • optional WiMax module (mobile broadband)
  • Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and WiFi b/g (no ‘n’)
  • Weight: 660g
  • built-in GPS (Sirf Star 3)
  • SDHC slot
  • dimension: 210(w) x 117(h) x 22.5(d) mm

It is nice to see that Viliv is giving Windows XP as an option unlike the Gigabyte M528, which has been giving a headache to it’s users in getting the XP working. Also, folks at Viliv claim that X70 would give upto 6 hours of battery life. That would be quite difficult to achive considering the fact that it is running on Atom processor and not on a ARM based platform, which is much more power-frugal. The inclusion of SDHC slot and Sirf Star GPS are nice additions.

[myviliv]