FIC's seven-inch CE261 UMPC spotted at Computex

Continuing on with more glimpses of foreign gadgetry from the floors of Computex comes the seven-inch CE261 UMPC from FIC. This laptop-styled machine sports a glossy black exterior, noticeably large gap beneath the display's bezel, and a swank looking keyboard to boot. Aside from the WVGA display and reported five-hours of battery life, this sucka also touts a pair of stereo speakers, miniature trackpad, a pair of USB ports, audio in / out, Ethernet, DVI output, flash card reader, 0.3-megapixel webcam in the bezel, and a number of LED indicators to keep you informed. Per usual, there's no word yet on when certain sects of the world can snag one of their own, so click on through for the obligatory snapshots to tide you over.

[nj @ Jun 9th 2007 11:15PM]

dang that looks really nice, umpcs get better and better all the time, i really have hope for them now as opposed to a few months ago, keep em coming, till i get my new comp this fall.

[Ellianth @ Jun 9th 2007 11:26PM]

Are you kidding? That shit is hideous. I wonder how the track pad works if a slim person's finger takes up the entire tracking surface.

[Pc_Madness @ Jun 10th 2007 2:30AM]

Its really.. ugly.. and just looks like a laptop.. which isn't really what a umpc is supposed to be about is it? :\

[Big @ Jun 9th 2007 11:15PM]

This would be great for a covert operative with a collapsible satellite antennae

[Michael La Framboise @ Jun 10th 2007 2:38AM]

Not to sound like a basher/hater - but that thing does look pretty damn ugly. Reminds me of a mutant child of some low-end budget hp laptop from a few years back.

Also, a bit off topic, but could someone explain this to me; I wondered it for a long long time now - what's the point of running full blown OS's on these "mobile" devices. I mean the screen is barely barely big enough to even fit most of the dialogs in the OS - the keyboards and (what is that? a trackpad) -- usually suck and most importantly, the battery life doesn't go above 3-4 hours at most. IF at the very least, these units would be cheap - but most of them are a 1000+ dollars, but they're not even that- so just those few things kill 99% of the reasons why anyone would ever consider something like this instead of a laptop...

Sigh, I'll never understand these manufacturers; trying to conquer a nonexistent market for devices somewhere between a smart phone and a laptop...

Just my few cents :)

[Jon @ Jun 10th 2007 7:33AM]

The design IMO is alright, but it could do with getting rid of that touchpad and putting a trackpoint instead.

But what is with that smallish screen? UMPCs are already small enough, so why are companies like FIC and Asus thinks it is okay to put a small screen with huge bezels?

[wabguard-email @ Jun 10th 2007 8:30AM]

Simple Specs Manufactuers... just listen to us.

Sub 500.00 price
Multi-Touch screen
Thin and Light enough to not be a burden to carry
at LEAST 6 hour battery life
BT 2.0, WiFi, USB, Audio, DVI, Flashreader
Sturdy Built enough want to carry around without breaking it

[Andrew G @ Jun 10th 2007 7:32PM]

Simpler specs than that, even.

If I can run a real OS (not a stripped down version) then a multi-touch screen isn't needed. For me, even having a touch screen is optional, but I can see how it would be a deal-breaker for a lot of people.

Bluetooth and flash card readers can be added via USB (and leaving them out will help get below that $500 price).

DVI output onboard is nice but it's probably not a deal-breaker if it's via a docking station rather than on the computer itself. (Total lack of DVI would be a deal-breaker for many people, I'm sure.)

4 to 5 hours battery life is okay as long as a second battery can be had relatively cheaply, and there is a way to charge it outside of the computer itself.

[strider_mt2k @ Jun 10th 2007 8:30AM]

I like it alot.
I also don't like track pads, but something is better than nothing.
A trackpoint would be a bit more compact.

If I was going to use it for any amount of time I think I'd probably still wind up carrying a wireless mouse, but that's not a deal breaker for me at all.

It strikes me that if this is the biggest issue I can come up with then they might have a pretty good thing there!

[Major Malfunction @ Jun 10th 2007 3:09PM]

UMPC + Integrated Keyboard + Touchpad = LAPTOP, not UMPC damnit!

[Aaron Walker @ Jun 11th 2007 1:48AM]

I agree with you, what's the point of having all of that and still trying to call it a UMPC when it clearly isn't.

I now have a UMPC made by TabletKiosk. No way would I want to have a tiny little keyboard and all the extra do-dads this thing throws on there because they think this is what I "want" in a UMPC.

A UMPC as outlined by Microsoft and further developed by Intel, Samsung, Asus and TabletKiosk (among a few others) is supposed to primarily be a slate device. You interact with it primarily through touch/digital ink. You can add the option of a keyboard if you desire by one of the convertible ones or an added on bluetooth or USB keyboard.

Everything else is just a really small laptop. And if that is what you want, that is what you should get.

But they shouldn't be calling this a UMPC just because it has a small screen. The concept is difficult enough for people to wrap their heads around without muddying the waters.

Major Malfunction, you hit the nail on the head.

[Ryan @ Jul 15th 2007 7:35AM]

This actually a VIA reference design that Packard Bell announced a retail product on at the show. I guess FIC was the partner making it for VIA:

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=419

[Jenn @ Jun 10th 2007 7:08AM]

Yep, it's the Nanobook that Mr. Rojas wrote about a few days ago.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/05/via-intros-nanobook-ultra-mobile-device-600-ultraportable-lap/

FIC goes by Everex in the U.S. and unlike the European Packard Bell unit, this one is supposed to have a touchscreen and all those removable modules beside the screen.