E-Lead Electronic's "Noahpad" UMPC

If you think the market for small, white, Linux-based UMPCs is overcrowded, you're wrong. Dead wrong. Enter the Taiwanese-made E-Lead Electronic "Noahpad" PC, a tiny little laptop which the company affectionately refers to as a "classmate, roommate, and travelmate." The system is based on a 1GHz Via Eden CPU, has 512MB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, a touch-based (rather than tactile) keyboard, and a 7-inch LED-backlit display. The Noahpad comes default with Ubuntu 7.10 installed, though the device is apparently capable of running XP as well -- if you just have to. Among the more interesting aspects of the unit are its unique split keyboard (which appears to be where the "Noahpad" touch input is put into action) and flipping / folding hinge design, that -- according to the company's promotional material -- will allow you to use the system in all sorts of bizarre ways (see above). The UMPC is set to be unveiled at CES this January, but for now you can hit the via and read links for more info.

[Via Pocketables]

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Dec 31st 2007 9:06AM]

doesn't tactile = touch-based ?

[Joshua @ Dec 31st 2007 9:31AM]

This looks better than the eee pc.

[Dave @ Dec 31st 2007 9:14AM]

I really enjoy how these things start popping up, the competition will make the products and prices even better in the near future. And I love the way they're making a clothes hanger work with a gadget, when did that happen last, MacGyver?

Happy New 2008!

[Dale @ Dec 31st 2007 10:33AM]

MACGRUBER!

[Toadlet @ Dec 31st 2007 10:35AM]

( Clothes hanger sold separately )

[Jason @ Dec 31st 2007 10:01AM]

It looks like they partnered with Esurance on the advertising! ;)

[mike @ Dec 31st 2007 10:58AM]

Looks pretty interesting to me.
Would love to see some actual product design with ingenuity and usability.
I think the clothes hanger thing is great! Because, they are right! I do have a clothes hanger to use and if they've actually designed this to take advantage of that then bully for them and me too.
Stuff like this may work well or it may have some issues yet to be determined; but, I certainly give it a lot more life points for the effort than the same old notebook with the newest intel inside and a screen I still can't see outside... Or even better yet, the same old digi-cam with the same old features now with an another 4 Megapixes or whatever to make my pictures even more crappy than they were with the last overpopulated CCD.

I say three cheers for anyone who attempts some honest to god (whichever is your favorite) innovative, usability based design.
- Mike

[dallas @ Dec 31st 2007 11:55AM]

How ghetto does that lady look with the computer hanging upside down from a wire hanger. I mean, why doesn't she just duct tape the thing to the door?

[Drew @ Dec 31st 2007 1:19PM]

"E-Lead", really?

Well, I guess Taiwan is the "Republic of China".

[Mike Street @ Dec 31st 2007 3:42PM]

That looks kinda interesting.

[Peter Marshall @ Jan 8th 2008 11:43AM]

Maybe 2008 will be the year of Linux on the UMPC, not the desktop... Microsoft is under intense pressure in the UMPC market. Unless they are willing to drop the M$ tax down to almost nothing, the Linux herd will stampede right over them.

www.noahpad.org

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[PIGN @ Jan 9th 2008 2:00AM]

I would like to try it