It's huge, no doubt. But MIU's
HDPC must be to pack such a broad list of specifications. First spotted as a prototype back in 2006, the 163 x 67 x 24.5-mm / 387-gram brick is now expected to go retail in July for up to ?500,000 or a US-equivalent pricing of just $500. That's dirt cheap for what they seem to promise:
- 4-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen display which slides out and flips over for the cellphone interface
- Up to a 1GHz VIA C7M ULV processor and 4GB of DDR2 memory
- Dual, Windows XP / Linux Qplus embedded OS
- Unspecified cellphone radio
- Maximum 1.3-inch 60GB hard disk (or 4GB SSD) and miniSD/microSD expansion
- 7-hour battery (or 90-hours at low power)
- 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
- 2x USB, docking port, stereo speakers, QWERTY thumbpad and mouse
- What looks like a 5 megapixel camera
- DMB mobile television and external GPS add-on
All that tech allows the HDPC to function as a portable SatNav device, handheld gaming rig, cellphone, UMPC, PMP, eBook reader, digital camera, etc. Did we already tell you that it will cost less than $500? Oh right. See the unit in-hand after the break.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
msm @ Mar 24th 2008 10:11AM
you sound like the crocodiles from pearls before swine.
carl @ Mar 24th 2008 4:41AM
ya know its huge but if it does everything i wont have to carry everything around in different bags or cases lol also i could use it as a self defense device lol
Mike10010100 @ Mar 24th 2008 5:59AM
What? No 10 megapixel camera? I hate it.
Just kidding. That's what people would do if it was Apple made.
FRZ @ Mar 24th 2008 8:56AM
Dam it, I almost spilled my tea at the OP's comment, "use it as a self defense".
msm @ Mar 24th 2008 10:12AM
sorry, that last one was meant for a spammer, looks like it was deleted too fast, my bad carl.
OneLove @ Mar 24th 2008 10:37AM
@carl: a dildo can do the same thing.
Dennis @ Mar 24th 2008 4:46AM
....i believe you could NOT SPAM....like AT ALL...thanks
wizard_of_odd @ Mar 24th 2008 4:47AM
well if it's bluetooth enabled using it as a phone won't be too embarrassing, but if not yeah welcome back to 1990...
and if all else fails you can always use this clunker as a bludgeon much like a brick to steal the other guy's nicer phone...
Kyle @ Mar 24th 2008 9:23AM
If that phone isn't bluetooth capable then welcome back to 2001.
jperry @ Mar 24th 2008 12:18PM
Reminds me of the sprint commercial that featured the phone with crime deterrent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgoVrAR3YOo
maveric101 @ Mar 24th 2008 8:20PM
haha this thing has more usb ports than the Air...
Evan @ Mar 24th 2008 4:48AM
I'm sure not paying for a design team brings costs substancially lower.
Yon @ Mar 24th 2008 4:51AM
Doesn't this device appear to be begging for a steakpunk-style modification?
eric @ Mar 24th 2008 5:31AM
mmm...
steakpunk.
Bryant @ Mar 24th 2008 6:55AM
I love typos.
dBs @ Mar 24th 2008 5:00AM
If you think of it more like a laptop (a very ugly laptop), its size isnt quite so bad.
Taylor @ Mar 24th 2008 5:06AM
If Mad Max had a smartphone (or any phone at all), it would be this.
Awesome.
-Taylor
Kris @ Mar 24th 2008 7:49AM
I almost gave your comment a plus but then... you signed your post. Do you think we can't read your name at the top?
Taylor @ Mar 24th 2008 1:46PM
@ Kris
Yeah, i dunno, it's something i do online, like, always. It's just habit, but comes from when my display name is not my real name. I don't keep track of where it is and where it isn't, i just sign them all.
-Taylor ;)
Xboxman @ Mar 24th 2008 5:14AM
Much better than an iphone anyday.
wizard_of_odd @ Mar 24th 2008 5:16AM
actualy yon , now that ya bring it up I seem to remember a steampunk "iPod" hmm, mayhaps a handcarved wooden case and brass buttons?, this brick just might have a future after all...
Student Driver @ Mar 24th 2008 12:45PM
Yeah, that would be brilliant. Cover it in copper and brass, with a lot of tacks. Then, when the battery blows it can be a nice grenade. Sweet.
Nice phone, but I don't think it needs more armament. :-)
Ray @ Mar 24th 2008 5:17AM
it's horrible....yet, I can't look away.
BarryBee @ Mar 24th 2008 5:18AM
Now can I get the model in a style other than 'ass ugly'? I'll pay a few bucks more, pleeeaaase.
AutoTom @ Mar 24th 2008 6:07AM
agreed, if they just used some common sense in their design i think it would be a much more appealing unit.
Homeboy @ Mar 24th 2008 5:33AM
Great! But why did they have to make the cell phone side of it so damn ugly. It looks like an industrial instrument for measuring radiation levels.
Bob @ Mar 24th 2008 8:25AM
That would be called a "geiger counter."
Dave @ Mar 24th 2008 5:46AM
This is the ultimate thing!
AutoTom @ Mar 24th 2008 6:06AM
i hear you man, it sure is ugly but daammmnn it's loaded.
Bob @ Mar 24th 2008 8:26AM
Yeah, what a thing!
Max @ Mar 24th 2008 5:47AM
How am I going to fit this beast in the pocket of my skinny jeans?
This device might just single-handedly bring back the fanny pack. Then perhaps mullets.
CT A @ Mar 24th 2008 11:05AM
Considering how it's shaped, This could be a huge advantage to you if you put this in your skinny jeans.
Ace b @ Mar 24th 2008 11:35AM
BURN ALMIGHTY!!!!!
highjumpman @ Mar 24th 2008 5:50AM
4 GB of RAM? So it runs XP 64bit? With the appropriate drivers?
AutoTom @ Mar 24th 2008 6:04AM
don't be silly, there's no such thing as a windows xp 64 bit driver.
highjumpman @ Mar 25th 2008 3:32PM
Description of 64 bit Windows drivers: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896333
sinjinn @ Mar 24th 2008 5:54AM
victim of convergance, but someone somewhere has been waiting for this.
AutoTom @ Mar 24th 2008 6:05AM
what can i say, i have a creepy fetish for BIG gadgets
Mike10010100 @ Mar 24th 2008 5:57AM
Really? Then why do all of your posts have to do with that website that you pasted?
Mike10010100 @ Mar 25th 2008 6:06AM
That was a reply to a no longer existing spammer. Hopefully he got banned.
AutoTom @ Mar 24th 2008 6:08AM
i think this is what every geek has been waiting for.. except half it's size and not ugly.
I'll take windows mobile over xp anyday(anyway)
Taylor @ Mar 24th 2008 6:17AM
I'd like to think that you're Russian, just because reading your comments in a Russian accent sounds hilaarious.
However, I think it's more likely that you're Chinese.
sinai @ Mar 24th 2008 6:44AM
wait, how much is an iphone?
bondsbw @ Mar 24th 2008 8:34AM
wait, how big and ugly is this thing?
(Different users, different markets... it sounds like a really great device for the price, but powerful != usable.)
Jesse S @ Mar 24th 2008 12:34PM
Yes bonds, different users. A device like this is meant for people who work, that is, they need to do work on the go. The iPhone is for users that like to be stylish, watch videos at an odd resolution, hate buttons, and listen to music out of a mediocre DAC and internal amp on crappy headphones.
I think you illustrated that perfectly.
Nathan @ Mar 24th 2008 6:46AM
Umm...The Matrix?
Otsego_Undead @ Mar 24th 2008 12:07PM
no no son. not far enough back... try bladerunner.
Brien @ Mar 24th 2008 6:57AM
Hey! I think there's a virus on the other end of your link. WTF!
EdgeOne @ Mar 24th 2008 7:55AM
"Mr. Spock, your new tricorder has arrived."
Steffen Jobbs @ Mar 24th 2008 10:08AM
The rumor has it that for StarTrek 2009, they'll be using specially modified iPhones that have clear flip covers. Their iPhone will do everything the current iPhone can do except the StarTrek iPhone can be used as a transporter device. (iPhone firmware 3.0 might have this feature, though)
I really did see this mentioned online somewhere.