Viliv S7 UMPC gets final pricing and specifications

We've held onto our hats for quite awhile waiting for this day to come, but at long last, Viliv is dishing out the final specification lists and prices for its remarkably striking S7 UMPC. First shown way back at IDF 2008 as a prototype, this QWERTY-packin' machine has matured quite nicely over the months, with a trio of models on tap to showcase its mobile prowess. The entry-level I-LOG HX is equipped with a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, a battery good for 9.5 hours of use and Windows XP, while the mid-range I-LOG 3X steps up to a 32GB SSD. The flagship D-LOG 3X even gets an internal DMB TV tuner, while WiBro (South Korea's WiMAX) is an option on all three. We expect the 7-inch device -- which is priced at ₩729,000 ($572), ₩799,000 ($628) and ₩849,000 ($666) in order of mention -- to ship in its homeland soon, though no official release date has been made public.

[Via SlashGear]

Update: jkkmobile has it that international versions could feature processors as speedy as 2GHz along with Vista and a free upgrade to Windows 7.

[blah @ Jul 7th 2009 7:21AM]

do i get anything for being first?

[Dougal @ Jul 7th 2009 7:25AM]

Yes, yes you do

You get down-voted.

[blah @ Jul 7th 2009 7:26AM]

on a more serious and less trolling note, 1.33 ghz atom equals fail.

[OneLove @ Jul 7th 2009 10:32AM]

They basically took the x70 guts and added a keyboard. Did they solder the ram again?

[Johann @ Jul 8th 2009 2:32AM]

Who would actually pay for all that LCD bezel?

It reminds me of old boomboxes that 8" grilles but 5 1/4" speakers...... ugh.

PASS

[vivi @ Jul 7th 2009 7:23AM]

Here comes the runner up

[tampa03cobra @ Jul 7th 2009 7:38AM]

Ok,

So yet another *snore* semi standard form factor Atom product.

At what point will OEM's realize that the market for these things is saturated, and the consumer is growing tired of seeing the same product repackaged a 100 times. Obviously they aren't going to respond to consumer demand until people stop buying these things and force them to bump up the specs.

When is the last time you saw the basic proc/mem spec in any tech category stay as stagnant as the Atom platform? I guess it benefits Intel to keep improving their process so it costs less to make them, vs using those advancement to make higher end chips.

I'll shell out $750 as soon as someone gives me a dual core Atom, 3gigs of Ram, a decent mobile video accelerator, in Tablet form (Similar to the Archos 9)

[chhh @ Jul 7th 2009 8:50AM]

You'll probably have to wait till next summer for dual core atom while this device is available right now (well, almost). This should be enough for most - you can read books, get some decent surfing, even use it for some programming while on the go. I don't think you'll ever need a good graphics with that 7'' screen, unless Vuzix releases their next gen head mounted displays integrated into transparent glasses (they promised to release some time in this autum)

[tampa03cobra @ Jul 7th 2009 9:58AM]

*shakes fist at engadget comment system!

Well I'm not knocking this product per se, it seems to be a pretty cool form factor, and definitely cooler then the average 9in netbook.

I'm just unhappy Intel is being allowed to rest on it's laurels in this market. During the Athlon generation AMD kept Intel in a heated arms race when it came to chips and the consumer benefited. It seems since AMD has lagged in this market (and in general) the consumer is being forced into accepting a mediocre at best pace of growth in the Netbook processor/chipset arena. That, coupled with agreements from MS and Intel to further cap the ability of OEMs to enhance performance is really frustrating me (and many users like me).

I understand a company has to pace it's product release cycle, so they don't end up behind the curve, a business has to make money after all, but still I think the current generation Atom platform is long overdue for a true upgrade.

[SimonRichards @ Jul 7th 2009 10:22AM]

1.33Ghz, 1GB RAM

WHY????

Could have at least put 2GB in there =[

[OneLove @ Jul 7th 2009 10:33AM]

That's what I asked.

[tmarks11 @ Jul 7th 2009 11:46AM]

because if they put 2GB of RAM in there, they wouldn't have been allowed to sell it with XP. Microsoft has declared that netbooks get XP only when they have small screens and 1 GB or less of RAM and small HDD.

They know that Vista=fail on this machine.

Go check out HP's mini netbook. If you configure it with Linux, you can get more memory, larger HD, etc. All forbidden by Microsoft.

[OneLove @ Jul 7th 2009 12:32PM]

well then, don't solder the f'ing ram to the MB, put a ram slot in there.

[dan2600 @ Jul 7th 2009 11:42AM]

i do not want to buy this

[Abdel @ Jul 7th 2009 12:09PM]

$666 I won't buy this.

[NOCknock @ Jul 7th 2009 12:31PM]

Too much cash for too little hardware.

[Peter @ Jul 7th 2009 6:48PM]

I am using Microsoft 8000 without any problems for 3 years now.

[jedd @ Jul 7th 2009 1:58PM]

Darn... Already pre-ordered my X70 yesterday...

As tablets go, especially one equipped with SSD, the price isn't really all that unreasonable. The touchscreen also makes it more expensive than your average run of the mill netbook. Also of note, this uses an Atom Z520+US15W chipset and not the Atom N270+945GSE chipset you see on most netbooks. The difference? System TDP of 4.3W on the Z520+US15W compared to 11.8W on the N270+945GSE. While you probably lose much more power than that combined on your desktop due to power supply inefficiencies, on something that runs on batteries, it pretty much dictates if the device will have enough time to finish loading the operating system and web browser before it decides to shut down on you (okay, I'm exaggerating but you get the idea).

I do believe the new Atom platform (Moorestown?) is coming end of the year so I wouldn't exactly say Intel is resting on its laurels. Remember that the Atom was just released last year. Earlier netbooks circa 2007 used undervolted/underclocked Celeron M. Besides, even if they're not facing competition from AMD in this particular market segment, there's still VIA, ARM and MIPS to contend with. It's just that there are maybe a million products released within the last year or so utilizing the same old specs that people have become tired of seeing them.

As for the commenter who wants a dual-core processor, 3 gigs of RAM and a decent graphics card, what you seem to be wanting is a notebook, not a netbook. Intel is pretty clear on the distinction and they don't really want people using the Atom for things it wasn't designed for. Can Intel increase performance of the Atom? Yeah, sure. Will they? Not if it cannibalizes sales of higher end chips where they make more money. Intel is in the business to make money. I don't know about you but I think Intel making a profit is better than them asking Washington for bail-out money.

[Bearnheart @ Oct 25th 2009 2:19PM]

Great Scot! My ultimate device! I still use my Jornada 690 handheld PC what was released for ca. 800 EUR in 1998.
From my perspective the Jornada 690/720 keyboard is still the reference model for mobile devices.
I will not compromise keyboard or touchscreen. The viliv S7 is small enough to fit into the pockets, an A5-size netbook will not do that.

I will buy the flagship model in case the provide a german or at least a european keyboard. (Because of the ä,ö,ü we often have in german words.)