So much for Nokia and Intel keeping quiet on actual product announcements, huh? Just yesterday, the two mega-corps joined hands in what they called a technical collaboration, and while they wouldn't go into detail about what products would sprout from the partnership, it seems that Commercial Times has done the honors. Reportedly, Nokia has already ordered up a few machines from Compal and Quanta, two OEMs that are largely responsible for most every netbook on the market today. Not surprisingly, we're told that the Nokiabook will rely on one of Intel's Atom processors, and considering that the new wave of Atom chips aren't slated to land until 2010, you can pretty much put money on a N270 or N280 configuration. In related news, we're told that Compal will engineer a Qualcomm Snapdragon-based Nokia smartbook, though there's no word on what kind of OS (Symbian, perhaps?) will be included.

We're not so sure that being the "world's smallest Windows-based MID" is really a benefit for those who appreciate keys that are large enough to mash and screens that are large enough to see, but whatever the case, Compal seems pretty proud of its accomplishments here. Shown off along with scores of other me-too MIDs at Computex, the KAX15 is based around Intel's existing Menlow platform and sports the polarizing tilt-and-slide mechanism for unmasking the QWERTY keyboard. As for specs, we're told that it packs an 800 x 480 display and an 800MHz processor, but further details have yet to flow. There's a hands-on vid just past the break if you're somehow intrigued with shoving Windows in your left cargo pocket.

You've read about it, maybe even dreamed about it in your fantasies of a Microsoft Pink smartphone drizzled with Zune media. Now we've got Tegra taking center stage at Computex with a dozen "mobile internet devices" powered by the Tegra processor, the "world's smallest and lowest power computer-on-a-chip" according to NVIDIA. Of notable importance, the latest Tegra press release contradicts the Mobinnova Elan release by claiming 1080p video playback is supported by Tegra, not just 720p. Something we saw for ourselves (and had confirmed by NVIDIA) during our hands-on with the Elan.

Now, get this; NVIDIA is using the term MID unlike Intel uses MID even though the terminology is of Intel origin. Instead of referring to handheld devices for consumers, NVIDIA's MIDs are classed as Tegra-based netbooks and tablets. In other words, the 8.9-inch Elan is a MID. Ugh.

Semantics aside, the platform is smokin' hot with promise offering the following benefits:

• 25 days of music or 10-hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge
• video games play at up to 46 frames per second
• GPU accelerated Adobe Flash animations (huzzah for Hulu!)
• always-on processors for instant access to the network
• 3G, WiFi, and WiMax solutions support

Great on paper, but still not available for purchase. Rest assured, we'll be hands-on with more Tegra devices on the quick.

Update: Tegra devices are expected to land before 2009 is through, priced around $200 or less with carrier subsidies.

Remember the dedicated team that Compal had set aside back in 2007 to focus on all those Atom-based MIDs expected to flood the market? Pilfered, another victim blind-sided by the rise of the netbook. According to DigiTimes' moles inside the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut, Compal, Quanta, ASUS, and others are focusing resources on netbooks while remaining conservative on Intel's MID platform. Even with Intel's battery-sipping Moorestown platform around the corner, we remain skeptical about devices that are too large for the pocket and double the price of netbooks that bring twice the screen and full QWERTY keyboards -- for mass market consumption anyway.

With the Studio XPS 13 and newfangled Adamo already in its pocket, what other ultraportable does Round Rock really need? That's a question that Compal seems eager and ready to answer, at least according to Chinese-language Commercial Times. The all-too-scant report mentions that the ultrathin laptop will be based on Intel's excruciatingly slow (but power-sipping) CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) processor and should start shipping this August. Our best (and only, really) guess as to what Dell's mystery machine could be? That already planned Mini 11, which we heard earlier this month would be ready between yesterday and Q3.

So much for the "last stand," huh? After getting pictured way back in August of last year, Motorola has quietly let CES, Mobile World Congress and (almost) CTIA slip by with nary a peep on why this thing has yet to ship. We'd initially heard that Q4 2008 was the window, and then Q1 2009; just last week, we heard that Moto could be shooting out ten new smartphones in the latter half of this year, but evidently this one won't be included. According to the always questionable DigiTimes, Motorola has inexplicably "canceled the planned launch of the Alexander handset and also reduced the number of markets in which it will sell its A3100 smartphone," though it gave no reason as to why. Is it sad that we're not at all saddened? Onward and upward, we say.

[Via WMPowerUser]

Here's a murky report flushed from the bowels of rumor-dom that's sure to get investors into a tizzy as information and misinformation spreads. The Commercial Times, with its hit-or-miss record of rumor mongering is reporting that Compal Communications, "will be forced to postpone its shipments of smartphones to Palm from mid-year to the end of the year." It goes on to say that,

"Palm's two smartphones will be delayed as Compal is waiting for Qualcomm's new chipset solutions that will enable better performance."

Now, before you panic, keep a few things in mind. First, the article never specifically mentions the Pre which Palm has emphatically stated (just 3 days ago) is on track for launch in the first half of 2009. Also, DigiTimes which is re-reporting the rumor from the original Chinese-language source claimed last week that Chi Mei, not Compal, was doing the Pre assembly. Also note that Palm has stated that the Pre uses a TI OMAP processor making the Qualcomm quote a bit dubious. Our take? This rumor's bunk, at least as it applies to the Pre. We'll be getting a statement from Palm just as soon as they awake.

[Thanks, Herman M.]

Update: Palm just followed up with us on this, stating that there is "No change in our previously announced plan to have the Pre available in the first half of 2009." Phew!

While Steve Ballmer himself declared that Windows Mobile 7 would be coming out next year, we've got a somewhat less reliable source suggesting that the desktop version of Win7 will be landing this fall. Ray Chen, president of Taipei-based Compal Electronics, was quoted as saying that "according to current planning," Windows 7 should be on its machines by "late September or early October." For those unaware, Compal is responsible for crafting HP and Acer laptops, and honestly, we're not exactly sure how this bigwig secured these dates. Of course, it stands to reason that everyone else in the industry is either 1) clueless or 2) just better at keeping secrets. For what it's worth, we're taking this with a huge spoon of salt, and just between us, you should probably do the same.

[Via Electronista]

Compal's enlisting two new recruits into the PMP army, the APA00 and APA01. Both uCLinux-powered devices sport 7-inch LCD displays, DMB-TH, FM Tuner, 802.11g, up to 80GB HDD, an SD/MMC slot, and component / composite outputs. Codec support includes MPEG, Xvid, WMV9, H.264 and a variety of audio formats. The company's boasting HD support up to 1080i, but with a WVGA resolution, you're not gonna be enjoying that crisp of an image without an external screen. Aesthetics aside, the only difference we could find is an extra six grams of heft in the black-clad APA00. Not a peep on pricing or availability.

[Via Pocketables]

Read - APA00
Read - APA01

Mmm, do we like where this could go. Some engineering soul has managed to get the open-sourced XBMC onto a MID -- Compal's Atom-powered Jax10, to be precise. In theory, at least, this combination would make for a decidedly incredible portable media player if the price of these Mobile Internet Devices were to hit a reasonable level. Sure, many of the Cowon / iriver / Archos units support just about every file format out there, but you're still limited by whatever ecosystem comes loaded in. Have a look at the demonstration vid after the break, but don't blame us if you suddenly get the urge to buy a MID.

[Via Slashdot]

Compal's been a vocal supporter of Intel's MID followup to the tragic UMPC platform ever since It was announced in April of last year. Hell, the Taiwanese ODM even dedicated a team to crank out all the devices expected in the first half of 2008 but never came thanks in part, to Intel's Atom slippage. Now Compal looks ready to toss a MID to consumers (either direct or through a third-party manufacturer, it's not clear) with the unveiling of this handheld at Intel's IDF in San Francisco. The QWERTY slider packs GPS, a Linux-based OS with media player, browser, eMail and IM clients, and Option's GlobeTrotter Connect and GTM501 HSPA data kit offering tri-band HSUPA/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity the world-over. No pricing or availability has been announced but we hope to hear more later today.

Update: Ah ha, it's the same reference design used by Aigo's Patriot, aka, M528.

[Thanks, Stuart L. and LosOutlandos]