Z670
Latest
NEC LaVie Touch hands-on (updated)
Originally scheduled for a September launch under the VersaPro type VT moniker, NEC's LaVie Touch Windows 7 tablet is finally hitting the Japanese market next week. Alas, there are still no plans on an international release for this 10.1-inch Atom Z670-powered device, but at CEATEC we were lucky enough to stumble upon it along with its DVD dock and wireless input peripherals -- all included for ¥99,960 ($1,300), which is a huge drop from the original ¥144,000 ($1,873) customizable bundle. Despite the slightly more sensible pricing, is the LaVie Touch still worth the money? Probably a stretch given the much cheaper offerings from the likes of Acer and Samsung, but regardless, kudos to NEC for keeping its tablet's weight just under 730g (1.6 pounds) while promising 10.6 hours of battery life. For comparison's sake, the Acer Iconia W500 weighs 970g (2.14 pounds) and only packs up to six hours worth of battery juice. The NEC tablet felt firm in our hands and its IPS LCD didn't disappoint, though Windows 7 on this particular unit was slightly laggy during our hands-on, so be sure to check it out in the stores first before you hand over your hard-earned yen. Update: We just found out that Yodobashi Camera has just started selling the LaVie Touch, so we went along to Akihabara to check out the final product. Alas, Windows 7 was still sluggish, whereas the AMD C-50-powered Iconia W500 in the next aisle handled pinch-to-zoom rather well, despite the less impressive LCD. %Gallery-135832%
Opera Mobile on Android x86 at IDF 2011 (video)
We discovered this little gem hidden deep within the recesses of the show floor at IDF 2011. It's none other than Opera Mobile running on a Honeycomb tablet -- not just any tablet, mind you, but Intel's Oak Trail-powered (Atom Z670) Green Ridge device. That's right, you're looking at Opera's web browser, compiled using the latest Android NDK and running natively on top of Android x86. First impressions? It's fast, even without hardware acceleration -- scrolling and zooming are smooth as butter, with no signs of checkerboarding anywhere. According to Phillip Grønvold of Opera software, this is just the beginning. Hardware acceleration is already in the works, along with Flash support. So go ahead if you dare -- browse our gallery below and watch our hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-134210% Dante Cesa contributed to this report.
Evolve III prices triple-booting Maestro S and swiveling Maestro C tablets, unveils cordless NGen desktop (video)
We knew Evolve III had some major plans in store for this year and now, we've found out a little more about the company's latest creations. First up is the Maestro S -- a triple-booting slate that, as promised, can now support Android, Windows 7 and Meego. Rocking a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, the Maestro is powered by an Intel Z670 Oak Trail processor clocking in at 1.5GHz and runs on a battery that can last for up to ten hours per charge when running on Windows 7, or up to 18 hours when in Meego mode. The Maestro C will give you all of this, plus that swiveling kickstand we heard about last month. Designed with frequent flyers in mind, the convertible tablet also comes with a wireless keyboard that can serve as a protective, hardshell case. Rounding out the troika is the NGen -- a next-generation, "all-in-one" PC, powered by an Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge CPU. The WiDi-enabled desktop boasts a 21.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 LED, supports Intel HD graphics and packs a 2.0-megapixel, front-facing camera. Weighing in at a little under 13-pounds, the cordless NGen can be folded up for quick transport, or mounted on a wall. Content can also be synced across all three devices, with a Wormhole connecting cord. As far as pricing goes, the Maestro S and C are running for 800 AUD (about $860) and 825 AUD (around $886), respectively, while the NGen, according to an Evolve III representative, will retail for about $1,500 of the green stuff. Unfortunately, this lineup won't be available Stateside until later this year, but you can find out more in the video that awaits you, after the break. [Thanks, Nicholas]
ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro boots an Intel Oak Trail CPU into Windows 7 Pro, virtualizes Android
The ViewPad 10 era is over, here comes the epoch of the ViewPad 10Pro. Beyond the introduction of Intel's Oak Trail Z670 1.5GHz processor, the new Windows 7 Pro / Android 2.2 dual-boot tablet throws in a 3G radio, 32GB of onboard storage (expandable via MicroSD or USB), and a 3500mAh battery that's rated to last for 4.5 hours of 1080p video playback. It's one of Intel's promised 10+ Android tablets coming at this year's Computex, though it has the appreciable advantage of being able to switch over to Windows 7 pretty much instantaneously. Check it out in the gallery below and you can expect a more in-depth look from us later on during the currently ongoing Computex 2011 trade show. Update: Calling this a dual-boot tablet may have been a little ambitious, as it's running the Bluestacks virtualization software, which turns Android into a Windows app, rather than allowing true dual-booting capabilities. %Gallery-124732%
Acer's 10-inch Oak Trail tablet running Android 3.0 rumored for July delivery
Paul Otellini already told us that we'd see new Android tablets running Intel silicon at Computex. Now DigiTimes is quoting loose-lipped upstream component makers who claim that Acer is set to launch its 10-inch Android 3.0 tablet built upon Intel's Oak Trail platform in July. Mind you that's the retail date, making the May 31st kickoff of Computex the perfect event to demonstrate the unARMed Android tablet for the first time in public. Of course, Acer was early with its Android-based netbook back in 2009 so it's no surprise to see the company with another Google first in 2011. And really, without a suitable Microsoft tablet OS available until 2012, you can bet that Intel's going to be pushing the Honeycomb port to x86 hard over the coming months with rigs from Lenovo and ASUS also tipped by DigiTimes. Oh, and for whatever it's worth, the Taiwanese rumor rag also says that Acer is "evaluating" an Oak Trail with MeeGo tablet. Which version, we wonder?
Fujitsu's TH40/D convertible tablet slides into Japan, packs Atom Z670 and Windows 7
A slide-out tablet running on Windows 7, you say? Not to be confused with the Samsung Sliding PC, what we have here is the Fujitsu LifeBook TH40/D that's just been announced for the Japanese market. Inside this 2.4-pound convertible laptop you'll find a 1.5GHz Oak Trail Atom Z670, 1GB of non-expandable DDR2 RAM, a 10.1-inch 1,024 x 600 touchscreen, a 120GB 4200rpm hard drive, and a battery life of around 6 hours. Other tidbits include 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a couple of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-out, an SD card slot, and a teeny optical trackpad placed next to the short space bar. Can't say we're digging some of the limitations on this TH40/D, but if you still want one, then be ready to fork out about ¥80,000 ($990) at the end of June.
Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 business slate up for US pre-orders, starting at $729
We're still not sure what's stylistic about Smart Card readers, fingerprint scanners and TPM modules, but you won't find them in many slates, so if you've been considering the Fujitsu Q550 -- which has one of each -- today's your lucky day. The Oak Trail-powered Windows 7 tablet with a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS screen is ready for US pre-orders today, with $729 bringing you the base model with a 30GB solid state drive and a two-cell rechargeable battery. $849 upgrades the slate to 62GB of storage and four cells worth of swappable Lithium-ion joy, while both sport front and rear cameras, HDMI out, a bootable USB 2.0 port, a full-size SD slot and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi. Let's just hope the UI is a tad more optimized than last time. [Thanks, Manish]
Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series now available for $649 Amazon pre-order (update)
Samsung has yet to announce a revised release date for its Sliding PC 7 Series tablet / laptop hybrid, but the 2.2-pound netvertible slider is already available for pre-order on Amazon. According to Amazon's listing, the 7 Series should ship with many of the same specs we noticed at this year's CES: a 10-inch touchscreen with 1366 x 768-resolution, dual front and rear cameras (1.3 and 3.0 megapixels, respectively), a 32GB SSD, 2GB of RAM and, of course, Intel's 1.5GHz Atom Oak Trail Z670 processor, which was originally scheduled to launch in March, before being pushed back to May. The slider will also run on Windows 7 Home Premium, and come equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi. When it debuted earlier this year, the Series 7 boasted optional 3G and WiMax features, as well as a six-cell battery that claimed to last up to nine hours on a single charge. Amazon doesn't mention either of these specs in its listing, but everything else checks out with what we've already heard. And, at $649, it's even a little cheaper than we expected. Update: Looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer to order your Sammy slider, as the Amazon source link now leads to nowhere. [Thanks, Jake]
ASUS Eee Pad Slider making the jump from Tegra 2 to Atom Z670?
Last we heard, ASUS' Eee Pad Slider would pack a Tegra 2 processor just like its counterpart, the Eee Pad Transformer. There's now some pretty strong evidence suggesting that might not be the case, however, with none other than Intel letting slip that the Slider would actually pack its brand new Atom Z670 processor instead of NVIDIA's silicon. That evidence you see above cropped up on Intel's press page following its announcement for the new Atom processor, although it's since been removed -- suggesting that it was either a colossal mistake or, more likely, a reveal that was a bit too premature for ASUS' liking. Update: We've yet to receive any confirmation ourselves, but Tweakers.net says it has confirmed that ASUS will indeed be producing an Eee Pad Slider that has an Atom Z670 processor and runs Windows 7 -- apparently in addition to the Android-based Tegra 2 model.
Evolve Three's Maestro C tablet has a swiveling bezel stand and a screen-protecting keyboard (video)
Evolve Three's goal of creating the world's most versatile touchscreen tablets seems to be going swimmingly so far -- first the boutique Australian outfit introduced the triple-booting Maestro, and now it's got an Oak Trail slate on the way with some most intriguing hardware. You see, not only does this Maestro C have a 1.5GHz Intel Atom Z670 inside, 2GB of DDR2 RAM and most all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a netbook PC, it's also got a bezel that physically rotates -- turning into a chunky kickstand and exposing ports at the same time -- and a removable wireless keyboard that doubles as a hard-shell protector for the entire 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen. There's also a 32GB "high performance" SSD, optional 3G connectivity, a pair of stereo speakers and once again, three operating systems (Android 3.0, MeeGo and Windows 7) to choose from at startup. The only things keeping us from purchasing our customary two units is lingering worry that the other shoe has yet to drop... not to mention a starting price of $729, sans optional keyboard.
Updated MeeGo interface gets shown off on Atom Z670-based reference tablet
Well, here's something of a surprise. Not only has Netbook News managed to get its hands on a reference tablet based on Intel's brand new Atom Z670 processor at IDF Beijing, but one running a new version of MeeGo with a spiffed-up UI. As you can see above and in the video after the break, it looks to be a marked improvement over the tablet interface that was just shown off at Mobile World Congress in February, with it offering both a more refined appearance and what appears to be a more intuitive navigation system. Like what you see? Then you'll likely be seeing even more of it shortly -- there's a "MeeGo Day" planned for April 14th.
Intel rolls out Atom Z670 Oak Trail processor for tablets
Well, it's a bit past the end of March, but Intel has now finally gotten official with its new Atom Z670 processor for tablets, which you might know better by its Oak Trail codename. Built using a 45nm manufacturing process, the Z670 runs at 1.5GHz and promises to support 1080p video with the aid of Intel's GMA 600 integrated graphics, while also keeping power consumption to a minimum and allowing for smaller, thinner, and fanless devices. As we've seen, there's also plenty of manufacturers already lined up to release devices based on the processor, and Intel says we can expect to see over 35 "innovative tablet and hybrid designs" from the likes of Fujitsu, Lenovo, Razer and Viliv over the course of 2011. What's more, Intel also took the opportunity to tease its next generation 32nm Cedar Trail platform that it will be showing off at its Developer Forum in Beijing, saying that it will enable a "new wave of fanless, cool and quiet, sleek and innovative netbooks, entry-level desktops and all-in-one designs." Full press release is after the break.
