Quanta
Latest
Amazon tablet shipping later this year according to new tattle
We've got a pretty good inkling that it's coming -- the big question is when will Amazon finally ship an LCD tablet. According to DigiTimes, and its occasionally trusty sources at upstream component makers, when is defined by the second half of 2011. What's more, the media tablet will feature a Fringe Field Switching LCD display and touch panel from Amazon fave E Ink Holdings, a company better known for the technology behind the Kindle's EPD e-paper displays. According to DigiTimes, Quanta has received the manufacturing honors with production expected to peak at about 700,000 - 800,000 units per month. So yeah, the Amazon Kindle tablet won't be sporting a Mirasol display according to this gossip. Then again, it's only gossip so anything goes.
Quanta's 7-inch Android tablet dummy spotted at CES
In case you're not already sick of tablets, here's another one that we spotted at a small Taiwanese booth at CES. Sure, this Anadem Q07 -- a rebadged Quanta device -- was just a dummy, but even this could easily beat the lot of cheap Android slates in a beauty contest. Encased within the chrome bezel and silver body will be a 7-inch 800 x 480 display (which is slightly underwhelming), along with a Samsung S5PV210 processor -- essentially the Hummingbird chip but in a different package -- underclocked to 800MHz, but still capable of handling 1080p video playback. There's not much else on the spec sheet, but we did see a micro-USB port, HDMI mini connector, microSD slot, SIM card slot, and stereo speakers on the Q07. Naturally, you'll hear from us when we stumble upon this Froyo tablet again. %Gallery-113477%
MacBook Air suffers another bout of 11.6-inch display rumors
You know a device is due for a refresh when the only thing left to write about it is rumormongering of a possible upgrade. Today it's the turn of AppleInsider, citing sources in Taiwan, to declare that an 11.6-inch LED-backlit display will be headlining a long overdue update to Apple's MacBook Air. We've heard this scuttlebutt before, and the idea that the Air would be shrunken in order to better differentiate it from the MacBook Pro line carries a lot of believability, but we're still a little jaded from previous misleading rumors on the same subject. At least this one comes with all the gravitas of DigiTimes, whose scribes suggest Quanta has an order to build up to half a million 11.6-inch "MacBooks" for Apple in 2010. All that said, we still wouldn't be surprised if Apple let another holiday period go by without updating its unhealthily thin 13.3-inch laptop.
RIM BlackPad tablet priced at $499 when it ships in November?
Come on, admit it, you want to believe that RIM is working on a tablet called the BlackPad don't you? You'd better, because Apple Daily is piling on with more unsubstantiated rumor this morning. So, in addition to the 9.7-inch display, Bluetooth, WiFi, and front- and rear-facing cameras already mentioned by Bloomberg's sources, Apple Daily claims that Quanta won the bid to manufacture the tablet with plans to ramp up for 2 million units starting in September (for a November retail launch) with another 8 million planned for 2011. The price? $499 is the target, naturally.
Quanta sets new record for laptop shipments in June
You may not realize it, but there's a good chance that the laptop you're using right now was made by Quanta -- the company is the largest laptop manufacturer in the world, and it looks like it's only getting bigger. According to PC World, the company (which counts HP, Dell and Sony among its clients) set a new record for laptop shipments in June, moving upwards of 4.8 million laptops for about $3.1 billion in revenue. It does expect shipments to "slow down a little bit" in July, however, but says things should rebound again in August. What's the cause for the uptick? Quanta says it's at least partly due to the easing of some component shortages, including those Arrandale processors that have been in short supply -- as PC World notes, Intel has said that it's been ramping up production in order to catch up with demand before the end of the second quarter.
Quanta and 3M's DST touchscreens like styli and fingers too
Spend a few days with a capacitive touch device and moving back to resistive can feel a bit... clumsy. Quanta and 3M are saying they have created a new type of touch sensitive screen that could make capacitive feel relatively just as vague, what they're calling dispersive signal technology. DST is a layer of "specially-designed glass" that detects the pressure of a finger or a stylus (or, probably, other things too) with high precision, all without making the display thicker. We're not sure how another layer could not make things at least a little bit beefier, but it at least won't be an expensive addition, with DigiTimes saying "consumers should have no difficulty accepting the price." There are, however, no comments on how well consumers will handle the other stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. Remember, we're here for you.
MeeGo Moorestown-powered tablet preview
We saw a lot of new technology demoed at Intel's Computex keynote this afternoon, but the most impressive thing may have just been MeeGo running on a 10-inch Moorestown Quanta Redvale tablet. While the demo on stage was very brief, we caught up with some of the product managers right after the presser and convinced them to give us a peek at what is coming in 2011. To say we're impressed with the "pre-alpha" version of the software is a huge understatement. So, what are you still doing up here? Hit the gallery for a ton of hands-on shots and then that read more button for some impressions and video. %Gallery-94041% %Gallery-94039%
Quanta working on 3.5-inch smartbook-as-phone, hates our thumbs
Without pictures or firm form factor details, it's hard to tell exactly what Quanta is driving at here (or who it's driving at it for), but the concept of a "computer in an iPhone form factor," as Quanta Chairman Barry Lam so tactfully puts it, doesn't fill us with much hope for usability. At least it probably won't look as terrifying as this modded Dell netbook pictured above. Quanta says it's building a "smartbook" device with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, with voice calling and web browsing the primary functionalities. We're not really sure what even qualifies this as a "smartbook" if it's really in an iPhone form factor, but perhaps it's to run some sort of full-featured OS. Unfortunately, Moblin and Windows seem out, because there's Qualcomm and ARM under the hood. If this is indeed in some sort of fold-up form factor, our greatest fear is another Viliv N5 or UMID mBook BZ experience -- we just don't think we could relive that sort of pain.
Apple launching 22-inch touchscreen iMac this year?
Sure, those new Core i7, 27-inch iMacs are lovely things (when they're working), but there's something missing: the sense of touch. That's coming soon, according to a report published in the Chinese Commercial Times. The new 22-inch model is said to slot in between current 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs, will use a capacitive touchscreen provided by Sintek Photronic, and unsurprisingly will be built by Quanta. Beyond that, and a supposed release before the end of the year, we know nothing -- but maybe we'll learn more at a certain press event next week?
Quanta Tegra 2 prototype hands-on
Quanta, the company that produces plenty of the hardware you know, love and fantasize about today, is showing off a new tablet prototype at NVIDIA's booth. The reason for its location is the Tegra 2 chip inside (you can see it in the nude over here), which can comfortably drive 1080p out via a HDMI cable and into your nearest HD display, while offering brain-melting battery life. Listening to music with the screen turned off can be done for 140 hours straight, and HD video playback can go on for up to ten hours -- both figures that make current battery efficiency look kinda silly. With WiFi, 3G, and Android for an OS, this prototype could be quite a nice little device, but right now there are more things wrong than right about it. The display is shockingly unprotected from the back, and we saw ripples appearing on the screen from our fingers supporting the machine. Furthermore, the touchscreen missed plenty of our taps, leaving us with a sour taste from what looked like a tasty little morsel. %Gallery-82316%
HP reportedly beginning production of new 10.1-inch, 11.6-inch netbooks / ultralights
This is about as early and unofficial as it gets, but DigiTimes is reporting that HP has contracted Quanta to begin production of an apparently all new 11.6-inch netbook in August, and another new 10.1-inch before the end of the year, which SlashGear rightly speculates could well be CULV ultralights rather than standard "netbooks." That's further bolstered by the fact that HP has separately contracted Inventec to build a revision to its current 10.1-inch netbook at the end of September. It's not all netbooks and ultralights for HP, however, as Quanta has also landed a deal to produce some new 15.6- and 17.3-inch laptops, while Compal will be handling HP's new 13.3- and 14-inch enterprise notebooks.[Via SlashGear]
Apple's 9.7-inch 'netbook' to debut in October for $800?
It's back. The Quanta assembled Apple netbook rumor that kicked off in March with a Commercial Times report calling for a Wintek-supplied touchscreen has returned... with a fever. China Times has now stepped in with a claim of a 9.7-inch touchscreen netbook to debut in October. CT claims that Wintek, and Dynapack have all received orders direct from Apple while Foxconn (not Quanta) will be the main manufacturer. It's still unclear whether the reported device takes on the traditional netbook form-factor, goes convertible like the T91, or is a 9.7-inch slate like a giant iPod touch. In fact, the Chinese-language report translated into English refers to it as "Apple's netbook (or a "tablet" as many call it)" only adding to the confusion. Regardless, we find it hard to believe that Apple would just follow the industry trends here. Then again, Sony did announce the VAIO W after rebuking netbooks as a race to the bottom thus leaving Apple as the only major without a low-cost netbook in its portfolio. But $800, if true, prices whatever this is right out of netbook territory -- ultra-portable anyone?[Via MacRumors and Gizmodo]
Acer's dual-boot Android and XP netbook launching in August?
You remember Android right, Google's other OS that actually exists? Well, Acer's set to launch what could be the world's first Android-based netbook in August. At least that's what DigiTimes is reporting second-hand via Chinese-language Apple Daily. While two suspect sources won't turn a rumor into fact, Acer's already on record with plans for an Android netbook in Q3 in dual-boot XP configurations. So hearing that Quanta and Compal will have these out smack in the middle of the quarter isn't much of a stretch.
Atom-based Nokia netbook reportedly on track for Q3 release
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.
Five new Moorestown-based MIDs announced at Computex
Pardon us while we take this opportunity to snag a nap, but seriously, we just cannot muster any excitement whatsoever about Mobile Internet Devices. Stuck somewhere between capable smartphones and these newfangled smartbooks, MIDs seem to be carving out a niche that precisely no one cares about. Though, we can say we're stoked about the forthcoming introduction of Moorestown -- the Atom needs a successor in the worst way. At any rate, those still hanging on in hopes of a turnaround have introduced new MIDs today at Computex, with EB, Quanta, Inventec, Aava Mobile and Compal (despite its recent skepticism) showcasing their wares. If you honestly think you could see yourself purchasing one of these unwanted devices in the next year or so, we've got plenty of images down there in the read link.[Via MIDMoves]
Wintek pegged as panel supplier for rumored Apple tablet
We've always heard that most things come in packs of three, so just as soon as some other dodgy source affirms that Hulk Hogan will actually be replacing Steve Jobs in August, we'll be set. Shortly after seeing a 32GB iPhone placeholder over at T-Mobile Austria, we're now staring at a comically brief report from Digitimes that pegs Wintek as the "panel module supplier for Apple's upcoming e-book form factor netbook product." If you'll recall, Wintek was already independently confirmed as said panel supplier for said product back in March, but obviously Apple has remained tight-lipped on the whole netbook / tablet / e-reader thing. That said, we do find it interesting that this report clarifies that whatever's purportedly cooking in some dark, highly guarded lab in Cupertino looks more like a tablet with a netbook-sized display rather than a conventional netbook. Whatever the case, we wouldn't expect it at WWDC, but any Tuesday morning after that is fair game.
Compal, other manufacturers skeptical of MIDs
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.
Acer reportedly launching laptops based on Intel's CULV platform
We don't doubt that Acer's cooking up a few laptops based on Intel's forthcoming consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) platform, but we do have serious reservations about 'em coming out next month. Last we heard, the platform was still on track for a summer release, and at least in our hemisphere, April ain't summer. For what it's worth, Taiwan Economic News is reporting that Acer is looking to launch 11.6-, 13-, 14- and 15-inch machines with CULV processors within, and if rumors prove true, at least some of 'em will make their debut next month. Don't bet the farm, but you're probably safe to pencil it in.[Via NotebookReview]
Linpus demos uber klein mystery netbook
Like a little intrigue with your morning Joe? Check out the video below of this sleek little unidentified netbook on display at CeBIT last week at the Linpus booth, found by the same excitable bloke who brought us a glimpse of the company's Linux Lite OS. The hardware sounds to fit the standard Atom-based mold as the rest, adding 3G wireless for true portability, and is said to be built by Quanta, the company rumored to be on tap to build Apple's supposed netbook. Does that mean it could look something like this? We doubt it -- but wouldn't be surprised if it, too had a glossy screen.
Apple's touch-screen netbook gets another shot of rumor juice
Yesterday's Apple netbook rumor courtesy of the Commercial Times / DigiTimes combo just received a boost of credibility by sources (presumably independent) speaking to the Dow Jones Newswire. Citing "two people close to the situation," the DJ pretty much regurgitates the same info: Wintek will provide the touch-screen display which Quanta will manufacture into an Apple netbook as early as the second half of the year. The only new bit of information is the screen size said to be between 9.7 and 10-inches. [Thanks, Sam; Image courtesy of Frunny]
