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Fujitsu unveils LifeBook P1610 and T4125 convertible tablets
Fujitsu is going ultra-portable and uber-portable with its new T4125 (right) and P1610 (left) Tablet PCs. Both LifeBooks feature convertible displays, allowing for usage in both laptop mode and tablet mode, but while the T4215 sports a decent-sized (for a tablet) 12.1-inch display, the P1610 gets by with a mere 8.9-inches of real estate. As for specs, the 1.4-inch thick P1610 gets along fine, with a 1.2GHz Core Solo U1400 processor, WXGA resolution display, 512MB of RAM, 30GB HDD, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g WiFi and a fingerprint sensor in the $1,649 base model. Unfortunately, the included 3-cell battery only manages 3.5 hours of battery, but you can spring for a 6-cell battery which promises 7 hours for $45 more. The T4215, which tapers from 1.4 to 1.1-inches thick, bumps the processor game to Core 2 Duo, ranging from 1.66GHz to 2GHz, adds a DVD/CD-RW combo drive and squeezes in a card reader, but the 12.1-inch display runs at a mere XGA resolution. The base configuration, with 512MB of RAM and a 40GB hard drive will run you $1,799. Both laptops look to be available now.Read - LifeBook P1610Read - LifeBook T4125
Mac mini Portable - Tablet Edition
Peter Green, who introduced us to the Mac mini portable (MMP) - a battery powered Mac mini rig with an 8-inch LCD, has turned out a new MMP: The Tablet Edition. Also known as the Mac Mini Portable MK III (MMP MKIII), based on the Intel Core Solo 1.5GHz Mac mini.Peter says: "This thing is smaller than a MacBook or anything else made by Apple! It's got a 3 hour battery life, integrated 8" touch screen tablet, full Blue Tooth, Airport, full SPDIF audio in/out and Front Row capabilities, on screen touch keyboard - no hardware keyboard required and has it's own stand!" It's a cool project and impressive from a technical standpoint and yes - I want one - but it's not the most aesthetically pleasing rig, of course. The MMP MKIII is roughly the same height as the original Mac mini, but a tad wider to accommodate all the parts and for better ergonomics. The battery is upgradeable and Peter says "if someone can write me Intel drivers for my webcam - it'll have a built in iSight too!" That sounds like a dare to me.Check out Peter's website for lots more pics, details on how he made the case (plastic sheeting panels and a gas cooker ignition lighter) and how the electronic components were assembled. Great work, Peter!Thanks, Jonathan!
Lenovo X60S Tablet PC rumored specs surface
We've just discovered on the interweb what appear to be leaked Lenovo X60S Tablet PC specs, so without further ado, here they be: option of Intel Core Solo or Core Duo Low Volt processors, SATA high-speed hard drive at 5400rpm (optionally 7200rpm), up to 4GB of RAM, 802.11a/b/g, optional Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, a 12.1-inch screen, and apparently the ability to accept stylus or fingertip inputs (i.e. digitizer and touchscreen capable). Now normally we might think that these are just fantasies of someone who's a sheet to the wind -- but the fact that Lenovo has removed the X41 (pictured) from its site indicates that perhaps there may be an element of truth to this rumor. Still, like all rumors, take it with a solid shaker-sized amount of salt. [Thanks, Flip S.]Read - GottaBeMobileRead - Lenovo
Intel unveils mobile clinical assistant platform
Intel took the wraps off some of its latest handiwork yesterday, showing off plans for a new mobile computing platform for healthcare professionals at its Developers Forum in San Francisco. The platform, dubbed the mobile clinical assistant, is designed to streamline the work-flow of doctors and nurses, letting them digitally record patient's vital signs, progress charts, and prescription information on specially-designed tablet PCs, and wirelessly transfer that information to pharmacists or anyone else that needs to check up on your vitals. Anything in the way of specific details are still pretty vague at the moment, but the first devices based on the platform are set to be developed by Motion Computing and introduced in the first half of 2007. Among the possibilities for the devices are RFID-scanning to identify patients (better pack that tinfoil hat for your next hospital visit), barcode scanning for prescriptions, and integrated digital cameras. We're all for improving healthcare through technology but, to be honest, we'd kinda like to have a couple of these around Engadget HQ for ourselves -- especially given the spill-proof, drop-tolerant casing.[Via Geekzone]
Dell considering ruggedized laptops, tablet PCs
We've seen other companies try their hand at ruggedized notebooks and tablet PCs, but today, we found out that an old hat may be getting into this specialized sector of the market as well. At Dell's Technology Day last week, Alex Gruzen, general manager of Dell's Product Group, said that his company was looking into entering these two product categories; an article in eWeek, however, added that Gruzen (pictured at right) stressed that the company was merely considering its options at this point, and hadn't decided if it would begin production anytime soon. Our take? If Dell could make a ruggedized computer as cool as that XPS 600 Renegade that we saw at CES, we're sure they'd make a killing. [Via Laptoping]
HP Compaq's tc4400 tablet PC joins the Merom crowd
If you thought the bevy of Merom-based laptops coming at you had finally stalled, well, maybe it has -- but HP Compaq's tc4000 tablet PC has arrived (albeit fashionably late) with spec-bumped innards that include an Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz T5600 processor. Aside from the Merom boost, this convertible also packs 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 12.1-inch XGA display, 5,400RPM 80GB hard drive, 56k modem, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g, biometric fingerprint sensor, and a 6-cell battery. It comes fully prepared for that stylus abuse thanks to the included Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005, and sports the usual complement of ports: VGA out, S-Video out, microphone in, headphone jack, IR, and a trio of USB 2.0 connectors. If you've somehow held out on those Merom-powered laptops and just can't resist the allure of taking notes on an LCD, the tc4400 is available now for $1,479.[Via Laptoping]
HiPAD II: Korea's 10.4-inch answer to the cPC
After practicing incessantly on 4.3-inch and 7-inch form factors, a 10.4-incher is a piece of cake for those Koreans, and they're really just showing off with the new dual-OS HiPAD II. The 1-inch thick tablet weighs in at 2.9 pounds, but manages to run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows CE 5.0, WiFi, DMB, HSDPA and a navigation app that's possibly GPS based. There's an AMD Geode LX-800 processor under the hood, along with a minimal 256MB of RAM and a 20GB HDD -- pretty weak for regular PC tasks, but plenty of juice for a bit of browsing and the PMP-esque feature set. To round things out there's a webcam mounted at the top of the screen, and you can expand the storage or functionality with the CF and PCMCIA slots. The Win CE mode seems mainly aimed at quick access to media and navigation functions, unlike the cPC's full-fledged Windows Mobile OS, and seems similar to that of most Korean PMP/DMB/GPS units, but XP is always waiting in the wings if you need to do something silly like be productive. No word on price or availability, but we're hoping for the best.[Via Akihabara]
Asus unleashes Core 2 Duo F2, V1 and R1F portables
The fine folks at Asus are dropping three new portable series to serve professionals with Core 2 Duo speeds and snazzy design. For starters we have the V1 widescreen laptop, with a 15.4-inch display and the full range of Core 2 Duo processors, from the 1.67GHz T5500 to the 2.33GHz T7600. Graphics are provided by ATI's Mobility Radeon X1600, with 256 or 512MB of RAM. Hard drives range from 80 to 120GB, with a dual HDD option, and the V1 features gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 for connectivity. There's also an ExpressCard slot, fingerprint reader, S/PDIF audio and a card reader to round out the 0.98-inch thick, 6 pound laptop. The F2 series is only slightly more modest, with processors from Core Solo all the way to the Core 2 Duo T7400, and a 15-inch XGA or SXGA+ display. There's no digital audio, but the F2 does have TV-out and an optional 1.3 megapixel webcam. Graphics are a Radeon X1400 card running 128MB or 512MB of memory, and specs are otherwise similar to the V1. The R1F Tablet PC keeps the trend going, keeping pace with its siblings on specs for the most part, but featuring a 13.3-inch WXGA LCD and most likely integrated Intel graphics. There's no word on price or availability for any of these models, but we're liking where Asus is headed with 'em so far.[Via Laptoping]
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Fujitsu LifeBook T4210 Convertible PC reviewed
Fujitsu's tablet PC lineup has been a mixed bag, and the LifeBook T4210 convertible does little to improve on previous attempts. The T4210 gives it to ya both ways, as a tablet and as a traditional notebook, but it's not remarkable at either -- the 12.1-inch device weighs a bloated 4.5-pounds and only managed 2 hours of battery life in testing. Drop the top and you'll find an Intel Dual Core 2.0GHz processor, 1,024 x 768 XGA screen, 1GB of RAM, 80GB SATA drive, DVD+/- RW optical drive, and a wireless suite with Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g. The legendary Fujitsu build quality is here, and the biometric security features including a finger print scanner are a plus, but the faults of the T4210 literally outweigh the positives. If you have no use for decent battery life and like your ultraportables on the bulky side, then the T4210 is available now for $2,349.
Xplore Technologies' iX104C3 rugged Tablet PC
So what is it with Xplore Technologies' and their insistence on calling random strings of letters and digits "model numbers?" Regardless of the nonsense, they've expanded their lineup further with a new offering that boasts a host of new security features like a finger print reader and user accessible hard drive and PC card bays for those who deal with sensitive data . This tablet was built for a beating -- its magnesium alloy shell and shock-resistant hard drive complement its ability to withstand dust, moisture, and extreme temperatures. Powered by an Intel processor and sporting an XGA screen, you'll have the world at your fingertips with all this connectivity: wLAN, wWAN, PAN (Bluetooth) and GPS wireless are all options here. If you just can't wait to get your hands on the iX104C3, well, you'll have to anyway; complete specs, pricing and availability are all currently unavailable -- but but that's no big surprise. [Via Mobilewhack]
Sony Vaio UX180P shipping to US
Although the SonyStyle site still lists it under pre-order, the Vaio UX180P non-UMPC is apparently already en route to ecstatic US customers, as at least two of our readers have received shipping confirmations from Sony via email. The Core Solo-powered machines are scheduled to arrive on the sixth of next month, which jibes with Sony's promise of a July release, but we're still a bit surprised that they're getting them out this early -- as you know, we've been burned by Sony a few times before.[Thanks, Lee and Leland B]
Fujitsu goes touch screen with LifeBook B6210
This new LifeBook B6210 lappy from Fujitsu is targeted at the healthcare and field-force industries for filling out forms and other such boring things, so it's a little bare on specs, but we're liking some of the things that are going on here. The touch screen laptop works with Tablet PC Edition '05 or XP Professional, but either OS might feel a bit cramped on the 12.1-inch XGA display. With a Core Solo 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of SDRAM and 40GB HDD, Fujitsu makes it clear that this laptop isn't going for crazy performance, but the Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g and optional Bluetooth and fingerprint reader jazz things up a bit. It all comes in at 3.2 pounds, and you can make a recommended base configuration yours for $1,600 with XP Pro or $1650 with Tablet PC.[Via MobileWhack]
Tatung's new Tablet PC sports detachable keyboard
Seems like it's never too late to reinvent the whole keyboard/hinge relationship, and Tatung is giving it a pretty good go with their new TTAB-A12D Tablet PC. The unit stores a thin, detachable keyboard on its back, which can then be clipped onto the base of the PC for a tray table-friendly setup. We're pretty impressed with the tablet's overall size, even with the keyboard tacked onto the back, but for all we know of the PC's specs there could be saltine crackers inside that box, so we'll withhold judgement until they're ready to wow us with some news of Core Duos or hybrid hard drives.
Toshiba reveals Tecra M7 dual core tablet
So apparently Toshiba has a Core Duo-powered update to the Tecra M4 convertible tablet waiting in the wings, and this one gives you a 100GB hard drive, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, and especially nice, a dual layer Super Multi drive that handles both flavors of recordable DVDs. Although we haven't yet seen any pics of the 14.1-inch, WXGA+ Tecra M7, info on Toshiba's European website seems to indicate that it will look similar to the M4 (pictured), but you're getting a lot more muscle on the inside with either 1.66GHz or 1.83GHz Core Duo chips. Rounding out the specs are nVidia Quadro NVS 110M graphics, a 6-in-1 memory card reader, four USB ports, PCMCIA slot, video out, FireWire, and both WLAN and Bluetooth wireless radios. It's not clear when this model will officially be released (pretty soon, we reckon), but we already have a good idea on pricing: it looks like you'll be able to get a nice configuration for around $1,600 or $1,700.[Thanks, Ethan]
DualCor cPC in the wild
We're not nearly as into DualCor's cPC Windows convergence device now that we found out it doesn't come with any built-in wireless radios, but we've still been looking forward to catching it in the wild just the same, because any pocket-sized machine that sports both XP and WM5 is more than a little bit noteworthy in our book. And luckily for us, our partners-in-crime over at Engadget Chinese have just captured some nice photos of this two-processor machine as part of their extensive Computex 2006 coverage, although our contribution of copying and pasting the pics for you to peep should not be overlooked. More cPC snaps are available after the break, and more VIA-powered products from the CPU manufacturer's booth tour can be found by following the Read link...
Asus' R1F Tablet PC passes FCC
We've all been waiting patiently for Asus' first foray into convertible Tablet PCs, but from the looks of things their R1F passed FCC muster. Which means, of course, we can't be too long now for the widescreen, Core Duo, and biometrics-equipped R1F to make its indubitably expensive self into the hands of American consumers everywhere; joy.
Microsoft already planning "Vistagami" UMPCs
If you had as much fun as we did with Microsoft's Origami teaser campaign, then you'll probably be excited to learn that we may be in store for another one next year, as the software manufacturer is already working towards the next generation of Vista-powered UMPCs. It'll be a little harder to keep us guessing this time around, however, as once we start seeing ads for the "Vistagami" -- which is the project's awkward internal codename -- we'll have a pretty good idea that Microsoft and friends are trying to loose yet another mini-TabletPC on the world. Like so many other products we've covered, the new devices are scheduled to be released at the same unknown time as Vista, and by necessity, will sport either the Home Premium, Ultimate, or business versions of the oft-delayed OS. Oh, and if you were curious as to Microsoft's thoughts on the hefty cost of picking up a current-gen UMPC, the company's Mika Krammer openly admitted that Redmond was disappointed, saying that "we would have liked to have seen a lower price point." Hey, us too!
Samsung's Q1 UMPC reviewed
We know we've been giving the UMPC -- specifically the Q1 -- a lot of face time, but we have to admit, even though we're unimpressed with the first generation of these devices both in capabilities and having played around with 'em, we're still interested. And to our surprise an English site called Personal Computer World not only got and reviewed a Q1, but gave it some very high marks, citing its quiet fan, sleek form factor, and bright, clear display as high points for the device. In fact, they only knocked on it for having a "standard" battery life (huh? 2.5 hours is now standard?), smallish drive, and, of course, sucky Celeron-powered under-performance. Will all those 4/5-star ratings they laid down be enough to get users to plunk down £799 (about $1450 US) for one of their own? We don't know, but we didn't exactly find it encouraging that Samsung told PCW only "hundreds" had been pre-ordered.[Via UMPC Buzz]
Gateway's CX210 / M285-E tablet with Core Duo
It's been a little while since Gateway's widescreen CX200 Tablet PC has been on the scene, but Gateway's given it a spec bump and a badge nudge, bringing the CX210 / M285-E series (model based on where you buy it: home, or professional) up to date with Intel Core Duo processors. It also appears they've added standard Bluetooth and 802.11a (in addition to the already standard b/g), and an option for ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics, which should goose that $1399.99 base price a little.
Averatec's AHI UMPC concept device
What do you get when you mix one part OQO, one part Sidekick, and add a touch of UMPC? Apparently you get Averatec's new AHI concept device, that's what. Expected to be launched this fall for as little or as much as €500 or €900 ($600 or $1,090 US) depending on options, Averatec's aiming to launch their device with XP, a touchscreen (which we assume will take advantage of Microsoft's Touch Pack UMPC suite), WiFi, GPS, 3G data, and a six hour battery life in a 7.3 x 3.5 x 1.3-inch 24 ounce package. So yeah, basically this device might single-handedly solve just about every complaint the UMPC community (and we) have: price, battery life, keyboard, and wireless data. We'll believe it when we see it though, so keep your eyes out for Averatec this fall.[Via The Reg, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
