VilivN5
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Viliv's N5 UMPC finally reviewed, deemed worth the wait
We wouldn't say that Viliv is always tardy with its product releases, but neither would we say that we're particularly surprised the N5 UMPC is only now making its way to retail seven months after being announced. It's a Windows 7-toting, clutch-sized device packing specs that are at least seven months old: a 1.3GHz Atom Z520 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 32GB SSD. Despite that, performance is said to be good, capable of handling 720p and even 1080p video without a hitch on its 4.8-inch, WSVGA display. Build quality is said to be "superb," the optical thumbpad thing is apparently a respectable mouse replacement, and 3G wireless (in addition to 802.11b/g and Bluetooth) is quite easy to enable. Unfortunately we're still not sure what Viliv is going to charge for this, but we're told it'll be appearing for order in the very near future.
Viliv N5 MID hands-on, HD5 PMP makes a cameo
For those of you hoping that Viliv's aesthetic excellence will somehow make magic out of the 4.8-inch flip MID form factor, you might want to look away right about now. We too were hoping that Viliv could somehow sprinkle fairy dust on the errors of something like the UMID mBook BZ, but sadly the N5 is no such MID. It's good looking, to be sure, and might even be better constructed than UMID's entry, but it has the same squint-inducing 1024 x 600 display and aggravating optical mouse pad holding it back. In reality, both of these little computers are more akin to "observing" what it's like to have a full computer running on an impossible form factor, instead of anything appropriate for actually using that computer. Perhaps the CE-based Viliv HD5 PMP will find a truer calling. We saw the slate unit pumping out some HD video at a steady clip, and its hardware is certainly refined -- if only just a little chubby. Unfortunately, none of the buttons were working, so we couldn't hop out of the video and see what the rest of the player has to offer. At least it's not Windows XP under there, daring us to use it. Videos of both devices are after the break. %Gallery-83019%
Viliv N5 MID set to debut at CES
We've already gotten up close with the S10 Blade that Viliv is promising to show off at CES, but this invitation is the first we've heard of the company's N5 mobile internet device, which is also slated to debut at the show. As you can see above, this one is a clamshell MID, and packs a 4.8-inch multitouch display, a fully QWERTY keyboard, and 3G, WiFi, and GPS capabilities. Also on track for an official launch: the dual-boot Windows CE / Android Viliv P3, and the Windows CE-based, 1080p video-playing HD5 PMP.
