Computex and Gigabyte's Slick UMPC, Linux SmartPhone

MojoKid writes "Computex Taipei is brimming with new technologies as usual this year and the first day of the show has proven to be a Tech Geek's nirvana of sorts. Highlights of the show for the handheld crowed include Gigabyte's slick UMPC, FIC's Linux-based Smart Phone, and Asus' sub-$300 Eee notebook PC shown at an Intel keynote address."

Comments

Huh?

[Aqua_boy17]

the handheld crowed...

I don't know about the rest of you but when my PDA starts crowing, I think it will be time for me to look for a nice quiet padded room somewhere.

Nice $300 notebook

[CastrTroy]

That would be a nice $300 notebook, if it didn't look like an oversized PDA. I'm all for portability in notebooks, but once they're too small to have a full sized keyboard, they should lose the right to call it a notebook.

Re:Nice $300 notebook

[stoolpigeon]

Here is the most substantial list I've seen of specs on it. I agree with you that calling it a notebook is a stretch. At the same time, I haven't seen anything with that kind of capability at this price point, smaller or larger. I think I could easily go for the $199 model. They don't specifically mention usb in the list of features - but I would think that it would be necessary to augment the storage.

Re:Nice $300 notebook

[evilviper]

once they're too small to have a full sized keyboard, they should lose the right to call it a notebook.

Why? Most of us don't have massively fat fingers, and a 3/4 size keyboard is quite comfortable for typing.

In any case, at 22.5cm [1], it's more than wide enough to accommodate a full keyboard.

[1] According to: http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/3951/asus_introd uces_new

I want that phone

[alta]

Did you notice the price??? They're free! Don't beleive me? Check out the placard beside the phone!

eee is the Intel Classmate

[stoolpigeon]

Interesting Guardian article explaining that the asus eee is the Intel Classmate - Intel's response to the OLPC.

openmoko is that linux phone project

[Danny Rathjens]

http://openmoko.org/ is the site for the software running on that FIC phone. It's quite a nifty project. The wiki also has pictures of the insides of the phone if you are into that sort of thing. :)

But ... those girls don't wear cases. You can see their bare circuits! -- Bender

FIC's Neo 1973

[superbrose]

Some more info about the Neo 1973 Linux phone. Interestingly it can run Windows Mobile, too.

It would be nice to have the option to install Linux on other smartphones too. The only interesting project I know at the moment is Xanadux, but since most phones have to be reverse-engineered, development is much slower than it could be.

Re:Will any smart phone measure up to the iPhone?

[Bishop]

I think the better question is: "Will the iPhone measure up to the iPhone?" There have been endless rumours and hype, few real facts, and no independent reviews. While I am certain the iPhone will be a solid product, let us wait until June 29th before declaring the iPhone the greatest phone ever.

Re:Will any smart phone measure up to the iPhone?

[evilviper]

With the impending release date of Apple's iPhone, I am left to wonder whether there is even any point in other manufacturers continuing to develop smart phones

Really? Because, with the impending release date of Apple's iPhone, I'm left to wonder whether it will be a half-decent phone to begin with.

Apple's success with the iPod is impressive, but it was a fledgling market which smart phones are not, and none of their other product lines have been remotely as dominant as the iPod. I don't believe the iPhone is going to set the world on fire just because its name also starts with the letter 'i'. And a few little features might look good on stage, but that usually doesn't translate into real-world user-friendliness.

Re:Will any smart phone measure up to the iPhone?

[MadJo]

Freedom to develop and iPhone?
It's only since recently that Jobs announced that there will eventually be support for third party apps on the iPhone. But I'd hardly call that freedom.

Freedom is the ability to speak directly to the GSM modem and any other piece of hardware in the device.
Is that possible with the iPhone? Not sure... Is that possible with the Neo1973 Heck yeah!
And the mass-market phone Neo1973, that will come later this year, will have Wifi, GPS, 2 accelerometers, 3d capabilities. (so far the only piece of hardware in that phone that's closed sourced is the GPS chip, everything else is completely open.)

The iPhone is an overpriced piece of equipment that not many people are going to buy. ($599 PLUS a 2 year contract with AT&T? No subsidy? Puh-lease.) Apple may price itself extremely lucky if they even manage to reach 0.05% of market share in the US.

Re:Will any smart phone measure up to the iPhone?

[suggsjc]

Apple's iPhone has slain the competition before it has even hit the market

Spoken like a true fanboy without a grip on reality.

Will either, for instance, offer the freedom to develop for the platform that developers enjoy with the iPhone?

Wow, what a completely uninformed statement. Jobs just said that 3rd party development will be allowed, but has released ZERO details as to the extent of what will be allowed. There are NO API's and NO developer tools at the moment. Windows CE and Linux BOTH offer that, so the real question is will Apple allow the same freedom as the other platforms.

But I digress, I've followed the Neo1973 for a pretty good while now and it is still in development. There are already a few devices in the wild, but there is about to be a larger developer batch going out soon. The difference between it and other platforms is that it is COMPLETELY open. The hardware is fully documented (minus some binary userland drivers for ) and the software is available for all to see and modify.
Here is the wiki for the OpenMoko platform

I just want to know who modded this insightful as there was only complete speculation and blatant bias. That said, I do think that the iPhone is going to be an amazing device, but to say that there is no point for other manufactures to even develop smart phones any more??? You've GOT to be kidding me.

Has anyone noticed

[overshoot]

that FIC seems to be doing their best to discourage interest in the Neo1973 phone?

They may be showing it under glass, but if you search their website there is zero reference to it. Me, I've been lusting after it since December and really lusting since my Treo got crunched in February. Looks like I'll have to resurrect an old Zire instead, though.

Re:Will any smart phone measure up to the iPhone?

[suggsjc]

Here are some specs on the phone:

Physical Dimensions
  * 120.7 x 62 x 18.5 mm (4.75 x 2.44 x 0.728 inch)
  * 184 +/- 5 g (6.5 ounces)

Hardware
  * 2.8" VGA screen
  * 266 MHz Samsung Processor
  * 128MB SDRAM
  * 64MB NAND FLASH ROM
  * GSM/GPRS
  * Bluetooth
  * GPS

http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Category:Neo1973_Har dware

And here's the newest news. The second generation will have the following additional specs.
-400MHz Processor
-a 2D/3D-Graphics Accelerator
-256MByte of Flash Memory
-WiFi
-updated battery: 1700mAh
2 Accelerometers.