Todays & Tomorrows Technology

We’re still harboring a soft-spot for mintpass‘ mintpad MID, so it’s relieving to hear that the first English-modified units are meeting with approval. Pocketables shared their unboxing earlier this week, and now it’s time for some first-impressions. The mintpad’s 1.3-megapixel camera is proving surprisingly capable, as is the browser (despite not being fully translated yet) and the QVGA screen may be small at 2.86-inches but it’s still highly readable.

Build-quality, responsiveness and file support continue to satisfy, while the mono speaker is loud and clear. Fans of Windows CE – and we’re sure there are some out there – will be pleased to hear that the mintpad is compatible with apps for the Microsoft platform, so there’s flexibility in what you can run. Flash support in the browser is a nice touch (especially when you look at the number of smartphones that can’t do this) and audio quality is decent.

On the downside, there are no hardware volume controls, the browser lacks an on-screen keyboard so far, and the rotation-sensor is underused. Still, these things might change when the final English firmware release arrives at the end of the month.

After mintpass made a few pre-release mintpad MID units available to touchscreen-loving early adopters last week, the first English-language unboxing and hands-on for the 2.86-inch device is here. We’re entirely unsurprised to see that Jenn from Pocketables is first; she’s already impressed with the build-quality of the WiFi-enabled mintpad, together with the range of accessories they include.
There are a few design frustrations, such as the microSD card slot being underneath the battery and the mintpad only having 4GB of its own onboard storage, but general things are looking good. mintpass even include a second sync/charge cable for use with the docking cradle, which is something plenty of other manufacturers could learn from.

As it stands, the firmware still has untranslated menus in the browser, and the file-manager and “ad-hoc chatting” aren’t ready for use. All that should change by June 30th, though, at which point an upgrade will be available. This is looking to be a very curious, very distinctive little device, and we’re looking forward to Jenn’s full review.

Intel are about to announce a deal whereby they will supply Nokia with mobile processors, according to an anonymous Bloomberg tipster. The deal is expected to be revealed today in a conference call with Anand Chandrasekher, senior VP of Intel’s ultra-mobility group; Intel themselves have only confirmed that they have an “important announcement” to make.

What’s unclear at present is the nature of the chips Intel will be supplying Nokia. The company’s CEO has previously said that they’ve considered a move into the notebook or netbook segment, though failed to specify whether such a device would take the form of a traditional, 3G-connected laptop, or something more unusual such as a MID or UMPC.

It seems likely, then, that Nokia are looking to use Intel’s Moorestown platform, expected to arrive in 2010, or – further in the future – their Medfield platform for smartphones that’s penciled in for 2011.

After mintpass’ English-language site was updated to include the mintpad ultra-portable MID earlier this week, speculation began that a launch in the US and/or Europe was imminent. SlashGear has been talking to mintpass as to the state of play, and it seems that while the mintpad hardware is basically ready for its English-language release, the thin-client UZard browser requires new server support.

To make browsing on the mintpad speedy, together with viewable on the device’s 2.86-inch display, it uses a server-based rendering engine that reformats pages to fit. According to our contact at mintpass, it’s reworking how the UZard server handles non-Korean websites that is causing part of the delays. The company is currently looking for regional partners for distribution and support.

Over at Pocketables, meanwhile, there’s news of 40 mintpad units available to bleeding-edge importers, priced at $169 plus shipping. These units don’t yet have an English-language browser, nor the Sapphire file manager (though you can mount the mintpad as an external drive) and Ad-hoc memo chatting isn’t supported, but Jenn claims all of these issues are expected to be resolved by June 30th.

We're not so sure that being the "world's smallest Windows-based MID" is really a benefit for those who appreciate keys that are large enough to mash and screens that are large enough to see, but whatever the case, Compal seems pretty proud of its accomplishments here. Shown off along with scores of other me-too MIDs at Computex, the KAX15 is based around Intel's existing Menlow platform and sports the polarizing tilt-and-slide mechanism for unmasking the QWERTY keyboard. As for specs, we're told that it packs an 800 x 480 display and an 800MHz processor, but further details have yet to flow. There's a hands-on vid just past the break if you're somehow intrigued with shoving Windows in your left cargo pocket.

Photos of LonMID’s M100 engineering prototype showed up before Computex, but now the convertible MID phone has made its official appearance on the company’s site. The obvious change is the color-scheme (the prototype was black and gold) but there are other differences too, not least the fact that the external phone keypad has been omitted.


Still, it’s a 6.2 x 3.5 x 1.1 inch chunk with a 4.8-inch WVGA touchscreen inside and a smaller, 2.4-inch QVGA display inside. Underneath there’s a flat panel which could use backlit, touch-sensitive buttons; LonMID haven’t released close-up images of the M100 turned on yet.

Other specs confirm the same 800MHz Intel Atom Z500 processor, paired with up to 1GB of RAM, a 4GB SSD and the Midinux Linux OS. Wireless connectivity includes WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and some sort of 3G modem, judging by the SIM slot, while there’s also a microSD card slot, USB 2.0 port, miniUSB port and a headphone jack, plus a microphone. No word on when we expect to see it go on sale, nor where.

It’s had nowhere near the coverage of their S5 MID, but the Viliv X70 looks set to gain a whole lot more attention now that preorder pricing has started to emerge. Importer Dynamism is listing the X70 for $599; whether or not you think that’s good value for a 7-inch touchscreen UMPC with 6 days standby, it’s certainly well priced against the S5.

Pricing for the Viliv S5 - which has a smaller, 4.8-inch touchscreen - is also around $599. Your money gets you an X70 with an Intel Atom Z515 processor (running at 1.2GHz; the Atom Z520 1.3GHz CPU is an option) plus a 16GB SSD (compared to the S5’s 60GB HDD; the X70 can also get a 32GB SSD) and 1GB of RAM. Options include integrated HSPA and cables to hook the X70 up to a computer display or a TV via component.

While you lose out on pocketability with the X70, you gain on usable screen space. The resolution of both Viliv devices is the same - 1024 x 600 - but an extra couple of inches should make for less squinting. No word on pricing for the 32GB SSD or 32GB SSD/3G models, nor when any of them will begin shipping.