Digicube Z8 MID – built-in 3G, runs XP

Today, the Digicube Z8 MID was silently (and officially) launched. It has an Intel Atom Z series CPU with US15W chipset, 1GB RAM, 16GB SSD and has built-in 3G module which will let you use your 3G SIM to enjoy broadband speeds on-the-move.

The best feature of this little MID is that it is based on x86-hardware which means that in theory, it can run any x86-compatible OS out there. For the time being, it will be sold with tried and tested Windows XP OS. But, we are sure that you won’t face much problems to get Windows 7 working on this little thing. Its 5-inch display has WVGA resolution (800×480) and weighs just 420gm, that too with its 1800mAh battery included

It has left and right click buttons flanked on the left side of the display. Speakers are at the back of the unit, just like cellphones.

RAmos W7 MID

Remember the Rockchip MID that we mentioned last month? Well, some more interesting details have cropped up. It has a WVGA (800×480) capacitive display with a 4.8-inch screen slapped on it. Earlier, all we knew was was that it runs 600MHz processor, but its processor information was not known. Well, now we know it and it Rockchip’s RK2808 processor. For storage, one can choose between 8GB or 16GB flash based storage. It can run 720p video just fine, although how many such movies that you can squeeze into 8GB storage memory is a question that needs to be answered.

It has Wifi, built-in 3G which ensure that you are connected wherever you go. It has even has Adobe Flash support for that rich Internet experience on-the-go. It will be available in variety of colors: Orange, Green, Pink, White and Black

Priced attractively at $190 and $230 for the 8GB and 16GB models respectively, it is actually not a bad deal at all.

ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet is feature-packed!

The new Archos 5 runs the popular Android platform. Archos 5 has a 4.8-inch WVGA display (800×480) which means that it has the potential to be one of the best video players around. Since it is running Android OS, you get access to all the great free apps out there for the Android operating system which are downloadable via Android Market.

The Archos 5 supports all the popular codecs, including 720p MP4 videos, WMV (upto DVD resolution), H.264 (upto 720p) and so on. The best part is that now you won’t have to pay anything extra for the video codecs.

WiFi is included for your Internet pleasure. It has built-in Bluetooth and you can tether your cellphone to get you online if a WiFi hotspot is not around. Packed with pile of Android apps: including IM app and twitter app, this Android-based device has a lot to offer.

Prices start at $249.99 for the 8GB model and go upto $439.99 for the mammoth 500GB model.

It is important to note that the media playback is still handled by the Linux side of it.

Qi Smartbook U1000 – Windows Mobile 6.1 based MID

Meet the Qi Smartbook U1000, a Windows Mobile MID that comes with a 5-inch screen and has 800×480 resolution (WVGA).

It has a mighty 624MHz processor to keep everything breezy. It has built-in WiFi and a huge 1900mAh to make sure you are able to use the MID full day. There is a camera at the back of the unit too.

The reason why this MID does not have more than WXGA resolution is the fact that Windows Mobile does not support more than WVGA (800×480) resolution. However, there is no excuse not to bundle it with Windows Mobile 6.5, which is the latest Windows Mobile version.

Rockchip MID – More powerful than iPhone! – Great for Mobile Internet on the go

Rockchip is another MID using Google Android operating system that also has multi-touch functionality. The Rockchip comes with RK2800 CPU that runs at 600MHz clock speed and comes with Android OS version 1.5. It has 128MB RAM at its disposal.

The Rockchip MID’s 600MHz processor seems to be even more powerful than the iPhone as it surpassed iPhone in all browser tests. Not only dud the Rockchip MID won the contest, but it won by substantial margin. For example: Rockchip MID took 13.3 seconds to open amazon.com whereas iPhone took 21.2 seconds to open it. To open sina.com.cn, which is a Chinese site, Rockchip MID took 29 seconds and iPhone took 43 seconds. That is quite a difference.

The only gripe is its low RAM. While most of the modern devices in the horizon come with 256MB RAM or more, the Rockchip MID comes with just 128MB RAM. Other than that, it is pretty powerful MID and is great for good Internet experience while on the go.

ENT ET-M43A MID – runs Android OS

Meet ENT ET-M43A MID, a MID that runs Android operating system. This little MID, adorned in piano black suit loves fingerprints and has a slide out QWERTY keyboard to let you easily enter URLs when you are on-the-go. However, unlike HTC, folks at ENT have not customized the homescreen of their MID. But, even then it is still very functional.

The keyboard on this ENT mid is back-lit, thus allowing you to use it in the dark. It has a full 3.5mm headphone jack for your music pleasure.

ENT was intelligent enough to bundle an onscreen keyboard too for those who prefer SIP (soft input panel) over the hardware keyboard.

The only thing missing from ENT mid is the 3G. So, in order to get online everytime, you will have to hunt for an Internet connection. Other than that, it is pretty decent MID. A rather odd thing that we noticed was the ‘windows flag’ key on the keyboard on the bottom-left of the hardware keyboard. What is a Windows Key doing on an Android machine?

Viliv X70 and Touch Driver in Windows 7 – not the best buddies

If you are tablet user, you must be in on with the fact that the Windows 7 does not identifies the touch screen as HID (digitizer), but just as a mouse. As a result of which, the touch functionality provided by Windows 7 do not work well.

One of the major areas where one can get frustrated is when you ‘ink’ on it.

Sharp NetWalker – PC-Z1 – cheap 5-inch MID and runs full Ubuntu 9.04 OS!

A tiny 5-inch little MID device called the NetWalker PC-Z1 have been introduced by Sharp. This MID device has a 5-inch 1024×600 touch screen display and is backed by a FreeScale i.MX515 CPU (800 MHz) with 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi (b/g only) and small QWERTY keyboard. It runs Ubuntu 9.04 as the OS.

It also has SDHC port, 1 USB and 1 mini-USB port. Sharp must have done several tweaks under the hood and that is why it sports a 3 second wake up time and 10 hours of battery life! However, we despise the fact that it comes with an internal battery. Weighing 409gm and measuring just 161 x 109 x 20 mm, this is way smaller than the VAIO P, which is ‘touted’ as a Pocket PC

The PC-Z1 features a quick launch function (approx. 3 seconds) similar to mobile phones, enabling users to conveniently check e-mail while on the road. Also, a long battery running time (approx. 10 hours) allows users to fully enjoy net services, such as videos or blogs. The high-resolution, 5-inch touch-screen LCD enables intuitive touch operation while the full keyboard provides for comfortable text input. Additionally, in business settings, users can create documents, spreadsheets, presentation materials, etc., and edit them stress free.

As it is using FreeScale MX515 processor, it cannot be there in the US as it is banned there.

It is expected to hit market on 25 September 2009 for 44,800 yen ($480) in Japan and will be available in White, Red or Black.

Commentary: We are so excited to know that it runs full Ubuntu OS and not a proprietary Linux distro. Another great thing about it is that Sharp went for high resolution and not WVGA (800×480). This MID is made for professionals who always wanted full Firefox experience in their hands all the time. We dug into their press release and found that it will be able to run Flash (version 8) based files without any hiccups. However, sites using Java won’t work at all.

MID Conceptual design by Petr Kubik – Design of things to come?

Petr Kubik, a student at Brno University of technology has come with a great looking design that is meant for Mobile Internet Devices. The design makes use of folding screen concept, which basically lets you read webpages like a newspaper.

To do the input, you can use the onscreen virtual keyboard.

Click on read more to see more images.

Aigo MID Drivers and Bios – Same for Compal MID and Gigabyte MID

morganj at umpcportal’s forum has uploaded drivers for the AIGO/COMPAL/GIGABYTE’s MID and they seem to work fine on the MIDs. [Download Link]