iWatch unveils 3G and WiMax Pocket Computers

iWatch, a Chinese manufacture has unveiled its newest range of x86-based Lilliputian computers – iWatch Q839 and Q838. Both have same technical specifications, but look very different from the outside. The iWatch Q839 weighs-in at just 370gm and looks a lot like the Sony Vaio P with its impressive touchpad-less design while the iWatch Q838 has a slider design which resembles Eking S515 MID and weighs 360gm. Eking runs Windows XP, but Q838 appears to be running Ubuntu according to the picture below:

Both the models are powered by the Atom Z510/Z515 (1.1/1.2GHz) processor with 512MB or 1GB RAM to choose from. You get 16GB or 32GB of flash storage which is expandable via SD card slot. Under its skin, there are galore of connectivity radios – WiMax, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G (EVDO, TD-SCMA, WCDMA). Other components you will find one this unit include a webcam, USB 2.0 port, mini USB 2.0 port, microphone and headphone jack. The company claims that you will be able to get a runtime of around 3 hours with its 1800mAh battery. Available in red, white, blue, black and orange colors.

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.

Meet the very cheap MID – SmartQ 5 MID

The SmartQ 5 MID from China, costs just $130 (900 Yuan) and runs ARM-based Ubuntu. It has a 4.3-inch display with WVGA (800×480) resolution. The display should be crisp at that resolution. It also comes with built-in BT connectivity and WiFi b/g/a. It also comes with some pre-installed applications (StarDict dictionary and FBReader ebook reader).
It may not be running the best CPU around, but we should not underestimate ARM-processor, which powers more than 80% of the phones that we use in our daily life. Also, I need not reiterate the fact how less power the ARM processors consume.