Viliv's S5 MID goes haptic, will move you in March

Viliv has been showing some potential lately with its touchable upcoming products, the clean looking S7 netbook tablet and S5 MID. We received some further information on the latter of those two this morning, most notable being the inclusion of haptic feedback that should make its 4.8-inch, 800 x 480 screen feel a little more tactile. We also got confirmation that the device will be running windows XP hidden behind a custom UI overlay that, we presume, will be similar to the one we saw running at CES on the S7. Still no price, but the company is aiming for a march release domestically. Our fingers are tingling with anticipation.

Thanks: Engadget

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Viliv's S7 ultra-portable gets official specs, but not a release date

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Viliv's S7 "productivity MID" got announced in August at the Intel Developer Forum, and, while we were impressed by the form factor and the promise, it's always hard to get too excited without a full spec sheet and an MSRP. Now at CES we're still in the dark about price (and availability), but are finally hearing just what's going on under the keyboard; Atom processors in 1.3GHz and 1.6GHz flavors, a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 screen, 1GB of RAM, and either 16GB worth of SSD or 60GB served up on platters. Wireless connectivity is handled over 802.11b/g, WiMAX, and HSDPA, and the device promises "blueray HD video playback" -- which we're taking to mean it can display 1080p footage without completely choking, but we're not sure just where that video would come from given the lack of optical drive. But, hey, look at that sexy picture! Rest assured we'll prop this up against a VAIO P as soon as we can get our hands on one.

Thanks: UMPC Portal

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Japanese DIYer shows ASUS how not to make an Eee Tablet PC

ASUS hinted at some alternative Eee form factors in the Spring of last year, but it's a Japanese modder that's showing the company exactly how it shouldn't approach an Eee-branded tablet PC. It's a touch tough to understand exactly what's going on, but here's what is (partially) clear: the hack job took around ten hours to complete, and the outer edges are inexplicably covered in aluminum foil. It's encased in some sort of transparent housing -- which we suppose is pretty nifty for showing off the internals -- and the retrofitted touchpanel provides the tasty tablet functionality. Apparently this guy spent around ?11,000 ($128) over and above the cost of the Eee pc in order to construct the final result pictured above -- the question is: was it really worth it?

Thanks: Fashion Funky

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HP TouchSmart tx2z reviewed: multitouch could use some work

HP was pretty jazzed about delivering the first multitouch "consumer" convertible tablet, but in Laptop Mag's point of view, that highly touted feature could use a bit of TLC. In fact, critics were pretty hard on the machine overall due to the multitouch not being "fast or responsive enough," but considering the $300 premium, we can't say such criticism is unjustified. Performance wise, everything was on par, and battery life was found to be respectable enough; at the end of the day, though, it only managed to score three out of five stars and couldn't elicit the type of praise that makes you want to run out and pick one up on the double. However, if HP manages to improve the touch experience, we could be looking at a winner in the tablet world.

Thanks: Engadget

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Fujitsu LifeBook U820 gets reviewed

At $1,000, Fujitsu's netbook-esque LifeBook U820 is nothing if not a tough sell, but NotebookReview.com seems to think that the category-defying device will appeal to at least a few folks out there, even if they are aware that they can get a similarly equipped netbook for less than half the price. As you might have guessed, they found the device's form factor to be its biggest selling point, with them going so far as to describe it as "the smallest and most feature packed mini tablet" they've reviewed. They were also especially impressed with the device's "incredible" battery life (over eight hours in "balanced" mode), and its overall build quality, which certainly seems to be a step above your average netbook or mini tablet. On the downside, it is still basically an average Atom-powered netbook on the inside, which is easy to accept at $300-$500, but a whole other matter when you hit four digits.

Thanks: Engadget

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Fujitsu finally gets its Stylistic ST6012 tablet PC out the door

Fujitsu first let out word of its Stylistic ST6012 tablet PC back in September, and we also caught sight of it at the FCC a little while back, but the company has only just now actually gotten the device out the door. Despite the slight delay, however, there doesn't seem to be any changes to the tablet itself, with it still packing a 12-inch WXGA display, a low-voltage Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor, and 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive in its standard configuration. those looking to max things out can also take advantage of a number of optional upgrades, including an SSD drive, integrated UWB, some Intel turbo memory, a built-in camera, a 9-cell battery, and no less than three different docks. While all those options can easily push things past the $4,000 mark (really), those less demanding should be able to get by just fine with the base $1,999 model.

Thanks: GottaBeMobile

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Intel delivering Classmate PC netvertible tablet at CES 2009

The FCC totally blew the cover of Intel's 8.9-inch convertible Classmate PC, but apparently the outfit doesn't even care. In fact, it's so anxious to get the word out that it's already showing off a pre-production rig. Reportedly, the outfit will be teaming up with longtime partner CTL in order to ship its first batch of education-minded netvertibles in January, and no, the traditional Classmate pc won't be going anywhere. The newcomer is said to have an impressively sturdy chassis, and the blue on white motif is much less sickening than the previous greenish / yellow abomination. Additionally, we're told that it'll come packing a 1.6GHz intel Atom N270 CPU, a 60GB HDD and windows XP. Tap the read link for a nice gallery of shots.

Thanks: Engadget

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Fujitsu's LifeBook U820 mini tablet now on sale, starts at $999

We're still scratching our noggins in a futile attempt to figure out the LifeBook U820's real purpose on this Earth, but for those who've got it all figured out, you'll likely be thrilled to know that this puppy is now on sale. $999 buys you a mini convertible tablet with an Intel l Atom Z530 CPU, a 5.6-inch WXGA touchscreen, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 60GB 4,200RPM hard drive, built-in GPS S / Garmin Mobile PC, Ethernet, a webcam / fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth / WiFi and a 4-cell battery. There's also a $1,299 version if that other variant just isn't up to your standards, but at any rate, feel free to punch the read link and have a think before pulling the trigger on either.

Thanks: jkkmobile

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