"UMPCs (ultra mobile PCs) have been around for 2 years or so in the relative mainstream. Long enough that we've seen several very different designs from the tiny OQO to the sleek slider Sony Vaio UX to those that resemble traditional handhelds sans keyboard like the Raon Vega. But really, there have been 3 major design camps: the pure slate like the Samsung Q1 Ultra, the extremely compact model with a keyboard that slides down from the bottom (OQO, Sony Vaio UX and others) and more recently the miniature notebook (Fujitsu U810 and Vye). HTC, perhaps the largest manufacturer of Windows Mobile phones has entered the game late with a design that's truly their own. In fact, the HTC Shift looks a lot like a giant HTC Tilt Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone rather than a notebook or UMPC. Cool. The Tilt with its slide out-and-up display is extremely popular and makes even better sense on a Vista ultraportable. The Shift can be used as a slate, as a flat slide-out keyboard device and in a conventional notebook position with the display upright. UMPCs attempt to bridge the gap between the mobility of a PDA and the power of a notebook, and the Shift comes closer than most thanks to its relatively large display and borderline touch-typable keyboard."
If the HTC Shift is high on your wish list, even after all the delays that we were made to sit through, then take a look at MobileTechReview's... um, review. The device packs both Windows Mobile 6 Professional and Windows Vista, which is a boon for some, and a mind-boggling concept for others. Think it's your cup of tea? Expect to shell out $1,500 for the privilege. ]]>
Absolutist has released an update to its Bubble Shooter Mobile arcade game for Palm OS. Bubble Shooter is a game of simple rules with a great wealth of combinations and strategies. The goal is to explode all the bubbles before they overflow the board. As described by its developer the game takes the best from Tetris, Arkanoid and Pool and adds its own new twists and features.
Bubble Shooter Mobile v1.09 is available now for Palm OS 5 and later color devices. It comes with a free trial version and costs $16.95 to purchase the full version.
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pocketnow.com
Asus Windows Mobile 6 PDA, Just $260
pocketnow.com, NY -5 hours ago
Buy.com has the Asus MyPal A626 Windows Mobile 6 PDA for just $254 with free shipping. Amazon.com has it for $260, also with free shipping, useful if you’ve ...
pocketnow.com, NY -
Buy.com has the Asus MyPal A626 Windows Mobile 6 PDA for just $254 with free shipping. Amazon.com has it for $260, also with free shipping, useful if you’ve ...
(Credit: CNET Networks)You'll most appreciate the iPhone-like essence of one of Rogers' three theme layouts in the start screen, ...
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(Credit: Gigabyte)
Though better known for making mainboards than consumer electronics, Gigabyte's first foray into the UMPC market--the U60--was surprisingly competent and incorporated a few innovative features such as split keyboard and GPS/TV tuner expansion slots.
The changes in the new Gigabyte M704 are mostly cosmetic, though ...
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Amazon's Kindle, the new electronic book reader (hands-on first look), is not just a device for reading paperless books and newspapers. It's also an ecosystem for writers who want to publish their works without dealing with publishers or vanity presses or other middlemen.
Publishing doesn't look too ...
]]>As if you're not inundated with reviews of this little fellow, Infosync world includes a video as well. I know, I know, Tilt Videos were SO September. But hey - when looking to make a major purchase, more information is better, right? ]]>
The former HTC Polaris has officially been released as the HTC Touch Cruise. If you can live without a VGA screen, the Touch Cruise has a nice feature set [pdf]. The built-in GPS also comes with TomTom Navigator 6. I know for some, the lack of VGA is a killer, but I wonder if the TouchFLO interface would be harder to implement on VGA? ]]>
My first impression is "So...that's it?". I had thought the announcement was going to be about a baked project, something coming to market soon...but this seems to be more about Google announcing their intentions to enter the market. It's hard to build a mobile OS. It's hard to get consensus amongst multiple partners. I think one reason the iPhone turned out pretty well is that it was one company working with one carrier on one vision. Windows Mobile has gotten to where it is through revision after revision, working with multiple carriers around the world. Will Google be able to do the same, only with a much bigger group of partners?
I'm also not convinced that Google can create an OS, or the applications needed to sit on top of the OS, and have it be as good as it needs to be. Google excels at Web-based services, but their applications (with the exception of perhaps the toolbar) tend to be much less impressive. I guess we'll see - one things for sure, Microsoft does best when they feel threatened, so I welcome Google's entry into this market for the way it will motivate Microsoft on one side, with Apple on the other.
More information can be found in the official press release. And perhaps the HTC Omni is the type of phone we'll see Android running on? ]]>