Miniand introduces MK803 Android mini PC, hopes to offer Linux downloads soon

Miniand is selling a new PC-on-a-stick called the MK803. It's about the size of a chunky USB flash drive (or the MK802, UG802, or other Android mini PCs). But it's a fully functional little computer with a processor, storage, and memory.

This particular model features an Amlogic AML8726-M3 processor and ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software. But the folks at Miniand are hopeful that they'll be able to get a desktop Linux operating system up and running on the device.

Miniand has a bit of experience in that area. The site was one of the first to post builds of Ubuntu Linux for the MK802 mini PC.

But the MK803 has a faster 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and should offer better overall performance than the MK802.

The device also features 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, a microSD card slot, USB 2.0 port, and HDMI output. It has built-in 802.11b/g WiFi and can connect to a wired network using an Ethernet to USB adapter.

The MK803 is available from the Miniand store for $79.

Note that there are a number of other folks selling similar devices called the MK803 at lower prices. But make sure to check the specs. Many have different processors than Miniand's MK803.

Miniand introduces MK803 Android mini PC, hopes to offer Linux downloads soon is a post from: Liliputing

RIM to launch BlackBerry 10 on Jan 30, 2013

RIM has announced plans for an international BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30th, 2013. The company will introduce its first 2 BlackBerry 10 smartphones and unveil availability information.

While there's no mention of tablets in the press release, the BlackBerry 10 operating system is also expected to run on the 7 inch PlayBook tablet which has been on the market since 2011. There's no word on if or when RIM plans to introduce any new tablets.

The BlackBerry 10 operating system is a major update, introducing new features including an improved keyboard, tools to keep your work and personal data separate while using a single device, and a major user interface overhaul with an emphasis on touchscreens rather than physical keyboards.

In other words, RIM is trying to play catch-up with Apple, Google, and Microsoft, while continuing to emphasize the enterprise-friendly features that gave the company's devices an early lead in the smartphone space.

via BlackBerry Blogs

RIM to launch BlackBerry 10 on Jan 30, 2013 is a post from: Liliputing

Intel's NUC mini-PC coming soon for about $300

Intel has been showing off a small form-factor PC called the Next Unit of Computing, or NUC for months. It's a little desktop computer with an Intel Core i3 Ivy Bridge processor and Intel HD 4000 graphics.

Now the NUC is almost ready to ship. AnandTech reports it should hit online retailers including Amazon and Newegg in early December, with prices starting at around $300.

At that price you basically get a barebones computer which includes a case, motherboard, processor, and not much else. You'll have to add your own memory, storage, and operating system. Even the power cable is sold separately.

There will two different models. One features 2 HDMI ports and Gigabit Ethernet, while the other has just one HDMI port and no Ethernet jack… but it does have a Thunderbolt port.

Both models feature 2 memory slots, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a half-height mini PCIe slot, and a full-height mini PCIe slot with mSATA support. You can use that to add a mSATA solid state disk, since there's no 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch bay for a traditional hard drive.

While the NUC looks a lot like a nettop, it's powered by an Intel Core i3-3217U Sandy Bridge processor.

AnandTech found that the computer performs reasonably well for a small-form factor computer with 17W processor. The Core i3-3217U CPU isn't nearly as fast as some of Intel's other recent chips… but it can run circles around the company's netbook-class Atom processors, which is what we've often seen in computers of this size over the past few years.

via CNET

Intel's NUC mini-PC coming soon for about $300 is a post from: Liliputing

PengPod hoping to ship inexpensive Linux tablets with 7, 10 inch displays

It's not that tough to get Linux up and running on a variety of ARM-based tablets, notebooks, or mini PCs. But PengPod founder Neal Peacock wants to go one step further and offer a line of tablets and mini PCs that ship with Linux instead of Google Android.

He's running an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for the project.

Peacock tells me he already has a source for the tablets and could start placing orders even without reaching the $49,000 crowd-funding goal. But while the devices are capable of handling Linux, they currently ship with Google Android and he's trying to raise money to fund development of open source, Linux-based software.

PengPod hopes to sell three different devices, all powered by 1 GHz Allwinner A10 ARM Cortex-A10 processors:

PengPod 1000 Tablet

PengPod's 10 inch tablet features a 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1 GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 2 USB ports, 1 USB OTG port, HDMI, and a front-facing 0.3MP camera.

It has a microSD card slot and can dual boot two operating systems by running one from internal storage and a second OS from the SD card.

Backers who pledge $185 or more on Indiegogo can reserve this tablet… but if the project doesn't meet its $49,000 goal, the order will be canceled.

PengPod 700 Tablet

This tablet has a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, a 1.3MP front-facing camera, and 1 USB OTG port. It also has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.

The smaller tablet has a battery that's about half the size of the PengPod 1000′s battery — but the smaller scree probably won't consume as much power.

PengPod is offering an early bird special on this model. The first 25 backers to pledge $99 or more can claim one. After that, the tablet will go for $120.

PengStick

PengPod is also offering a USB thumb drive-sized device called the PengStick which has 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, 1 USB port, a USB OTG port, HDMI output, and WiFi.

If the PengStick (which goes for $85) looks familiar, that's because it's virtually identical to the MK802. The difference is that PengPod hopes to ship the PengStick with a fully functional Linux-based operating system as an alternative to Android.

Other devices

If PengPod exceeds its crowdfunding goals, the company could add other devices to the mix including a 10 inch netbook, another 7 inch tablet, and a different mini PC.

Android vs. Linux

PengPod plans to ship all the devices standard with Android, but make fully-functional Linux-based software available for those that want to dual boot from an SD card.

If you want a version with Linux pre-loaded on internal storage, you can pay $5 extra for that option. The Linux-only versions of the devices would ship a few weeks later than the Android models.

What's with the crowdfunding?

While there's already basic Linux support for devices with Allwinner A10 processors, it's going to take a bit of elbow grease to hammer out some of the kinks on these particular devices.

Right now the camera isn't fully supported, the hardware buttons don't do much, and there's no support for automatic screen rotation using the g-sensor.

It takes time and effort to get those sorts of features working… and time is money, so Peacock is basically trying to raise money so that the development doesn't have to be solely a labor of love (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I've seen some crowd-funded projects where the organizers are clearly trying to raise enough money just to place orders for tablets or other devices from Chinese manufacturers. This is a bit different. Peacock says even if he doesn't meet his fundraising goal he would be able to get the tablets. But there wouldn't be much to set them apart from anything else on the market. What he really wants to do is ship the first truly Linux-friendly tablets.

It's not entirely clear what will happen if PengPod doesn't raise $49,000 in the next few weeks. The tablet may eventually go on sale anyway, but orders and pre-orders would have to take place through a different channel — and it's not clear how complete the Linux software would be.

Who's this for?

Bear in mind, the Allwinner A10 is a decent processor… but it's not exactly a speed

$329 iPad mini too expensive? GooPhone has a $99 Android version

Apple's iPad mini features a 7.9 inch, 1024 x 768 pixel display, an Apple A5 processor, and iOS 6 operating system. It's smaller than a full-sized iPad, and at $329 it's also cheaper.

But it's still kind of pricey compared to Android tablets like the Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire line of tablets, which have starting prices of less than $200.

If that's still not cheap enough for you… there are always Chinese knockoffs.

GooPhone has already revealed a $99 iPad Mini clone that's coming in November. The GooPad mini has an 8 inch display, a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, and a distinctly Apple-inspired design.

Sure, it won't run iOS apps and I wouldn't expect the kind of build quality we've come to expect from Apple products. But you could buy 3 GooPhone models and just keep replacing them as they break, while still spending $30 less than you'd spend on an iPad Mini.

Yeah, I'd opt for the Nexus 7 instead too.

Anyway, the GooPad mini Clone has a 1024 x 768 pixel display, a 2MP rear camera and a 0.3Mp front-facing camera. It features 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and Android 4.1 software.

I haven't seen an actual photo of the GooPad mini yet — the company seems to just be using Apple's iPad Mini promo shot.

Oddly, this isn't the first iPad Mini look-a-like we've seen. One showed up a few weeks ago… before the iPad Mini was even released. That model was just a non-functional dummy, but it did look surprisingly like the tablet Apple actually introduced earlier this week.

via GizChina and GizmoChina

$329 iPad mini too expensive? GooPhone has a $99 Android version is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (10-25-2012)

Sure the B&N NOOK HD will be available in a few weeks for $199 and up. But if you're looking to save a few bucks, you can buy B&N's first 7 inch Android tablet for the price of a GooPad mini.

The bookseller is selling refurbished NOOK Color tablets in its eBay store for just $99.

Here are some of the day's best deals on mobile devices and accessories.

• Refurb B&N NOOK Color 7″ tablet for $99 - B&N (via eBay)
• Dell Inspiron 14z ultrabook for $600 (ends at 4:00PM ET) - Dell
• Refurb HP Mini 110 netbook w/Verizon 3G for $170 - Mobile Karma (via eBay)
• G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) laptop memory for $30 - Newegg (coupon: EMCJNJA25))
• Kingston 120GB SATA III 2.5″ SSD for $70 - Tigerdirect
• 128GB Kingston Class 10 SDXC card for $70 after rebate - TigerDirect

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (10-25-2012) is a post from: Liliputing

Samsung Chromebook for Sale at $249

The Samsung Chromebook is now available for purchase in the Google Play Store. A Wi-Fi model of the Chromebook can be availed for $249 that can also be privileged for an additional 100 GB of Google Drive storage at no additional cost for 2 years which is an evident a merit worth at an estimate of $120 as per Google's current rates.

Expected delivery of said item is in 3-5 business days. As of the moment, the only hardware that Google has put to sale in the market through the Play Store has been the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone and Asus Nexus 7 tablet.

The 11.6-inch Samsung Chromebook is featuring a pixel display of 1366 x 768p, a Samsung Exynos 5 ARM Cortex-A15 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage. The Chromebook is measured  to be less than 0.7 inches thick and weighs about 2.4 pounds. It is running a Google Chrome operating system, which is designed around the Chrome web browser. In lieu of downloading and installing applications, Chrome OS users could run web applications, to wit: Gmail, Google Docs, or iPiccy.

As an early form, Chromebooks possessed Intel x86 processors, but the new model is the first to acquire an ARM-based chip with an ARM Cortex-A15 processor. Also, the Samsung Chromebook has been optimized to work well with the Exynos processor which boots in 10 seconds, resumes from sleep almost instantly, gets about 6.5 hours of battery life, and feels pretty zippy when surfing the web even with half a dozen or more browser tabs open. Moreover, it has a 711 SunSpider score and a Peacekeeper score of 1095.

As a plus, the new Chromebook is also visualizing to run Ubuntu Linux. Furthermore,  a 3G model of the chromebook is anticipated soon to be pocketed at S330.

via

Samsung Chromebook for Sale at $249 is a post from: Eee PC

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Apple iPad Mini's Predicted Price

Apple is predicted to splurge $195 to $254 in its path of building the various models of the rumored 7.85-inch iPad which is projected to be sold at a rate lower than the usual margin of its rates. This is the initiatory breakdown of the components and manufacturing costs of the said iPad mini.

The estimation of the bill of materials (BOM) including the manufacturing costs for the iPad mini of Apples is to range from $195 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi model, to $254.50 for the top-of-the-line 64 GB 4G LTE version. This said research note is accorded to by Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of the KGI Securities.

By way of comparison, these numbers with purportedly leaked retail prices from the UK, Apple will be seeing gross profit margins of 35 percent to 58 percent, which way lower than its other iDevice offerings.

The considered low profit margin product Apple third generation iPad grasps a 37 percent to 51 percent margin rate. As a disparity, the iPhone 5 is approximated to bring in gigantic margins of 68 percent to 72 percent.

The iPad mini's ardent pricing make up could perplex competitors' endeavor to infringe on Apple's industry on leading the mobile device marketshare. As per report earlier, adversarial producers are taking great benefit of the evolving trade for 5- to 9-inch devices. It is eventually a gap directly situated between the iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad that Apple has yet to plug.

via

Apple iPad Mini's Predicted Price is a post from: Eee PC

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Link to post: Apple iPad Mini's Predicted Price - from: Eee PC | No comments | © Admarket, 2012.

Hands-on with the Asus Taichi dual-screen Windows 8 ultrabook

From the front, the Asus Taichi looks like a typical notebook. It has a keyboard, a touchpad, and an 11.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

But when you turn the notebook around or close the lid you'll find another 11.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel screen. This one's a touchscreen display, and you can use the laptop with the lid closed as if it were a tablet.

At 2.8 pounds, the Asus Taichi is pretty heavy for a tablet, but it's awfully light for a laptop. And the fact that it seamlessly transitions from one mode to the other without any removable parts is pretty cool.

Also cool: You can use the two screens in a number of ways. You can turn off the back screen when the laptop is open, and vice versa. You can mirror the display so someone facing you can see exactly what you're looking at. Or you can show different content on each display, so your kids can watch a movie while you're getting work done.

In the few minutes I got to play with the Asus Taichi, I found the controls for moving from one mode to another to be a little tricky — but I can see how they'd be easy to use once you get used to a few quirks. For instance, the screen that faces the keyboard isn't a touchscreen — so you'll need to get used to using both touchpad and touchscreen controls when using the Asus Taichi.

The Asus Taichi will be available with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, 128GB to 256GB of storage, and Intel GMA 4000 HD graphics. It features WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and Intel Wireless Display technology, as well as 2 USB 3.0 ports.

Asus says you should get up to 5 hours of battery life while surfing the web with the Taichi.

At launch Asus will only offer the Taichi with an 11.6 inch display. But a 13.3 inch version is also in the works. Prices for the 11.6 inch model start at $1299. That gets you a model with a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

A model with a 128GB SSD and the same CPU runs $1499, while a top-of-the-line $1599 model features a Core i7 processor and 256GB SSD.

Hands-on with the Asus Transformer Book 13.3″ convertible tablet

The Asus Transformer Book blurs the lines between ultrabooks and tablets. It's a notebook with a 13.3 inch, 1080p display — which you can pull away from the keyboard dock to use as a tablet.

Like the Asus Transformer line of tablets, the docking port doesn't just house a keyboard. It also has a battery which helps provide extra run time. But the Transformer Book dock has one more trick up its sleeve: It has a hard drive, giving you extra storage space.

The CPU, memory, and other vital bits hang out in the tablet portion of the computer. There's also a 128GB solid state disk behind the screen. But the keyboard contains a hard drive with up to 500GB of additional storage space.

Asus plans to bring the Transformer Book to market in the coming months — possibly in the first quarter of 2013. The company will offer models with up to an Intel Core i7 processor and 4GB of RAM.

The tablet has micro HDMI and microSD ports, but the keyboard dock adds a range of extra ports including USB and Ethernet ports.

Pricing hasn't been determined yet.

Overall the Transformer Book makes a nice laptop — but a kind of awkward tablet. I find most tablets with screens larger than 10.1 inches not only to be kind of heavy, but also awkward to hold — especially in portrait mode.

I also found that it took a bit more effort than I'd like to attach the tablet to the keyboard dock. But I was playing with a pre-release demo unit, so there's a chance things might be better on the models Asus ships next year.

As you'd expect from a tablet with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, the tablet felt quite responsive, although I only used it for a few minutes to surf the web and scroll through the Start Screen and a few Windows apps.

Screen rotation seems a little on the slow side when compared with an Android or iOS tablet. But everything else felt quite fast.

Note: It was noisy at this event, so I didn't bother trying to talk at all in the video. What you're hearing in the audio track is a conversation someone is having nearby. The $1499 price mentioned may be fore a Core i7 version of the Transformer Book. It may not. I think that's just an estimate at this point. The model with a Core i5 chip will likely be cheaper.

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