We have a request in to the folks at Nvidia for conformation or comment and will update upon reply. If true, the timing couldn’t be worse for Nvidia’s hardware partners. Apple is set to re-define the consumer slate market with the availability of its iPad in just two days. The first reviews are in and it sure doesn’t sound like the iPad will flop the way some would think. So that puts other tablets potentially behind the eight-ball already.

Those not interested in the iPad are pining for the Notion Ink, ICD Vega, and others that all run on the Tegra2 processor. While Nvidia doesn’t control the timeline of its hardware partners directly, it does so indirectly — if the chip isn’t ready for optimal experience in a device, a hardware maker is likely going to delay their product.

Perhaps the biggest “at risk” product is one that hasn’t officially been announced or detailed yet — last year, I heard from Nvidia that Google was working on Chrome OS devices powered by the new Tegra chip. Chrome OS products that have no true delivery date can’t technically be delayed, but this development might not bode well. It even makes me wonder: if true, will some opt not to wait and go the iPad route instead?

Update: I’ve just heard back from an Nvidia spokesperson and was told that the rumors are not true. Everything is on track for Tegra2.

Amazon’s video streaming service already supports some mobile devices, but this is the first mention of Android. It’s not yet clear if video will be streamed over the web to the Dell device — which would be nice — or if you’ll just transfer video files to the handheld for local viewing. The latter solution is offered today and I’m guessing that’s the likely scenario here. Then again, Amazon may have integrated some type of variable rate streaming solution that adapts to the wireless throughput available while watching a movie. Either that or perhaps the streaming solution would be limited to Wi-Fi connections only. I’m still thinking it’s just local playback, but we’ll have to see.

An Amazon Kindle app for the Mini 5 doesn’t leave much in the way of guessing though. If true, it means that Amazon is ready to bring its digital bookstore and content to the Android platform. That’s long overdue in the eyes of many and may put to rest the question of why there’s no Kindle app for Android devices. Amazon simply can’t afford to ignore Android and the momentum it has. Every device that has a Kindle app is another revenue opportunity for Amazon to sell more content — with Android’s market share rising at a faster rate than any other mobile platform, why wouldn’t you want to support it? If this pans out, a Kindle for Android title would join Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platforms for mobile e-book reading.

Image courtesy of Engadget

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The Price of E-Book Progress

As usual, the nebulous definitions of “always connected” and “subset of MIDs and netbooks” apply to the smartbook target. But there are also two very specific defining attributes in the ABI forecast: smartbooks run on a mobile operating system — still semi-nebulous — and they don’t use x86 processors. Did I just hear a virtual “uh oh” at Intel, or was that a passing sea breeze?

I’m not going to try and tell you what a “smartbook” is, but I’m inclined to agree with ABI on the non-x86 point. That doesn’t mean you won’t find “Intel inside” the smartbooks of tomorrow, but I believe that they’ll be relegated to a distant second when compared to how many smartbooks run on the ARM platform. This thought coincides with “the perfect storm” I see for ARM and why I predicted early on that Google’s Chrome OS devices would run on an ARM processor. When talking about the reasons for this shift to ARM in December, I used Chrome OS as an example:

Google’s Chrome OS is all about a browser and nothing but a browser. Multi-tasking is accomplished within tabs, but still in the browser. The web is your client and all of your apps are in the cloud. Will you really need the extra “oomph” of an x86 processor on this type of device at the end of 2010? For most web tasks, probably not. In fact, if you’re using the browser on a Palm Pre, Apple iPhone 3GS, Motorola Droid or Nokia N900, ARM is already powering your browser. And for streaming video with either Adobe’s Flash or inline with HTML5, a next-generation ARM processor ought to work well enough by then.

When I wrote that bit, I didn’t even have something that I have today — a Google Nexus One powered by Qualcomm’s latest 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU. After using the handset daily for the past six weeks, I believe in my December statement even more. For most of the light duty tasks people need on a smartphone, the ARM processors of today can do the job, and do it well for hours. And it’s not just me that thinks so. Most of the new tablets and smartbooks out of the Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress were running on new ARM chips from Nvidia, Freescale, Marvell and Texas Instruments in addition to Qualcomm. The other elephant in the room is Apple’s iPad with it’s custom A4 chip, which just happens to be based on the ARM architecture, as well. To say that the ARM ship is starting to sail into the mainstream would be an understatement from where I stand.

Is there a place for x86 in the smartbook sector? There is for some and Intel has made great strides with their Atom chipset by offering a solid combination of performance with power efficiency. However, there’s more work to do there before x86 and ARM on are equal footing. And then there’s that “mobile operating system” phrase that ABI snuck into their definition. What qualifies as a mobile OS is subject to debate, but when most of us think x86, we think desktop OS and not mobile OS. Perhaps that’s why Intel recently merged its Moblin project with Nokia’s Maemo platform to create MeeGo. Building the chips for a smartphone is one thing — but also providing a mobile friendly and energy efficient operating system is as difficult as swimming against the tide.

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Here’s a topic we’ve been kicking around since the first netbooks arrived — which device classes have a chance for success and which don’t? That’s actually a difficult question to answer because it’s going to vary based on your definition of success. And just because a device doesn’t see millions of sales doesn’t mean it won’t meet your individual needs.

Laptop Magazine’s Mark Spoonauer pinged me to share a handy chart that summarizes MIDs, media tablets, and smartbooks. Aside from the definition and characteristics of each, Mark also lists pros, cons and the chance of success. It’s a useful grouping of data, although I’d probably amend the pricing of media tablets. Mark lists them between $300 and $600, and includes Apple’s iPad in the category. With 3G and 64 GB of storage, you’ll pay $829 for a loaded iPad. And ironically, even though Mark’s definition wouldn’t consider the iPad to be a smartbook, I think that Apple cornered the smartbook market before it even took off. Even with a keyboard, smartbooks are sure to be compared to the iPad by consumers.

I’d consider adding another factor to the mix as well — how “mobile” is the device class. In my mind, a MID (or high-end smartphone) is more mobile than an iPad or a netbook-sized smartbook. This can make a difference because consumers could opt for a smaller device over a large one when leaving home.

Otherwise, I like what Mark put together as a reference. And I’m general agreement with his “chance of success” rates too. MIDs — and UMPCs with full desktop systems — are still fairly niche products and I’d expect the low rate of success they were given. How about you? Do you think Mark is a good odds maker for mobile device success rates?

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The State of the Smartbook

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It still amazes me how Fujitsu can cram a 6-row keyboard in a computer that measures only 8.3″ x 4.19″ x 1.14″. But all the keys are there — I checked — although that Right Shift key near the end would drive me batty. Of course, all those keys leave no room for a trackpad, so you’re either mousing it or using the 5.6″ touchscreen with its 1280 x 800 resolution.

The UH900 runs Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium on Intel’s Z530 Atom, which offers a 1.6 GHz clock speed. The single memory slot holds a 2 GB stick and you’ll be storing apps and data on a 62 SSD drive. Other specs include integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 2 x USB, .78 megapixel webcam and SD memory card slot. The included battery is an 1800 mAh 2-cell unit at 7.2V, which ought to offer around 2.5 hours of run-time with these low-powered internals.

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But if you step back from those “wants” and simply look at the device and the use case scenario, one could argue that Apple just introduced one of the first commercially available smartbooks to the masses. Did Cupertino just pull a fast one and corner the smartbook market before anyone else could get that market off the ground?

Let’s look at the loose definition of a smartbook for a second. Granted, this isn’t defined in stone, but I think most folks will agree with these characteristics. And for clarification, I’m taking much of list directly from Qualcomm’s Smartbook site, since they coined the term.

• Instant-on access – smartbooks should wake up instantly and be ready to go.
• 3G connectivity — mobile broadband allows for smartbook usage in places outside of the home and Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Ultra-portable design — Qualcomm defines this as less than 20mm thick and under two pounds in weight.
• All-day battery life — 8 to 10 hours on a charge with standby times of at least a week.
• Built-in GPS — location is important and desirable for LBS.
• Customizable interface — “intuitive, one-touch navigation to your favorite applications,” says Qualcomm.

So that’s how Qualcomm defines a smartbook. Of course, they make ARM processors which power smartphones today and smartbooks are essentially mobile devices that use the guts of a smartphone but on a bigger display. Having said all that, which attributes would you say don’t apply to the Apple iPad? I don’t see a single one — all of these smartbook characteristics are attributable by Apple’s newest mobile device.

My personal take on the device — after digesting the information over the past two days — is that the iPad is evolutionary and not revolutionary. Apple essentially evolved their iPhone ecosystem beyond handsets and into smartbooks. I’d even go out on a limb and say that every company with thoughts of entering the smartbook market is already fighting an uphill battle for three reasons.

• Most consumers don’t yet know what a smartbook is. And yet Apple is ready to provide them one without even using the new device class name. In one fell swoop, they “reinvented” a market that was waiting to get started. One could even argue that the term “smartbook” won’t even take off if the iPad becomes a runaway success.
• All of the smartbooks I’ve seen use very similar guts to power the device, but they all use different operating systems. And by different, I mean “unfamiliar” to your average mainstream audience. The iPad uses the easy recognizable iPhone operating system which tens of millions of consumers already recognize and use. Back in June, I said this of operating systems on smartbooks: “Linux is definitely capable for this type of device, but for your average consumer to use it on a device, it needs to be slick, intuitive and have a familiar feel to it.” Aside from the Linux reference, my statement applies fairly well to the iPhone OS, no?
• Any smartbooks to hit the market now will be compared to the iPad. And if they don’t offer seamless media sync, intuitive interfaces that people understand and a wide array of software applications out of the box, they won’t compete well.

Summing up all three of those reasons indicates the challenges that smartbooks were — and still are — expected to face. Yet Apple has just leap-frogged right over those challenges and turned them into the strengths of their latest creation. For the first time that I can remember, Apple hasn’t waited for others to create a market with marginal products and then jump in with latest iWhatever that improves upon the failures of others. Instead, Cupertino leveraged a familiar mobile operating system, created their own silicon to power it and took it upon themselves to lead a market — all while others have futzed about for over a year trying to determine if such a market would even take shape. And here’s the ultimate irony — 12 months ago when I saw an early smartbook prototype, it was actually a tablet form factor; a convertible tablet, yes, but still a tablet.

I’ve said in the past that I’m actually an ideal candidate for a smartbook because I mainly need a decent web browser to use to consume information. All the apps that I’m already using on my iPhone are just the icing on the smartbook cake. When I look at the iPad in that light, it actually becomes appealing to me. But if you’re one of those that has already condemned the iPad, that’s OK. However, I think you’ll have to condemn the entire smartbook market by proxy too at this point.

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The specs are here! The specs are here! ARCHOS is super-sizing its 5″ Internet Tablet and allegedly making a 7″ slate. Wait — what tablet did you think I was talking about? Is there some other one expected today that I don’t know about? ;)

jkkmobile received a tip on the latest ARCHOS creation and shares all of the anticipated technical specs. Like its smaller brother, this tabby will run Google Android, but not offer the full Android experience, which is one of the challenges ARCHOS must overcome for mainstream sales. Without key functions like the Android Market out of the box, everyday people are going to be disappointed. I realize that the challenge is that Google has certain hardware requirements for inclusion of the full Android experiences, but in the end, ARCHOS has to sell it. And yes, there are hacks and mods to get some apps, but again, those activities are geared toward a niche audience.

Aside from the larger display, this features looks much like the current model, although there is a web-cam in the bezel. No word on the processor, so perhaps it will see a bump. But I’m wishing ARCHOS would use the extra screen space to increase the resolution — sticking with 800 x 480 is a missed opportunity for a 7″ device, although it’s good enough. jkkmobile says we’ll see an 8 GB model in March for around $245.

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“When you get to screen sizes of 4” and above, something happens that levels the playing field for Intel somewhat. Their CPU platforms (*1) don’t idle down very well but in a typical ‘internet-connected’ scenario on one of these ‘smart’ devices, that becomes almost insignificant as the screen backlight adds such a huge load to the platform that when combined with Wifi, 3G, BT, GPS and audio, the CPU is just 10% of the total load. Swapping Intel out for ARM would save you just 5-10% battery life in an ‘active’ scenario.”

Steve’s point is rather timely, considering all of the ARM-powered devices we peeped at the Consumer Electronics Show. Many of them offered displays well over 4″, with some in the netbook-like 10″ range. It makes you wonder if pairing a low-power Atom chip with Moblin or other form of Linux might make for a better experience than an ARM device running Android or a custom Linux distro. Put another way: if you could get potentially more processing power but not pay a power premium, would you?

Of course, display technologies are bound to mature. In fact, our video demo of the Pixel Qi display on a Notion Ink prototype tells me that this whole situation of power hungry displays is due for a refresh in the near future. But until then, Steve may have a pretty good point. Thoughts?

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Not only do you see the gaming potential, but also the $399 Tegra developer kit. I’d really love to hack one of them into a slate. ;)

Just as we were leaving, Rohan Shravan — Founder and Director of Notion Ink — happened to swing by, so we jumped into a small Nvidia meeting room with a prototype Notion Ink device. This slate impressed with Android running on the new Tegra and combined with the Pixel Qi screen. You can see the non-backlit, eInk-like functionality of this display which brings the total power consumption down to 0.2 Watts. Lighting wasn’t great in the room, but the unit still performed admirably — enough that I offered to buy a unit on the spot. ;)

All joking aside, this combination of processor and display offers a very compelling portable Android device. After the video, we discussed input methods like software keyboards. We were told to stay tuned for some innovation in that area — perhaps all will be revealed at next month’s Mobile World Conference.

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Say goodbye to the cheap CrunchPad — it’s now known as the JooJoo, says FusionGarage CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan. Although TechCrunch’s CrunchPad company cried “foul!” last month, FusionGarage is moving forward on its own with this product. Why? According to the web conference I just watched, FusionGarage alone owns the IP and did all the work. FusionGarage “is the only doer in this story” while CrunchPad “didn’t contribute a line of code.”

I could go about all of the history I heard, but that information is likely to be covered to death elsewhere. More important to me — and likely most of you — is the actual device. Oh yes, it’s real and it becomes available for pre-order this Friday, December 11 at http://www.thejoojoo.com. But it won’t be $200 to $300 as originally hoped. That goal was unrealistic and “nothing worthwhile can be produced at that price.” That explains the $499 price for this 12.1″ capacitive web tablet with Wi-Fi connectivity. The operating system is Unix-based and the device has a 4 GB Solid State Disk drive for local storage. There’s “enough graphic power” for full HD video playback. Five hours of online time is the expectation for wireless browsing. Have a look-see at the JooJoo, which is an African term for “magical.”

While I applaud the project, design and product, $500 is a hard sell for a web-based tablet with only Wi-Fi. A netbook is priced less and offers far more, so I’m calling this one a niche product for now. It’s not something I’d carry around all the time due to the size, which means it would be a couch-surfer for me. And my couch didn’t cost $500. ;)

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The PsiXpda is a clamshell form that reminds me of the HTC Shift, although smaller. It has a screen that tilts up from the closed position, and has hardware updated for today’s market. The device runs Windows XP on a 1.1 GHz Atom processor, and has 1 GB of RAM along with a 16 GB SSD for storage. The PsiXpda name may bring to mind a PDA device, but this is a true “netbook” configuration with all the capability that comes with that.

Take a look at the full specs and you’ll see why the PsiXpda is exciting:

• Dimensions: 174 mm x 84 mm x 25 mm (6.85 x 3.3 x 0.98 inches)
• Weight: 430 g (15 oz.)
• Power: 1850 mAH battery
• OS: Windows XP Home
• Processor: Intel Atom Z510 1.1 GHz
• Screen: 5-inch touch screen
• Display: 800×480, Intel GMA500, 32 MB VRAM
• Camera: Forward VGA webcam
• Memory: 1 GB DDR2
• Storage: 16 GB SSD
• I/O Options: USB, miniUSB, microSD
• Audio: high definition audio, internal speaker and microphone, 2.5 mm headset socket
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11 b/g, 3G options, EVDO, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA

This is a full pocket computer, and it will be interesting to see how they pull this off. The price is £500 UK which includes VAT.

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Image Credit: Fujitsu

The Asia Pacific division of Fujitsu has a new handheld computer to show off, and it reminds me of a narrower version of the Sony VAIO P. The Fujitsu UH900 offers a 5.6″ inch multi-touch display and a full QWERTY keyboard in a clamshell form factor for running Microsoft Windows 7. The keyboard looks to be cramped due to the small screen size, but it helps that there’s a wide bezel on the left and right of the display — that allows for a larger base and keyboard. Overall dimensions for the UH900 are 20.4cm x 10.65cm x 2.38cm, so that keyboard has to fit in a 7.87″ wide base. Like the VAIO P, the UH900′s display is what I’d consider high resolution for its size — Fujitsu reports WXGA resolution, which should reduce scrolling a bit. Fujitsu made good use of that wide bezel next to the screen, although a wider display might be more attractive. Five “Touch Buttons” fit next to the screen, to offer one-touch resolution changes, ECO mode, or launch apps — three of the buttons are user configurable.

Overall, the device weighs 500g. That low weight has me thinking the UH900 has a small battery, too, though. Fujitsu doesn’t offer the battery capacity, but points out an ECO button for “extending battery life up to three hours.” It’s not clear to me if that extends the battery life three more hours or if three hours is the best you’ll see. The platform used is relatively power-efficient — it’s an Intel Atom Z530 processor with 62GB of SSD storage, but again, no specs on the run-time. Other specs known so far: Blueooth, integrated webcam, stereo microphone and dedicated 3.5G options, which I expect are for HSPA networks. Also included is a DVD sharing application for wireless sharing of an optical disk attached to another computer.

No word yet on price, but CNet Asia reports availability in January. That means there’s a good chance to get a look at the UH900, along with more details, at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show.

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I’m still futzing with the latest Android x86 build on my UMPC, so maybe this Android MID from Inbrics is the way to go. Actually, there’s not much information to go on other than the video and some specs that jkkmobile has from a translated press release.

The handheld uses a current Cortex-A8 ARM platform running at 800 MHz, has an AMOLED touch display, integrated Wi-Fi, GPS and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Inbrics should be sharing more at the Consumer Electronics Show this coming January, and I plan to swing by to get some hands-on time if they allow it. The form factor actually reminds me a bit of the Motorola Droid, which I like — I’m partial to slide-out keyboards in landscape mode, due to the larger keys.

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That actually leads to an interesting question since I’ve generally been against a handheld that doesn’t offer cellular voice capabilities. Could a full-featured smartphone-like device be successful without the phone part? The most obvious example of a yes answer is Apple’s iPod Touch, but I can’t envision myself using a basic phone for voice and an iPod Touch for everything else. Of course, the Touch doesn’t have integrated wireless broadband, only Wi-Fi, so maybe I’d feel differently if the handheld had an always-on connection. Again, I’m not suggesting that the Dell Streak will be data only, but it does make me wonder about just such a device.

While we ponder that, here’s another look at the Dell Streak from last month.

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Nvidia is “working closely with Google,” on the Chrome OS platform Rayfield tells me. And that stressed to me that Tegra isn’t just a handheld device play. Of course, Rayfield reiterated that point when discussing where Nvidia sees Tegra in the future. It’s a two-pronged approach: Windows Mobile and Google Android support in the smartphone space; Windows CE and Google Chrome OS in the smartbook or netbook space. Linux variants could work as well, but that decision would likely be driven by OEMs desires.

I’ve used netbooks since they were born, so we also chatted about the products of today as compared to what’s coming down the pike. By and large, the netbook space is Intel’s playground right now, but Nvidia sees the devices as “dehydrated laptops.” Consumers still want support for x86 and Windows, but why? It’s all in the application support these days, but with the rise of the web as “the ultimate app store,” Nvidia is poised for the shift.

That led to some shared experiences with my 60-day web challenge from last year. In it, I lived in a web browser on a low-powered UMPC for nearly 99% of my computing time over two months. Indeed, it was a challenge, but the effort — and the proliferation of smartphones — are starting to indicate that people can happily compute in bite-sized chunks: a quick check mail here, a five minute YouTube video there, and so on. If that trend continues, will people need full desktop operating systems and bloated apps on a mobile device?

Nvidia doesn’t think so, at least as far as Tegra is concerned. A web-based or lightweight mobile operating system that can offer web consumption in small bits as needed might be the perfect situation for an energy efficient CPU. It’s happening now with the iPhone and other smartphones, so why not in smartbooks and the like? Google’s Chrome OS might be the perfect companion to Tegra in such devices.

It’s not all about the web, though. Media playback is desirable and can be processor intensive. So far, it looks like Tegra excels at high-def media playback based on my limited time with a ZuneHD review unit sent by Nvidia. And it does so at minimal power when compared to the current Atom solutions. Video playback sips juice at one watt or less, Rayfield says, while power consumption is several magnitudes higher with Atom, even as the experience is less optimal. When you combine HD output, low powered processing and a power efficient chipset, you get a relatively inexpensive, portable computing experience.

Rayfield thinks that mobile device differences generally revolve around the display, input method and connectivity. With the right operating system and hardware design, Nvidia sees Tegra as a powerful player in this space. Granted, I’m a guy that lives on the web for a living, so an energy efficient device with a great browser, keyboard and display is right up my alley. But I have a feeling that in the not too distant future, there will be many more people looking for the same experience.

[Note: I'll have more say about the ZuneHD in the next few days.]

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Last seen at Computex, EB’s reference design Mobile Internet Device is making the rounds this week at Intel’s Developer Forum. Since it’s reference for now, EB is hoping to woo a device maker with their design — either a simple rebadge or some reworking to the unit. Would-be MID makers will find Intel’s Moorestown platform and wireless technologies from Ericsson powering the handheld. So what’s new with the little MID that may never be a product on retails shelves?

EB has completely re-worked the user interface and QT framework which “enables users to multi-task and personalize the device through cutting-edge desktop features.” Also in the mix are 3-D and new haptic feedback, which is nice to see in a device with a 4-inch touchscreen. All in all, the updates make the device a bit more compelling, but without someone taking on the design to brand and sell, we’ll only see this at trade shows.

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