If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what does an Apple tablet rumor a day do for you? We don’t know but if these Apple tablet rumors continue their current pace, we may just find out. Today we have some fresh Apple tablet information courtesy of the Taiwan Economic News. The Tawainese newspaper is reporting that Apple’s upcoming tablet will feature a 9.6-inch “finger friendly” Wintek touchscreen, HSDPA connectivity (no Verizon Wireless), and a processor from Apple-owned P.A. Semi. The information comes from battery maker Dynex, which claims it has a contract to produce 300,000 long lasting battery packs per month for the upcoming Apple tablet. According to this rumor, the tablet will retail for $799 to $999 and will arrive sometime in February 2010. Check back tomorrow when all of these details change yet again at the hand of another wave of rumors.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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While the world waits with bated breath to see what will become of Symbian in the hands of the Symbian Foundation, another Nokia-owned OS is the talk of the town today: Maemo. Maemo has a home on only three devices that are currently available — the Nokia 770, Nokia N800 and Nokia N810 Internet Tablets. These MIDs haven’t been very well received by consumers so we find it a bit curious that China-based electronics house Optima would choose to go a similar route. The OP5-E does boast much better specs than Nokia’s Tablet trio however: 5.6 x 2.9 x 0.69 inch frame, 806MHz Marvell PXA320 CPU, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, microSDHC support, 4.3-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen, GPS, EV-DO, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, a 3.2-megapixel camera and a 2600 mAh battery. The saving grace may very well be the fact that this MID is said to have phone and SMS functionality coming in the future, likely meaning it will be upgradable to Maemo 5. Maemo fans looking for a new fix might be interested in checking it out but we’re holding out for Maemo 5 and the seemingly sexy N900 before we bother playing with Maemo again. Hit the jump for more shots.

[Via Pocketables]

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• Maemo 5
• Dimensions: 59.7mm x 111mm x 18.2mm
• Weight: 180g
• 3.5-inch 800×480 (WVGA) touchscreen
• OMAP3430 500/600 Mhz processor
• 5.0 MP Carl Zeiss camera with dual-LED flash, auto-focus and sliding cover
• 1GB total virtual runtime memory
• Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS, accelerometer

The official N900 announcement will reportedly come in June — a period of time where it will easily and quickly be overshadowed by everything else going on next month — and target launches are scattered throughout 2H. We’re certainly anxious to play with Nokia’s new tablet but that’s really all we can expect from it… Play. Nokia continues its attempt to fill the space between smartphones and netbooks but for the time being, it’s a hole that the market doesn’t seem to want filled. Will the N900 be more successful in filling this imaginary gap? A few reported carrier deals might help spread sales out a bit more but we’re not sure why anyone would want to pay for a second data plan; any capable smartphone can likely take care of the bulk of tasks the N900 would be used to perform. Anyone excited for it or are we looking at another IT destined to be lost in a retail wasteland?

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OQO UMPC owners, it’s official: You now own a collector’s item. After running into OQO SVP of sales and marketing Bob Rosin, GottaBeMobile is reporting that the company can no longer afford to support its products in any capacity, let alone build new units. From Rosin:

We are sad to report that due to financial constraints, OQO is not able to offer repair and service support at this time. We are deeply sorry that despite our best intentions, we are unable to provide continued support for our faithful customers. Please accept our sincerest apologies.

Rosin went on to say that OQO is currently working on a deal with a parts vendor that might keep its team and — perhaps more importantly for OQO fans — its technology alive to some extent. For the time being however, the only certainties are that OQO is done building and supporting UMPCs, and its stock is depleted so it’s done selling them as well.

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We were filled with envy when COWON announced that its higher capacity S9 would grace South Korea’s gadget freaks, but it looks like it’s finally going to be our turn. Better yet, the bump to 32GB only sets you back $299 compared to $239 for the 16GB version. There is really no complaining with this one because we were practically gleaming with our review unit. Audio quality from the S9 is tops and the AMOLED screen just pops. As you can see, the COWON S9 is being shipped and sold from JetAudio, Inc. and while the actual JetAudio site shows 16GB as the largest capacity S9 you can get, we’re not going to argue with what’s shown on sale through Amazon. Grab one while you can because these units are just so PMP.

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More bad news for OQO fans we’re afraid, as a recent conversation with Senior Vice President Bob Rosin basically confirms worries that had been circulating regarding the longevity of the UMPC maker. Long story short, the company is in dire need of a knight in shining dollars. Regarding a recent rumor that suggests OQO is canceling pre-orders from vendors, Rosin had this to say:

While we haven’t canceled the orders, it is unlikely that we will be able to produce additional model 2+ units, so it did not seem worth trying to police that story, as it is accurate in a long-term sense.

Ouch. You can’t bring home the bacon if you can’t keep building a product, but OQO’s woes are hardly all off in the distance. In fact, the company seemingly can’t even afford to support its products right now. Rosin confessed that support services were currently unavailable, leaving current OQO owners to fend for themselves, but stated “there will be a solution to that available soon.” The shame of it all is that OQO’s evolutionary model 2+ was shaping up to be quite an exciting UMPC, albeit pricey. If the company can’t find a way to turn things around soon, it looks like very few people will ever get the opportunity to find out just how exciting it really is. We’ve also independently confirmed the above with OQO, but what we’re still not clear about is if any or how many OQO 02+ models have been already manufactured.

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News from OQO has been a bit scarce since the company unveiled its model 2+ at CES earlier this year. In the UMPC market, however niche it may be at this point, the model 2+ was essentially positioned to be a game changer — the specs speak for themselves: 5-inch WVGA OLED touchscreen display, Intel Atom processor (up to 1.86 GHz), 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, global HSDA and EV-DO along with up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM and a 60GB, 120GB hard drive or a 60GB SSD. So what’s the problem? We’re in the midst of a recession and the model 2+ — a luxury device that certainly wouldn’t be a necessity for anyone really — starts off at $999 and tops out around $3,100. Apparently, even those who indulge in the UMPC market are hesitant and interest is dwindling quickly. This, from an OQOTALK forum moderator:

I have been told by a few people in the know and also just from watching whats going on with OQO from reports on this forum. OQO is attempting to sell the company. It lacks the funds to keep going, cash is tight and work hours have been reduced. One has to wonder if it can still meet warranty claims as it starts to buy stock to build the 2+. I’m sorry to say this, but the 2+ might be the last OQO we see made. I don’t even think we will see it.

To compound matters, major retailer Expansys has apparently made the decision to remove OQO products from its site and is currently canceling pre-orders. Not good. We’re big OQO fans here at BGR so we hope the company finds a way to pull through but we’re also realists… The market for luxury items like this wasn’t that big to begin with and now that people wake up each morning wondering if they still have a job, the market is basically non-existent.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

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If these newly-leaked docs turn out to be authentic, Toshiba has apparently gone Snapdragon and Windows Mobile 6.5 crazy! The reported 2009-2010 roadmap reveals two new TG-series mobile phones, two K-Series MIDs and one larger L-Series Internet tablet. All five devices pack the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and run Windows Mobile 6.5. Expected release dates start in Q4 2009 and extend to Q1 2010. Hit the jump for a full rundown and mock-ups of these five rumored mobile devices.

First off is the Toshiba TG02, a slim handset with a massive display, targeted for the mobile warrior:

• 4.1-inch WVGA touchscreen
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• Windows Mobile 6.5
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• HSDPA
• Integrated GPS
• IPX4 water resistant
• Thickness of 9.9 mm

Next is the multimedia-centric Toshiba TG03 handset:

• 4.1-inch WVGA touchscreen
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• Windows Mobile 6.5
• 5 megapixel camera
• 5.1 channel speaker
• HSDPA

Following the handsets, we have two smaller and three MIDs starting with the Toshiba K01:

• QWERTY slider
• 4.1-inch display
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• 3.2 Megapixel Camera
• Windows Mobile 6.5

The Toshiba K02 is a smaller and presumably more affordable MID:

• 3.5-inch display
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Windows Mobile 6.5

Last but not least is the larger Toshiba L01. Details are sparse on this model:

• 7-inch screen
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• Windows Mobile 6.5
• What looks to be a removable or separate wireless keyboard

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WiMax is still around and kickin’, believe it or not, and Clear (formerly Clearwire, formerly Xohm) is planning to expand its networks soon. As such, it only makes sense that manufacturers are gearing up for the US expansion with some WiMAX devices, right? Samsung has dropped a few snippets of information on its SWD-M100 Mondi, which the company claims is the first handheld WiMAX device for the States. Burn. Judging by the popularity, or lack thereof, of the Nokia Internet tablet, we’re not quite sure how well this slider device will do or how Sammy plans to market it. We’ll have to wait and see, but if your 3G device isn’t cutting it for your Internet addiction, this device packs a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a D-Pad and a touchscreen. No official announcement or pricing on this device but we’re not exactly on the edge of our seats for this one.

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Following a couple of blurrycam shots that surfaces last week, Lenovo has apparently decided to cut subsequent leaks off at the pass and issue official shots of its upcoming ultra-portable laptop, the Pocket Yoga. The design is most definitely unique and interesting, though usability may be sacrificed a bit by the incredibly short and wide display. Full specs are still a mystery but there is plenty to be gleaned from the images and descriptions posted by Lenovo. First and foremost, the display is indeed a stylus-operated touchscreen that can rotate around to the back of the device to be used as a tablet. Another fine example is the odd looking belt clip that can be removed from the outer case to be used as a wireless mouse. While we definitely wouldn’t recommend wearing this thing on your belt — please, for the love of God, don’t — the concept of a removable wireless mouse worked into the case itself is pretty intriguing. Hit the jump for a few more images and let us know what you think.

[Via Electricpig]

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Rumors of Apple’s entrance into the world of tablets were brought back into sight this morning as a recent Apple patent revealed the possible design for an upcoming tablet offering from Cupertino. You’ll likely recall rumors that flew around in late December, originating from three separate TechCrunch “sources close to Apple”, stating that Apple was working on a larger-scale iPod Touch-like device slated for a Fall 2009 release. While the patent illustrations don’t necessarily depict a bulked up iPod Touch as described by TechCrunch, they certainly do appear to feature a touchscreen computer with no physical keyboard in sight. A few of the illustrations in Apple’s patent application show a bottom plate on the device that appears to have lines very uncharacteristic of Apple’s current crop. As such, we’re lead to believe this device, if it ever sees the light of day, may possibly be branded entirely separately from Apple’s current offerings (as opposed to being dubbed, say, MacBook Touch). Well, it’s no ModBook Pro but it’ll certainly turn heads and have digital designers dying to break out their credit cards.

[Via Electronic Pulp]

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Yes, yes, y’all! Another BGR giveaway weekend extravaganza. Ok, that was a bit much, but we’ve just got a hold of Sony’s latest and greatest (and only, really) ultra-portable on Friday and we’re done reviewing it. What does that mean? Well, a full review is coming soon, but more importantly for you, we’re giving this bad boy away! Want to win this VAIO P loaded with a 64GB SSD? Sure you do! Here’s how you can win it:

• Send us a picture of your current laptop that needs replacing. (Maybe you’re constantly on the move but have to lug around a 17″ notebook with you, send a picture of that in!)
• You can send in as many photos as you like, but it won’t increase the chance of you winning
• Email the pictures to laptop at boygeniusreport dot com to enter
• Leave a comment that you entered so we can keep track of it. Make sure to comment from the same email address you sent in the photo/s from!
• We’ll run the giveaway until one Sunday from now, February 8th at 11:59PM ET
• The contest is only open to residents of the USA. Sorry!

Good luck everyone!

Who knew that dropping a “0″ and adding a “+” could have such an impact on a portable PC. Ok, ok – maybe there was a tiny bit more work that went into updating OQO’s latest handheld, but oh wow was it worth it. It wasn’t exactly a complete surprise thanks to prototype demos and a Digital Experience email, but OQO officially unwrapped its model 2+ this morning at CES and it really is a thing of beauty. Talk is cheap – let’s move right to the specs:

“Zii is a super computer in a nano size.” Now that everything is out there in the open, we’re not entirely sure everything we know has changed, as was the teaser claim on Creative’s Zii landing page. On the other hand, the ZiiLabs ZMS-05 SoC (System on Chip) is indeed pretty big news. According to Creative, the ZMS-05 is 100x smaller, 100x cheaper and 100x greener than a typical super computer, while capable of achieving the same impact on its target market – portable consumer electronics. The tie-in to “Stem cell Computing,” we imagine, is the fact that a virtually unlimited number of chips can be chained together to allow for petaflops of processing power. Mmm. With media in mind, the ZMS-05 will supposedly take portable electronics a tremendous leap forward but as always, seeing is believing. Once we start to see prototypes of devices built around the ZMS-05 that knock our socks off, we’ll reach our own conclusions. As an aside, Creative – you’d think that with all that money spent on manufacturing the surrounding hype and launch of your new SoC, the creative teams behind the project could have managed to make those Zii videos easily embeddable. Maybe your creative agency could use a few ZiiLabs-powered devices… Hit the jump for the full press release.

Creative Launches the Zii Platform and Ushers in the Era of StemCell Computing

Creative Forms ZiiLABS and Ushers in the Era of StemCell Computing Where Nano-Sized Super Computing Will Be Available in Our Daily Lives through Flexible, Tiny, Powerful and Scalable SoC

CES, Las Vegas, NV – Jan. 8, 2009 — Creative Technology Ltd. today announced the formation of ZiiLABS™ (a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative), with the combination of 3DLABS — which has a 25-year history as a leading innovator in programmable graphics, media and applications processing — and resources drawn from the largest product group in Creative, the Personal Digital Entertainment group.

The formation of ZiiLABS, the launch of the new ZiiLABS ZMS-05 SoC (System-On-Chip) and the new Zii™ Platform today usher in the new era of StemCell Computing™. The new ZiiLABS ZMS-05 SoC (System-On-Chip) will be unveiled and demonstrated from January 8-11 at the Consumer Electronics Show, South Hall booth #30651.

“We have invested a billion dollars and 10,000 man years of R&D effort over the last 25 years in platform solutions,” said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative Technology Ltd. “The combination of the technology from 3DLABS and the product development prowess of our Personal Digital Entertainment group delivers a complete, powerful and energy efficient platform with a very rapid time-to-market for our partners – the Zii Platform.”

“We now look to shaping the future of computing with the introduction of the integrated ZMS-05 media-rich processor, and ushering in the new era of StemCell Computing where we will bring the incredible benefits of nano-sized super computing right into our daily lives,” said Hock Leow, president of ZiiLABS.”

This StemCell approach has benefits in terms of:
· Flexibility — Utilizing a breakthrough technology comprising of programmable Processing Elements (PEs) which are basically Software Defined Silicon
· Scalability — 10Gigaflops to Petaflops (1015 floating point operation per second)
· Energy Efficiency — Huge processing power of the ZMS-05 SoC enables it to perform more in less time, equating to low power consumption
· Complete Solution — Ready-for-Market Zii Platform Solutions

Unlimited Flexibility
Stem cells are the basic building blocks of life, possessing the unique ability to develop into the specialized cells and tissues required by organisms to function effectively. Inspired by this concept, the ZMS architecture uses an array of media-optimized Processing Elements (PE) as its stem cells that can instantly develop into any of the specialized acceleration functions required of today’s media rich devices and offering advantages in terms of flexibility, performance and features when compared to the fixed function silicon blocks traditionally used in SoC designs.

Incredible Scalability
The scalability of the ZMS architecture is highlighted in the first Teraflop Accelerator with the footprint of an A4-sized sheet of paper, consuming less power than a desktop PC. By utilizing the virtually unlimited chaining capability of the ZMS chips, a state-of-the- art ‘hypercomputer’ with many Petaflops of processing power can be realized, which can be 100 times smaller, 100 times greener and 100 times lower cost than conventional super computers.

High Energy Efficiency
Due to the compute density of each Processing Element, the ZMS-05 SoC is able to do an immense amount of media processing in far less time — and with far less energy — than taken by standard processors; which translates into longer battery life. Intelligent power control means the speed and power consumption of the processor can be matched to the task in hand and unused features can be turned off completely, put in deep stand-by and reactivated instantly after weeks of shut down, helping to lengthen battery life even further.

Complete Zii Platform Solutions
The ZMS-05 processor combines the media processing array, dual ARM cores and a rich set of integrated peripheral controllers with hardware platforms and advanced SDK and middleware. This will enable Software Developers, OEMs, ODMs and System Integrators to create unlimited possibilities and develop a broad range of highly innovative products.

ZiiLABS Launch Partners
With the excitement about the ZiiLABS platform now public and the ZMS-05 in production, the Company is pleased to be working with many OEM partners worldwide announcing products based on ZMS including: MicroStar International, Perception digital, F&S Electronic, MediaNet, ASTAK, PowerLinux and Grandeye.

For more information, please visit Zii.com

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There it is, folks, in all its glory – the Sony VAIO P picturebook or netbook. Whatever you want to call it is fine. Of course, it’s not a live shot of the actual computer, but a picture of the netbook on a display at CES. Still, you get the idea. The VAIO P has a chicklet keyboard sans-trackpad which makes extra room for the keyboard, and instead uses a little pointing-nub. If you aren’t a big fan of those little nubs (we know we aren’t), it’s nothing a USB mouse can’t fix. So, if you’ve been awaiting the VAIO P because you need a netbook but don’t feel justified unless you spend over a grand, we’ll know all the details by week’s end.

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The rumor mill never stops churning for Apple. The more recent and pervasive ones have been netbooks, an iPhone nano and Steve Jobs’ declining health – and now we can add a larger iPod Touch to the list. According to TechCrunch, three independent sources have more or less said that a larger iPod Touch can be expected by Fall 2009; one of the sources even claims to have held a prototype in hand. If this is true, it could be a nice compromise between a netbook and a tablet. The device reportedly has a screen size somewhere between 7 and 9 inches and will make use of iTunes and the App Store just as the iPhone and iPod Touch do now. While watching shows, movies and browsing the web would be a pure joy on a device like this, for some apps and for use strictly as a music player it may not be be the device of choice. TechCrunch states that Apple is still shopping for a manufacturer in the Asian region so there is obviously no price point to report for the time being. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out as there are certainly plenty of people waiting for Apple to churn out a tablet – would you guys line up on release day?

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Well lookie here – apparently there are a few companies other than TV manufacturers planning to unleash some sexy new gear on us at CES. One such company, from the looks of things, is OQO. It has been quite a while since the UMPC manufacturer made waves with its Model 02 but according to an email for Digital Experience, a preview event held the day before CES opens its doors, OQO has a fresh new model set to be unveiled:

OQO, Inc. announces the new model 2+ with the Intel® Atom™ processor, the world’s first PC OLED display, and worldwide 3G capability. Based on the 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor and 2GB RAM, the OQO model 2+ offers performance up to twice as fast as its predecessor and includes an embedded touchscreen for easier input.

Wow. It’s hard to pick something to focus on there, isn’t it? 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, touchscreen OLED display, global 3G, “up to twice as fast”… Awesome. News of an Atom-powered OQO prototype came back in August when the company showcased a teaser but we never thought it would amount to this. Good show OQO, we’re definitely looking forward to getting our hands on this one.

[Via Engadget]

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Sony’s Japanese website has a new teaser up hinting not-so-subtly that a “VAIO New Mobile” will be coming soon. An evening gown-clad woman pulls a thick envelope out of her purse that resembles the WWAN enabled netbook you may recall as having recently passed through the FCC. The envelope then flattens to reveal a teaser that links to a sign up page for additional information on this new VAIO. With Sony’s New Zealand website proclaiming earlier this week that “the wait is over” and a revolutionary new VAIO is coming on January 9th, we may only have to wait a mere few weeks to see what Sony has up its sleeve. What’s with putting computers into envelopes these days, by the way?

[Via Akihabara News]

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Last week, rumors were flying about a mysterious device with a swivel screen that was tentatively identified as the Palm Roteo. The folks over at Blog Times in Korea have dispelled that rumor however, and have identified the mystery device as the Compal Tabasco MID, a 4.5-5 inch touchscreen device with swiveling display that made its debut as a non-functional prototype at Computex 2008. The Compal Tabasco sports dual cameras with a front facing webcam and a rear 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom and a flash. It also comes in with MID-sized dimensions of 160(W) x 85(H) x 33~35(D) mm, a mini touch pad and a 35 key QWERTY keyboard. It is not clear whether this device ever made it out of the prototype stage but we highly doubt that it will show up as the Palm Roteo come 2009. Then again, Palm was rumored to have placed a large order with Compal back in August so you never know. Hit the jump for a few more shots.

[Via Pocketables]

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Remember when we teased you all with this sexy new PMP from COWON and how disappointing it was to find out it was hitting Korea with no US release date? Well stop your crying already – COWON has just announced today that it will be releasing this gadget in the US a lot sooner than we all thought. With its very own GUI lovingly shown off by an AMOLED screen, this PMP most definitely a stunner with specs to match. This thing is just jam packed with tons more features than your average PMP:

• 3.3″ AMOLED touch screen, 16 million colors, 480 x 272 pixels
• 500MHz dual-core processor
• DVD-quality MPEG4 and TV output (supports AVI and WMV)
• Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo headset support
• G-sensor accelerometer
• Extended battery (11 hours video and 55 hours audio, not bad!)
• JetEffect 2.0 audio technology
• EQ Filter and stereo enhancement including BBE+, Mach3Bass, 3D Surround and MP enhance audio processing

Wondering how much this thing will cost you? For an 8GB model it’s $199.99 and a 16GB will run for $239.99 and it will be available on December 19, not January like we previously thought. We’re not sure if it will be in stores, but we know it will be available through JetMall, Newegg, Amazon, eBay and a few other online retailers. Anyone going to pick one of these up as a stocking stuffer?

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Fujitsu’s U2010, the ultra-portable convertible tablet PC, can now add integrated 3.5G to its long list of features – having just made its debut by way of Fujitsu Singapore, Fujitsu Hong Kong and Fujitsu Philippines. According to the specs, the integrated 3.5G will support tri-band UMTS (HSDPA): 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz and Quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz. The UMPC itself boasts the following specs:

• Intel Centrino Atom processor Z530 (1.6GHz, 512 L2 Cache, 533Mhz)
• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium or  Windows Vista® Business
• 5.6-inch SuperFine WXGA TFT10, 1280 x 800 pixels, Passive Touch Panel
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
• 1GB DDR2 533MHz
• 60GB HDD/ 64GB SSD
• Bluetooth    v2.1 + EDR
• Atheros XSPAN 802.11n 3 with dual antenna
• 1.3 Mega Pixel camera
• 2-cell Li-Ion 2900mAh battery (Up to 3.5hrs on SSD)
• Approx 171mm (W) x 135mm (D) x 26.5 – 33.0mm (H)

No pricing or release dates for this Asian Pacific model but a similarly equipped US version, the U820, is expected in Q1 2009. Sweet!

[Via Pocketables]

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Netbooks have pretty much become almost like an overnight sensation with manufacturers like Asus, Dell and HP dishing out these tiny little computers. MSi is releasing the Wind 2 this November to add to the flurry of options available to consumers. For $600 you’ll get a new look, new case, 128 GB hard drive (and SSD option at some point), 3.5G modem, 1GB of memory, Windows XP and the awesome Intel Atom N270 processor. Look for the MSi Wind U120 to make its way in Asia in November, and possibly the U.S. soon after.

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If netbooks weren’t getting small enough for you, or you were disappointed you couldn’t put a computer into your pocket, IMOVIO has the solution for your woes. Judging by those photos, it looks more like a novelty item that will hold your bubble gum, but the IMOVIO actually has some pretty decent features. First, you can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi or tether your phone as a modem via Bluetooth. It has a built-in webcam and it does all your typical browsing, email, and IM with the convenience of a QWERTY keyboard. Why someone would pick this up instead of a netbook or Internet tablet, we have no clue… oh yeah, it only costs $175 and is based off Linux. Even then, is it really worth it?

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If you own a Dell Inspiron Mini with Ubuntu and paid extra to upgrade your hard drive from the stock 4 GB to an 8 GB or 16 GB SSD drive, you better get sudo fdisk-ing and check your partition sizes. A savvy Inspiron Mini owner noticed his 16 GB SSD was only showing up as a 4 GB inside Ubuntu. A quick check of the bios revealed that the physical drive was indeed 16 GB leaving him to wonder what happened to that extra 12 GB. He was not the only one to notice this discrepancy and bring it to the attention of Dell. It did not take Dell very long to admit there was an error in their manufacturing process. Turns out their technicians were using a disk image for a 4 GB install on each and every one of their Ubuntu machines. In other words, all 8 GB and 16 GB machines were partitioned as 4 GB machines. Oops! As of Friday, Dell announced that each and every new Ubuntu system will be installed with the correct partition size. Yay! Dell has kindly offered a solution to the problem if you are one of the unlucky early adopters: use your system restore disk to repartition your disk and re-install Ubuntu. If you are a Linux junkie, then you can attempt to resize your partition with gParted and skip the whole re-installation hassle process. Whichever method you choose be sure to backup your data first, ok? Wouldn’t want anyone to lose the one and only picture of dear Aunt Ethel at her 100th birthday celebration in the backyard of her beautiful Victorian house on the day before it was unexpectedly destroyed by a hurricane. Priceless.

[via Liliputing]

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After months of waiting, the Nokia N810 WiMAX edition went live on Nokia’s online storefront this week. No longer “Available Soon” the WiMAX version of the popular Internet Tablet is now “In Stock” and ready for shipping. A member over at Internet Tablet Talk reported that he has already received his and, to everyone’s surprise, is able to connect to Chicago’s not-yet-launched Xohm WiMAX network. He had to work a little tomfoolery and enter in a Baltimore zip code during the activation process but now he is enjoying the WiMAX wireless experience in Chicago. Awesome! The N810 WiMAX edition is currently being offered with a $50 instant rebate, bringing the price down to $433 plus shipping. Just a heads up, Nokia still has the N810 classified as a “phone”. With this being the fourth version of the Internet Tablet, you would think they would have created a new category for this niche device. Alas, that is not the case so you will have to click, not run, to the online Nokia USA store, phone category please, and order yourself a heap of WiMAX Internet Tablet goodness.

Thanks, Mister Ecua.

[Via Internet Tablet Talk ]

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What happens when you mix together a NetBook, a portable GPS, and a PMP? You get the Clarion MiND, “Mobile Internet Navigation Device”. The new MiND uses the low power Intel Atom processor (running at 800Mhz) found in many netbooks and Linux as the core behind its multimedia and navigation features. The MiND uses Wifi and Bluetooth to establish an Internet connection so you can browse websites on its 4.8 inch, WVGA 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen. It utilizes Firefox as the browser and offers a full HTML browsing experience as well as Flash support. As a PMP, it supports MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, H.264, WMV, MPEG-4 and Real video. An optional in-car dock will deliver real-time traffic data and will also route the audio from the navigation directions and music files through your car speaker system. Very Cool! Every rose has its thorn and the thorn for the MiND is the battery life. Rated at only 2 hours for the standard battery and 4 hours for the extended battery, you won’t be using this baby for very long without a power source nearby. Nonetheless, this is an innovative mashup of some the most popular mobile technologies out there. Kudos for that, Clarion.

[Via DAPreview]

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The CEO of one of the most innovative companies in the UMPC market has decided to leave his post. Dennis Moore, the now-former CEO of OQO has decided to jump ship. He’s leaving the company effective immediately, reportedly with the intention of starting his own company. No word on what his next venture might entail, but given the nature of modern non-compete agreements, we’re guessing it’s not going to be a direct rival to anything that OQO has to offer. The new head honcho at OQO will be Andy Popell, who is well acquainted with the OQO brand, as he was one of the original co-founders of the company. Let’s hope that this management shake-up leads to a quicker release of a new handheld machine, as our 02s are growing a bit long in the tooth.

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It’s a bundle of 3G joy for you mini notebook owners. Starting in November in Taiwan, the Acer Aspire One netbook is expected to ship with integrated 3G for $95 (NT$3,000) more than the standard non-3G model. Add in some bundled 3G service through Taiwan Mobile and you can save yourself $155 (NT$5,000) instead. Woohoo! Not to be outdone, it appears as if HP and Dell may be offering similar bundles in Japan. A post at jkOnTheRun has the newspaper flier above that appears to offer the recently announced Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and the HP 2133 mini notebook with a respectable $370 subsidy. The subsidy requires a two year commitment to a 3G data plan with Emobile. Wow! Not too shabby considering Dell just announced the Inspiron Mini 9 last week. Cant wait to see a similar bundle coming stateside. Sooner rather than later, please.

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Man, that thing looks tiny next to the 17″ Amilo notebook to the right of the picture above! Consider this confirmation that Fujitsu is indeed working on an ultra-portable Asus Eee competitor. The ultra-portable space has been a proven sector of late as more and more companies set their sites on mini laptops, the latest being Fujitsu. The 8.9″ unit pictured above will be its first entry into this space and if word on the street is correct, its success it anything but guaranteed. For starters, the rumored $640 base price will be enough to deter a generous number of potential buyers. There are plenty of decent full-size notebooks that can be had for that price. Does Fujitsu have some secret weapons packed into this puppy that may justify the high price point? We’re not sure yet but with Eee PCs starting in the $300-range and Dell working on a $299 ulrta-portable due out in August, Fujitsu better have something special to bring to the party at that price.

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