Viliv S5 Premium

I have only had the Viliv S5 Premium UMPC in my hands for 24 hours, but I can tell you it hasn’t spent much of that time out of my hands. It’s been a long time since a device has been such a joy to use, as it effortlessly handles anything I throw at it. I figured I’d better get my first impressions done, as I’m getting pinged constantly about it. It shows how this UMPC has triggered a lot of interest in us mobile-minded folk.

The Viliv S5 is a handheld PC about the same size as a PMP. It weighs less than a pound and sports a 4.8-inch screen running at an eye-popping 1024 x 600 resolution. Things can get tiny at that high resolution, but it’s pretty easy to customize things due to the Windows XP Home operating system it runs. This unit has 1 GB of memory paired with a 60 GB hard drive (1.8-inch) which handles XP with aplomb.

The review unit was supplied by Dynamism and Viliv, and I should point out that Kevin was right on with how good a deal this is. Anyone who preorders an S5 from Dynamism (early May shipping) gets the S5 Premium like the one I have, a car kit (mount and auto charger), carrying case and — best of all — a second battery. This will set you back $599, which is a good price for all you get; I can tell you, they just might get my money for one of these.

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Two minutes and eighteen seconds. That’s how long it took me to set up the $99 Pogoplug hardware and activate it online. In just over two minutes I was able to open a web page and browse the contents of my 320GB external USB drive, which is connected to the Pogoplug. The Pogoplug, in turn, connects to just about any router; in my case it’s an Apple AirPort Extreme. Since the drive contents are available over the web, I can share files or folders with anyone who has a browser and web connection. All in just over two minutes. I’m amazed at how simple this was.

Since the setup was only a few minutes, I’ve got time to kill now. I suppose I should step back and explain a little bit more about what the Pogoplug is, what it does and how it works.

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L-R: Mugen G1 back w/battery below; original G1 back and battery

A common complaint with the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, is the lousy battery life.  All you have to do is look at the battery and you see how small it is to understand why that is.  It’s only rated at 1150 mAh which explains the battery life challenge.  It’s easy to understand why I was chomping at the bit to take a look at an extended battery for the G1 when the folks from Mugen approached me.

Mugen Power has been making high-capacity batteries for notebooks and phones for years. Their reputation is very good and their batteries always seem to add a lot of life to the device when compared to standard batteries.  The battery for the G1 is no exception. It looks to be very well made and you only have to look at the Mugen battery next to the standard G1 battery to see how much more powerful it is.

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We see a lot of laptops at jkOnTheRun, but most are of the smaller variety so it’s a nice change of pace when one of the larger ones comes to play.  The Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 has a nice 16-inch screen yet is as thin and light as notebooks much smaller.  I am offering up my first impressions of the Y650 as I usually do, but bear in mind I’ve only been using it for a day.  This is not a review, but a quick take on my highlights/lowlights so far.

The Y650 is no question one of the sexiest large notebooks around.  It is as thin as the unibody MacBooks but, given the plastic chassis, is very light.  The Y650 with the 16-inch screen is only slightly heavier than my 13-inch MacBook, making it very easy to handle and carry around.  Those looking for a thin and light larger notebook should not overlook the IdeaPads.

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News of the Kindle for iPhone app release has, as you might expect, hit the airwaves big time.  Amazon has made it clear they will be making it possible to use Kindle ebook content on other devices and they have made good with the iPhone app.

I own one of the original Kindles, although I haven’t used it for at least six months; heck, I haven’t even seen it for that long.  When I first got the Kindle I gave it a good try as my main ebook reader, purchasing a few books from Amazon to do so.  I ended up having too much trouble getting comfortable with the Kindle, so when Kevin asked if he could borrow it I said, “Sure, keep it as long as you need it.” He’s still got it, although I’ve heard it’s coming back to me — but with the introduction of the iPhone software, I may not need it (just ignore that, Kevin).

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When I first heard about ZumoDrive, I almost passed it by. I figured that we’ve already pointed out enough file synchronization-type programs using the cloud by now between Live Mesh, Live Sync, Dropbox, SugarSync, etc. Then I saw a few distinctive features that made ZumoDrive a little different. I covered the two main ones in my short video demonstration, but if you missed it, I was impressed by these subtle touches: the ability to integrate MP3 files from the cloud right into iTunes and a way to mark a file for local storage as needed.

Not everyone uses iTunes, so perhaps the integration there isn’t important to you. It really isn’t for me either, but I find it impressive as a demonstration of what’s possible between cloud data and desktop apps. Having said that, let’s take a closer look at ZumoDrive’s service, which is more of an online storage solution than a true sync service.

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HP Mini 1000 netbook

My surprise was total this morning when the FedEx guy rang my bell and handed me a very small box.  That box had a brand new HP Mini 1000 MI netbook to evaluate from HP.  The MI (or Mini Me) is the Linux-based model with HP’s home-grown UI shell they call MI for Mobile Internet.  I haven’t been playing with the 1000 very long but keep reading after the jump for my first impressions and photos of the Mini 1000.

Oops, first the specs:

• Ubuntu
• 1.6 GHz Atom N270 processor
• 1 GB memory
• 16 GB SSD
• 2 USB 2.0
• 3-cell battery
• Multi-format card reader
• HD Audio
• Recessed USB slot (to be used with HP Mini Mobile Drive)

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One thing I can state for certain, the Lenovo W700ds instills a sense of wonder when it’s first unboxed and set up on a table.  There is just so much to this massive notebook that I feel a lot like a kid in a candy store.  It’s hard to decide where to start.  I have been working with this thing for a few hours now and that sense of wonder is still surrounding me.  The W700ds is unlike any mobile computer I have ever used before, and it is frankly awesome.  Continue on past the jump for some quick impressions I have gained from those few hours of wonder but first here are the specs of this tank:

• Processor:  Intel Core 2 Quad Core Extreme QX9300- 2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz, 12 MB L2
• OS: Windows Vista Business 64
• Displays:  17-inch WUXGA (1900 x 1200) 400 NIT + 10.6-inch WXGA (768 x 1280) (slide-out)
• Graphics: NVidia Quadro FX 3700M (1 GB dedicated VRAM)
• Memory:  4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz (2 DIMM)
• Pointing device:  trackpad (2 buttons), trackstick (3 buttons)
• HDD: Raid configured 2-250 GB (5400 rpm), 500 GB total
• Optical drive:  DVD (Blu-Ray optional, not tested)
• Expansion slots:  ExpressCard, Compact Flash, 7-in-1 memory card
• WiFi:  802.11 a/b/g/n (WiMAX optional, not tested)
• Web cam:  1.3 MP
• Ports:  5- USB 2.0, Ethernet, modem, Firewire, VGA-out, DisplayPort, Dual Link DVI
• Battery:  9-cell
• Dimensions: 16.1 x 12.2 x 1.6 inches; 8.3 lbs.

Retail price of unit as evaluated- $4,989.

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We’ve seen a good run on hot smartphones being released since the iPhone 3G.  The T-Mobile G1 was introduced recently as the first Android-based smartphone and RIM has been releasing Blackberry models every few days, at least that’s what it seems like.  One of the most anxiously awaited smartphones is the Blackberry Storm as it takes a path RIM has never taken before, and that’s to shed the physical keyboard.  Blackberries have always enjoyed a great reputation for good keyboards and the Storm drops one entirely.  Many have been waiting to see how well RIM could provide the Blackberry experience with just an on-screen keyboard and just a few days before launch on Verizon in the US we’ve got one of these jewels in our hands.

The short answer to the question of how good a Blackberry can a device be without a keyboard is pretty good, at least the Storm is.  The innovative touchscreen is in essence not one but two keyboards depending on the orientation of the screen.  We’ll address that in detail below but first here’s a video overview of the hardware to get things started.  Pay close attention in the video and you’ll see you can in fact cut and paste on a touch screen.  The rest of the review is after the jump, including another video showing off the sweet web browsing on the Storm.

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You got one of those fancy new iPhone 3Gs and find you keep running out of juice?  Apple’s decision to keep the iPhone battery safely tucked away in the inaccessible innards of the phone keeps you looking for a power outlet toward the end of the day?  This decision may not be popular but it’s opened up the external battery market to those enterprising companies looking to make a buck to keep you all juiced up and we bring you a deathmatch between two of the popular solutions available.

The Mophie Juice Pack 3G is the brand new version of a battery that has been out since the first iPhone was released.  This new version is designed specifically for the iPhone 3G and has some innovative features that we’ll look at in the comparison below.  The Richard Solo 1800 Backup Battery (RS1800) is that company’s newest model and while it will work with any iPhone or iPod it has specific features when coupled with the iPhone 3G.  We will compare both batteries with iPhone 3G usage.  Read on to see who wins this deathmatch for extra juice.

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