We first heard about the unique hybrid Touch Book from Always Innovating back in March, and as always with unique new concepts, we wondered if it would really see the light of day. We are happy to see that the Touch Book is in production and should start shipping next month. This hybrid is an 8.9-inch slate tablet with an optional, snap-in keyboard, making for a laptop configuration.

The slate is Linux powered and has an 8 GB SSD and 512 MB of memory working with a TI OMAP3530 processor. This sounds anemic, but it should actually run decently and for a very long time on a battery charge. The Touch Book is only $299, while the optional keyboard is $99.

Specs:

• 9.4″ x 7″ x 1.4″ for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
• ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
• 1024×600 8.9” screen
• Storage: 8GB micro SD card
• W-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
• 3-dimensional accelerometer
• Speakers, micro and headphone
• 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
• 10+ hours of battery life

(Touch Book via engadget)

UMPC Portal notes something that I’ve been watching for months. The trend for searches using the term UMPC is in vast decline. As a mobile technology community, this can’t be surprising to any regular readers. As much I as enjoyed the three UMPCs that I purchased, the device itself “got in the way” for mainstream consumers of effectively using it — ink entry just doesn’t work well on resistive touchscreens. Then of course there were the price challenges, and hardware that wasn’t quite mature enough for most folks.

Prices are down now and the hardware has matured. The addition of a small but very usable keyboard enabled far easier content creation. Yup, I’m talking about netbooks. Even with a soft spot in my heart for UMPCs, they did fail. But they succeeded at the same time. They succeeded in creating the platform that evolved into today’s netbooks. They drove hardware manufacturers and chipmakers to increase power efficiency without a total sacrifice of processing power.

In the above chart, I compared the trends for UMPC, netbook and MIDs in 2008. I would have carried it into 2009, but the netbook trend grows so much that it makes the other two terms almost meaningless by comparison. Based on the results, I feel reaffirmed that MID is essentially a silly term. It’s likely that only mobile tech enthusiasts use it and the majority of consumers have never even heard of it. By simple definition, any mobile device that has Internet capability is a MID. That would include all smartphones and probably a good chunk of feature phones, too. Internet browsing might not be optimal on those devices, but surely they’re MIDs.

Regardless of the trends and names, I say thank you, UMPC. You paved the way and laid the groundwork for mobile computing for the next several years to come.

The Viliv X70 UMPC is nice in its own right, but it gets even nicer when special deals give buyers a bunch of free stuff. The folks at Dynamism have let us know that they are getting 777 X70 devices soon and they are going to run a special promotion for those who pre-order one. Here’s the deal as noted on their web site:

The long-awaited Viliv X70 will be available in limited quantity during our pre-order event starting at 1:00 PM Eastern time on July 6th.

To receive real-time communications from Dynamism during our launch, be sure you are following us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dynamismcom

The Viliv X70 is the latest Mobile Internet Device (MID) from Viliv that changes the way people think of mobile computing. And, we are thrilled to offer the following pre-order specials, available only for the first 777 units ordered on July 6:

Express Model Pre-Order Special:
Free 1.3GHz Upgrade from 1.2Ghz, Car kit, Leather pouch, and Protective Film

Premium Models Pre-Order Special:
Free Standard Battery, Car kit, Leather pouch, and Protective Film ($195 value)

We have extensive coverage of the Viliv X70 here on jkOnTheRun if you’re on the fence about this UMPC.

This week has raced to a close as fast as can be, which means it’s time for another heart-to-heart about how the week was spent. It seemed to speed by at a dizzying pace, no doubt due to a new phone and updates to an old one. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) and reviews and read three full novels. Sheesh, no wonder I’m tired. Come on in and let’s visit for a while.

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The folks at Dynamism have updated the Viliv S5 options they will be offering for sale, and there are now prices for each model listed. The most interesting piece of news is the addition of a model with integrated 3G and a relatively huge 128 GB SSD. This model won’t be cheap at $1,299, but if storage is very important, then maybe that’s not too bad. The full model line and pricing:

• Viliv S5 Premium H- $599; 60 GB HDD, no 3G
• Viliv S5 Premium S- $649; 32 GB SSD, no 3G
• Viliv S5 Premium 3G- $799; 32 GB SSD; HSPA modem
• Viliv S5 Premium 3G- $1,299; 128 GB SSD; HSPA modem

The need for a good portable keyboard is one thing we hear a lot here due to our coverage of UMPCs and other slate devices. Use of a slate usually means that at some point a portable keyboard is needed in order to do a lot of text entry. There are not a lot of choices available as far as portable keyboards go, but one from Goldtouch looks really interesting. This keyboard is not only highly portable but is ergonomic, too.

The Goldtouch Go! Travel Keyboard offers a keyboard the developers claim is the same size as those on 14-inch laptops, so that means full size. It folds in half for easy storage and it looks to have keys with a full travel distance. It seems a bit heavy at a pound but what sets the Goldtouch keyboard apart from the small crowd is that it can be used tilted in a more ergonomic position. The tilting can be adjusted from zero to 30 degrees, allowing a custom fit for the user. $140.

(via TRFJ)

ARCHOS decided to resurrect the slate UMPC market yesterday with the announcement of its 9pctablet. Essentially, the device offers the guts of a netbook running Windows 7 in a resistive touchscreen tablet. Many have tried this type of device, but from a mainstream perspective, they’ve been relative failures. Bear in mind, I’ve owned three of the devices and they met my needs at the time. To me, these UMPCs weren’t failures; I’m talking instead about the general consumer market.

Perhaps the time is now “right” for such a device. Hardware has matured to the point that a UMPC can perform adequately, based on the netbook market. Windows 7 offers a better touch and ink experience as well. In the above video from ArchosFans, you can get a feel for how the device looks and behaves. It’s thin and light but I’m already leery of the battery life. In the video, they say around three hours. For a tablet or slate that you’d carry around, I’d want to see double that life. Still, this looks like a fairly impressive UMPC to me so far.

The question now (as it generally was before) is: Do folks want to carry a 9-inch UMPC that can run Windows for three hours? As much as I’d like to say yes, since I have a UMPC soft spot, I’m thinking no. Some of us geeks surely will. We have before. But the rising trend I see is ARM finally having its day against x86. I know Intel hopes I’m wrong and I surely could be. But running a full-bore x86 desktop OS on a mobile device comes with too much baggage for some folks — challenging user interfaces, programs that just don’t fit on the small screen and battery challenges. Thoughts?

(via UMPCPortal)

It is Friday, the day when we get to chat about what happened at Mobile Tech Manor over the past week. It was the week of the Palm Pre, I still had UMPCs scattered everywhere and I finally got into the Google Voice beta program. Come on in and share my week, we’ll have fun, I promise.

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We already knew that today was the day for an ARCHOS announcement. What we didn’t know for sure was what exactly the company had up its sleeve. I figured it would be an Android-powered MID with voice capabilities, but a quick peek at the company’s web site tells me how wrong I was. Meet the ARCHOS 9pctablet that runs Microsoft’s Windows 7 on an Intel Atom Z515. The slate PC with 9-inch resistive touchscreen weighs in at 800 grams and is 0.63 inches thin. ARCHOS crammed in an 80GB hard drive, Bluetooth, and two antennae for DVB-T broadcasts. I’m assuming there’s Wi-Fi in there as well, although there’s no mention of that on the product page.

Although time has proven that slate Tablet PCs are a tough sell, this device is poised to take advantage of the new touch features in Windows 7. More to follow on this device as details become available.

It hurt the whole mobile community to hear the woes of OQO. Last month, the company that helped define the early UMPC and MID markets closed up shop due to financial challenges. As sad as someone’s bad times are, certain folks can find a little happiness in the situation in the form of closeout prices.

GottaBeMobile says that our good buddy Hugo Ortega can still get a handful of OQO Model 02 devices direct from the factory. Prices are ranging from $995 to $1,495, depending on the configuration. If you want a piece of history as well as a pocketable PC, I wouldn’t wait on this.