Samsung Spruces Up The Q1 Ultra UMPC

When Riyad looked at the Q1 Ultra he mused upon the fact that adding a solid-state drive would make it a much more attractive proposition and suggested that within the next few months we would see a model featuring one. Strangely enough, just two months after we reviewed the original, the SSD fitted Q1U-SSDXP is upon us, along with two other new models.

Elsewhere the specs are still the same, so the Q1U-SSDXP offers an 800MHz Intel processor, 1GB RAM and a 7in 1,024 x 600 screen; battery life and heat output should improve though. No UK pricing is yet available, but the US model is $500 more than the same spec machine without the SSD, so expect a reasonable premium in the UK, bearing in mind a separate drive costs around £300.

Backing up the most desirable model is the Q1U-XP, which is simply the same specbut with a 60GB hard disk instead. The main problem we see is that eXpansys lists this spec as around £800 and for that money you could pick up a Q45 which is more powerful, offers better performance, similar battery life and 100GB more storage space.

At the lowest end of the Q1 spectrum is the Q1U-ELXP, which offers a 40GB hard drive and a 600MHz processor. While this will obviously provide lower performance, it should offer better battery life than the 800MHz models and could therefore actually pose a more attractive proposition to the kind of market that the UMPC form factor aims to target.

Either way, while I do like the look of the Q1 Ultra and the latest refresh certainly doesn't detracts from its desirability I still wouldn't part with my hard-earned cash for one.

OQO Model 02 Ultra Mobile PC

The UMPC concept has been around for some time now, but in my opinion no company has yet produced a better-designed, more desirable device than OQO. When Riyad saw the company's first miniature PC at CES way back in 2005 he badly wanted to lay his hands on one.

It was about as small as you could imagine a PC being, squeezing in an amazing amount of functionality, but it was the design and engineering quality that made the OQO Model 01 so desirable. The company's latest version – the Model 02 – exudes the same technological pheromones.

It is just as small as the Model 01: at 142 x 84 x 25mm it's about the size of a small but thick ring-bound notebook. It still has that solid, military hardware feel to it. The screen still slides up in one smooth, fluid motion to reveal a QWERTY keyboard underneath. And the chassis is constructed of the same stiff magnesium alloy. Compared to the Sony UX1XN, a comparable Windows Vista pocket PC I looked at recently, this is a mile ahead in terms of engineering quality.

But the Model 02 hasn't stood still, and this latest version represents a pretty big facelift. The most obvious change is the colour scheme, which has gone from gunmetal grey and silver to a combination of matt and gloss black finishes, with the odd flash of brushed aluminium here and there. I liked the old colour scheme because it was different and still managed to look really smart. But though the Model 02 now merges into the crowd a bit more – everyone is doing gloss black these days – it still manages to pull the look off with great panache.

The lines of the diminutive Model 02 have been softened a little this time around, with curved sides where you grip the device. The Model 01 and 01+ were quite blocky and could be uncomfortable for long periods of time, but the Model 02 is much easier on the palms.

Flick up the screen with your thumbs and you'll see that OQO has gone to town on the keyboard as well. With the Model 01 and 01+ we had a usable but occasionally fiddly keyboard. The unusual circular keys were quite difficult to hit accurately and, though better than most smartphone keyboards, this made text entry relatively slow. However, the development guys at OQO have clearly been paying attention in keyboard classes, because the one on the Model 02 is a vast improvement.

The keys are now square-ish, so it's much easier to hit the keys in the first place, and they have more feedback to them too, so it's much easier to tell when you've actually hit a key successfully. More importantly, you can actually thumb-type quite quickly on it. It's never going to match a notebook keyboard for speed, but for writing short documents and emails it's perfect. Again, compared to the Sony UX1XN this is streets ahead, and much more convenient to enter text and web addresses than a plain tablet-based UMPC like the Ubiquio 701.

O2 Cocoon

The quad-band 3G Cocoon is not the first own-branded whiter than white handset I've seen from O2. That accolade went to the ICE. The Cocoon though, is a uniquely oddball mobile in several respects. It certainly looks different enough to be an eye catcher and apparently if you take your Cocoon to the O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) in London, the phone knows what you are doing and will provide you with ‘exclusive content'.

It has a penchant for playing music and while it lacks an outer display it has the mobile phone equivalent of a rolling neon sign on its outer casing. This is actually an LED that scrolls information in large blue lettering across the white front fascia at various times. Oh, and the Cocoon comes with a little stand in which you can pop it to take advantage of some of its features. O2 rather grandly calls this, the Nest.

Let's start with the general look and feel, though. This is a rather large mobile phone for the pocket, measuring 94mm tall, 49mm wide and a rather excessive 21mm thick. It weighs 114g. When the clam is opened it extends to a little under 170mm. The clam doesn't open fully to 180 degrees, stopping short to give the impression of being a little curved and a better fit for your face.

With the clam opened you are faced with a vast number pad and a large rectangular area containing a reasonably big navigation button and Call, End and two softmenu keys. The key arrangement is minimalist and easy to use, which is fine by me.
The screen measures 2.3 inches corner to corner and delivers 320 x 240 pixels and 262,000 colours and crucially, is bright and sharp.

O2's menu system is reasonably clear to follow. Up to eight shortcuts run along the bottom of the main screen and can be customised to show what you prefer, even pointing to individual browser bookmarks. The Cocoon can automatically change its wallpaper daily or hourly.

The Cocoon's curved white outer casing with its rounded top and bottom edges and black sides makes it look unlike any mobile I've ever seen. The casing is made of a plastic that has a semi rubbery feel that's quite nice in the hand, actually.

Tiny remote ready for secret missions

This little universal remote is the newest (secret) weapon in the Ninja's arsenal and we assure you in the right hands it can be used to quickly assassinate dangerously annoying TV shows. Simply point the Ninja Remote at the intended target (a television set) and press the mute button for a few seconds - once the TV mutes the remote is now ready to assume full control of its victim. Innocent bystanders will be frozen with fear (or very animated with anger) as the volume and channel change magically in front of their eyes, seemingly controlled by some mysterious force. The Ninja Remote's powers will work on a wide variety of televisions (Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, Sanyo, Aiwa, Mitsubishi, Philips, JVC, Sharp, etc) and its small size will safeguard you against discovery.

• Tiny Universal remote, easy to operate
• Control volume, channel, mute, off/on
• Takes one CR2032 battery (included)
• Will work on most European TVs
• Keychain attachment
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 1.4" x .25" (5.8 x 3.6 x .6 cm)

Creative Zen Vision W 30GB Media Player

In the past thirty years the possibilities for travelling entertainment have gone from time-honoured to high-tech, kicked off by the appearance of the very first Walkman and crowned today with MP3 and personal media players (PMPs). Go out and spend a couple of hundred quid now and you can have widescreen entertainment in the back seat, watch your favourite TV, look at photos and listen to your favourite music all on the same device. Creative's Zen Vision W is aimed at letting you do all that – on one multifunctional device.

It's Creative's flagship media player – a sleek-looking widescreen PMP that is intended to ooze 'ooh' factor. It's not particularly slim but with a 4.3in screen in place and only a thumb-wide strip down the right of the screen dedicated to controls, it still manages to remain pocketable, measuring 134 x 75 x 22mm.

Around the edges you'll find a CompactFlash (CF) card slot good for type I and II cards, a mini-USB socket for file transfer and charging, a docking port for the optional cradle, an analogue AV out, DC input, headphone socket and further controls on the top edge for volume and on/off/hold.

But with so many smaller players now offering video playback, and Archos’ fifth generation players imminent, does the Zen do enough? On the face of it, it would certainly seem so. It has a widescreen, where the latest Archos players do not. And at a smidgen over £200 for the 30GB version, it seems to be pretty good value too.

It's extremely quick to transfer large files – I copied across a 922MB video file in less than two minutes over USB 2.0, which puts most smaller media players to shame. That CF slot means it has immense potential for expansion too. Connect a CF 5-in-one card reader, for instance, and you'll have off-board storage for most digital cameras.

Toshiba’s DPF7XSE seven-inch Digiframe

Not satisfied with just unleashing a pair of HD DVD players for the European crowd, Toshiba has now announced a forthcoming digital photo frame for the same set that does a whole lot more than shuffle through old photo albums. The DPF7XSE boasts a seven-inch 800 x 480 resolution panel, dual one-watt stereo speakers, SD / MMC / CF / Memory Stick support, USB 2.0 connectivity, and 256MB of built-in storage space. Most notable, however, is the supported format list, which includes JPEG, MP3, WMA, MPEG4, and DivX. Currently, Tosh hasn’t released details surrounding a price for the fall-bound frame, but users picking this one will reportedly find an infrared remote and USB cable bundled in.

Iocell kicks out waterproof MDrive USB key in Korea

Sure, we’ve seen USB drives that shun water like it’s their job before, but Iocell’s iteration of the waterproof flash drive comes in a nearly irresistible package. This ultrathin drive makes for an excellent keychain adornment, and the Taegeuk pattern — reportedly honed for this device by Young-Se Kim, CEO of INNO Design — leaves no doubt that this sucka is aimed squarely at South Koreans. The MDrive is reportedly set to launch this week, and while the 1GB edition will run you ₩39,000 ($42), the 2GB flavor will ring up at ₩59,000 ($63). Click on through for a couple more looks.

Palm teaser hints at early Centro launch for Europe

We can’t be certain what Palm’s playing at with this teaser brochure on its website: either it’s talking about the launch of a European marketing campaign for the Centro on September 12th, or Palm’s managed to pull a fast one and is ready to launch the Centro (or another unseen phone) in the next two weeks. We’re guessing the former, but at least this promotion tells us something about this phone, Centro or not: the first people to get their hands on one will be European. Check out the website, and if you live in The Netherlands, the UK, Germany, or Italy, enter your details to potentially win not one, but five Palm smartphones.

Pioneer’s well-spec’d AVIC-N4 in-dash navigation system

Less than a month after Pioneer loosed details on its AVIC-X3, along comes word that we can also expect an AVIC-N4 in the not-too-distant future. This single-DIN unit boasts a motorized, flip-out seven-inch touchscreen, optional iPod / Bluetooth compatibility, CD or DVD playback, XM / XM NavTraffic-readiness, and a Tele Atlas database for routing you around. Regrettably, the lack of an internal HDD means that you’ll be forced to insert the map DVDs in order to access guidance, but users can feel free to toss in discs with MP3, WMA, AAC, or DivX files when the drive is clear. Furthermore, the unit can even accept tunes streamed in wirelessly from a mobile handset when utilizing the CD-BTB200 adapter, as it understands both A2DP and AVRCP protocols. So, now that you’ve found a satisfactory replacement for that aging factory head-unit, you’ve only got to scrounge up $1,600 to make the swap.