Gigabyte UMPC spotted in Singapore

Darius Chang | Oct 17, 2007

Another UMPC has joined the fray. This time, the entrant hails from Gigabyte, a brand better known for making mainboards. The Gigabyte U60 is probably the first VIA-based UMPC available in Singapore.

This UMPC may be the only one which is capable of running Windows Vista while not using an Intel chipset, unlike AMD-based models such as the Everun and Kohjinsha SA1 which run on Windows XP. However, the 1GHz VIA Esther ULV processor coupled with a non-upgradable 768MB memory may prove to be a bottleneck when it comes to the resource hogging Vista OS. Weighing only 740g with a footprint of 190 x 120.8 x 28.3mm, it comes with a standard two-cell battery that rates only 3 hours of uptime.

The 6.5-inch display has a LED backlight, which reduces power consumption while offering higher brightness. For storage, it uses a 1.8-inch 30GB drive while network connectivity is restricted to a 802.11b/g radio (Bluetooth is not available). Other features include a Webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, SD card reader and a VGA output. A docking station (which adds 10/100 Ethernet capabilities) is available as a S$109 (US$73.00) option, while a GPS module can also be integrated for an additional S$129 (US$87.58).

The Gigabyte U60 is now available in Singapore stores for S$1,549 (US$1,051.60).

Filed under: Notebooks
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KevinCTofel

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KevinCTofel says...
"This UMPC may be the only one which is capable of running Windows Vista while not using an Intel chipset..." Darius the OQO Model 02 and Amtek T770 UMPCs are also VIA-based and come with Windows Vista pre-installed. I completely agree on your comment regarding performance on 786 MB of RAM. I upgraded my Samsung Q1 from 512MB to 1GB and then my Q1P from 1GB to 2GB for an excellent Vista experience.

Oct 17, 2007 00:25

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xiaoxiong

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xiaoxiong says...
The design of this unit is appealing. Hopefully, the build quality is just as good.

Oct 17, 2007 10:41

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yeoweelee

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yeoweelee says...
Well, well... but the battery life of only 3 hours sucks ! its even shorter than a PDA phone... for smaller and smaller device such as this... I still keep wondering why the battery life of these cannot be improved ? Everun has done it quite ok, but anything below 4 hours of battery life of such portable/mobile device just does not make sense at all !

Oct 19, 2007 17:44

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