Kohjinsha SH spotted outside Japan

When the Kohjinsha SA1 was released outside Japan, it made waves as the first UMPC to hover at the S$1,000 (US$735.29) mark. Though the coming of the cheaper ASUS Eee PC has stolen the former's thunder, we were still excited to see the SA1's successor as it could well be the cheapest Vista UMPC in the market (ASUS is based on Linux).

We played around with the new Kohjinsha SH6 display unit and were impressed that the Japanese company actually listened to its users' feedback. The keyboard is now head and shoulders above the SA1. The screen can be rotated with a touch of a button, while a Webcam sits above the display. The memory card slot is now SDHC as well as Memory Stick compatible.

However, the fact that the screen has been bumped up to 1,240 x 600-pixel resolution is a mixed bag. On the one hand, Web sites can now be fully viewed without any side scrolling. On the other, reading the 7-inch screen is now a lot more eye-straining. Priced at S$1,399 (US$1,028.68), it is currently being distributed in Singapore by PA Mart and also cheaper than the S$1,999 (US$1,469.85) Fujitsu LifeBook U1010 which runs on Windows Vista Home Basic Edition as well.

We will be getting our hands on a test unit soon so watch out for our full review.

Rugged ThinkPads coming?

Two months ago, Lenovo competitive analyst Matt Kohut wrote a blog post, ThinkPads are ruggedized machines, explaining why the laptop brand favored by many corporate honchos isn't available in a box you can drive over with your car. But it's not like the company is a stranger to expensive laptop packaging: It's releasing a US$5,000 US-only version of the X60 that's swaddled in leather and coddled by a special support staff.

On a recent trip to Lenovo HQ in Beijing, Kohut was shocked--shocked--to see a Lenovo-branded fully rugged PC on display in the company's Innovation Center showcase. Available only in China, this Lenovo-but-not-ThinkPad laptop is fully encased in magnesium with rubber bumpers and built-in handle, and is apparently capable of operating under a stream of running water while you continuously bash it against the rocks. Which, if it comes with Vista preinstalled, is something you might realistically do.

No word on the internals, nor if it will ever come stateside and how it would be branded. And if it did, who'd buy it. The truly-rugged laptop market is not all that large. Although I would wager that there are more Carhartt buyers than Armani, if you know what I mean.

However, you will have to take a slow boat to China if you want this set, as Lenovo has confirmed that this unit does not have a passport to go overseas.

Picture credit: Inside the Box blog
Via CNET Crave

Acronis now lets you Try&Decide

Your friend sends you an email attachment, you open it unwittingly, and bam! You end up with irritating spyware on your PC. Having suffered a similar encounter only recently when an infected MSN file caused mayhem to my work day, not to mention my computer system, I've been "shopping" around for software solutions out there that can minimize such occurrences.

So when True Image 11 Home from Acronis announced its latest all-in-one solution for backup, recovery and security on the PC, this had my attention. Targeted at home and SOHO users, one of the noteworthy features in this latest version is the Try&Decide function. It allocates an isolated yet protected space on the computer to perform the desired tasks, letting users decide whether to keep the changes or delete them completely without exposing the hard drive to viruses, trojans or other security threats.

In other words, you can now open an email attachment or even install a new software application without having to worry about putting your computer at risk.

Other notable features are the Drive Cleanser which lets users securely erase hard drives and the File Shredder to ensure deleted files are not recoverable. The latest version also comes with options to protect and backup system files, automatically catalog backup locations, and recover messages from Outlook.

The Acronis True Image, which is now distributed by New Era in Southeast Asia, goes for US$49.99 and should start shipping to selected Asia countries this month.

Design your own ASUS Eee PC

Since the ASUS Eee PC was showcased in Computex, there has been great anticipation for this UMPC. It was not because the Eee PC broke any technological barriers, nor was it because it looked exceptionally beautiful. What was appealing about the machine was that it was touted as the cheapest UMPC to date, with the basic configuration starting at US$199 (S$292.42).

Taiwanese consumers got a headstart on this UMPC, with 50 units being made available for NT12,800 (S$575.86). Though it is going for almost twice the groundbreaking US$199 price tag, it was still more affordable than the competition, including the Kohjinsha SA1 which hovers at the S$1,000 (US$735.29) mark.

It seems that Singapore users will not have too long to wait for the Eee PC. The company is holding an Eee PC skin design competition for schools and the public. The closing date for submission is till the end of this month, with the winners getting a unit of the Eee PC along with several prizes. More details of the competition can be obtained here. The winning entries will be showcased during the official launch of the Eee PC which will be announced at a later date.

Gigabyte UMPC spotted in Singapore

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$80.15) option, while a GPS module can also be integrated for an additional S$129 (US$94.85).

The Gigabyte U60 is now available in Singapore stores for S$1,549 (US$1,138.97).

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