Android-powered Archos phone tablet coming in 2010

Now that the Archos 5 Internet Tablet (not to be confused with the non-Android Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet) has finally been officially announced and all the specs are out, you may still be wondering about that Android phone Archos has been associated with for the past seven months.

A lot of the early details about that device are consistent with the new Internet Tablet, so it makes sense to assume that there was just a mix-up behind the scenes somewhere. But at today's IT announcement in Paris, Archos made it quite clear that a phone is indeed still on its way. Currently being called the phone tablet and expected to make a grand entrance at CES 2010, the 3.5G-enabled Android handset (shown above) will run a 1GHz ARM Cortex CPU, sport a large 4.3" 854 x 480 touchscreen, and be a mere 0.39" thick.

I still think at least some of the lines got crossed between the phone tablet and the IT, as it seems unlikely that the phone would have up to 500GB of storage as suggested in that February press release, but I guess we'll have to wait until January 2010 to find out for sure . . . unless the FCC and B&H tell us first, of course.

UMID M2 with 1GB RAM and Windows 7 NOT priced at $499 [Updated]

That's a photo of the original UMID M1 you see there on the right, but the new M2 prototype that is literally being shown right now at a pre-IDF Intel event is pretty much cosmetically identical to it apart from the inclusion of an optical mouse and mouse buttons, a better screen angle, and standard ports (no more dongles!). Update #1: Photo and video screen captures below.

The even better news about the UMID M2 is what's happening inside the casing: up to a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB RAM, and Windows 7. Pretty much everything we all wanted, right? Perhaps even better is that the device is due in the US later this year (everything from late October to late December was mentioned at some point, but I think we're looking at November). Update #2: Unfortunately, I have been told by UMID that the previously reported $499 price actually refers to a much lower spec'd model with 1.2GHz Atom CPU, 512MB RAM, Windows XP, 8GB SSD, and no webcam. The price for the high-end version has not been set yet, but it is "absolutely not" $499.

Keep an eye on MID Moves for videos, photos, and hands-on impressions of the M2, as I believe Steve is being allowed to take the device back to his hotel for a sleepover tonight.

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And now for some blurry still frames from Steve's video demo:

DigiCube Z8 rebranded as EKING S515 XP phone

The Atom-powered DigiCube Z8 MID phone may have gotten some attention at IDF last week, but it's the rebranded and higher spec'd EKING S515 that will most likely beat it to market.

Due for launch next month in China, the S515 will pack a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z515 CPU, 1GB RAM, 16GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G into its 14.8-ounce bodies painted in pink, black, and white. Rounding out the XP/Linux-running MID phone's features are a 5-inch WVGA touchscreen, silver QWERTY keyboard, 0.3MP webcam, and compatibility with China Telecom CDMA2000, China Mobile TD-SCDMA, and China Unicom's WCDMA 3G networks.

None of the promo images (below) show the device being used as a phone, but they give you an idea of its size and make it obvious that the S515 isn't designed to be held against your cheek while chatting. Whether we'll ever see this outside of China and how much it would cost us are unknown, but it looks like we'll find out soon.

Thanks, GloveBucket!

New video of Nokia N900 browser

At the expense of appearing to be a total Nokia N900 fanboy, which I readily admit to, here is yet another post to hold us over until the release of Nokia's latest flagship device. Leading up to the Maemo Summit this weekend, the folks over at Nokia Conversations have posted a new video of the Maemo browser being put through its paces. The YouTube video, which is just under six minutes long and can be found past the break, shows off the browser in real-life use and yet again proves that the N900 is going to be a force in the smartphone market.

What really has me excited is the implementation of Flash, which looks very impressive in the video. Also of note is the innovative "spiral" motion to zoom in and out of web pages, which differs from the "pinch and stretch" motion that is favored by most other multi-touch smartphones like the Palm Pre and Apple iPhone.

I hope Nokia is getting closer to releasing this phone here in the U.S. so I can stop checking the Amazon preorder status everyday.

Hero Honda Launched the Karizma FI ZMR.

Hero Honda Motors, World’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, on Monday launched a new version of its premium segment bike Karizma ZMR priced at Rs 91,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The new Karizma ZMR comes with a 225 cc fuel injection engine and is fitted with digital ignition system, Hero Honda Motors said in a statement.

“One of the key pillars of our winning strategy has been to consistently keep introducing new, advanced products and maintaining a balanced product portfolio. The ZMR is set to further augment our steadily growing presence in the premium segment,” Hero Honda Motors Managing Director Pawan Munjal said.

Hero Honda’s product range includes several successful motorcycles that have redefined the Indian motorcycle market across segments, he added.

The new bike will go on sale across the country by the end of this month and the company will target youngsters within the age group of 18-24 years as its potential customers.

Hero Honda is also planning to undertake an integrated marketing campaign involving the print, electronic and on-the-ground activations to promote the new bike.

The new ZMR is the fifth model from Hero Honda in the premium segment. It currently sells Hunk, Achiever, CBZ Xtreme and Karizma.

Priced at 91K

FLO TV turns TV into handheld wonder

Guess the TV is going to hang around for a little while longer, albeit this time it will take a much more personal route, coming in the form of the FLO TV Personal TV which will allow TV fans to view their favorite news, live telecasts of sports, children’s programming as well as wholesome entertainment on a singular, dedicated device meant specifically for mobile TV viewing. No idea on whether such a device will beat out the iPod touch and other portable media players, since you can watch what you want to on those devices as long as you have the right file loaded on them, while subjecting yourself to the rigorous setups of TV channel programming leaves your daily schedule at the mercy of the programmers. No idea on pricing, but it ought to be out later in time for the mad holiday season rush.

Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 LED monitor

It is nice to see the costs of monitors drop over the years, especially with the easy availability of LCD monitors that have long taken over the role of fat, chunky CRTs as the display medium of choice in millions of homes and offices worldwide. In fact, the proliferation of LCD monitors have seen advancements that come in leaps and bounds, where the current entry-level monitor would be at least an 18.5″ widescreen LCD monitor. Taking its cue from the HDTV world, Samsung has decided that the next logical step in the world of computer monitors would be to make the leap from LCD to LED, which is exactly what they did with the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 LED monitor. When picking this up, one can expect picture perfect, HD quality images that come in a sleek and aerodynamic design.

Regardless of whether you use your computer primarily to watch Blu-ray movies or video clips online, you won’t be disappointed by what the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 offers, thanks to its LED edge-lit backlight that is able to bring performance at 1080 HD quality without breaking a sweat while yielding a brighter range of colors compared to typical CCFL backlights. Regardless of whether dark or light, colors will be vivid and crisp thanks to the XL2370’s dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 and the 2 millisecond response time which will ensure clearness and clarity in fast moving scenes. Thanks to its 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, movies shown in that format can be appreciated in their full glory without any distortion or stretching.

The Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 will come in a sleek design that boasts a Samsung Touch of Color matte black finish, looking as though it is liquid black in ambient light alongside a rich charcoal gray gradation in brighter light. Boasting a crystal-like acrylic neck and bezel trim, you will find that the SyncMaster XL2370 might just look as though the monitor is floating. Apart from that, you can tilt it up to 25 degrees, and the On Screen Display (OSD) adds a touch of class by lighting up when used and disappearing into the trim when dormant. Out later this November at retailers and distributors, those who can’t wait can always head down to the nearest Best Buy store as of today where it will retail for a recommended street price of $299.