Viliv S10 Convertible Tablet Showcased and Touched, A lot

We’re fans of videos ’round these parts, especially when they go to ridiculous lengths to show off a certain products coolest features. You can thank Chippy from UMPCPortal, where he goes above and beyond the call of duty, and brings you a 14 minute video starting from the machine’s unboxing, to a segment where he starts to scribble. Scribble, and scribble. Like we said, we like when a reviewer showcases the coolest features. Chippy was lucky enough to get a pre-production model, but it is one of the final samples before the start of final production.

The S10 Blade is shipping with the Windows Aero feature running, but the reviewer wants everyone to know that turning this feature off may be the best bet, as it’s a resource hog if left on. But on the other side of the coin, Chippy seems pretty pleased with the S10 so far. The build quality is nice, the SSD is very fast (with some great application start times), and the 3G reception is top-notch.

Overall, even if this model is a pre-production version, the Viliv s10 seems to be a winner. Of course, there still needs to be some extensive testing done on the finished version, but from what we can see right now, the company is on the right path. Especially if that $699 starting price point holds true. Then again, for the features and the price at the top of the ladder, you could probably find better things to buy when the time comes.

Microsoft Pink leaks again: April 20th Verizon launch? [Update: & Vodafone!]

Microsoft’s been a leaky old sieve lately, with Courier slipping out earlier and even more Project Pink news just now. After yesterday’s Verizon revelation and the subsequent firmware leak comes new images of the two Sharp-manufactured Pink phones, the Pure and Turtle, themselves, along with a potential launch date of April 20th.

Update: Apparently the devices will also get an international launch – in their GSM formats – with carrier Vodafone.

Larger images after the cut

According to Engadget’s sources, the Pink phones will indeed be targeted at a more youthful market than Windows Phone 7. The promotional campaign will center on a “truly madly deeply” slogan, presumably leaning on the idea that the entry-level smartphones will become the essential lynchpin of your social life.

As for what we already know about the two devices, beyond that there will – eventually – be both CDMA and GSM models, and that the Pure has a 480 x 320 display while the Turtle has a 320 x 240 screen, it’s all a bit of a mystery. Social networking seems to be heavily integrated – along with Zune HD style media functionality – so it seems very likely that these are the devices Microsoft hope will grab the attention of Sidekick lovers.

Alienware M11x video unboxing

It’s turning into a day of unboxings here at SlashGear; after the HTC Legend earlier on, now it’s the turn of Dell’s Alienware M11x to strut its stuff in front of the camera. An 11.6-inch ultraportable, the M11x distinguishes itself by virtue of Dell’s ambitious gaming claims, and to deliver on those they’ve packed it full of performance hardware. Check out our first impressions and unboxing video after the cut.

You can’t argue with the Alienware M11x’s spec sheet. Our review model has the upgraded Intel Core 2 Duo 1.3GHz SU7300 processor (the regular CPU is a dualcore Pentium SU4100) together with 4GB of DDR3 memory (8GB max) and the 256GB SSD (a 320GB 7,200rpm HDD is standard). There are also dual-graphics, the regular Intel integrated chipset and NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 335M with 1GB of its own memory. On the Intel GPU, with the standard 6-cell battery, Dell reckon you’ll see up to 8.5hrs of runtime; obviously that’ll be brought right down if you flip over to the GeForce chip and start gaming.

Ports are plentiful, with VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort for hooking up external screens if the 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit LCD isn’t big enough for you, as well as FireWire, USB and gigabit ethernet. eSATA does seem an odd omission, though, and of course there’s no optical drive (though Dell tell us there’ll be an optional external drive available as an accessory).

Build quality is high, though the M11x is a real fingerprint magnet. The “Cosmic Black” casing is sturdy, but it’s the high-gloss display which is already proving tricky to keep smear-free. We wouldn’t argue with a little extra brightness at its maximum setting, either. The keyboard – like several other parts of the notebook – is LED backlit and there’s a preloaded app which you can use to cycle through various colors; more importantly it has above-average travel and doesn’t feel mushy. No room for a separate numeric keypad, but Alienware do slap their trademark glyphs across the standard gaming keys.

We’ve not had a chance to put the Alienware M11x through its paces with benchmarking or gaming yet, but already the components are showing a turn of speed we wouldn’t usually expect from a machine this size. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit loads quickly, and resuming from standby takes mere seconds. If battery life really does live up to Dell’s claims then this could easily become one of our favorite ultraportables. Until the full review, then, enjoy the live gallery and unboxing video!

Alienware M11x video unboxing

It’s turning into a day of unboxings here at SlashGear; after the HTC Legend earlier on, now it’s the turn of Dell’s Alienware M11x to strut its stuff in front of the camera. An 11.6-inch ultraportable, the M11x distinguishes itself by virtue of Dell’s ambitious gaming claims, and to deliver on those they’ve packed it full of performance hardware. Check out our first impressions and unboxing video after the cut.

You can’t argue with the Alienware M11x’s spec sheet. Our review model has the upgraded Intel Core 2 Duo 1.3GHz SU7300 processor (the regular CPU is a dualcore Pentium SU4100) together with 4GB of DDR3 memory (8GB max) and the 256GB SSD (a 320GB 7,200rpm HDD is standard). There are also dual-graphics, the regular Intel integrated chipset and NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 335M with 1GB of its own memory. On the Intel GPU, with the standard 6-cell battery, Dell reckon you’ll see up to 8.5hrs of runtime; obviously that’ll be brought right down if you flip over to the GeForce chip and start gaming.

Ports are plentiful, with VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort for hooking up external screens if the 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit LCD isn’t big enough for you, as well as FireWire, USB and gigabit ethernet. eSATA does seem an odd omission, though, and of course there’s no optical drive (though Dell tell us there’ll be an optional external drive available as an accessory).

Build quality is high, though the M11x is a real fingerprint magnet. The “Cosmic Black” casing is sturdy, but it’s the high-gloss display which is already proving tricky to keep smear-free. We wouldn’t argue with a little extra brightness at its maximum setting, either. The keyboard – like several other parts of the notebook – is LED backlit and there’s a preloaded app which you can use to cycle through various colors; more importantly it has above-average travel and doesn’t feel mushy. No room for a separate numeric keypad, but Alienware do slap their trademark glyphs across the standard gaming keys.

We’ve not had a chance to put the Alienware M11x through its paces with benchmarking or gaming yet, but already the components are showing a turn of speed we wouldn’t usually expect from a machine this size. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit loads quickly, and resuming from standby takes mere seconds. If battery life really does live up to Dell’s claims then this could easily become one of our favorite ultraportables. Until the full review, then, enjoy the live gallery and unboxing video!

Microsoft Courier coming 2H 2010: Tegra 2 based digital journal [Update: Video]

It feels almost blasphemous what with the iPad furore right now, but some of us are more interested in Microsoft’s long-rumored Courier project. New details of the dual-screen “digital journal” have emerged today, with Engadget hearing that the pen-centric device is, indeed, on course for an official release later in the year.

Updated with video after the cut

Apparently the Courier is only slightly larger than a 5 x 7 photo, and measures less than an inch thick when closed. It’s a little over a pound in weight, and is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset with the same OS – presumably meaning Windows CE 6 based – as the Zune HD, Pink and Windows Mobile 7.

Microsoft are apparently building an ebook ecosystem to support digital text on the Courier, and there’ll be an integrated webcam and headphone socket. There’s handwriting recognition and the Courier will also produce an online site with access to notes and diagrams like a personal blog. No word on how much we can expect it to cost, but there’s talk of a launch in Q3 or Q4 this year; that’s something keeping us excited.

Viewsonic ViewBook Pro VNB131 Review

There’s no mistaking Viewsonic’s design inspiration. From the Apple-style packaging to the brushed-metal finish of the VNB131 itself, this is most definitely a MacBook wannabe. Still, if you’re going to base your product on a rival, you could do far worse than choose Cupertino’s finest, so the question has to be whether the Viewsonic VNB131 lives up to the standard. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

Measuring in at 12.67 x 9.4 x 1.0 inches it’s nicely portable, certainly. Ports include two USB 2.0, HDMI and VGA, 10/100 ethernet, audio in/out and a 7-in-1 memory card reader, and there’s a removable, tray-loading DVD burner too. Pull that out and replace it with the secondary battery, and Viewsonic reckon you can have up to 12hrs runtime.

Under the hood there’s an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU7300 processor with 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 2.5-inch 320GB hard-drive and Windows 7 Home Premium. You also get WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. The display, meanwhile, is a 13.3-inch LED-backlit 16:10 aspect panel running at 1,280 x 800 resolution, and it’s one of the most impressive things about the Viewsonic. Not only are viewing angles great, but the screen is clear, vibrant and sharp, with no washing out even at reduced brightness levels.

While we’d rather have seen a more modern chicklet-style keyboard, the VNB131’s ‘board is sturdy and flex-free. There’s obviously no room for a separate numeric keypad, but generally the layout is decent. In-between the trackpad keys there’s a fingerprint scanner for security, which worked as well as expected.

We loaded up Geekbench – a synthetic test of processor and memory performance – and the VNB131 scored surprisingly well. An overall score of 1558 was mainly held back by the DDR2 memory, with the processor steaming ahead in comparison. True, when you contrast that to even a 15 month old MacBook Air, the Viewsonic falls short, but in general use we had no problems multitasking with several browser tabs, email, IM and media open. Even during HD video playback we noticed no extremes of heat being generated. This isn’t the machine for gaming, but as an everyday ultraportable it’s certainly capable.

As for battery life, while Viewsonic’s predictions were over-ambitious, the VNB131 still showed decent longevity. On the primary battery alone – which the company rates for up to 8hrs use – we managed 6.5hrs of regular use; adding the second battery – which they say boosts runtime by 4hrs, at the expense of the optical drive – took that total to 9.5hrs. That’s obviously short of Viewsonic’s 12hr estimate, but still enough for a solid day’s work with some to spare, and the fact that they include the secondary pack as standard is admirable.

Having been initially dubious at Viewsonic’s obvious inspiration with the VNB131, we’ve ended up surprisingly impressed by the notebook. Light and cool-running, the VNB131 nonetheless punches above its weight when it comes to performance, and the screen is particularly impressive. Throw in decent battery life and you’re looking at a strong ultraportable contender when you consider the $949 price. Those watching them at work might accuse them of secretly wanting a MacBook Pro, but VNB131 owners will quietly know their Windows 7 machine has plenty of strengths of its own.

Microsoft CEO hints at new form factors for Xbox platform

During yesterday’s cloud computing talk at the U of W, Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer brought up out of nowhere a few points involving the future of the Xbox platform, swiftly hitting up several prospects of the potentially new form factors, price points, and options.

He revealed, “In the case of the TV we’ve got both strategies. We actually have a TV implementation in some senses built into Windows,” Ballmer said. “It works really well for small screen TVs that you might call a PC, but for that big screen device here’s a piece of hardware that we build, there’s no diversity. You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it’s going to [be] important.”

Could we get something like a Vudu, or perhaps an Apple TV-esque media device from the tech giant as the next-generation Xbox? How will this tie in to the whole Windows Mobile scheme? We shall see