That VEGA microPC

[Mike Cane]

http://www.carrypad.com/journal/2006/09/raondigital-vega-first-impressions-and.html

Wow, the picture of it in his hand looks eerie... just like a 770!

[Odin]

http://www.carrypad.com/journal/2006/09/raondigital-vega-first-impressions-and.html

Wow, the picture of it in his hand looks eerie... just like a 770!

On the downside, the lack of built in WiFi is a killer. I hate the USB WiFi stick. Its such a good looking device and then you have to plug the the stick in. I don't know why Raon thought they should leave it out. Mad. The same goes for Bluetooth. Without Bluetooth, it will seriously limit it's use in a car.

What were they thinking? Handheld devices are near useless without a wireless networking capability. Think how the 770 would be without Wi-Fi and BT. No one would buy it. The "Vega" will die a quick death.

[=DC=]

What were they thinking? Handheld devices are near useless without a wireless networking capability. Think how the 770 would be without Wi-Fi and BT. No one would buy it. The "Vega" will die a quick death.I concur. Plus, just look how thick that thing is! :eek: You'd get some strange looks carrying that thing around in your pocket [that is if it even fits].

[SD69]

no Wifi a "downside"? - roflmao

[c1261015]

480g = really "heavy weight" handheld device. It's about 2x N770 or N770 + bluetooth keyboard

[shinysteve]

Yup. Its an extremely dense device. However, remember that this device is shipped with larger of two possible batteries. The small one saves 130g and a fair bit of size.

Here's a pic with the battery off to give you an idea of the size of the processing unit.

http://www.carrypad.com/gallery/d/1095-3/IMG_1303.JPG

Howver the lack of built-in wifi is a pain in the arse. Raond Digital have told me they are considering this for an upgrade. I hope its quick!

More in the gallery (http://www.carrypad.com/gallery/main.php)

And the full review is available (http://www.carrypad.com/content/view/35/9/) now.


Steve.

[Mike Cane]

VEGA
6.2" x 3.1" x 1" 450 grams / 15.9 oz

Sony UX180 --
Dimensions: 5.91 (W) x 3.74 (H) x 1.27-1.50 (D) inches / 150 x 95 x 32.25-38.1 mm
Weight: 1.2 lbs / 544g

Nokia 770 --
5.5" x 3.1" x 0.70" - 8.1 oz

[Mike Cane]

Dynamism announces availability --

http://www.dynamism.com/vega/main.shtml

Ouch! That's at least $150 more than I expected!

[Odin]

Dynamism announces availability --

http://www.dynamism.com/vega/main.shtml

Ouch! That's at least $150 more than I expected!


...no surprise here. I hope this reinforces the value of the 770 to you. What Nokia has done for $350 is nothing short of phenomenal.

[Mike Cane]

Clarification: When I went to the link Dynamism emailed me, the price was $999. I checked again yesterday and the price was $879. This new price is more in line with what I expected.

I'll refrain from debating your assessment of the 770.

[lbattraw]

Very nice device! Honestly, I really feel that the 770 satisfies the need for a "pocketable" device for checking email/web sites and other minor tasks. I wouldn't want something that weighed twice as much with a hard-drive to crash when I drop it.

I've been looking at the Pepper Pad 3 and have been very impressed. For $699 you get the same processor as the VEGA (533 MHz vs 500 MHz for the Vega), a 20GB HDD, 256MB, built-in bluetooth, wifi b/g, TV-out, a 640x480 camera (bleh), IR in/out, stereo speakers, USB 2.0 peripheral and HOST connections, and a 7.3-inch 800x480 touch screen. I really like the fact it has everything working with Linux (obviously), and that it has an integrated keyboard and scroller so you're not tapping away on the screen the whole time. With a screen that big you're also able to see things better as well. I watched a short video of it and it seems very snappy for web browsing and applications.

Oh, and since it has a x86-compatible CPU and uses X11/GTK you can be assured of easy compatibility. Firefox, Java, Flash, and so forth are all included out of the box. See http://www.pepper.com/platform/index.html for more info.

Anyway, enough fan-boy-ish praise. I'd prefer one of these to a laptop as it's not as heavy, has a longer-lasting battery, and is usable standing up. See http://www.pepper.com/products/pepper_pad3_spec.html for the full hardware specs.

Larry

[Karel Jansens]

Does the PepperPad print?

[fpp]

...What Nokia has done for $350 is nothing short of phenomenal.
I agree 100% with you. If we were in that other thread about that Nokia poll, I would argue that for its next tablet, Nokia should add all the hardware enhancements it can afford while keeping the same price point, but no more. The bulk of the effort should stay focused on software, decent BT support, and aftermarket accessories.

[Mike Cane]

Pepper is too large for me (so are current UMPCs). The Vega is interesting in that out of the box it has 770-like battery life.

I think the HD objection is silly. Look at how many people carry iPods with HDs. That said, I wouldn't expect either device (V or i) to survive the 3 drops and one attempted theft like the 770 has!

I guess I must now trudge over to the poll thread. Seems it has doubled in size since my last access this morning. >unsheathing sword<

[bebaer]

Very interesting to read this here...I made a little topic on this device on French Forum...
I found some interesting information too:

Here is a video from Vega with Virtua Cop 2 game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnMI9k27xc&mode=related&search=

[Mike Cane]

What is the French URL? (Waiting on YouTube vid conversion...)

Update: Just saw the vid. *jealous*

[bebaer]

http://www.ppccool.com/index.php?showtopic=4714

[Mike Cane]

Bugger. Vid from 24 y.o. South Korean!

[bebaer]

Yes, I find the game really playable for an UPPC with AMD Geode @ 500 MHz and supposed graphic ship optimized for 2D only.
Very promising little device.

[Mike Cane]

It won't run iTunes, though...