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New Handheld Sharp has just released the D4 -UMPC handheld!
Author: primaz on April 15 2008 Viewed 1430 times. 3 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
Finally a UMPC that resembles a true Handtop! While it is not perfect it is to me a usable form factor that will gain a lot of attention and hopefully we will see more such devices reach the US!
It runs full windows Vista, has mini usb, SD slot, while not perfect it does have a normal keyboard, 3.3 inches by 7.4" by 1",weighs about 1 lb, 1.3 ghz atom, 1 gig ram, 40 gig HDD, wifi, bluetooth, 5" screen with 1024x600, gsm capable, has both slider and clamshell ability much like the HTC Shift, and is due out in Japan in June.
Dynamism , link , and Conics.net should be third party resellers to make them available outside of Japan
Handtops.com you might need to add a new category for the D4 after June as they will be on the market not just a prototype with no release date?
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04/15/08
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primaz
here is a nice video from youtube thanks to jkkmobile
ohh and here is another from Akihabaranews.com
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04/15/08
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primaz
link
More great information, pictures and video!
04/16/08
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amobile
This is the perfect handheld for me! I hope that Sharp sells a US version? or if they do not maybe some of the other computer makers will get a clue and provide similar devices. I would have thought that with the touch screen why have the scrollers on each side of the screen? Wouldn't it be better to make the screen 7" and just use a stylus?
edited: Apr 20 2008
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diJenerate
@amobile
The touch sliders/scrollers on the side of the screen are much faster and easier to manipulate at that resolution than trying to find the scroll bar with the stylus. This is even more true when you are walking or in a moving vehicle and trying to read a page.
@primaz three things:
1) Bad news is this is only available on contract from Willcom so unless someone buys it and cancels the contract, I don't expect most importers over here to touch it since they can't guarantee quantity and those who do bring it will constantly be out of stock/backordered.
2) This does not have GSM support. It only works on PHS and that is via W-SIM which encompasses both the Radio and Sim card so changing this to GSM will not likely be possible or if possible not easy or worth the effort.
3) The processor as I mentioned in my posts is the under-performing Centrino Atom which tho' Intel has big plans for this, is weaker than a Celeron in it's current iteration. I expect only to see worthwhile performance after the multi-core versions (Centrino Molecule?) have been released. So Sharp has effectively made a Corvette with a Pinto engine!
diJenerate
04/21/08
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primaz
diJenerate,
I hope they improve the engine as the rest of the UMPC's look like a cross between Gremblin/Pinto and a Model A and I can not see any logical reason to buy a full windows computer that is designed to use your thumbs to type or pen input, not to mention the bulky geek type exterior.
04/26/08
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scoobie
Too early to judge speed I think until we see some reviews.
04/26/08
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scoobie
Wondering why neither Dynamism or Conics are supplying prices or leadtimes. This suggests to me that there are problems getting these out of Japan. It wouldnt surprise me if the first production runs are guaranted for Willcom customers only , given they seem to have co-branded with sharp
04/26/08
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diJenerate
scoobie said: "Wondering why neither Dynamism or Conics are supplying prices or leadtimes. This suggests to me that there are problems getting these out of Japan. It wouldnt surprise me if the first production runs are guaranted for Willcom customers only , given they seem to have co-branded with sharp"
As I mentioned in an earlier post in this blog, these are only available on contract from Willcom. Grey market importers have to get them bought and then cancel the contracts thereby limiting their available quantities.
As far as the performance of the Centrino Atom, we won't have to wait, just look at the actual specs of the CPU in terms of its design and the amount of cache and look at Intel's history in terms of how they market their chips and how they try to achieve price-points/low power consumption then add to that the statement by one of their VPs for Ultramobile that a 1.2GHz Atom will only provide a 10% increase in performance over the A110 (800MHz Stealey) and voila, you have just cause not to waste money on the Centrino Atom (under)powered systems - Corvettes with Pinto engines. Put another way, The AMD Geode LX900 in the Everun is a wiser way to invest your money. For less spent, you can guarantee similar performance and 6~11 hours of battery.
diJenerate
04/29/08
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elsewhere
Hm.....
looks tempting....
but, ACK! 
While this device *seems* like it should/could be awesome,
my excitement is tempered by experiences with Sharp
and the time, energy, love, frustration and everything, I've invested in others of their toys
(Zaurus ! )
a few thoughts, based on past history:
* Sharp will most likely NOT release it in the US.
This means that, whatever featureset you see for the current Asian market
is likely to remain. If Willcom is bundled now, it is quite possible that Sharp has
no plans to offer it separately.
* Support will be minimal if any. I imagine XP (Linux?) would have far better performance than Vista
but finding drivers/etc may not be practical or possible.
* Don't expect a meaningful CPU bump. Sharp likes low-power, "high" performance chips...
and generally tends to stick with what 'works'.
Next revision? Maybe 1.4ghz. Maybe 1.6ghz, but more likely stays at 1.3
HDD? They won't bump that until they completely clear the old stock. Maybe no bump at all.
* USB is just one mini port. Yeah, it works with a dongle, but is (a bit) annoying.
Don't expect it to provide as much power as (e.g.) Sony UX, OQO, or Flipstart.
________________________________________________
On the flipside, (again based on history- I could be way off base)
* Sharp tends to make excellent keyboards. *usable* KBs, regardless of the underlying mechanism.
* Sharp tends to make excellent (again, usable) touch screens that hold registration pretty well.
* Sharp tends to use standard power adaptors - should be plenty of aftermarket power options.
* Replacement batteries are usually.... findable, even a few years down the road.
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