Camera Phones Plaza

The UMPCs aren’t really making a big hit on the market for now. Microsoft had a dream, but their “bedtime stories” scared us more rather than presenting a decently priced mini-PC that was supposed to change the world as we know it. UMPCs barely made it through, but now, all this is about to change for good.

The word “slim” is unknown to the device you’re about to see. Try feature-packed. Good, that was the password for your brand new Miu Hybrid Dual PC (HDPC). Dual stands for the dual-boot option, users being able to switch from XP plus WinCE 5.0 to Linux Qplus with just one reset. The hybrid part is actually some kind of electronic mutation process: the new Miu is an all-in-one cellphone, navigation device, PMP, electronic dictionary, internet phone, voice recorder, games machine, mobile IPTV device and digital camera. That’s why the 0.96-inch depth of the HDPC doesn’t sound too slim.



Hey, digital hybrid, show us what you got! Are a 800 x 480 pixel four-inch LCD, two 1W speakers, QWERTY keyboard, touchpad and game controllers enough for you? Not at all? How about a 30GB or 60GB HDD (with the option of a 4GB SSD) alongside a slew of ports including USB2.0 and PS2 mouse/keyboard connector? Add in a 802.11b/g connection, Bluetooth 2.0, webcam and a five megapixel camera and you're getting a pretty full-featured mini-PC.



Sure looks feature-packed all the way, but what do we have on power? Well, it’s not an Intel Xscale, but Miu chose a powerful enough CPU in the form of a Via processor (500MHz or 1GHz). The supplied batteries are supposed to last for about 7 hours at "high power" or an impressive 90 hours at low power settings. OK, it’s a bit oversized at 6.4 x 2.6 x 0.96 inches, but at least you don’t have to have deep pockets for it : it's available for between $400 and $500 in Korea. Oh, it’s them Asians again!