10/26, 9:30am
Strong Booklet 3G demand nets 2nd model
Demand has been high enough for Nokia's Booklet 3G netbook that the company is moving ahead with a second model next year, a leak to Taiwan's Economic Daily News newspaper claims. Nokia's contractor in the area, Compal, is reportedly working "overtime" to meet demand for the Atom-based portable and that it's likely to receive orders for a 2010 model as well. Details of the system are unknown, including whether or not it's an upgrade to the existing system or an entirely new configuration.
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08/26, 9:40am
Nokia ARM-based smartbook
Nokia may add a second netbook PC to its lineup besides the upcoming 10-inch Booklet 3G, according to unofficial sources from cellphone makers in Taiwan. They reported on Wednesday that the second netbook will reportedly be based on an ARM processor, like so many of Nokia's smartphones. The Digitimes insiders claimed Nokia may contract Compal or Foxconn to build a device that would fit Qualcomm's "smartbook" label but which would not arrive on store shelves until sometime in the middle of 2010.
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08/19, 3:10pm
Palm Eos due in October?
The Palm Eos smartphone, built by Taiwanese handset manufacturer Compal Communications, is expected to start shipping in October, says a Wednesday DigiTimes report. The GSM/HSPA device is sad to eventually be produced at numbers between 400,000 and 500,000 per month. A CDMA EVDO version of the device is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2010. This latest news supports an earlier report that the handset will first be available on the AT&T network in North America.
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07/15, 4:40pm
Acer handsets due in fall
Acer will ship four of its previously seen smartphones, the A1, C1/E1, F1 and L1 at the end of September. According to a Wednesday report from industry daily Digitimes, the Taiwanese company is outsourcing production of the devices to Compal and Inventec. This information comes from sources at Taiwanese handset component suppliers, the paper cites.
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07/13, 12:10pm
Acer dual OS netbook due
An Acer netbook with both Windows XP and Android, which gives users the option of booting into either operating system, is due to ship sometime this August, DigiTimes reported on Monday. First announced at the start of June, the netbook's main specs are unknown at this time, but prices aren’t likely to be lower than Windows XP-exclusive netbooks, as Acer still needs to pay license fees for the Microsoft operating system.
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06/24, 10:30am
Nokia Atom Netbook Soon
The first fruits of the Intel-Nokia partnership could come within a matter of weeks, the Taiwan-area Commercial Times newspaper claimed today. Stating the rumor as fact, it insists that reports of Nokia netbooks are true and that a portable based on Intel Atom chips could come as soon as this summer. Its details aren't known, but Quanta would be contracted to build the computer.
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05/19, 5:10pm
NVIDIA insurer sues
NVIDIA's insurance company, The National Union Fire Insurance Company (NUFI) of Pittsburgh, filed a case in a California district court last week regarding NVIDIA's negotiations and settlement of other lawsuits the company faced from notebook makers regarding NVIDIA's faulty chipsets. In its court statement, NUFI said NVIDIA has "not permitted" it to join in NVIDIA's negotiations of chip claims or to reach other agreements. NVIDIA supplied GPUs to notebook makers that include Apple, ASUS, Compal, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Toshiba, Quanta, Samsung and others, some of which have or still can sue the chipmaker.
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04/30, 2:40pm
Acer Says Windows 7 Oct 23
Acer today potentially spoiled Microsoft's Windows 7 launch plans by revealing a launch date for the operating system. The PC builder now says to Pocket-lint that the OS will be available on October 23rd and come in time for a new all-in-one nettop from Acer, the Z5600, to come preloaded with the software. Systems will also ship as early as late September for a hands-on experience, and those who buy a system 30 days before Windows 7 releases will get a free upgrade to the new platform.
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04/22, 4:25pm
Compal scaling back MIDs
DigiTimes reported on Wednesday that Compal Electronics reduced the budget and other resources for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) as the company believes the future of the market segment is uncertain. The report cites unnamed industry sources for the information, and Compal itself has confirmed that some of its MID focus was shifted into netbook development. It will continue to ship MIDs in smaller volumes.
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04/17, 3:35pm
KDDI au Box with Android
Google's open-source Android operating system thus far used only in cellphones will soon expand and run a set-top box built by Motorola, according to a Thursday report. Japanese Internet service provider KDDI will market and sell the set-top, which will be capable of playing content on CDs and DVDs, transferring music and video to mobile devices and rip and store files on its integrated or connected hard drive. Previously, Motorola used a pure Linux interface for its au Box, though both it and Android are open-source.
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04/15, 7:35am
Dell Mini 11 Likely August
Dell's upcoming Inspiron Mini 11 ultraportable should ship in mid-summer, Taiwan's Commercial Times newspaper hints. Although the specific model isn't mentioned by name, PC assembly contractor Compal is claimed to have received orders for a Dell "ultra-thin notebook" using Intel's Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processors that will be delivered in August, matching the description of the portable. Lenovo and Toshiba may also pick Compal to build CULV systems.
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04/06, 9:05am
Compal Android netbooks
Taiwanese notebook, monitor and digital media center maker Compal Communications is reported to be developing Android platform-based netbooks, maintains a Monday Digitimes report. The website references China's daily newspaper, the Commercial Times, as the source of the rumored news. Compal is also apparently involved in talks with several unnamed notebook sellers to help with the distribution of the upcoming product.
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03/31, 9:00pm
HP to out CULV notebooks
HP is expected to introduce a few 13.3-inch notebooks equipped with Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processors in the second quarter, industry sources indicate, according to a Tuesday DigiTimes report. The most likely suppliers of the low-voltage chips to HP will be Quanta or Compal, or both, as they are the main manufacturers of CULV chips. Acer has similar plans for 13.3-inch CULV processors, though it has not narrowed down its supplier. An 11.6-inch Acer notebook with a CULV CPU is due out in April, with Quanta supplying the processor.
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02/27, 4:20pm
Nokia Netbook Leak
Notebook builders in the Taiwan area have reportedly said on Friday that Nokia is in the early stages of assembling partners for a possible entry into netbooks. The Finnish company is believed to be considering either Compal or Foxconn, both well-known contractors for notebooks, as likely manufacturing partners; it's also still debating whether it should use Intel's familiar Atom processor for the computer or else use the ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon, which would have 1080p video support that Atom currently lacks.
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02/25, 12:05pm
Compal on Win 7 in Sept
Microsoft could have Windows 7 on shipping PCs by September, Compal president Ray Chen said today at an investor's conference. The PC contractor executive understands from plans that the software should be available in either late September or early October. The news would corroborate word of an April release candidate that would let Microsoft finish, manufacture and deliver Windows 7 well ahead of the holidays.
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01/22, 3:45pm
Acer to replace Aspire
Computer and peripherals maker Acer is reportedly thinking of stopping shipments of its 8.9-inch Aspire netbook to make room for the soon-to-be-released 10.1-inch Aspire One 103 model. The 103 is due out in February, and while the timing of the 8.9-inch netbook's phase-out was not definitively announced, it is due to happen sometime in the second quarter of the year.
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11/28, 1:20pm
Compal to make Motorolas
Taiwan's Compal Communications will manufacture two handsets for Motorola, codenamed the Atila and Alexander, according to a Friday report. More importantly, the report reveals that shipments of the phones will allegedly be delayed from the original fourth quarter of 2008 launch to the first quarter of 2009. Both cellphones will use the Windows Mobile operating system, support 3G data networks and have built-in Wi-Fi modules.
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04/09, 10:40am
Dell Plans Eee PC Rival
Dell will be next to join the ranks of companies building micro notebooks, according to a claim made by one of its assemblers. An official from Taiwan-based Compal says that his company will produce between 200,000 and 300,000 "low-cost" notebooks a month for Dell starting sometime in 2008, with as many as one to two million readied by the end of the year. The unnamed executive doesn't provide details of the systems but notes that Compal could boost production if demand proves high.
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