Willcomm is really, really cool, especially if this D4 is any indication of their overall design prowess and how deeply they can feel the pulse of the gadge loving world. What you are looking at, if you can overlook that the OS is Vista, is the sweetest pocket PC ever made. Weighing in at around the same size as the original Sony PSP, this 470gm pocketable features a 1.33GHz Centrino Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 40GB HDD, a 5″ 1024×600 touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, MicroSD, and a 2MP camera. Don’t get too excited, though. It also features OneSeg TV, a standard in Japan, and it uses W-SIMs which actually contain the handset’s PHS transceiver so its clearly being designed for a Japanese release only. Its no wonder. Sharp, who will market it as the decidedly uncool sounding WS016SH, has not released any pricing or availability information. Head on over to Akihabara News for the full run down and a load of images and video.

written by Tyler Regas

NXR Semiconductor, a Philips company, and the oddly named Purple Labs, a LIMO (Linux Mobile) member, have joined forces and will soon be offering a new Linux-based reference design for a mobile 3G mobile handset which will buy in (how much the carrier pays) at under US$100. The oddly named Purple Magic will not only feature WCDMA and HSDPA capabilities but also incorporate video calling and multimedia features, previously unheard of in an entry level device. The handsets also include a Java VM and web browsers. Head to the next page for pics of the interface. Just don’t look for it to come Stateside anytime soon. Continue reading »

written by Tyler Regas

Apple apparently had it right all along. People want systems which are all integrated and powerful. While power has never really been a problem as long as size never was, integration proved difficult for a number of reasons. Its clear now, though, that several companies are starting to see the Apple light and are running flat out into it. First Dell, then a few others, and now NEC in The Philippines.

The POWERMATE P5000 is a converged, integrated device which behaves like a media center and laptop at the same time. Unfortunately, its bogged down with 2006 technology as indicated in an older ATI X1200 video card. It does look nice, though, and at 4Kg (around 8 pounds) its not that heavy to lug around (unlike Dell’s monster which weighs in at 25 pounds).  Another nice touch is the detachable keyboard unit, which is wireless and has an integrated mouse stick. The whole unit only needs one power cable and a wireless broadband connection. No pricing details just yet.

[Editor's Note: The individual in Manila who put together the story decided to post the entire 7MP product image on the web page, so if you're on a slow connection, don't click. Here it is. -Ed.]

written by Tyler Regas

Our pals over at AkihabaraNews come across a wide range of odd gear, but this phone from chronic Laptop maker Toshiba is rather interesting. Apparently this Twinkie shaped device is a mobile phone, USB thumb drive, and digital audio player with 160MBs of integrated memory. It features HSDPA for 3G and a very small OLED screen. It comes in silver, black, and red. There’s no word on if and when it will be available in Europe or the States.

written by Tyler Regas