Computex 2010 Preview: Ultraportables, Tablets, MIDs, and More

May 25
2010

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The most exciting technology show in the world doesn’t happen in Las Vegas. Computex, Asia’s answer to the Consumer Electronics Show, takes place in Taiwan next week, and we’re going to be there scouting out the latest mobile tech gear, from notebooks and netbooks to iPad-challenging tablets. What makes Computex so interesting is that it takes place in the same country where much of the world’s computer design and manufacturing occurs.

We look forward to seeing products that original design manufacturers like Compal, Foxconn, Wistron, and Quanta have cooked up in their labs and are still trying to sell to vendors in the U.S. Perhaps we’ll even spy a few devices that will never make it to these shores. So what trends do we expect to see at Computex 2010?

Ultraportables with Intel’s new Ultra-Low Voltage CPUs: Earlier this week, Intel unveiled its Ultra-Low Voltage Core i3 / i5 / i7 chips and said that ultra-thin notebooks based on those chips would be available in early June. We look forward to a number of these systems at Computex. We first laid eyes on the attractive MSI X350 at CES, but we hope to see a final version of it with one of these new chips on the show floor in Taipei.

Netbooks with dual-core Atom: Ubergizmo is reporting that we’ll see at least one system with Intel’s new dual-core Atom N550 CPU.
Tegra 2 devices: Nvidia is going to have a huge presence at the show, so we’re sure to see at least some demo devices with its Tegra 2 platform. Hopefully some products are ready to ship, though.
Android tablets: Perhaps the iPad will finally have some competition from Android devices that are much better than the Camangi Webstation. Dell told us they won’t be at Computex, so we don’t expect to encounter the Android-powered Dell Streak, though it’s always possible we’ll see it at another company’s booth.
A new tablet-friendly chip from Intel: At a press conference earlier this week, Intel VP Mooly Eden said that his company would show off a “dedicated architecture” for tablets at Computex. We’re curious as to whether this architecture will support Windows 7. Intel also caused a stir earlier this month when it introduced its Atom Z6xx series of CPUs, which support only Android and Mobile Linux.
New Windows 7 slates and netvertibles: Even though it seems HP has abandoned its planned Windows 7 tablet, we expect to see other companies showing off Windows 7-powered touch devices. MSI recently told Engadget that they plan to release a Windows 7 tablet in June, so we hope to see that.
Mounds of MIDs: Mobile Internet Devices (or MIDs) have never really caught on in North America, but they are much more popular in Europe and Asia. We look forward to seeing more clamshell-style devices like the impressive Viliv N5 that we examined at Computex.

And here are some things we’d like to see at Computex, but we’re not sure if they’ll make an appearance.

Smartbooks: Just six months ago, it seemed like smartbooks were going to be the next big thing. But right now the silence in the smartbook space is deafening. Lenovo delayed its long-awaited Skylight smartbook, and HP decided that the Android-powered Compaq AirLife 100 wasn’t good enough for the U.S. market. Will we see new smartbooks at the show? Perhaps, but if we do, they’ll probably be buried in a corner somewhere.
3D notebooks: ASUS made quite a splash in December with its G51J 3D notebook. Acer also released the cheaper, but much less compelling Aspire 5738DG last fall. Could we see more vendors embracing 3D?
Smart phones: Computex is not known as a phone show, and all of the phone vendors we contacted told us they would not have a presence. Still, we may see handsets from companies that don’t normally sell phones in the U.S.
USB 3.0 devices that aren’t hard drives: There are already plenty of USB 3.0 hard drives on the market, but we’re wondering what other devices could take advantage of this interface. Could there be some neat USB 3.0 flash drives floating around? What about a more powerful USB 3.0 refrigerator?

Computers-Plus