05-12-2006, 08:00 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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New Images of the M.A.G.I.C.
Remember the first M.A.G.I.C. prototype with its er... magical specs? Images of the final prototype have just gone live, and according to tipster, Phoenix, it'll ship worldwide with a nasty price tag of $1500 to $2000 USD. The initial version will have a four hour battery life, and a later version will sport an eight hour battery life and 3G support. Looks cool, though I don't think I could bite the size or the cost.
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05-12-2006, 08:38 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 67
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I agree. The cost is prohibiting and the size could have been better (there's a lot of empty space around the internal screen).
However, to be honest, some of their specs are just laughable. They offer a 2MP camera on their INTERNAL view, which is pretty useless and drives costs up. The video-call camera does not make sense to be more than a VGA. Even CIF/QVGA would have been enough for video calls.
Another bad decision is the 512 MBs of RAM. For an OS that requires just 15 MBs to startup, even 128 MBs are more than enough. They wasted money on the RAM. Instead, they could have used that extra money to make the internal screen a 3.7" VGA instead of having two QVGA screens. Now, THAT would have been cool.
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05-12-2006, 08:38 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 46
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Almost there...
Make the display VGA and drop the price, and it'd be worth considering.
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05-12-2006, 08:41 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 107
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The prototype they pictured doesn't even have a sprung hinge yet:
http://www.advancetc.com/pair01.jpg
Note the jar behind the opened prototype that's there to keep the screen section from falling over.
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05-12-2006, 09:36 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 116
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LESS than $1K US
Save a thousand words...
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05-13-2006, 05:09 AM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 841
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That looks so fake... It actually looks like they got the Nokia 9300 Communicator, with all the bad design, and stuck a Windows Key in it - on top of a picture of the HTC Universal keyboard.
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05-13-2006, 10:40 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 810
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Eugenia
I agree. The cost is prohibiting and the size could have been better (there's a lot of empty space around the internal screen).
However, to be honest, some of their specs are just laughable. They offer a 2MP camera on their INTERNAL view, which is pretty useless and drives costs up. The video-call camera does not make sense to be more than a VGA. Even CIF/QVGA would have been enough for video calls.
Another bad decision is the 512 MBs of RAM. For an OS that requires just 15 MBs to startup, even 128 MBs are more than enough. They wasted money on the RAM. Instead, they could have used that extra money to make the internal screen a 3.7" VGA instead of having two QVGA screens. Now, THAT would have been cool.
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Some of the specs do seem a bit crazy, but I think this device's progression is interesting nonetheless which is why I brought it to the attention of PPCT once again.
As I've said before, I'm taking all of this with a big grain of salt. Who knows if it'll ship for sure? Companies have certainly said that before. But we'll see.
These are only prototype photos - and I have to agree, the jar behind the photo is tacky at best... laughable even - but I'm going to give this company a bit of slack until they show more.
I would have loved to see VGA screens on this device. I don't think it'll harm the usability of the device not to have them, but I agree, VGA would have been better, IMO.
You raise a good point about the res of the internal camera. I'm not sure why they went with that. As a matter of fact, I'm not quite sure why they included so much RAM either. I suppose all of this will be made clearer as things progress.
The price is nuts. But the Universal is $1000. Based on how much more this device has than that, it's no wonder why it would sell for $1500. Anymore than that would be insane.
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05-13-2006, 03:21 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 359
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So close...but no cigar. Can we see an i-mate JasJar form factor + buttons on FRONT of unit in phone/closed mode?
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05-13-2006, 09:58 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 150
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I'm an HTC Uni addict (got two), and one thing I should point out here. The Universal is large, but thankfully it doesn't have to have a case. This new device is larger than the Universal, and it has an external screen which will demand some form of case. I can't imagine having to carry that monster.
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05-13-2006, 10:48 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 810
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by eriqc
So close...but no cigar. Can we see an i-mate JasJar form factor + buttons on FRONT of unit in phone/closed mode?
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The screen on the front is also a touchscreen, so the keypad will appear there.
I know some would prefer tactile feedback better, though.
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