Samsung NEXiO Coming Soon?

[Brad Adrian]

<a href="http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=993&amp;showComments=true">http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=993&amp;showComments=true</a><br /><br />There's a brief post over at <a href="http://www.bargainpda.com/">bargainpda.com</a> that makes it sound like Samsung's new NEXiO device may actually be available soon. There's still not a whole lot of information about it, but the screen looks like something I could get pretty excited about.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/nexio.jpg" /><br /><br />• 5.0" Color VGA TFT LCD Screen, 64K Colors (800X480 resolution) <br />• Built-in CDMA2000 1X Module<br />• Mobile Office (Pocket Word, Excel, PowerPoint Viewer, Media Player) <br />• Standard USB Port <br />• Windows CE 3.0 <br />• CPU StrongARM 1110 (206MHz) <br />• 64M SDRAM / 32MB Flash ROM <br /><br />As you can see by the picture, the NEXiO is intended to be used in landscape mode, and it almost seems as though that's the configuration all of the applications are optimized for. I use my Pocket PCs primarily in the normal portrait mode, but still like the landscape layout for handwritten note taking and browsing. I'm not sure if I could get used to a "sideways" PDA all the time, though.<br /><br />In any event, I probably don't need to worry about that too much; rumour has it that this little baby is going to cost somewhere around 1,000 Euros. You can see Samsung's official information <a href="http://www.samsungelectronics.com/pda/nexio.html">here</a>.

[Kati Compton]

As you can see by the picture, the NEXiO is intended to be used in landscape mode, and it almost seems as though that's the configuration all of the applications are optimized for. I use my Pocket PCs primarily in the normal portrait mode, but still like the landscape layout for handwritten note taking and browsing. I'm not sure if I could get used to a "sideways" PDA all the time, though.

I wonder if it'll let you flip which side is "top" for lefty/righty concerns...

Personally, I think I'd almost rather if all the buttons are going to be on the same side that they be on the right so I can use my right thumb. But maybe that wouldn't work so well combined with stylus use... (I'm a righty).

[Fishie]

Gimme that in a clamshel design with a keyboard and im HAPPY.

[shawnc]

I don't particularly care for the "sideways" design, but it is nice to see PPC hardware makers willing to innovate. This is the first "fresh" design I've seen in a while. I'm a PPC dishard, but I look at the Palms (specifically Sony) form factor and get envious. Taste is a very subjective thing, it's just nice to see a PPC that doesn't look as though it came from the same hardware mold.

[donkthemagicllama]

Hey Fishie!

Is this http://www.samsungelectronics.com/wow/product/product_NEXIO-S160.asp what you're looking for?

the model that the article refers to is the 150, but there's also a 160 that has a 400MHz XScale, 802.11b, and a clamshell/keyboard layout.

[donkthemagicllama]

the 160 also has a CF-II slot

[techie]

Outside of vertical markets, I think this one's going to be a tough sell. Its not really portable and cheap (ish) like a tosh e310. Its not got the power and realestate of a tablet PC, the smallest of which is like a small pad.

For me it sits in some sort of no-mans-land between the portable and power devices. And for some reason they gave it the standard amount of RAM.

Still, it does have USB and a big battery (anyone know the battery life?).

Cheers.
Techie.

[deaj]

as soos as it is available in the US, i'm getting it. This is the dream it has everyting i want in a pda. Yeah baby ! :D :D :D :D !!!

[szamot]

ohh the beauty of being a geek - you can fall in love at least 3 times a day, especially around Comdex time.
Nice little baby, too bad about the battery but still nice. That I would pay $749 US for, right now.

[dbrahms]

Gimme that in a clamshel design with a keyboard and im HAPPY.

There is an attachable keyboard that clips on the bottom (log-ways) and double as a protectoive cover. the keyboard has membrane-like keys...not too bad...not too great either.

[dbrahms]

This PDA will retail for approx $600 US. The screen is 800x480 and very nice. There is a glare to the screen since it's glossy (like sony big-screen tv's)...i played with one for a few days..

[sponge]

Shame it's on WCE300, not PPC or XP, since I'm getting the impression that it won't be able to run standard ARM PPC apps, and since its ARM it can't use normal XP apps. The screen looks really nice though, I'm hoping someone can hack around and get PocketPC app support.

[dbrahms]

I got to play with one of these the other day....the 160 model
**It has 802.11
** has a browser that is pretty basic..it supports active x and java.
** has a type 2 cf slot...i put my microdrive in it.
** comes with pocket word, an excel viewer and a powerpoint viewer.
** comes with it's own media/mp3 player
** had windows media player loaded
** It will play a windows media file in the browser just like a standard pc
** There was a detachable keyboard fixed to it (long-ways) that when closed, acts as a nice screen protector. the keyboard stays closed by little magnets in the casing.
** The screen is 800x480...very clear and pretty...but since it has a glossy screen, everything reflects off it...gives you a headache after a while. The windows and text appeared very thin.
** The stylus is not one solid piece...it's actually a very tiny stylus that telescopes-out to a full stylus...its a really really bad stuls.
** The 160 has 128mb RAM (or so i was told) and 400MHz XScale Processor running Windows CE.NET as the operating system
** The OS looks and feels just like Win XP...has task bar, control panel etc...
** I cranked up the volume all the way and it was pretty low still...my ipaq blows it away.
** I didnt fiddle around with the voice recording but it's there.
**There was no standard USB port...there was some kinda port...could be it's own USB connector
** This unit is pretty large...5" screen prefect for displaying a full browser window without reformatting. I think it's too large to be my next PDA...it's like a very small laptop.
** I didnt notice this unit boasting any contacts/addresses/appointment applications...but then again, I didnt look to hard. I was concentrating on it's ability to surf the web very well...which it does!

[Venturello]

WOW. The screen people, THE SCREEN!!

Question: Built-in CDMA2000 1X Module, does this mean cell phone? That I can talk with it? Or just for data?

http://www.samsungelectronics.com/wow/product/product_NEXIO-S160.asp

The S160 is simply AMAZING. I would REALLY consider this unit if all the pocketpc software out there would run on it, which many software won't, given its a different OS. Depends on the end on the API's the programmer uses, I think, I wonder if any developer here could give us more insight. AFAIK, learning to program for the pocketpc, many API's used by pocketpc apps are NOT available in CE. See how it mentions Outlook runs on the device? And internet explorer 5.5? This device is simply amazing... 128Mb RAM!! VGA out built in!! Wifi built in!! KB as screen cover.... CF2!! Way to go Samsung, this IS innovation!! All 05.inches thick which is NOT BAT AT ALL!!

But as I said... the lack of software for it will kill it... as far as I go, I would buy it with the money I am saving for a PPC Phone Edition if Pocket PC software would run on it (which as I said, I suspect it wont). For me, 3rd party software is one of the things I enjoy the MOST about PPC's....

Even so, so tempted!!!

Grrrr damn free market economy... makes decisions so difficult!!! :twisted: :roll:

[dbrahms]

WOW. The screen people, THE SCREEN!!

Question: Built-in CDMA2000 1X Module, does this mean cell phone? That I can talk with it? Or just for data?

http://www.samsungelectronics.com/wow/product/product_NEXIO-S160.asp

The S160 is simply AMAZING. I would REALLY consider this unit if all the pocketpc software out there would run on it, which many software won't, given its a different OS. Depends on the end on the API's the programmer uses, I think, I wonder if any developer here could give us more insight. AFAIK, learning to program for the pocketpc, many API's used by pocketpc apps are NOT available in CE. See how it mentions Outlook runs on the device? And internet explorer 5.5? This device is simply amazing... 128Mb RAM!! VGA out built in!! Wifi built in!! KB as screen cover.... CF2!! Way to go Samsung, this IS innovation!! All 05.inches thick which is NOT BAT AT ALL!!

But as I said... the lack of software for it will kill it... as far as I go, I would buy it with the money I am saving for a PPC Phone Edition if Pocket PC software would run on it (which as I said, I suspect it wont). For me, 3rd party software is one of the things I enjoy the MOST about PPC's....

Even so, so tempted!!!

Grrrr damn free market economy... makes decisions so difficult!!! :twisted: :roll:

THE SCREEN IS VERY DIFFICULT TO LOOK AT FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES. ALL YOU SEE IS YOUR REFLECTION AND ALL THE WINDOWS AND TEXT ARE VERY VERY THIN. THE SCREEN IS REALLY CRISP AND SHARP...BUT STILL...TOO HARD ON THE EYES.

[Venturello]

** comes with pocket word, an excel viewer and a powerpoint viewer.

Did you say, excel VIEWER??!! :roll: 8O That's BAD!

Darn... would be SO perfect if it ran our PocketPC apps... yeah a big on the large size but so are the features/screen res!

[Venturello]

dbrahms, a real shame to listen that. Got me very excited to say the least... we'll wait for the reviews... :) thanks for the info BTW

[dbrahms]

** comes with pocket word, an excel viewer and a powerpoint viewer.

Did you say, excel VIEWER??!! :roll: 8O That's BAD!

Darn... would be SO perfect if it ran our PocketPC apps... yeah a big on the large size but so are the features/screen res!

Yes, excel VIEWER. In the app, there is no "file, new etc.." But who knows...maybe it will be normal excel when released. This runs CE.NET..I have no idea if PPC apps would even be allowed to get installed. The feel of this new OS is like regular windows...makes PPC operating system seem very limited

[Venturello]

The website does say:

Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF Viewers..... you'll have to make up your mind what they mean:

Word, Excel, Powerpoint and (PDF Viewers)
Word, Excel, (Powerpoint and PDF Viewers)
Word, (Excel, Powerpoint and PDF Viewers)
(Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF Viewers)

Given the s in viewers it is not only PDF viewes.. thus it seems we got a crippled OS....

And given the clues... your experience dbrahms... Samsung gave us beautiful hardware (IMHO) with crippled OS....

Heh, got my 10 minutes of geek paradise at least!! :oops:

[Xaximus]

Personally, this is where I'd like to see PDAs going. The bigger, higher resolution display makes me drool :). It's a shame it's so darned hard to read or look at as some say. And the fold-down cover/keyboard combo, very nice. It's probably not something I'd buy, especially at that price, but it's a good step forward I think.

[dbrahms]

The website does say:

Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF Viewers..... you'll have to make up your mind what they mean:

Word, Excel, Powerpoint and (PDF Viewers)
Word, Excel, (Powerpoint and PDF Viewers)
Word, (Excel, Powerpoint and PDF Viewers)
(Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF Viewers)

And given the clues... your experience dbrahms... Samsung gave us beautiful hardware (IMHO) with crippled OS....

Heh, got my 10 minutes of geek paradise at least!! :oops:

In Samsung's defense...the OS didnt look 100% finished. Looked as if logos and such were missing from the applications when launched. Who knows...I'm sure they will release this will apps that have AT LEAST the same functionality of PPC apps

[dbrahms]

Personally, this is where I'd like to see PDAs going. The bigger, higher resolution display makes me drool :). It's a shame it's so darned hard to read or look at as some say. And the fold-down cover/keyboard combo, very nice. It's probably not something I'd buy, especially at that price, but it's a good step forward I think.

Price?? this unit will retail for $600 USD...that's less than my ipaq 3975. But remember, this isnt as portable / pocket-friendly as the pocket pc's

[deaj]

Don't worry dbrahms about the screen, i worked on a 15inch screen 8 hours a day with a resolution of 1600x1200 with a font of 8 dpi. I will be able to sustain this screen for 1 or two hours.

As for the size, the ipaq is not that much smaller than this and it will fit in my pocket perfectly. This is it Ladie & Gentlemen, the pda of the future. Just wait and see. :D :D :D

[kamodt]

This is one of those devices that tries to differentiate from a Pocket PC but can't leverage the benefits of the PPC OS. Yes, it's WCE 3.0 sw but since PPC OS doesn't support resolutions beyond 320x240, devices like these can't use the software. Hence, the fallback to 3.0 with it's pros and cons.

One benefit is the display of a full web page with no scrolling and no modifications. The downside is getting developers to port their software to these resolutions. Without MS involvement, it's tough.

KeithA

[Xaximus]

Price?? this unit will retail for $600 USD...that's less than my ipaq 3975. But remember, this isnt as portable / pocket-friendly as the pocket pc's

It's not relatively expensive given the price of high-end PDAs, sure, but it's still too much for my own personal liking.

[klinux]

The resolution is good enough for DVD-quality playback!

[Fishie]

Hey Fishie!

Is this http://www.samsungelectronics.com/wow/product/product_NEXIO-S160.asp what you're looking for?

the model that the article refers to is the 150, but there's also a 160 that has a 400MHz XScale, 802.11b, and a clamshell/keyboard layout.

GREAT thanks dude, oooooooooh yeah, daddy needs a new toy.

[Dan East]

That's a heck of a lot of pixels for a 206 mhz processor to push. To be precise, it contains 5 times the number of pixels as a Pocket PC. After having worked extensively on GUI-intensive apps like DEXplor, as well as Pocket PC games, I would wonder how responsive scrolling and the like would be on that hardware. As for gaming, I really don't see how any real-time game could begin to make use of that many pixels with the given processing power.

Dan East

[Dan East]

The resolution is good enough for DVD-quality playback!

Again, it's absolutely laughable to believe that a 206 mhz device could do full motion video at 800x480. I doubt it could even decode a 320x240 video and do a simple stretch to fill 800x480 real-time.

Dan East

[altden2002]

That's a heck of a lot of pixels for a 206 mhz processor to push. To be precise, it contains 5 times the number of pixels as a Pocket PC. After having worked extensively on GUI-intensive apps like DEXplor, as well as Pocket PC games, I would wonder how responsive scrolling and the like would be on that hardware. As for gaming, I really don't see how any real-time game could begin to make use of that many pixels with the given processing power.

Dan East

How old are you??? I remember days when we had 468DX-66 Mhz, and that was runnig win95 at 800x600 very well. Then came P(I)-100Mhz and S3 video cards and everything was blazingly fast. On PI-166 we were playing Duke Nukem 3D (a first-person shooter game) at 640x480 and that did not skip a bit.

[Cortex]

The 320x240 resolution of the Pocket PC OS is a major limitation.

I'm embarrassed that the Palm OS was the one to up the anti-on resolution (ignoring winCE 3.0).

I've started a POLL on the topic...

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4997

what do others think???

[vincentsiaw]

this thing is huge man, can we still put it inside our pocket ?

[sharmahw1]

I have seen something exact on http://www.bsquare.com(a refernce design running Win CE. I wonder if Samsung licensed that and developed their own brand.Features are so similar.It is called Maui on Bsquare's web site..any comments!!!!

[Fishie]

Altden, you cant compare a desktop CPU with a strongarm or XScale one.
The XScale and strongarm in order to run with as little power as possible are seriously stripped proccessors wich have most of theyre extensions removed.
A 200MHz pentium2 processor can emulate Genesis and snes perfectly while a 400MHz XScale will have trouble achieving 4 frames per second at best.

[MikeUnwired]

For many programs, landscape viewing is a plus. Especially spreadsheets and web pages. I'd probably set my PPC to landscape by default if I could figure out how to get my screen theme backgrounds to actually fill the whole width of the screen.

I'm not a fan of the right-handed favored design. At least with an iPAQ, if you add-in a landscape utility, you can choose to place the D Pad in equally accessable positions for righty's or lefty's.

[Pony99CA]

Gimme that in a clamshel design with a keyboard and im HAPPY.
Have you played with a Handheld PC lately? :-) They were only 640x240, but not bad.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

I don't particularly care for the "sideways" design, but it is nice to see PPC hardware makers willing to innovate. This is the first "fresh" design I've seen in a while. I'm a PPC dishard, but I look at the Palms (specifically Sony) form factor and get envious. Taste is a very subjective thing, it's just nice to see a PPC that doesn't look as though it came from the same hardware mold.
Technically, this isn't a Pocket PC. It runs Windows CE 3.0 "bare", not the Pocket PC OS on top of Windows CE 3.0. The Casio BE-300 Pocket Manager is not a Pocket PC for this same reason, even though its form factor is similar to one.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

** comes with pocket word, an excel viewer and a powerpoint viewer.

Did you say, excel VIEWER??!! :roll: 8O That's BAD!

Darn... would be SO perfect if it ran our PocketPC apps... yeah a big on the large size but so are the features/screen res!

Yes, excel VIEWER. In the app, there is no "file, new etc.." But who knows...maybe it will be normal excel when released.

I would be shocked if this wasn't running Pocket Excel, which is not just a viewer. Windows CE 1.0 machines had Pocket Excel that could create and save spreadsheets.


This runs CE.NET..I have no idea if PPC apps would even be allowed to get installed. The feel of this new OS is like regular windows...makes PPC operating system seem very limited

Windows CE 2.0 felt more like Windows than the Pocket PC OS does. The original Palm-Size PCs also seemed to be more Windows-like (task bar at the bottom, menu bar at the top, etc.).

Steve

[MikeUnwired]

The fee to license and produce Pocket PC 2002 co-branded units is pretty heafty. The requirements for inclusive functionality are also dictated on PPC's where as CE devices have lattitude to drop out or de-emphasize features that PPC users take for granted. Samsung may have been looking to that when they decided to go with CE instead of PPC 2K2. There are a number of niche CE devices out there with more coming out daily. Most are ruggedized or proprietory in some way. As CE.NET is more widely adopted, I'd expect to see more main stream units like this one from Sharp.

[Pony99CA]

That's a heck of a lot of pixels for a 206 mhz processor to push. To be precise, it contains 5 times the number of pixels as a Pocket PC. After having worked extensively on GUI-intensive apps like DEXplor, as well as Pocket PC games, I would wonder how responsive scrolling and the like would be on that hardware. As for gaming, I really don't see how any real-time game could begin to make use of that many pixels with the given processing power.

Scrolling wasn't too bad (if I recall) on old Windows CE Handheld PCs. Those had &lt;100 MHz processors and 640x240 screens (albeit with only 256 colors). There were some real-time games available on them, too -- Microsoft's game pack included Space Defense (a Missile Command game) and I had a demo of JimmySoft's FPS.

This Samsung machine only has 2.5x the resolution of the Handheld PCs and a processor that is more than twice as fast (and probably more advanced, too), so I'd hope that the performance would be at least as good as those machines.

Maybe you wouldn't get arcade-quality graphics, but perhaps that's not Samsung's target market.... :-)

Steve

[Pony99CA]

...
Sharp may have been looking to that when they decided to go with CE instead of PPC 2K2.
...
As CE.NET is more widely adopted, I'd expect to see more main stream units like this one from Sharp.

Ummm, these are Samsung devices, not Sharp....

Regarding Windows CE vs. Pocket PC, those are some valid points. However, if the Pocket PC OS only supports 240x320, that's probably the largest reason they're using Windows CE.

Steve

[kamodt]

I have seen something exact on http://www.bsquare.com(a refernce design running Win CE. I wonder if Samsung licensed that and developed their own brand.Features are so similar.It is called Maui on Bsquare's web site..any comments!!!!


No, this isn't Maui from Bsquare. Nexio is one of the devices we looked at when we did the spec though. For one thing, Nexio uses an 800x480 display and Maui has a 640x480 full VGA 4" diagonal display. Nexio has also been available in Korea for longer than Maui has been available. Maui is also a complete hardware design with a pop-out keyboard while Nexio only has an attachable keyboard (something to lose).

KeithA

[Fishie]

Gimme that in a clamshel design with a keyboard and im HAPPY.
Have you played with a Handheld PC lately? :-) They were only 640x240, but not bad.

Steve

Yes, before my current Ipaq I used to own a Packard Bell 770 (NEC) awesome machine and I do miss it.
With the advent of CE.net I hope a 790 or something will be made in the same form factor and with higher res and faster processors.
Id be a dream come true for me, especially for my work(freelance games journalist)

[Jonathon Watkins]

Well, all this certainly show that the PPC manufacturers need to get designing and MS needs to get rid of the 320x420 limit very soon.

That is one nice device! Shame about the SW. :?

[FredMurphy]

Available very soon in Hong Kong - looks like the OS is in English. (Existing model is Korean only.)

Details here (http://www.samsungelectronics.com.hk/pda/s160.html) and some more detailed photos, unfortunately screen and product shot links are currently not working.
This would be ideal if it could play MPEGs full screen, but I can't see how the processor could cope. :( A 400MHz xScale is apparently just a little SLOWER than my Jornada's ARM processor and that just about manages to play fullscreen at 320x240.

They do mention their own MPEG player so maybe they've managed to cram in something special as far as a video hardware goes. Or maybe these improvements in CE.NET will help.....


Enhanced Multimedia Support: CE now includes Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, Wave/DirectSound, DirectShow, DirectX, DVD-Video, Windows Media, MP3, and Digital Rights Management (DRM). These features enable 3D graphics, DVD decoding, music & MIDI through sound hardware, gaming, multimedia streams, and playing encrypted copyrighted content. This goes far beyond CE's previous support for multimedia.

Found a picture somewhere (but I forget where) showing it with a Jornada and it didn't seem TOO much bigger. Still pocketable.

Fred

[FredMurphy]

Just found the NEXiO S160 user manual (http://www.samsungelectronics.com.hk/pda/support/manuals/manual_list.html) online in English.

Confirms that there is "Full" Pocket Word and Excel and a viewer for Powerpoint and PDF. WLAN supports WEP and 802.1x

[rogatsby]

I moved to Korea about four months ago because I got a new job here. A couple of months ago, I visited the TechnoMart here in Seoul, and I couldn't believe the gadgets they had there. I finally got to see and play with the Samsung Nexio in person, and after much internal debating, I finally broke down and bought one. So, I sold my existing PDA, which was an Audiovox Maestro.

I am truly glad that I bought the Nexio. It has a 5.1 inch screen (800x480) which is pretty bright. It has a USB socket, so I can use any USB keyboard, USB flash memory or mouse if needed. It uses the Windows CE OS rather than the Pocket PC 2002 OS, but I personally prefer this because it is really similar to a regular PC. It comes with a removable 1500 mah LiIon battery, and they also include a second battery and a nice leather case and aluminum stylus. Because I have an extra battery, I have never had problems with battery life, even when surfing the net for long periods of time. The Nexio also has a VGA port for presentations.

Of course, the BEST thing about the Nexio (other than the huge screen) is the built-in wireless internet and mobile phone. It actually works, and it works very well. The Nexio uses CDMA1x technology, so I get speeds around 144 kbps, which is perfectly acceptable for browsing and e-mail. The phone also works great. I have finally found an acceptable wireless solution!!!!! To top it all off, I am only paying USD $17.00 for 30,000 packets per month, with each additional packet after that costing only $0.002.

The downsides of the Nexio:

Obviously, with that massive screen, it is larger than PPC's, although it is just as thin. However, I am able to carry it around in my pants pocket, so it is not HUGE. It was fairly expensive (about $680), although I think it's worth it. It does not have a CF/SD sloth, and comes with 64 MB internal ram. However, they have USB flash memory specifically made for the Nexio. There are alot of other accessories that are made for the Nexio, including a USB digicam, GPS module, and 802.11b module.

My digital camera is broken, so I can't post pics. But, but here is a link to a Korean PDA review site with a lot of pictures. My Nexio looks the same, except the one in the review is an S150. My Nexio is a newer model (S151), which got rid of the external antenna and has better battery life. Here's the link: http://www.mozone.co.kr/review/view...=&search=&find=


Peace!

[Fishie]

cool, thanks