MiTAC throws its UMPC hat into the hardware ring courtesy of the Mio GPS-equipped MiStation Netbook. Image: Pocket-Lint.
Continuing the recent run of UMPC candidates looking to part you from your hard-earned cash while also attempting to take the competitive edge off ASUSTeK’s expansive range of Eee PC systems, Taiwan-based MiTAC has uncovered its new MiStation Netbook.
Pushed into the spotlight at last week’s IFA Consumer Electronics trade show in Berlin, MiTAC, which is perhaps best known for its Mio and Navman subsidiaries, offers up its little MiStation as an 8.9-inch ultra-mobile computer designed specifically for Net-friendly users and powered by Intel Corporation’s 1.6GHz Atom processor.
Other specifications connected to the MiStation include storage in choices of either a 60GB hard disk drive (HDD) or a 20GB solid state drive (SSD), choices of either Windows XP or Linux operating systems, and 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 wireless connectivity.
Those online users eager to extend the advantages of wireless UMPC communication can take advantage of the MiStation’s humble 1.3 mega pixel Web camera, while the compact system also provides external access and expansion via a trio of USB 2.0 ports, an SD memory card slot and also a VGA-out port.
Interestingly, those opting to invest in the MiStation can enjoy MiTAC’s association with Mio thanks to onboard GPS navigation software, which is accessed and activated through a built-in receiver secreted along the UMPC’s front edge.
According to MiTAC, the new MiStation is scheduled to arrive on European shores at the tail end of November, attached to a 60GB Linux start price of around 350 Euro. The 20GB SSD Windows model is expected to cost somewhere in the vicinity of 500 Euros.
The latter price puts MiTAC’s computer slightly above other rival systems -- although its onboard GPS may play a part in the increase. The recently announced LG X110 (80GB HDD, Atom, XP) and Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Ui 3520 (30GB HDD, Atom, XP) are both expected to arrive at the 400 Euro price point.
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