As if things weren't confusing enough in the world of tiny computers, Qualcomm went and blurted off news about a $299 machine that will run Windows Mobile 7 on its Snapdragon mobile chip set. Qualcomm's senior veep Luis Pineda boasted that the machine will run WinMo7 and is more efficient than its competitors from the likes of Intel, AMD, and Via. When pressed, he wouldn't give up any additional hardware specs, but he promises a "big presence in Snapdragon-based devices at CES 2009". This isn't the first time we've seen mention of Windows Mobile 7, but it's quite possibly the first tie-in with a specific product group. We look forward to the Snapdragon-Intel-AMD-Via mobile computing war in the coming year, indeed.

DigiTimes is back with another Taiwan industry rumor. This time they have HTC launching MID handsets in 2008. No surprise there as HTC jumped into the UMPC game long ago with the Shift. Of course, the whole thing becomes suspect when their source claims that MIDs will be "squeezing the market share currently enjoyed by UMPCs." Everyone and their monkey knows that UMPCs don't account for enough market share to warrant joy.

Oh HTC, you cads. What did we find while carefully sifting through mountains of seemingly useless and definitely boring FCC data? Well, for starters, we unearthed reports on the HTC-made CLIO200, a heretofore unknown device that appears to be making its way through the approval process. Using our Miss Cleo-like "sixth sense," we've discovered that the unit will sport CDMA, EV-DO, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. The FCC is referring to this little guy as a UMPC (and it does have the telltale air vents of a such a device), though it also seems like it could be a mobile phone of the TyTn variety (at least from the looks of the diagrams depicting it being held to a user's ear). Despite this minor confusion, we can promise you that at the very least it is certainly not a Sony Clie, nor an Clio NXT. Want to get "all" the "details?" Direct your browser towards the FCC site and immerse yourself in a world of impenetrable digits and charts.

Update: As some of our astute readers have pointed out, this appears to be nothing more than the HTC Shift, no stranger to the pages of Engadget. We have no idea why the company has decided to start calling the device the Clio, but at least now that this mystery has been solved, we can all get some much needed rest.

Naturally, HTC and T-Mobile aren't going to be able to keep this little (er, not-so-little) Athena gem to themselves. Dopod is getting in on the action, with its subtly branded U1000, which carries an alarming NT 39,990 pricetag -- about $1,215, compared to T-Mobile's 500 euro price, roughly $646 -- and of course all the standard Athena specs like the 5-inch VGA screen, 3.5G, 3 megapixel camera, 8GB drive and 624MHz Xscale processor. Oh, and just in case you're keeping track, the 5.5 / 4.5 hours of GSM / UMTS talk time quoted here is a bit more conservative than the initial 6 hours we were hearing from HTC. Peep a couple more angles after the break.

Quoting unnamed sources, DigiTimes is reporting that HTC is aiming to release its first second third UMPC sometime during the second quarter of this year. The only other quoted specification is a 7-inch display, which suggests that this model will stray somewhat further into UMPC territory than its earlier relatives were rumored to have done: otherwise we can expect one very odd Windows Mobile device. Beyond the 7-inch display spec, the only other information about this device is its "Mobile Office Device" codename. What with HTC's reputation for giving its products weird and wonderful names before they head off for rebranding, we feel pretty sure that this won't retain its codename for much longer.

We're really digging these UMPC / PPC hybrids that seem to be popping up every so often, and even though those full-fledged (and overpriced) first generation UMPCs didn't exactly shake up the mobile computing world, we're a forgiving bunch. Presumably similar in function to HTC's Athena X7500, this mysterious Tatung device will apparently sport a longer battery life than those tried-and-true UMPCs, have "instant on" capabilities, and feature Windows Mobile 5.0. We can only hope that it sports at least a few connectivity options, but until CES (hopefully) discloses a bit information, the pics snapped (click on through for more) at Computex will have to do for now.

[Via PocketPCThoughts]

Ok kids, hang onto your hats and dose a grain of salt. According to the lads over at Mobile-Review, the HTC Athena (X7500) is a much hotter and much more highly spec'd device like we thought (hoped) yesterday when it first graced our pages. Certainly, none of this is confirmed, but that beefy Windows Mobile PPC Phone Edition device is now rumored to be running on a 624MHz Intel Bulverde processor pumping away beneath a 5-inch, 262k-color VGA (640x480) touch-sensitive display. It's overall thickness is in part explained by the fact that it spins either an 8 or 10GB disk drive while a 2100mAh Li-Poly battery provides up to 6 hours of talk, 300 hours of standby, or 8 hours of WMV video playback. Those specs certainly make more sense. Better yet, it's said to come in two flavors: one for Europe, and a UMTS/HSDPA quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE flavor for the US unlike initial reports. Other notable features include GPS, a standard 3.5-mm jack for headphones, 2 megapixel cam with LED plus another cam up front for video conferencing, dual stereo speakers with 3D surround, USB 2.0 and another USB 1.1 host, TV-out, 802.11b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP/AVRCP profile support. The unit weighs in at 12.3-ounces (350-grams) / 5.24 x 3.8 x 0.78-inches (133 x 97 x 20-mm) making that QWERTY (barely) usable as a table-top keyboard and not some awkwardly held thumbpad. Estimated to be priced between $1,500 and $2,000 which makes it a non-starter for most, if true. Maybe this is HTC's first take at their UMPC after all. Be sure to hit the read link for the complete list of specifications.

[Via PhoneArena]

Oh sweet mother of WinMo computing, HTC looks to have a new one up their sleeves with this, the HTC Athena (X7500). It's apparently not their rumored UMPC, rather, this pup is said to run Windows Mobile Pocket PC "Pro edition" (whatever that is) so that's a 3.5-inch QVGA touch-screen with stylus and detachable QWERTY -- yes, detachable when you need to keep things light. The unofficial specs being passed around indicate that this handheld is destined for Europe: UMTS 2100 with tri-band GSM/GPRS radio (what, no EDGE or HSDPA?), 802.11b/g WiFi, 256MB ROM / 64MB RAM, 2 megapixel camera, SD expansion, and USB 1.1 interface. All running on a 400MHz Samsung processor. Still, doesn't this seem a bit light for all the device's bulk? Read on for more pics and clues from this mystery device.

[Thanks, Yoda M.]

Read (Polish)

Look out Samsung, Asus, and the rest, Taiwan's HTC is getting ready to light a fire under the saggy azz of the next gen UMPC platform much as they did for Microsoft's Windows Mobile. Hey, we can dream right? In an interview with the Seattle Times, HTC says they'll be hiring a 12-person engineering team into their US offices to drive some of the highest-level industrial design work in the company. Namely, devices for new high-speed, broadband networks that "mimic miniature, long-battery-life laptops that can make phone calls." According to Todd Achilles, HTC's VP of Sales and Marketing, their "ultramobile PC could be sold as early as next year." We've already seen HTC and UMPC-friendly Via in bed together on their OnDemand media distribution technology which might lend a hint at the niche HTC will target. Regardless, with HTC's US HQ in Bellevue, just down the road from Microsoft's, we should see some tightly integrated product in the coming year. What with a Toshiba DAP dubbed the Zune, is a Microsoft branded UMPC so hard to believe?

[Via PDA 24/7]

Full-fledged UMPC it ain't, but now that we've got some more info on this flip-and-fold S-XGen handheld from Seamless WiFi, we're liking where this one is headed. Sure, the design is pretty frumpy, and we could do with a better screen-to-device ratio, but the Windows CE 5.0 unit runs a 520MHz Xscale processor, a 20GB HDD, 128MB of SDRAM, and a 4.25-inch screen at 470 x 270 pixels. As for connectivity, there's plenty to love, since the unit can handle 802.11b WiFi, tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900MHz), Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB OTG and even IrDA. There's also an SD card slot inside the 6.5 x 3.8 x 1.1-inch form factor and a purported 8 hours of battery life. The low screen res might make the rest of the frills a bit less exciting to work with, and Seamless WiFi claims that specifications might change without notice, but we're still looking forward to spying this one at CES and seeing just how close it comes to its all-inclusive dreams.

[Via SlashGear]