Unified PC handheld and mobile phone

DualCor (USA) is about to introduce cPC, a "handheld" computer that runs on Windows XP, and integrates smartphones that work with Windows Mobile 5.0.

DualCor cPC

cPC has dimensions of 16.5 x 8.4 x 3 cm and 5 inch screen. Steven Hanley, CEO of DualCor, said potential customers of the product will be business managers who often have to travel far.

According to Hanley, cPC is essentially "stuffing two devices into one package". The "computer" section contains the Windows XP Tablet operating system, Via Technologies' C7-M processor of 1.5 GHz and 1 GB DDR 2 memory.

DualCor chose Via's chip because it consumes a maximum power of 7.5 watts but still offers the ability to operate as a normal computer. "We used Transmeta before, but it took the system 7.5 to 9 seconds to download the document," Hanley explained.

The "mobile" section includes a Windows Mobile 5.0 version for Pocket PC, Intel's PXA information processing device, 128 MB DRAM and 1 GB flash memory.

This mobile device and computer share a 40 GB hard drive. In x86 mode, the battery life will last 3-4 hours, equivalent to the standard for laptops in the market. However, the product can operate continuously for 8-12 hours if switched to smart phone mechanism.

The cPC screen uses a special type of LG glass with 200 nit brightness and is one of the brightest smart phone screens.

cPC promises to be a remarkable product because at the moment, many office workers start leaving notebooks and switch to using BlackBerry or other handheld devices.

Sony and OQO also introduced a complete portable Windows computer. But customers are not much interested because the device has battery life and limited handling capability. Meanwhile, thanks to some technical and design improvements, cPC's battery is long enough for users to run applications in sync for more than 8 hours.

However, the price of cPC is not pleasant. The system will be launched at CES in Las Vegas (USA) next month for $ 1,500.