Atom-based Tainell T500 MID gets a release date
The Tainell T500 MID may have seemed a little too good to be true with its 5-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen, 32GB SSD, and 3G connectivity, but the Chinese company's Senior Executive VP let me know that the XP-running device is expected to be ready for release, unchanged, "around the end of September."
The 1.1GHz Atom CPU could use a boost, sure, but I've been satisfied with using Windows XP on less powerful chips in the past, so I take next month's promised availability date as good news. The unit certainly looks like it has the potential to take on the Viliv S5 (assuming build quality, battery life, and price are up to snuff, which at this point is anyone's guess).
My contact also said that although Tainell is only working with wholesalers and distributors (and of course their bulk orders) at the moment, they'll still try to find a single unit to send to me at the beginning of October. I was answered with silence when I asked about pricing and requested more photos, though, so I'm not feeling too optimistic that the MID will ever find its way to my door. But if it does, you'll be the first ones to know about it.