SayCool M5A MID aims to remind us ARM and Android are not the only game in town
SayCool aka Sinchun Electronic is a Chinese company that has graced the pages of Pocketables a few times in the past, most recently as the manufacturer of the Netbook Navigator and its planned 7" counterpart. Specializing in MIDs/UMPCs using Intel CPUs running Windows, the company has just launched its latest product, the M5A MID, an Intel Menlow-based device with Windows 7. While devices like this used to be fairly common, they are becoming more of a rarity in comparison to the invasion of ARM-based tablets running Android.
The M5A features a 5-inch WVGA touch screen, 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510 processor with the 1.2GHz Z515 as an option, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 16GB SSD, Bluetooth 2.0 and b/g WiFi connectivity with optional GPS and 3G, VGA webcam, microSD slot, and a mixture of the standard issue USB and audio ports. More uniquely, the M5A also includes a SIM card slot with a built-in voice modem allowing the device to be used as a phone. There are also further options for more (32/64GB) or less (8GB) storage and operating systems with Windows XP and Linux alternatives to Windows 7. On the downside, a 7.4V 1900mAh battery only gives 3 hours of battery life, but considering the hardware, the device is a fairly compact 6.3" x 3.8" x 0.8" and weighs 12.3 ounces.
Overall I think the M5A looks like a pretty decent "Wintel" MID/UMPC. The hardware is kind of par for the course but the device has a functional, neat design and a couple of nice touches such as the inclusion of telephony functionality. I also like the inclusion of the trackball and mouse buttons on either side of the bezel giving users a choice of inputs.
Unfortunately the price of the device hasn't been released yet and we're unsure of its availability outside of China. But for those of you looking for a compact 5" MID/UMPC running full-fledged Windows, the SayCool M5A looks like a pretty good choice. Check the images below to see the device in black and the included carry case, and drop by SayCool's official website for full specs and a few more images.
