Kohjinsha SA1F00KS now available in Europe

Following yesterdays news that the FCC and CE certified Kohjinsha SA1F00KS with US keyboard has been released, Pocket PC Solutions in the UK have this model listed on their website, priced at £599.99, with shipping to the UK and rest of Europe available.



Kohjinsha SA1F00KS Specifications

CPU: AMD Geode LX800 Processor
Display: 7" 800x480 WVGA Swivel LCD with Touch Screen Panel with up to 256MB VRAM
Keyboard: US Keyboard as standard
Memory: 512MB DDR Ram
HDD: 40GB HDD
Network: 10/100 Ethernet, Wireless 802.11BG and Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
IO Ports: Digital Media Reader (SD/MS/Type II CF), 2 USB, VGA, Audio & Mic Jack
Operating Sytem: Windows XP Home Edition
Dimensions: 218mm x 163mm x 25.4mm
Weight: 990g including battery
Warranty: 1 Year
Comes with Slip-In Case and Stylus

Kohjinsha SA1F00KS

Following the news that the Kohjinsha has been given FCC and CE approval it now looks like the Kohjinsha will be on sale soon in Europe as the Kohjinsha SA1F00KS, which will be the same spec as the Kohjinsha SA1F00V but with a US keyboard (unfortunately no UK keyboard yet). I will post more information on price and availability as soon as I have it.

Kohjinsha gets FCC and CE Approval

I have had word today that the Kohjinsha has finally been given FCC and CE approval, so it won't be long before we will see this little gem of a device on sale in the US and Europe.

My Kohjinsha Problems

It looks like I am not the only Kohjinsha user that has had some problems with their SA1F00V, but haven spoken with the Japanese exporter it now looks like I had my unit from a faulty batch. The exporter is having the faulty units returned for replacement, and I will be sending mine back soon :( I have had this information verified by another supplier who has check their new batches, and these are free of all the faults except the poor keyboard, which seems to be a trademark of the Kohjinsha.

UPDATE 6/6/2007: It would appear that the screen calibration problems are not batch problems but a manufacturing problem. I have found that doing a 25 point calibration reduces the problem, but does note cure it. I have also been told that this problem is not present on the SA1F00KS, but I have not been able to confirm this.

Madeleine MaCann Video Released

For those interested this international video has now been released asking for help to find Madeleine MaCann.

Still Missing

This is off topic, but like most people I have been saddened by the abduction of Madeleine MaCann in Portugal on the 3rd May 2007. Haven been to Portugal on business in the past month, and disappointed by the lack of publicity for this case in Lisbon I wanted to do something to help highlight this abduction, so I have added this post and placed banners on the blog.

If you work in medical care look out for a 4 year old with a pupil bleed, as it could be Madeleine.



Above close-up of Madeleine's right eye, and below a close-up of Madeleine.



Lets all hope that Madeleine is found safe soon.

Kohjinsha Touch-Screen 2 Weeks On

I have now had my new Kohjinsha for 2 weeks, and whilst in my previous posts I mentioned how the keyboard had improved, over the past 2 weeks the quality of the keyboard has deteriorate and it is now suffering missed key strokes like the original SA1 series. I have also experienced problems with the touchpad not responding, which at first I thought was the driver, but even uninstalling the driver did not resolve this issue. At one point the unit became un-usable for 20-30 mins, but after several reboots the touchpad began to work again, and for the past week has been OK. Another problem experienced and mentioned in a previous post is the touch screen calibration. After loading Windows XP Tablet I discovered that I could not calibrate the touch screen 100%, but stranger still was the fact that only the right side of the screen seemed to be affected. I downloaded the latest driver and calibration software, but still could not accurately calibrate the screen. After playing with the calibration for awhile I found that I could achieve a more accurate calibration by using the 25 point calibration option, but this still gave problems with the bottom right hand side. These problems do not affect any hand writing recognition software but does affect the use of the stylus on icons and scroll bars on this part of the screen. I have raised this issue with Kohjinsha via the Japanese exporter, but to date have had no response.

To sum up, with the mouse, keyboard and touch screen issues I am disappointed that Kohjinsha have released this new model without fixing the previous known bugs, and with the premium price being charged by some resellers for the touch screen I am not sure I would recommend this model, however if you are looking for an ultra portable laptop with a touch screen and can live with these known issues, then the touch screen Kohjinsha may be for you. If you do not need the touch screen, then go for one of the cheaper models.

Despite my negative comments above I am still happy with the Kohjinsha and the touch screen is an advantage if you load ritePen or can install XP Tablet.

Kohjinsha Touch-Screen 1 Week On

I've now had the touch-screen Kohjinsha for 1 week, and I am fairly happy with it. Gone is Windows XP Home, and in is Wondows XP Tablet Edition, and this has made real difference to the useability of the touch screen. Over the next few days I will write a mini review, but there appears to be a major problem with the touch screen that I am investigating and will hold back on the review until I have a responce from Kohjinsha.

Below XP Tablet running on the Kohjinsha.

Kohjinsha Pros and Cons

Blogger Tokyo Image has posted his pros and cons of the Kohjinsha.

"PROS

+ Obviously the first thing that comes to mind is the ultra-mobility of this notebook. With its compact size and light weight, its easy to take anywhere. Whether you are blogging at your favorite hot spot, putting the finishing touches on a school assignment just before class, or just browsing the web at the office or home, this compact and discrete notebook will be sure to be there when you are.

+ The Wi-Fi is amazing..........................."

You can read the rest of what Tokyo Image has to say about the Kohji here.

First 24 Hours with the Kohjinsha SA1F00V

I've now had my Kohjinsha SA1F00V for 24hrs and so far I am pleased with it. With its improved keyboard and touch screen this is definitely the best Kohjinsha yet. If you are thinking about buying one of these, then the new model is the one to go for, however if you already have one of the previous models then the upgrade will probably be hard to justify, unless you need the touch screen or want the improved keyboard. Like all previous models there is always something negative to say about the Kohjinha range, and this time it is the lack of touch screen software, although the use of ritePen overcomes this issue.

Over the next 24hrs I will be loading XP Tablet to the Kohjinsha to see how well it performs, so stay tunes for the results.

The First 10 Minutes With The New Kohjinsha

I have un-boxed and started to play with my new Kohji, and on first impression I am pleased with the device, but there are some things that I am disappointed with.

1. The supplied stylus is a cheap PDA type, and for me to small.
2. The case is like the previous models, and although it has a pocket for the stylus it still has an open end with no zip or fastening.
3. The mouse pad has a coating of lacquer making my finger stick rather than glide across it, although this will probably improve with use.
4. It is supplied with calibration software for the touch screen, but has no supplied hand writing recognition software. (I will test ritePen later)
5. The screen resolution is still unacceptable when set above 800 x 480.
6. No CE of FCC markings!!

The above are all fairly minor and can all be resolved either with add-on software or buying a better case and stylus. Now to the question you are all probably asking, "what about the keyboard?" Well we have all read the reviews on previous models, and how bad they keyboard on these are, well the GOOD news is they appear to have fixed the keyboard. I have only briefly used it to type some words, but at no time did it miss any letters, and I did not have to press the keys very hard. In fact I tried touch typing (although I am not very good at this) and no missed letters.

So to sum up after 10 minutes of use, anyone thinking about a Kohjinsha, it looks like this is the model to go for.

Kohjinsha SA1F00V is in the House

The FedEx man arrived today, and I now have a nice black Kohjinsha SA1F00V, and on first impressions I like what I see.

Kohjinsha SA1F00K and SA1F00R

Yet more Kohjinsha's are appearing on the Kohjinsha website. The SA1F00K and SA1F00R are touch screen versions, but with 40GB HDD. This now a total of 7 versions of the Kohjinsha in the range.

SA1F00A = 40GB HDD/Silver
SA1F00E = 100GB HDD/White
SA1F00H = 100GB HDD/Black
SA1F00K = 40GB HDD/Black/Touch-screen
SA1F00R = 40GB HDD/White/Touch-screen
SA1F00V = 100GB HDD/Black/Touch-screen
SA1F00W = 100GB HDD/White/Touch-screen

Kohjinsha SA1F00 User's Group

Thanks to Super Dave's blog for pointing out the Kohjinsha SA1F00 User's Group. Anyone interested in signing up can do so here

Source: Super Dave

Kohjinsha SA Driver Updates

Kohjinsha have released some updated divers for the SA1 series. I have tried the video driver, to see if it improved the screen sharpness at resolutions above 800x480, but alas the screen image is still to blurred for me. I have not tried the other drivers, but here are the links.

KOHJINSHA SA series
OS	Driver name	Main modification contents	Offer target date	Download
Win XP	Sound Driver	Improvement of various compatibility	2007/1/29	KU00030.EXE 18,695 KB
Win XP	Chip set Driver	Improvement of various compatibility	2007/1/29	KU00040.EXE 67 KB
Win XP	Video driver	Improvement of various compatibility	2007/1/29	KU00050.EXE 172 KB
Win XP	Touch pad Driver	Improvement of various compatibility	2007/1/29	KU00060.EXE 27,527 KB

If anyone tries these drivers please post your results.

Source: Super Dave

The FedEx man is coming!!

The FedEx man is on his way from Japan with a present, just hope he has got the weight wrong!!