Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am extremely impressed with the build quality, size and the screen. The reviews I read before purchasing mentioned that the build quality was great, but I had no idea that it would be such a rock solid device.
I've owned small computers, netbooks and even a Vaio UX 390N UMPC, but the clamshell design of the Viliv N5 makes it look like an eyeglass case, so I can slip it in and out of my pocket or just carry it by hand and it doesn't look like I'm carrying a computer around. I really feel comfortable taking this with me to any restaurant, gym or wherever and it doesn't seem awkward to have a computer with me. I'm a web developer and occasionally things happen while I'm away from the office that I need to attend to, so I used to carry my laptop with me all the time, but the straw that broke the camel's back, so-to-speak, was when I carried my laptop around Key West for a whole day and I couldn't enjoy my trip there because my back was hurting the entire time. Now, I can just slip the Viliv N5 into the pocket don't even have to think about it.
Battery life so far has been decent. 4 hours is the norm with the screen on full brightness, but I don't see reason I couldn't get 6 hours by lowering the screen brightness and turning off wifi.
The features I love about the Viliv N5 are:
- Small size (it's only an inch longer than my HTC Evo 4G phone)
- full keyboard (the keyboard is a little tricky to type on, but you can touch type if you have small fingers). I usually find it easiest to hold the N5 with both hands and thumb type.
- the thumbpad is amazing - it's very easy to move the mouse pointer around the screen - in some ways it is better than a mousepad
- the screen is bright and crisp - even though the text is small, I can see everything clearly.
- it's a full Windows 7 computer so I can install all of the programs that I use regularly with no limitations
- I thought the 32GB SSD wouldn't have enough available space left over with Windows 7 installed, but it came with 13GB free out of the box, which is more than enough for me
- Wakes up in 5 seconds from sleep
The things that are minor annoyances are:
- Boots quickly from a cold boot, but sometimes the screen doesn't come on after waking up from sleep, so I have to turn it off and back on again to get the screen to come on. This is a minor annoyance because it only happens occasionally.
- Windows 7 starter edition is really limited. I knew Windows 7 starter was a stripped down version, but I didn't realize how stripped down. Starter Edition doesn't even allow you to change your desktop background! What the? By default it will show a nice Windows background with a Windows logo, but other than that you can only change it to solid colors (black, etc). This isn't a major issue, but it sucks that I can't use a unique photo as my background image.
- Bluetooth dial up networking doesn't work consistently. I probably should blame this on Windows 7 starter too. Let me first say that I have no problems with tethering the Viliv N5 to my HTC Evo using a USB cable and then using PDANet to connect the Viliv N5 to the internet, so that's working great. However, if I want to avoid the USB cable and use Bluetooth DUN instead, I can't do it - I've only been able to get bluetooth DUN working once and it only stayed connected for a minute or two. I have no idea what's causing this, but I've never had this issue with any other computer, so it's either something with the Bluetooth drivers or it's Windows 7 starter. Either way, I'm disappointed that this isn't working because it was an important feature to me. (I can pair the Viliv N5 with my phone without any trouble; it's only the DUN that isn't working). Kind of makes me wish I'd purchased the 3G version, but I'm sure I'll eventually get this working, even if I have to upgrade to a different version of Windows 7.
- I use a Lexmark 1420 network printer and have not had any problems installing drivers for it on any other computer. However, the Viliv N5 will not recognize the printer, will not fully install the drivers, will not print a test page from my printer. Maybe there's something unique about this particular printer that Windows 7 Starter doesn't like, but whatever the issue it's definitely an annoyance that I can't get network printing working.
With all of this said, the Viliv N5 is the best UMPC I've experienced. I've been shopping for UMPCs since the first OQO was announced, so I've been in the market for something like this for the last 10 years. It's amazing to me that someone has finally created a near-perfect UMPC with all of the features I've wanted even when the trend seems to be heading to tablets, etc., there is definitely a need for a product like this.
I believe the only weak-link with the N5 is Windows 7 Starter, but this could be remedied by installing Home or Professional edition, so I'm not taking any points away from the N5 because of this.
I was on the fence about getting this for awhile; I truly thought it would be a novelty and something I would only use occasionally, but I've been carrying the N5 with me everywhere and even using it in different rooms around the house because it doesn't ever get in the way. It's definitely a computer you can take anywhere.
Click Here to see more reviews about: viliv N5 Series - 32GB SSD, 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU, Windows 7 Starter Handheld MID/UMPC
Because the viliv N5 is a full-powered PC, you won't have the limitations of other mobile devices. Use the N5 to surf the web-as-you-know it: including Flash, HTML5, and all the rest of the rich web. Install anything you like. Pocket it, and go anywhere. The viliv N5 features a superfine 4.8" WSVGA touchscreen, 32GB SSD and an Intel Atom 1.33GHz CPU. From a pocket PC standpoint, the N5 has a surreal (for its size) battery life of 6 hours of actual use. Along with an instant-on feature that allows you to resume Windows 7 from sleep in under five seconds--and remarkable 150-hour standby time--the N5 is unique in being a truly ultraportable device that delivers the full rich web experience. Rich web is complemented by rich media. The N5 supports 720p HD video playback, HTML 5, Adobe® Flash, and features integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
