So much for Nokia and Intel keeping quiet on actual product announcements, huh? Just yesterday, the two mega-corps joined hands in what they called a technical collaboration, and while they wouldn't go into detail about what products would sprout from the partnership, it seems that Commercial Times has done the honors. Reportedly, Nokia has already ordered up a few machines from Compal and Quanta, two OEMs that are largely responsible for most every netbook on the market today. Not surprisingly, we're told that the Nokiabook will rely on one of Intel's Atom processors, and considering that the new wave of Atom chips aren't slated to land until 2010, you can pretty much put money on a N270 or N280 configuration. In related news, we're told that Compal will engineer a Qualcomm Snapdragon-based Nokia smartbook, though there's no word on what kind of OS (Symbian, perhaps?) will be included.

Pardon us while we take this opportunity to snag a nap, but seriously, we just cannot muster any excitement whatsoever about Mobile Internet Devices. Stuck somewhere between capable smartphones and these newfangled smartbooks, MIDs seem to be carving out a niche that precisely no one cares about. Though, we can say we're stoked about the forthcoming introduction of Moorestown -- the Atom needs a successor in the worst way. At any rate, those still hanging on in hopes of a turnaround have introduced new MIDs today at Computex, with EB, Quanta, Inventec, Aava Mobile and Compal (despite its recent skepticism) showcasing their wares. If you honestly think you could see yourself purchasing one of these unwanted devices in the next year or so, we've got plenty of images down there in the read link.

[Via MIDMoves]

We've always heard that most things come in packs of three, so just as soon as some other dodgy source affirms that Hulk Hogan will actually be replacing Steve Jobs in August, we'll be set. Shortly after seeing a 32GB iPhone placeholder over at T-Mobile Austria, we're now staring at a comically brief report from Digitimes that pegs Wintek as the "panel module supplier for Apple's upcoming e-book form factor netbook product." If you'll recall, Wintek was already independently confirmed as said panel supplier for said product back in March, but obviously Apple has remained tight-lipped on the whole netbook / tablet / e-reader thing. That said, we do find it interesting that this report clarifies that whatever's purportedly cooking in some dark, highly guarded lab in Cupertino looks more like a tablet with a netbook-sized display rather than a conventional netbook. Whatever the case, we wouldn't expect it at WWDC, but any Tuesday morning after that is fair game.

Remember the dedicated team that Compal had set aside back in 2007 to focus on all those Atom-based MIDs expected to flood the market? Pilfered, another victim blind-sided by the rise of the netbook. According to DigiTimes' moles inside the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut, Compal, Quanta, ASUS, and others are focusing resources on netbooks while remaining conservative on Intel's MID platform. Even with Intel's battery-sipping Moorestown platform around the corner, we remain skeptical about devices that are too large for the pocket and double the price of netbooks that bring twice the screen and full QWERTY keyboards -- for mass market consumption anyway.

We don't doubt that Acer's cooking up a few laptops based on Intel's forthcoming consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) platform, but we do have serious reservations about 'em coming out next month. Last we heard, the platform was still on track for a summer release, and at least in our hemisphere, April ain't summer. For what it's worth, Taiwan Economic News is reporting that Acer is looking to launch 11.6-, 13-, 14- and 15-inch machines with CULV processors within, and if rumors prove true, at least some of 'em will make their debut next month. Don't bet the farm, but you're probably safe to pencil it in.

[Via NotebookReview]

Like a little intrigue with your morning Joe? Check out the video below of this sleek little unidentified netbook on display at CeBIT last week at the Linpus booth, found by the same excitable bloke who brought us a glimpse of the company's Linux Lite OS. The hardware sounds to fit the standard Atom-based mold as the rest, adding 3G wireless for true portability, and is said to be built by Quanta, the company rumored to be on tap to build Apple's supposed netbook. Does that mean it could look something like this? We doubt it -- but wouldn't be surprised if it, too had a glossy screen.

Yesterday's Apple netbook rumor courtesy of the Commercial Times / DigiTimes combo just received a boost of credibility by sources (presumably independent) speaking to the Dow Jones Newswire. Citing "two people close to the situation," the DJ pretty much regurgitates the same info: Wintek will provide the touch-screen display which Quanta will manufacture into an Apple netbook as early as the second half of the year. The only new bit of information is the screen size said to be between 9.7 and 10-inches.

[Thanks, Sam; Image courtesy of Frunny]

LG and Quanta have been going at it over patents for eight years now, with LG notably seeking an injunction against the importation of Quanta-built Apple, HP, Dell, and Sony laptops, and the Supreme Court ruling that LG wasn't entitled to additional royalties, but it looks like the fight's finally over -- both sides say they've come to an agreement and will now negotiate royalty rates. No further details, but we're told BMW sales near the offices of LG and Quanta's law firms just skyrocketed.

It has taken long enough, but the US Supreme Court has finally ruled in the patent royalties case between Quanta Computer and LG Electronics. Justice Clarence Thomas noted that "because the exhaustion doctrine applies to method patents and because the license authorizes the sale of components that substantially embody the patents in suit, the sale exhausted all patents," essentially hammering down any of LG's lingering hopes to extract additional royalties from Quanta (or anyone else tangled up in a similar situation). Put simply, the court ruled that LG couldn't solicit more royalties from firms buying LG-provided Intel products, of which Intel had already paid patent royalties on. So much for double dipping in the royalties pool, huh?

Quanta, the OEM behind the OLPC and MacBook, just announced its move into home-based HD video conferencing. Quanta is teaming with OoVoo to produce the Quanta Video Messenger -- a 1,280 x 720 pixel / 30fps, multi-point-capable set-top box that plugs directly into your HDTV and home Internet connection (presumably via Ethernet or 802.11n, they don't say). OoVoo is also looking to integrate its wares in existing set-top boxes. The prototype STB is the size of a hardback book and does not currently include a webcam or mic -- those must be plugged into the device separately. They'd better bundle a webcam then, if they hope to generate mass market appeal across familial generations. Early tests of the H.264 video over an Internet connection capped at 512kbps upstream produced the occasional video sputter (when watching a fast moving object) in quality roughly equivalent to DVDs. Fortunately, Quanta and OoVoo have 9 months to sort out any issues as they don't expect to ship until "later this year" for a price meant to be "affordable to consumers."

[Via MicroHoo News]

Sheesh -- as if the Eee PC, ONE, Cloudbook, G10IL and countless others weren't enough, now we've got one more low-cost laptop to keep track of. Aiming to arrive just a hair below that magical $300 price point, NorhTec is reportedly gearing up to introduce its Gecko laptop to the world, but the machine itself will be designed / built by Quanta. So far, we're hearing that it'll tout a 1GHz Via C7M ULV processor, an optional PATA hard drive, integrated graphics, a 7-inch display and the Linpus Linux Lite operating system. According to NorhTech's president Michael Barnes, "Linpus Lite is very similar to gOS," which we aren't exactly sure is something you'd really want to trumpet. Nevertheless, said bigwig also implied that the formal announcement of this here lappie would be happening soon -- let's just hope it actually stays under three bills.

[Via Eee Site]

True to its word, the US Supreme Court has started to hear arguments in one of those LG vs Quanta patent suits we've been following, with its eventual decision expected to have major effects on the rights of patent holders. Specifically, LG is arguing that since chipsets sold by Intel to Quanta use licensed manufacturing techniques and employ non-Intel components, Quanta also owes LG compensation as per its original agreement with Intel. Pretty confusing, we agree, but the Court's final decision -- expected in June -- promises to clear up once and for all what has admittedly become a legal gray area concerning so-called "exhausted" patents.

Look, the LCD monitor market is hot. How hot, you ask? Well let's just say that panel manufacturer Chunghwa Picture Tubes (or CPT) has decided to circumvent the battle for ultimate supremacy in the 19-inch market by creating a totally new size of monitor: an 18.4-inch widescreen display. The new size will feature a 16:9 aspect ratio, 1366 x 768 resolution, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and a response time of 5ms. The benefit of the slightly smaller size is that the cost to consumers will be lower than its 19-inch brethren, thereby giving CPT a cleaner shot a some market share. The first company to bite on the new size is Acer, which will be using the new panels in a Quanta-made laptop set to hit Europe in the second half of 2008.

Something doesn't add up. Either the Economic Daily News has bad manufacturing numbers or OLPC's claims of $2 Million worth of "donations" each day (more than 10,000 XOs per day!) under the $399 G1G1 program are highly exaggerated. The Chinese-language report says that Quanta expects to ship 15,000 XOs in all of December and only around 8-10k units each month into the future. This according to the paper's "component maker" sources. Of course, OLPC could be multi-sourcing laptops from Foxconn, Compal, or some other Guangdong Province factory -- though that would be news to us. Regardless, with 15,000 XOs heading to Alabama, 260,000 heading to Peru, and countless others in the queue from G1G1, well, our children might be waiting a long, long time for delivery.

Update: According to reader Hao, DigiTimes incorrectly translated the production quantity. EDN is reporting 150,000 XOs shipping in December, then 80k to 100k each month thereafter. That certainly sounds more reasonable. Here's the EDN piece. Thanks Hao!