Eee killer packs GPS, touch screen into 800g

Kohjinsha PC
Kohjinsha PCs offer far more than just a sub-1kg weight

If you recall, when we looked at some of the great sub-notebooks from Japanese firm Kohjinsha last month, we felt the top end of the range was a little pricey.

Fortunately - if you're in Japan, that is - the latest refresh adds features, knocks prices down, and brings GPS to the ultra-mobile class for the first time.

Atom inside

Keeping only to the briefest details, the new SC series starts at ¥99,800 (£465), for which you'll get a 1.33GHz Intel Atom chipset, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB HDD and a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam.

On top of that, there's that internal GPS module, a 1-seg digital TV tuner, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a multi-card reader, ExpressCard and USB and Ethernet ports.

Twist and turn

Most surprising of all, perhaps, are the touch-sensitive 7-inch screen that swivels and folds for a spot of Tablet PC action and the miniscule 798g the SC series models weigh.

On the downside, the OS is Windows Vista for some reason and the standard battery life is a slightly disappointing 3.2 hours. Still, a larger battery stretching to double that span is available.

Give that Kohjinsha sells some of its PCs overseas through subsidiaries, there's a fair chance that these newcomers will join the exodus before long, albeit without the TV tuner.

J Mark Lytle was an International Editor for TechRadar, based out of Tokyo, who now works as a Script Editor, Consultant at NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. Writer, multi-platform journalist, all-round editorial and PR consultant with many years' experience as a professional writer, their bylines include CNN, Snap Media and IDG.