It’s been a while since we received the PM Series from Kohjinsha, and we're sorry it took so long to publish our review… Anyway here you are:
Kohjinsha PM Series Specs
- Atom Z510@ 1.1GHz
- 512MB or RAM
- 16GB of SSD
- Intel US15W
- 4.8” Toucscreen LCD with a 1024x600 Resolution
- WiFi BG + Bluetooth
- 1.3Mpix Web Camera
- 158 x 94.2 x 13.5~22mm / 345g
First Impression
This Korean made MID doesn't offer the best plastics ever made by man. Not that the PN Series casing is bad, but I've seen better plastic in the past. Overall this little PN is absolutely impressive. The pictures below don't give justice to the PN Series when it comes to the Lilliputian size of this device.
The PM Series is just a little bit bigger, and WAY more powerful, than the average Zaurus… And if you don't have an idea what a Zaurus is, let’s say the PM Series is about the same size (give or take a few inches) as big as a Nintendo DS, and is still capable of offering a REAL PC running Windows XP at a quite acceptable speed.
Everyday Usage
Extremely small and compact, the PM Series isn't the average notebook, or netbook for that matter, so don't expect to use it like an EEE PC. This doesn't mean the PM Series doesn't match an Eeee PC when it comes to raw power. Capable of running most daily applications ranging from Office to Skype, and even some basic image tools like IrFanView, the PM Series is really a powerful PC in your pocket, literally!
Plugged to a 3G+ USB dongle and thanks to the PM WebCamera you can now conduct any video conference as you would on a desktop PC. If you own a proper wireless stereo headset (Bluetooth) you can turn the PM Series into your personal DAP for a few hours… But its 1hr30min max battery life span and 16GB of internal memory doesn't make it an iPod Touch killer.
Sure you can't use PhotoShop, AVID or WOW with the PM Series, but would you be able to use these applications on a 4.8” screen with only a 1024x600 resolution? I don’t think so... Even if you could get a better screen with a more comfortable resolution, the PM Series can't run these apps smoothly anyway.
Let’s talk about the screen... Yep, having a 1024x600 resolution is a nice thing, however, Windows XP and most the apps that run on it never were intended to be easily tweaked for a better readability… But for web surfing, and if you use your browser's basic zoom functions (if needed) the PM's screen and resolution is acceptable… If you're thinking of writing your memoirs on the go with Word or any equivalent, you’d better start young while you still have a 10/10 eyesight .
Another cool aspect of the PM Series is its touchscreen. It does its job fairly accurately once calibrated (Kohjinsha could have found a better software solution for this, but well… you won’t have to calibrate the LCD everyday)… With a screen too small to be used with a finger, you’d better be sure to always bring along a spare stylus. Otherwise make sure your nails are long and strong enough to be used as a stylus replacement
Conclusion
I've never been a huge fan of netbooks, too big, too slow… All netbooks for me are always too expensive for what they offer… But once turned into something as big as a Nintendo DS, like the PM Series, the netbook terms come into life… And for once you have a REAL pocket size device, capable of running a real OS and not a mobile version of an existing one, that pretty much lets you do what you can do on a computer… If XP isn't the most amazing OS when used with a small screen, Windows 7 could potentially make the PM Series the ultimate netbook. (We didn't have enough time to run Windows 7 during our test period.)
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