UMPC Site

No, he doesn’t cure your love problems(i guess?), he answers your questions about Samsung Q1. (But maybe i should begin advising on love? Damn VCs!)

Albert actually sent this in through our MobileTechRoundup podcast address, but it’s a valid concern: “I spend a lot of time writing down notes at work and at school I was worried that the vectoring will make using the Q1 unpleasant. I also like the idea of using the Q1 for presentations at meetings.”

Here’s my opinion based on using the Q1 as my primary mobile device for the past four days (yes, I put the M205 in temporary “dry dock”): I think this device is ideal for taking notes and I’ve used it in several work meetings for that very purpose using Windows Journal and OneNote 2007. I will caution you on the vectoring; if you’re not careful, it will happen. I’ve made some adjustments to my inking to compensate, but it’s already second nature for me to rest my wrist on the device bezel around the screen.

Now you know why his hands look beaten on the videos.

The Korea Times is reporting that Samsung is planning a new UMPC with AMD chips to be able to offer lower prices.

To lower the price, Samsung will use CPUs made by AMD instead of expensive Intel chips, the Samsung official said on condition of anonymity.

As you can remember, news about a new cheaper UMPC using VIA chips from Samsung were spreading too. I didn’t believe it much then, i didn’t believe this one much too. Of course it can be true,but it doesn’t make a lot sense to me. We will wait and see.

Kevin Tofel at jkOnTheRun stripped off Q1. If you are interested in its’ inside like me, jump in. I’m waiting for new high resolution photos from him soon.

As Steve’s comment on our story and his entry on Carrypad confirmed, Asus R2H with Core Duo was just a mistake. Asus Germany contacted him and told the rumors are not true.

I liked Asus’s attitude. Most companies don’t even comment on absolutely wrong rumors.

Asus delayed R2H for two months and it will be available in late July or August. This is the real news but a lot of editors read others and (jkOnTheRun,PaperbackPC,OrigamiPortal …) indeed it all began with from WinHec under a R2H photo :

Asus is listing it’s UMPC with an Intel Core Duo processor, which is a lot faster than the 900Mhz Celeron, and it also has built-in GPS, as opposed to an optional CF card GPS device on the Samsung Q1. You’ll also notice a built-in Web cam and a fingerprint reader. The R2H is loaded with Windows Tablet OS edition and weighs less than 2 pounds. No word on pricing yet.

According to emsnow.com’s story :

By utilizing the company’s proprietary new “Power4 Gear +” battery conservation technology, Asustek said its new machines will offer at least 30 minutes longer battery life than Samsung’s 3.5 hours.

and more importantly ;

“We hope to bring our prices down to around US$900,” Chen said.

Both around $900 and Core Duo, it doesn’t look very possible to me. And with Core Duo it will be a little hard to offer better battery life than Q1. And of course it will probably make a lot of heat.

I think Asus made a little typo at WinHEC.

Steve at Carrypad posted a nice review and a booorrring video (his word) of Paceblade Easybook P7. Although it’s boring, you should watch it for seeing Paceblade’s on screen keyboard , which they also use on their Tablets for easy and fast input, and Need for Speed.

Microsoft are marketing their UMPC platform to the masses. At the moment, this is not going to happen. Prices, style and performance will need to be changed to achieve that. The Paceblade Easybook P7 does, however, have a place slightly outside Microsoft’s target market.

Kevin Tofel from jkOnTheRun posted a loooong (34:28 minutes but if you watch it, you will see that it feels like a day) usage scenarios video for Samsung Q1. He didn’t shoot the video with a good camera, but we have seen from other video reviews, it is not a very problem. I think Kevin shoot this video thinking the audience don’t bother from the length, but i did.

Beside that, it’s very nice for seeing Q1 running everyday programs like Word,Outlook,MindManager etc.

Hardocp published a UMPC preview. The UMPC previewed is sent by VIA to them and it’s actually a PBJ Smartcaddie. It is really a preview, they don’t say much and look at it as a concept. (they shouldn’t forget that there are and will be other UMPCs)

Sadly, I only got about an hour and forty five minutes out of the battery while watching videos. Also, during this time, while the CPU was working at nearly full speedabout 60%, the left ventilation port was expelling uncomfortably warm air. If you were holding this device, you would definitely notice it, and it’s difficult to grasp the device without having at least a finger over the vent. Combined with the overall heat dissipation of the chassis, some people might consider the device a bit too warm while engaging in CPU intensive activities.

Let me get this out first: I like the UMPC concept. I like the idea of it, and I even like the first versions of it. However, I don’t recommend spending the money on it right now.

The sample I received did just about everything I wanted it to. It played back music, videos, and acted like a grownup PC when I needed it to. It was well designed and small, and the touchscreen had excellent clarity and functionality. The various ways of navigating the system and inputting text or commands are intuitive and easy to use. This definitely isn’t your kid’s “texting” on a mobile phone.