UMPCs

[Spudley112]

I have been eye-balling UMPCs lately and I am about to go crazy. I love the idea of a UMPC, expecially since I have been so impressed with the funcionality of my PPC. Does anyone here own a UMPC and what are your thoughts? Is it better to go for it, or to stay with my PPC? Believe it or not, I have completely replaced my laptop thus far by using my PPC.

[Tracy Daubenspeck]

I have been looking too. I decided not to buy one yet. I have tried several and have found them lacking in one way or another. That said, I could say the same about PPCs too. I have owned quite a few of those though.

Several things stand out as weaknesses on the UMPCs: battery life, screen size (Sony), no keyboard, too big, slow processor, too little memory, and Windows XP. All that said, I might buy one in a year or so if a good one comes out. Samsung is bringing out the Q2 which answers some of the issues, and I saw a demo of a 7" convertable laptop the other day that intrigued me.

Then there is the HTC advantage. Keyboard, cell, bluetooth, wireless, big screen, hard drive, 8 hours battery life. What is not to like? OK, well, size and price.

I'm for a small device with all the features above, a laser keyboard, a holgraphic 3d display, and 16 hours of battery life.

[ctmagnus]

If I had the money, I'd go for the Fujitsu P1610 tablet PC over a UMPC. It's only a slight bit larger than a UMPC (this is my opinion, ymmv here), but imo the feature difference is astounding.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

I've got both PPC and UMPC - to be honest I use my PPC much, much more than my Sony. Having said that, if you have a very specific task or software that will only run on a full-scale x86 device (as I do), than a UMPC is a worthwhile investment. From what you're saying, it doesn't appear that that's the case with you.

I'd also agree with ctmagnus - if I had a choice (and the greens), the P1610 would be very near, if not right at the top, of the list of devices I'd consider especially if Fujitsu follows through on their promise of embedding an HSDPA radio.

[Spudley112]

Actually, I have very specific needs for mobility. I am a corporate training director and I spend most of my time using applications such as PowerPoint and Excel. Using a spectec VGA out card I can run a presentation from my PPC, but a Laptop is typically preferred. I also use Excel quite a bit and the ability to run Pivot Tables is a must. Unfortunately, PPCs Excel program cannot run Pivot Tables. I just feel that the mobility and functionality of a highly mobile PC would be a boon to my job.

I have a Q1 on the way. If it does not work out it will find its way to the for sale bin. I have high hopes for it though. I have heard several people say that the use of a PPC is VERY limited, but I have been able to do quite a bit more than expected with mine. I'll fill you in on my impressions when my Q1 arrives.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

I also use Excel quite a bit and the ability to run Pivot Tables is a must. Unfortunately, PPCs Excel program cannot run Pivot Tables. I just feel that the mobility and functionality of a highly mobile PC would be a boon to my job.

Yup, that qualifies all right - not even Planmaker does pivot tables.


I have a Q1 on the way.

Which one :D?

[Spudley112]

I believe this one is the Q1b

[ctmagnus]

Should've held out for the Shift. ;) :mrgreen:

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Or the Q1 Ultra :devilboy:

[Spudley112]

Or I could have held out for a tricorder :lol:

[Spudley112]

I thought I would post an update. I have been using the Samsung Q1 for a couple of weeks now and I am super impressed. It is not a PDA and that is for sure. Even as small as it is, it takes up a lot more room than my iPAQ. It is nice, however, to have a full computer to carry around at work (and play).

I know there are some new UMPCs in the works that makes the Q1 look paltry, but I have been extremely impressed with how the Q1 handles tasks. My laptop has 1 gb of ram with a 1 ghz processor, and the Q1 seems to run faster. I know that is because I keep the number of apps running pretty low, but it still works great.

Will it replace a PDA? Nope, it was not intended to do that. One of the big issues I have notices is that there seems to be the disparity between professional review and reviews from actual owners. Many reviewers have panned the Q1 while owners seem to absolutely love it (one magazine rated it around 2.9 while actual users rated it at 8.3). The problem is that there are many reviewers who are directly comparing it to either a PDA or a desktop computer. It is neither. It has its own little niche and I think it does its job quite well.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Thanks for the update Spudley, glad you're enjoying your UMPC!