Asus announces GPS–equipped UMPC

Asus has hopped on the ultra-mobile PC bandwagon, going beyond the near-standard UMPC spec with an integrated fingerprint scanner and a built-in GPS receiver with a fold-out antenna. The handheld computer even has its own webcam.

The R2H's display is a 7in LCD 1,280 x 800 job. Inside beats the 900MHz heart of an ultra-low voltage Intel Celeron M connected to a mere 256MB of 533MHz DDR 2 SDRAM, expandable to 768MB. There's a choice of 20, 30, 40 or 60GB 4,200rpm hard drive. It runs Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

The UMPC has 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi on board and Bluetooth 2.0. There are three USB 2.0 ports and a USB card reader.

The whole thing weighs 830g and measures 23.4 x 13.3 x 2.8cm. Asus didn't say when the R2H will go on sale, or how much the device will cost.

Sony unveils Flash–based UMPC

Are We Ready for Ultra-Mobile PCs?

PCWORLD.COM: With the first Origami-based handhelds coming next month, some are wondering if these devices are ready for us.

On May 1, Samsung Electronics will start selling its Q1 ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), the first of a new breed of handheld device that Microsoft and Intel hope will change the way people use computers.

However, don't look for a revolution to happen overnight. "The opportunities are big but I think the turning point is still in the future, not tomorrow," said Dadi Perlmutter, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobility Group.

"We are now playing with the first wave of something," he said.

Based on the Origami platform developed by Microsoft and Intel, Samsung's Q1 runs the Tablet PC version of Windows XP and boasts a seven-inch touch-screen LCD panel and a 900-MHz Celeron M processor. With a price tag of around $1200, Samsung expects to sell 400,000 of the devices over the next year.

For UMPCs to be a success, they must be more than a slimmed-down notebook or large PDA. "If it is going to end up that way, I don't think it will succeed. It has to be something beyond just an 'in-between,'" Perlmutter said.

Samsung's version of the UMPC, which measures about 10.5 by 9 by 5.5 inches and weighs in at 1.7 pounds, is generally typical of what first-generation UMPCs will look like.

Room for Improvement

As with any new type of device, these designs will inevitably go through several rounds of revision and improvement, Perlmutter said. "We ultimately want to get [the UMPC] lighter, smaller," he said, noting that these versions of the device will likely be available in two years.

Eight hours of battery life and Wimax connectivity will also be important features of future UMPCs, providing a constant high-speed Internet connection, Perlmutter said. This combination of high-speed connectivity and the relatively large LCD screen, will allow users to access information on the Web that's not viewable on the small screen of a cell phone or PDA, he said.

Combined with technology that can tailor this information to a user's location, future UMPCs offer the prospect of interesting new applications, Perlmutter said. "I have a restaurant chain. You log into my Web site and I know your location. You get the map on top of Google Earth, you could even get my menu," he said.

Of course, this can also be done using a notebook PC. "But it's not realistic that I'm going to take my notebook out of my bag each time I want to look for something," Perlmutter said. "But if I have device like [the UMPC] with instant-on, it's useful."

UMPCs to get special Media Extender software

For those of you still scratching your heads over what exactly you might use a $700 UMPC for, Microsoft is working on a version of Media Center Extender software to allow you to touchscreen your way through TV, music, home automation, or whatever you use your Media Center PC for. So far there's no date for when we might see this software, but Todd Rutherford, Microsoft's program manager for eHome Control, says it's a sure thing. We guess it depends on your style if you'll use this thing as a glorified remote control, or as a primary viewing device, but at least now it'll do you a lot more good than just some oddly shaped Frisbee with a touchscreen.

Fujitsu exhibits fold-out keyboard UMPC

Fujitsu has put on show a pair of conceptual PC designs, one intended to show how an "ultra-mobile" machine might operate, the other a home computer system which looks funky enough but probably won't give Apple's industrial designers any sleepless nights.

The UMPC concept is certainly topical, what with the launch of Microsoft's Origami Project and the announcement of real-world products from the likes of Samsung based on the design, co-engineered with Intel. Devices like Samsung's expensive Q1 are keyboard-free kit on the assumption that ordinary folk would prefer to use a stylus.

No, we're not convinced either, not now that world+dog has had 30-odd years to grow accustomed to computers with keyboards. Fujitsu's UMPC cleverly squares the circle by providing a small form-factor clamshell chassis with a fold out keyboard. The computer would be the size of a CD case, the company said.

Fujitsu's "flexbile-use PC" is less inspiring. It's essentially a three-way system: keyboard, display and computer. These three components connect wirelessly, so you can lift off the screen and carry it around, interacting with the computer unit using a stylus, tablet fashion.

Fujitsu's machine is, perhaps, a step toward Asus' concept system, revealed by Reg Hardware in February 2006. Asus' machine uses wireless to link all the system's components, from memory and hard drives to the CPU and so on.

Fujitsu's concept machines are on show this week in Milan's Triennale di Milano as part of an Japanese Design exhibition.

Will Microsoft's New 'Ultra-Mobile' Computer Fly or Flop? Past Experience Offers Some Clues

KNOWLEDGE @ WHARTON: Although Microsoft recently unveiled an 'ultra-mobile personal computer,' or UMPC, in a move to fill a market niche between laptops and handheld computers, it remains to be seen whether this latest innovation from the software giant will be a hit or flop. While Microsoft is following a "build-it-and-it-will-sell" strategy with the UMPC, technology history is littered with innovative products that never found a market, say experts at Wharton. As Wharton professor of operations and information management Eric K. Clemons puts it: "Build-it-and-it-will-sell strategies are a mixed bag."

UMPC Has Promise but Is Far From Mature

The Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) concept has merit but is unlikely to succeed without key changes, including a lower price and longer battery life.

Event

On 9 March 2006, Microsoft and Intel unveiled details of the UMPC, a reference platform for a sub-notebook-size computer weighing less than 2 pounds, with a 7-inch touch-screen. Initially, UMPCs will run Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, with Microsoft Touch Pack software (formerly code-named "Origami") providing a touch-screen-optimized interface. (UMPCs will be available with Windows Vista at a later date, and can run other operating systems, such as Linux and Mac OS X.) The first UMPCs are expected to be priced in the $799-to-$999 range, and to be available in 2Q06 from vendors such as Founder, Samsung, Asus, TabletKiosk and PaceBlade Japan.

Analysis

Today, the device is a “tweener” — neither PDA (too large to be pocketable) nor notebook (too small to be a useful PC). But the UMPC concept has longer-term promise in the consumer and "prosumer" (professional consumer) markets as a lifestyle device acting as a notebook auxiliary or replacement. This device would let users store and carry their digital “stuff” (including photos, videos and MP3 music files) and would act as a real-time e-mail client (which would require a wireless WAN card and an eight-hour battery, currently unavailable). UMPCs may also have potential in semi-vertical segments such as field sales and education.

But while the UMPC concept has promise, today’s hardware cannot deliver on it. In Gartner's view, success will require:

• Technology advances that are at least two years away (including an eight-hour battery and a sub-$400 price)
  
• Low-cost, compelling content bundles (Intel and Microsoft are working on partnerships in this area)
  
• A better Microsoft shell/interface running on top of Vista
  
• Text entry options beyond “thumb-typing”
  
• "Dock and go" synchronization, requiring minimal user interaction
  
• Sustained market momentum from Microsoft and Intel
  

Today, we believe it isn't possible to produce compelling UMPC products — just "proofs of concept." The low battery life, high price and non-Vista operating system will likely hurt the UMPC's market acceptance in this first go-round, and the negative backlash could damage its future chances. For these reasons, we question the timing of this launch: Why rush this to market before it is ready to succeed? Despite the promise of this device category, the UMPC as currently conceived will fail to achieve mainstream success — defined as unit sales in the millions rather than the thousands — by 2009 (0.8 probability).

Recommendations

Enterprises: Wait for more mature UMPCs — and low-cost content services — to emerge before considering them for field sales or other “notebook replacement” applications.

Device manufacturers: Monitor the UMPC technology road map toward viable product delivery. Understand that a key element of UMPC's value proposition is its positioning as a new lifestyle category, not just another hardware form factor.

Analytical Sources: Leslie Fiering, Brian Gammage and Van Baker, Gartner Research