Information AboutUltra-mobile Pc |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ULTRA-MOBILE PC | |
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FEATURES Ultra-Mobile PCs have a 20 cm (7-inch) or smaller touch sensitive screen at a minimum Resolution of 800 × 480. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is used with slight tweaks to the interface to make it more suited for the small form factor. In addition, a software suite known as the ''Touch Pack Interface'' is included to make the interface more suitable for use of Stylus as well as hand. The Ultra-Mobile PC is just a platform for which manufacturers can design any model they want, provided they meet or exceed the baseline specifications laid down by Intel and Microsoft . However, the UMPC will be capable of running a full version of most PC operating systems. When the UMPC was disclosed at CeBIT 2006, Samsung , ASUS and Founder had near-complete devices on display. The Samsung Q1 officially launched on March 1, 2006 UMPC's will be able to run any software that has been written for the Windows XP platform, though the small form factor will mandate some changes to the interface. The standard Windows XP interface is the default, though a choice of having an interface more suited for the small form factor is available with the ''Touch Pack Interface''. Due to the small size, most UMPCs do not feature a physical keyboard, but a Virtual Keyboard , known as '' DialKeys '', is provided in the Touch Pack Interface. Also, since the device has standard USB 2.0 connectivity, external keyboards and mice can be attached. UMPC devices will include a 900 MHz Intel Celeron M , Pentium M , Core Solo or VIA C7-M processor, 256 MB to 1 GB of RAM, and a 30 to 160 GB hard disk, depending on the manufacturer. Other ultra mobile devices have been found with AMD Geode CPUs (Raon Digital Vega) or Transmeta Crusoe CPUs ( OQO Model 01). Ultra-Mobile PCs can also feature Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, Webcam s, Fingerprint Reader s, Stereo Speakers , TV Tuner s, or Memory Card readers. Bluetooth , Wi-Fi and Ethernet are all supported as well. UMPCs have enough processing power to support audio, video, and gaming, in addition to having rich support for browsing the internet as well as for other communication and networking applications. Windows Media Player will be included, with a special skin designed to provide a better experience on the small screen. The devices will also feature DirectX 9 –class graphics, and all applications available for standard Tablet PC s are expected to be compatible. It is hoped that the prices of UMPC's will come down to the US$500 range. Battery Life is expected to increase from the initial 2½ hours to 8 hours.1 Most UMPC's are now available with Windows Vista although many new UMPC's come with the option to have Vista or XP Tablet PC Edition installed, one example of this is the Samsung Q1 Ultra which originally launched with only Vista versions, but has subsequently launched Windows XP versions.2 Most UMPC's run Windows, but the Nokia N800 has a RISC based processor which limits the device to only run Linux Maemo , currently it is the only UMPC shipping with Linux. PRE-LAUNCH MARKETING CAMPAIGN In February 2006, a . Much speculation positioned Origami as a portable gaming device that would directly compete with '' being played on a UMPC. While the movie was quickly taken down from its original source, mirrors exist on many other sites. Later in the week, the Associated Press confirmed that "Origami" was actually to be a regular PC with "limited gaming capabilities".3 DIALKEYS A new text input method was implemented for the Ultra-Mobile PC. Consisting of two rings of keys around the lower corners of the screen, DialKeys is intended for use with the thumbs. OTHER KEYBOARDS Third party on-screen keyboard solutions are gradually becoming available. A very good example of this can be found at www.freshnet8.com. This particular keyboard uses maximum available real estate on the touch screen making text input on mobile systems both fast and easy. AVAILABLE DEVICES The list of UMPCs on the market is growing beyond the first two available UMPCs: Amtek's T700 and Samsung's Q1. The Amtek unit is being sold worldwide through different OEMs. In the US it's the ''TabletKiosk eo v7110'', ''agoPC ago7'', and ''Azentek GB-810'', in Europe the ''PaceBlade EasyBook P7'' and ''its Label Origami'', in Australia the ''TabletKiosk eo v7110'' and the ''Pioneer DreamBook UMPC 700'' and in Japan the ''PBJ SmartCaddie''. In late August 2006, TabletKiosk launched a line of Intel based UMPCs, the eo i7210 and i7209. They followed this up in March 2007 with a ruggedized VIA based UMPC, the eo TufTab v7112XT4. OQO is also selling UMPCs. The OQO model 01 was actually launched well before the Ultra-Mobile PC craze began, but its specifications were very similar to the UMPC specifications. Latest Devices In September 2006, Raon Digital launched the Vega running a AMD Geode LX800 , 256MB of RAM, and a 30GB hard drive. It has a 4.3" screen, a 500MHz processor, and a battery life of 5.5 hours. It runs Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and retails for 680,000 Korean won (U$700-750). However it does not have WiFi capability. In early October 2006 Samsung quietly launched the Q1b, bringing the Ultra Mobile platform closer to the vision that Microsoft created. The Q1b features a VIA C7-M ULV processor running at 1GHz, a 30% brighter screen, up to 5 hours of battery life, and a lower price point than the Samsung Q1. It also has optional modules for HSDPA or WiBro for ubiquitous internet connectivity in major cities around the world. Also a new UMPC on the market is the t770 from AMtek. It's a Windows Vista powered device with a 1200MHz processor and 1024MB of RAM. It has a 40GB hard disk (or 60GB on another cheaper brand, and also the same device) and a 7" screen. It is available for 899€ (the cheaper brand is 849€). Around the same date, CHIP.DE CHIP.DE featured an article about the R2H from ASUS , which runs a Windows Tablet PC edition OS on its Intel Celeron system. It has a VGA-TV output, GPS, 3 USB ports, 60GB hard drive and 512MB RAM. It also offers wired/wireless network capabilities. In Germany, its current price is 939€ at Amazon.de. In 2007, WWAN , Bluetooth , 802.11 a/b/g WiFi , running Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. OQO has won quite a few computer and design awards, including Guinness World Records recognition of OQO model 02 as the world's smallest fully functional computer . UPCOMING DEVICES There are quite a few announced UMPCs that haven't hit the market yet. The DualCore PC, Mobits X17 and Medion MD RIM 1000 ASUSTek R2H have all been announced and are scheduled to be on the market sometime this year. The Medion MD RIM 1000 is a highly anticipated device featuring a 1GHz Via processor, GPS, a TV tuner, and a slide-out keyboard. It is slated for release in Europe January 30th with a possible US release following. Makers of the CPUs found in most Ultra-Mobile PCs, VIA & Intel, are stepping up efforts to create new processors and chipsets that could result in devices with 10 times lower power consumption than today’s laptops in 2008. In particular, Intel's Silverthorne processor (the successor to Stealy), which won't be available until 2008http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/32404/118/ Intel CEO: Silverthorne most important product since the introduction of the Pentium processor, will be a 45nm design and the first core designed from the ground up to be lower power. UMPC Accessories There are currently several companies developing accessories exclusively for the 7" UMPC platform. These include carry cases, screen protectors, styli, protective bump cases and docking stations. In addition, several prototypes of "mounting solutions" have been previewed which permit the UMPC device to be mounted in the car, on the wall or attached to an adjustable arm. SEE ALSO
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