Comments on: Band of the Hand: UMPCs reviewed

Band of the Hand: UMPCs reviewed

[Horacio]

Forgotten UMPC pioneer that is still best

I can't understand why are you guys lefting aside the Toshiba libretto and their asian imitators (kohinsha) out of the UMPC category.
I am really tempted by the libretto size and features, specialy becouse it is the only pocket size computer with an included dvd drive (sort of, in fact it is an attachable base).
The only reason I can figure you are leeaving the libretto out of this category is the lack of a touchscreen. But it is certainly a "pocket size" computer.

[captbobfl]

UMPC A good choice

You have left out the Samsung Q1 UMPC I use mine almost daily. It is a GPS device both marine and land. With Windows XP I can do all the tasks that a laptop can do. Granted sometimes not as conviently but with a USB hub to augment the two existing USB ports I have access to a combo drive, keyboard, and mouse and a port leftover for a memory stick so I can import/export data. Not to mention the bluetooth capability and wireless features. I get about 1 1/2 hours out of the standard battery with the Juice power system I can operate either from 12 VDC or 115 VAC and recharge the battery at the same time. At $999 the Samsung Q1 is an outstanding tool.

[zclayton2]

Ideal Specs

A body with the footprint of a cd case, keypad on top wih the keys in a \\\/// layout for full touch typing and a "yet to be developed" projection display that uses any flat light colored surface - either the table or a nearby wall. USB keys or newer equivalents for data transfer and extra storage.

[tbutler67]

Other options to consider...

If, as the article suggests, most people just use UMPCs for web browsing, an
obvious question to ask is whether you actually need a portable computer
running a full-fledged version of Windows.

As Carnoy's article mentions, there were 'clamshell' style WinCE devices that
would have been suited for that use, if they'd been a little more powerful
(although their failure in the marketplace raises questions about the whole
category); in the current market, there's the Nokia Internet Tablets (the 770
and N800), which lack a keyboard but have an 800x480 screen and are thus
much better at display-oriented tasks like web browsing than the typical
portrait screen of a PDA - and cost much less than a UMPC.

They have their warts as well, to be sure, but they raise the question - if a
UMPC is going to be so compromised by its form factor that it can't operate
well as a full-fledged Windows computer, do you really need the expense and
power drain from trying to shoehorn a full-fledged Windows computer into
that form factor? Or would you be better served by a more limited device that
is much cheaper, with better battery life, and can be designed with a better
focus on 'typical' handheld tasks?