Why UMPC enthusiasts still have to wait a while

What is UMPC?

Ultra Mobile PC is a futuristic,ultra portable PC which is expected to take over laptops and desktop computers soon. The ambitious project is jointly developed by Microsoft,Samsung and Intel.The UMPC can run Windows Tablet PC edition,Vista Home Premium or Linux.

What’s so special about UMPC?

A 7-inch touch screen with a minimum resolution of 800 x 480 with 900 Mhz processor ad 256 to 1 GB of RAM and 30 to 160 GB HDDs.Also features like Wi-Fi,Bluetooth and Ethernet,GPS,fingerprint reader,stereo speakers,TV tuners and memory card readers.

Are we there yet?

Well Samsung,Nokia,Acer have already launched different models of UMPCs.

In spite of the models launched by big companies the UMPC is not hitting the market as expected.Here are the reasons

1)Battery Life

The battery life of UMPCs is close to around 7 hours which is nothing as compared to cell phones and laptops.Also the daily usage of the average user is more than 7 hours.

2)Graphics

The user needs television,video and games to be portable but the graphic quality in UMPCs is lower than expected.

3)Connectivity

Wireless networking is very expensive.3G et al are still to take full advantage of the networking market.

Verdict

It will take another 2-3 years till UMPCs start taking a significant share in the market.So just hold on to your laptops and wait till they come up with a better battery.

Notable Products

Samsung Q2 Ultra

Features

7-inch Touchscreen

690 grams 228mm by 124mm by 24 mm ( 16 mm smaller than older Q1 )

1024 x 600 with AERO support

800MHz Intel cpu

60gb hdd

1 GB RAM

Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi (802.11b/g)

and many more

(Product details)

Check out some more devices link

image source:Endgadget.com,Wikipedia