Cost.
Cost varies between high-end PDA prices to mid-range notebook prices. In the manufacturers eyes, there is no such thing as an incorrectly priced device. If a manufacturer only wants a limited production run, is testing the market or is directing its device into a specific market or customer, the price may be unexpectedly high. Unfortunately, as consumers there is nothing we can do about that apart from try and evaluate how much the extra mobility, brand value or features are worth paying for. Prices are falling. During the 12 months to May 2007, prices have typically fallen by 10-15% with some Windows-based UMPCs now being available for under $800 (some examples here.) Price reductions are expected in 2007 and even more so in 2008 as more devices come into the market with newer features meaning older devices must be re-positioned on the price scale.
Weight.
How heavy is heavy? When you pick up a ultra mobile PC for the first time and compare it to the average notebook PC you will be amazed at how light it is. UMPCs usually weigh under 1KG (2.2lbs) which is quite easy to carry around. Try using a 1KG device while holding it in one hand and using a finger to touch the screen. It becomes a heavy device very quickly. For tablet devices with a mouse button its possible to use an 800-1000gm device in two-handed mode for a reasonable length of time. For a device without a mouse pointer, one handed operation is used more often and even 800gm can feel heavy. For one handed operation it is recommended to keep the weight down to sub 800gm levels. Unfortunately, devices under 800gms tend to have smaller screens and smaller batteries so there’s another trade-off to be made!
Other features.
As time goes on and competition in the market increases you will see more and more features being added to UMPCs. Some will be generally useful, others useful only to a niche type of customer, other features will be purely marketing-related. The list is long but here are the most common features to consider:
- DVB-T/H and DMB (Digital TV over terrestrial transmissions to be picked up using an aerial.) Is country dependant. Some UMPCs offer these facilities but only in countries where the service is available.
- Built-in GPS. Can be very useful for in-car usage.
- Fingerprint reader. Combined with a good software suite can limit the amount of username and password entry need. Also simplifies the login process.
- Stereo speakers. Generally, speakers on UMPCs are quite low quality due to the size. If its important to you (Kitchen film watching, background music while surfing, video conferencing) then make sure you check out the quality.
- Secondary screens. Windows Vista and Windows XP support secondary screens that can be placed on the back of a screen for example. The usefulness largely depends on how the device is used and the software features that driver the screens
- Rugged builds. In general, mid range and low-end UMPCs do not offer any level of ruggedness but some specialist devices are available. We don’t yet cover these devices on UMPCPortal
- Extended battery options. For all-day operation extended battery options are available with some UMPCs. They add weight and size though.
- Active digitisers. Regarded as the best option for pen input (handwriting, sketching, annotating) but do not permit finger touch response.
- High brightness screens. For outdoor use, high brightness screens are essential. Look for brightness figures over 250 nits for outdoor, under shade and in-car usage. Some mid-range ultra mobile PC devices are available with 280 or 300 nit screens. Specialist devices can offer more. Operation in direct sunlight is generally not possible with normal UMPCs.
- Built in cameras. For web conferencing or video calling, a built in 1.3MP camera can be useful. It is important to check on the sensitivity if you are looking to work indoors under normal home lighting. Some devices also come with forward facing cameras. At this time, there are no UMPCs that offer digital photography class cameras. (Glass lenses, manual focus, optical zoom etc.)
Other aspects to consider.
Style and customer service are the main considerations. Style plays an important part in the ultra mobile PC market. These devices are very personal, a new breed, go out of the house a lot and for many people the style is a very important characteristic. Its personal choice here. I’m afraid we can’t help you!!! Customer service is not something we track on UMPCPortal either so make sure you do a little research. Generally a search for “[company name] problem (blog OR forum)” brings up interesting results but don’t take them out of perspective. Google usually shows xou exactly what you want to search for!!
Should you wait?
The ultra mobile PC market is going to be a fast moving one so waiting for the next device to come is always going to be an option. As this is being written there are devices based on 2006 technology still not available while Intel has already announced next years technology. The overlap is big! As the ultra mobile PC marketplace becomes more competitive, so more effort will be going into design and unique features and within months of buying a devhce, a new model will be announced that will have better features and a better price. This will affect residual prices of devices and you have to be aware that reselling the device to fund a new model won’t be an option unless you’re the type of person that buys for a three month span and then sells the device while it’s still current. Our suggestion is to do what we said before. Be honest! If you’re honest with yourself about what you need and there is a device that matches your requirements then there is no need to wait. You will only be waiting to buy something that does more than you needed in the first place. Your requirements `re likely to mature after you’ve bought the device but over time, you can re-consider your requirements and keep them in mind for your next purchase.
Our opinion on the current devices.
There are over 50 devices in the sector.. In our product database we try to include our opinion on every available device. The database is available in the product portal. https://www.umpcportal.com/products or choose a device from the list in the right hand column here.
Summary.
ultra mobile PC devices are about form factor and mobility. If you think you might nded a notebook computer, think carefully about how you might use it, the money you might spend on screen size, cpu and memory might be better spent on the design aspect to enable more mobility, flexibility, efficiency and fun!
I am looking for a UMPC with a dial up modem or PCMCIA slot. Can you help me? Thanks.
Mistake on page 4: “The recommendation today is that XP is generally better than XP on currently available hardware due to the maturity of the driver software.”
Great article.