This isn’t the entry-level Q1 Ultra, this is the full Q1 Ultra Vista with Bluetooth and SD slot and it’s going for $749. The Q1 Ultra Vista is the UMPC I’m using at the moment although I’ve upgraded it to Windows XP, added the extended battery and upgraded internally with 2GB and an HSDPA module.

So if you’re thinking of buying, do me a favor, buy me a birthday present and help UMPCPortal by buying through my Amazon affiliation!

MIDA is a Korean organisation that has been set up to help those involved with the manufacturing of MIDs in the country. I like the fact that we’re seeing coordination between companies.

MIDA includes Intel Korea, Haan Soft, KT, SK Telecom, LG Electronics, Daum Communications, Yukyung Technology, Wibrain, Hanbit Electronics and Digifriends. If combined with companies in consideration, it has 30 members.

  Full story at ETNews. Via  Futurize Korea

I’ll be 40 years old on the 25th so I’m going ‘home’ to the UK to be with family and friends for this sad occasion. (Only joking; I’m looking forward to the next 40!)  I don’t expect to be providing too much in the way of self-generated content during my holiday but I will be watching carefully for Intel news. IDF is on the 2nd April and I’m sure we’re going to see a lot of news about Atom, Atom-based devices and Moblin. Intel’s Josh Bancroft is going to Shanghai so make sure you keep an eye on his blog. I’ll try and microblog via twitter so keep an eye on the Carrypad FriendFeed page or RSS feed. As soon as IDF is over I’ll be on the train to Amsterdam for The Next Web conference for a bit of fun and to ask Robert Scoble how many N95 batteries he gets through in a day! (For those that don’t follow him, he’s an N95/QIK fan.)

In the kit-bag this week is the Samsung Q1 Ultra and Samsung Q1 keyboard. I’ll load my 3 UK SIM card into my Nokia N82 and use it via Bluetooth from the Q1 Ultra if needed.  I will be leaving the Canon camera behind and relying solely on my N82 for photography. I’ll also be taking an Archos 605 to keep my daughter occupied in the car.

If you’re on holiday this Easter week, have a great time. If not, make sure you ping me if you see any juicy news! I’ll be back on the 30th.

Since I shot this video I have installed XP on my Q1 Ultra and it’s gone from dust-catcher to my primary UMPC. HTC, you might need to do the same with the Shift. Here’s an example of two Intel A110-baed UMPCs running the two Microsoft OS’
I think a lot of reviewers would feel differently about the Shift if it had XP. Vista, the deal breaker.

Click to Play Using the Samsung Q1 Ultra as a podcasting tool using Skype and Samplitude Studio. Uplading to Podshow.com. Podcatching it using the Nokia N82 a few minutes later. Details in the full article here. Formats available: Windows Media (.wmv), Flash Video (.flv) Tags: umpc, podcasting

I’ve been doing some podcast testing with the Q1 Ultra today but it’s taken me ages. Since I loaded up a set of podcasts feeds on the N82 set it to auto-update it’s been playing non-stop and has been distracting me!  More about that later but for now, I wanted to show you how I’ve been testing lightweight podcasting and simultaneous Skype conversation recording on the Q1 Ultra. I’m actually quite surprised how stable the whole setup is and if I had the Q1 Ultra premium with the 1.33Ghz Core Solo, it would probably be stable enough to take a couple of simultaneous Skype calls and would be able to feed soundbytes into the mix too. No doubt this is all possible on the MacBook Air but the MBA doesn’t have 6 hours in-use battery life and an HSDPA modem for true mobility in an 800gm package does it! Most Ghz-class UMPCs should be able to do this under windows XP.

First take a look at the video (edited and rendered using the same UMPC while I wrote this article) and then listen to the quality of the recording using the link below.

Another CeBIT 2008 video. This time it’s the Universal-ABIT MID that we spotted hiding in a glass cabinet. Full specifications aren’t yet available but you’ll see a lot of detail in the video. It will be based on Atom, include a built-in 3G modem and what appears to be a bigger-than-average battery pack compared to the Gigabyte MID. Maybe they’re going for a bit more battery life on it. What you won’t find built-in is GPS or DVB-T as these are likely to be sold as SDIO add-on cards. As with all Intel MIDs, the ABIT MID launch is targeted for mid 2008. Overall its a nice looking, pocketable Internet device. Video after the break…

When I started the list it had just 17 devices on it. Exactly two years later there are over 60 models and many more branded variants.

Click for the live image list and links to details for each and every UMPC.