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Written by KTP Radhika

Thursday, 05 March 2009 16:57

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The ultra mobile personal computer (UMPC) represents the miniature, cutting edge of personal computing. New versions of this PC are getting more user-friendly and popular.

small is indeed sweet. And in this case bold and beautiful, too. Sample the new ultra mobile personal computer or UMPC. You can carry it anywhere you go. It fits into your palm and is small enough to carry in your wallet or pocket. What's more, this pygmy PC can run Windows Vista, has a powerful processor, bright display, and supports the latest connectivity standards. Weighing less than a kilogram, it equals any stand-alone PC, capable of running full versions of most PC applications.
This small wonder allows users to have a true PC computing experience with high mobility. As Bob Rosin, vice president of marketing at OQO, puts it: "For years, users have wanted to take all the applications they have in their desktop or notebook computer with them when they are on the go. Recently, smartphone products and PDAs (personal digital assistants) became popular, but they still are not able to run standard business applications. It's here that UMPCs excel."

The second coming!
Codenamed Project Origami, the UMPC was first introduced as a collaboration between Microsoft, Intel, Samsung and a few others in 2006. Today, a number of major players-OQO, Gigabyte, Fujistu and Panasonic are working in this domain. Along the way, the product has improved significantly in areas like processor speed and ability, battery life, size, weight and performance.

In spite of all these features, UMPCs have so far not been able to penetrate mass markets. But that could change with The second generation of UMPCs, which are significantly better than their predecessors in just about every aspect-from keyboards and displays to battery life.
UMPC

From the initial Q1 model, the first ever UMPC by Samsung, to the new Q1 Ultra, the screen size has increased to 7 inches (17.7 cm) from 5 inches (12.5 cm), while its resolution has increased to 1024 x 600 pixels from 800 x 480 pixels. This model also has a light-emitting-diode/LED-backlit display and offers the touchscreen facility. Similarly, OQO's latest e2 model has a 5-inch (12.5 cm) sliding screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The business model of the UMPC, eo V7110 (a collaboration between Microsoft, VIA and Tablet Kiosk) has an ultra slim LCD of 7 inches (17.7 cm), with a native resolution of 800x480 pixels, that can be increased to 1024 x 600 pixels.
Most companies have expanded the battery life of their new generation UMPCs to more than six hours. CPU and chipset maker VIA Technologies has introduced the VIA NanoBook Ultra Mobile Device powered by the company's low-voltage 1.2 GHz C7-M processor. This product delivers up to five hours of battery life and comes with a 7-inch WVGA (wide video graphics array) screen.

OQO's e2 model offers six hours of battery life, while the Q1 Ultra's battery will last for five hours. The eo V7110 comes with a 26W Lithium Ion battery pack, which won't last more than two hours during ‘real world' use, but which can be extended using a 6-cell battery, which doubles the standard runtime.

New versions of the UMPC also feature significantly improved keyboards as well as better joysticks than their predecessors. "The challenge of these kinds of products is shrinking the size of the components to fit into such a small form factor," says Prabodh Vyas, managing director, Gigabyte Technology (India), which has come out with the M704 and M912 that weigh a mere 780 gm and have a host of features, such as integrated cameras. The M912 runs on Intel's Atom processor, which has been specially designed for this platform.

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