Top 5 UltraMobile PCs
If you don’t know what UMPC means, it’s time you got an update. Could this be the start of computing 3.0? No way to tell, this gear is too new to call in terms of overall popularity and sales trends. It could be the Betamax of computing, but could easily wind up being a serious contender for your PC dollars. In case you’re living in a cave in Tora Bora at present, UMPC stands for UltraMobile PC. And no, these are NOT laptops, they’re far too small. Pocket-sized PC power, with ultra-efficient battery technology and some pre-loaded with Vista Business and on-the-go business software. We love anything that’s portable, powerful, and can slip into the inner pocket of your leather jacket:
5. TabletKiosk presents the EO UMPC v7110 tablet PC. This under-a-grand model has a one-gig VIA C7-M low voltage processor, up to a gig of memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Windows XP. If you have never used a tablet PC before, brace yourself for a the learning curve, don’t panic, and remember that it’s made for productivity AND portatbility. This ain’t made to replace your desktop, but it will serve you well on the road once you get used to the lack of a keyboard.
Buy for $899.00
Check out the rest of our Top 5 UltraMobile PCs after the jump!
4. OQO E2 has a 1.5GHz VIA C7M ULV processor, 1GB DDR2, 533 MHz Speed SDRAM Memory, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi to connect to standard wireless networks and hotspots. We like this for the embedded Sprint Mobile Broadband Module. Wi-Fi anywhere you want, baby! There’s also Bluetooth support, a shock-mounted, drop-detecting hard drive, dedicated mouse and zoom buttons, support for HDMI, the list goes on and on.
Buy for $1689.99
3. Samsung’s Q1P is another tablet PC, just as small as any UMPC in this list, weighing in just 1.7 pounds and a one-inch thick profile in your briefcase or backpack. The Q1P sports the low voltage 1 gig Intel Pentium M processor, 60 GB hard drive, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, Intel GMA 900 video card, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g,) Bluetooth connection, and runs Vista Home Premium. You can run this up to 10 hours with an optional 8-cell power bank, very sweet indeed for those long international flights. Another nice touch is the special multimedia feature that lets you view movies, photos and play music without booting up.
Buy for $1299
2. The Asus R2H has a touchscreen, 900MHz Celeron processor, a 60-gig hard drive and runs on the WinXP Tablet PC system. This one is larger than the rest on the list with its seven-inch screen, but the three-and-a-half hour battery life is a nice plus. Some reviewers say this is the best of the bunch for viewing media, which is why it comes to #2 on our list, even though there are some complaints about clunky data entry in some cases.
Buy for $881.69
1. Sony’s VGN-UX380N weighs just over a pound, measuring 5.9 by 3.75 inches. The 4.5-inch widescreen SVGA screen slides up to give you access to the integrated keyboard. Windows Vista Business is included, and the Vaio runs on a Core Solo processor. This has tri-mode Wi-Fi, WWAN, WLAN, and Bluetooth, plus two cameras, a 40 gig hard drive and a gig of RAM. This gets to #1 thanks to running the most current OS around AND having its own keyboard. The two-camera setup is pretty interesting, too.
Buy for $1149 or get the updated version, the UX490 with Core Duo processor and other goodies for $2499.
And that’s our top five! These models may never threaten the full-size desktop PC, but for portability and on-the-go gratification, UMPC is a great concept. As this technology gets more sophisticated, one day the laptop market might just start quaking in its boots.
Thanks for reading, please share your thoughts below in the comments! Also, be sure to grab the GearCrave RSS feed for more great gadgets and men’s style news!
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Thursday, November 15, 2007 7:05PM
[...] GearCrave Top 5 Ultra Mobile PC List is an exciting post to find and read. First, the assumption that there is a need for a top five [...]
Thursday, November 15, 2007 7:38PM
[...] GearCrave Top 5 Ultra Mobile PC List is an exciting post to find and read. First, the assumption that there is a need for a top five [...]
Friday, November 16, 2007 7:12AM
[...] very interesting. GearGrave has compiled a list of their Top 5 Ultra-Mobile PCs. I’m sure this will generate some interesting discussion and raise a few eyebrows, given [...]
Friday, November 16, 2007 9:48AM
Wait, WHAT?!?! The Sony “gets to #1 thanks to running the most current OS around AND having its own keyboard?” Why does the Sony (which every review I’ve seen makes a huge point about how terrible the keyboard is) get #1 based on these criteria when the OQO (which also has Vista and a keyboard, abit one that reviewers actually like) only gets #4? I’m gonna hazard a guess that you selected your top five without every actually playing with any of them.
(for the record, I neither own an OQO nor am I affiliated with them in any way, I’ve just had the opportunity to handle both of these devices and was throughly disappointed with the Sony)
Friday, November 16, 2007 10:44AM
As an OQO owner, the one thing I’d add is that the OQO is the smallest of the five - you can even fit it into a pants pocket or a man’s inside coat pocket (plus there are belt cases for it). The advantage this gives the OQO is that it becomes a truly personal Personal Computer in that you can take it with you all the time.
That and it’s design is the ultimate in geek chic.
Friday, November 16, 2007 12:25PM
Only the OQO is pocket size, the others are not.
The OQO is cool but having used one the input being thumb is not effective and the device is more of a pricey gadget. When you add the docking station, blue tooth keyboard and other needed things to make it useful then your at $2500-$3000 and your carrying the same bulk as a subnotebook.
The other devices lack more mainstream touch type input. Thus far the UMPC’s have had weak sales I believe due to the form factor being not mainstream.
The UMPC that seems to have merit is the new Samsung SPH P9200 that is a trifold device with 5″ screen yet has large touch type keyboard and when folded is about 4.2″ x 5.6″x 1.1″
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-sph-p9200-ultra-umpc-details-break-cover-097876.php
Friday, November 16, 2007 4:59PM
FlyingShawn– you’re right, our review was based on specs alone. It was a tough decision placing each UMPC where we did, but the important thing is those included in the list, no necessarily the order…
Dave P– Very good info on the OQO. We’re all about geek AND chic at GearCrave. If we had to do this again, your comments and FlyingShawn’s might have pushed that OQO into the #1 spot.
Jim– thanks for the tip on the Samsung SPH P2900. I don’t know how we excluded that one. We’ll try to get that up on GearCrave here in the near future. VERY cool.
Friday, November 16, 2007 6:35PM
[...] Top 5 UltraMobile PCs | GearCrave | Stuff you want to touch [...]
Saturday, November 17, 2007 10:47AM
[...] Gearcrave.com has published that they consider the top 5 UMPCs in the market. If you don’t know what UMPC means, it’s time you got an update. Could this be the start of computing 3.0? No way to tell, this gear is too new to call in terms of overall popularity and sales trends. It could be the Betamax of computing, but could easily wind up being a serious contender for your PC dollars. In case you’re living in a cave in Tora Bora at present, UMPC stands for UltraMobile PC. And no, these are NOT laptops, they’re far too small. Pocket-sized PC power, with ultra-efficient battery technology and some pre-loaded with Vista Business and on-the-go business software. [...]
Saturday, November 17, 2007 2:56PM
Next to me stands a HTC X7500 Advantage. That’s my personal No1. UMPC. For what do I need a full Desktop OS on a mobile device?
I don’t want to create Presentations or big Excel Sheets on that. What I need is a keyboard, all thinkable wireless connections, push mail client, a GPS receiver and enough memory space to carry data, audio and/or video files with me. And, thats the most important part, the device has to wake up immediately after pressing the power button. So I can stay connected to my mailbox, view and edit documents, listen to music, show some videos, find the way to my target and all in one device which also acts as a modem for a notebook computer if you need it within parts of a second after pressing the power button.