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.

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