Article: UMPCs Finally Coming of Age? (LAPTOP Magazine)

OQO Model 02 Yesterday, LAPTOP Magazine posted an article/commentary, “Are UMPCs Finally Coming of Age?” where they discussed the state of Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) and where they’ve been and where they are going. A couple of the things they mention that are important are things that were traditionally only available with some of the smaller laptops (in the 10″ – 12″ range) – namely highspeed data connection and physical keyboards.

One of the things they discussed, and something that is very important to not only UMPCs, but in my opinion applies to some of the smaller ultraportable laptops as well, is having what they call “the full internet experience” – that is, you get almost the same experience (if not the same) using the internet on a full PC or laptop, web browsing email, instant messaging, etc. as you get on the UMPC. I think you are seeing this apply even to phones – some of the Windows Mobile devices (8525s, Samsung Blackjacks, etc.) plus devices like the iPhone, are starting to place an emphasis on internet connectivity. Granted, going down into the smart phone/PDA segment is really pushing it in terms of the user experience, but regardless of what you use, when you look at 2007 versus 2002, it’s a completly different ballgame.

Some of the machines discussed:
OQO Model 02
Vulcan FlipStart
HTC Shift
Palm Foleo

It’s a great article, and well worth reading.

Link: LAPTOP Magazine