May 2, 2006

Samsung's Ultra Mobile PC - Tablet PC. Looks Great - But not for Small Businesses

Technology vendors are trying very hard to create devices beyond (or in addition to) the basic PC we have all come to love (some hate) for the past decades of personal computing.

Mobile devices such as PDAs and smartphones are now "standard" but vendors are still having a difficult time selling Tablet PCs (and similar computing devices) to the masses. Vertical industries such as the medical field are using them more.

Yesterday, Samsung released to the US the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), the Q1. The Q1 will be available at Best Buy¬?s e-tail outlet, beginning May 7, and in select Best Buy stores later this summer as part of a collaboration between the two companies.

The Q1 is a collaborative project among Samsung, Microsoft and Intel Corporation and is the next generation of mobile devices to incorporate the functionality of a conventional PC with diverse mobile features, reads Samsung's press release.

Of special interest to consumers is that Samsung¬?s AVS function also allows users to enjoy a variety of multimedia ¬? movies, music, still photos, video and navigation ¬? without booting up Windows.

Bluetooth and wired/wireless LAN come standard and provide the user with easy Internet access.

The Q1 will retail for $1,099 in the U.S. Various options are available for purchase, including a USB keyboard, organizer, extended battery and additional band external optical disc drive.

I think at this price the Q1 is too costly, competes too closely with a notebook computer and is not going to catch fire in consumerumre or business space.

PC Magazine writes With Samsung's novel Q1 device ($1,099 direct), the much-hyped UMPC platform by Microsoft and Intel has arrived. First developed as part of the Origami project, these new, tiny Windows-based PCs are supposed to redefine how you compute on the go. In the end, though, I feel that the UMPC idea is just another questionable attempt by Bill Gates to revive the Slate Tablet.

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