The Ultra Mobile PC
By Peter Rojas 
posted April 27th 2005 8:14AM
posted April 27th 2005 8:14AM
So we got a chance to play around with the mock-up for the Ultra Mobile PC, that new concept design for a mini Tablet PC with a 6-inch display that Microsoft was showing off at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference earlier this week. This isn't really a prototype, since it's just a plastic model with some dreamy future specs, but Microsoft says that the goal is to have something that's this small and thin out within a year or two after Longhorn debuts (which means we'll be reviewing this on Engadget in 2007 or 2008 at best). Even when/if it does come out, the Ultra Mobile PC will still fall squarely into the no-man's land of portable computers—it's too big to fit in your pocket and too small to serve as your main machine.
This will meet the same fate as the OQO M1, and Vulcan. IT takes to damn long to get these engineered, tested and out the door. By that time its under spec'd and Handheld running MS mobile will be just as powerful :) Can you imagine the speed or an XSCALE in 2008? Im thinking 2G range. WEOOOOOOOOOOO
Will it be as successful as the tablet PC?
Interesting concept. One of the guys at my office purchased an OQO and my guess is that this new Ultra Mobile PC will be similar in concept, just a bit bigger. I do agree with the "It's too big to put in your pocket, yet too small to server as your main machine" assessment. I think the important thing to note is that if it can be coupled with a full-sized monitor, keyboard, and bouse, this type of device absolutely COULD serve as your main machine. It's just that docking implementations are currently less-than-pleaseing. For example, the OQO used a silly (in my opinion) "multi-port" cable. Personally, I find it kludgey, and would prefer a simple cradle design.
I have over a decade of PDA experience, and admittedly, it's all too easy to compare these devices to PDA's. Don't (with the possible exception of pen input.) Think of these as truely portable, hand-held PC's. The power and function is truely amazing.
That said, I do have a problem with the size. The size is EXACTLY the size I want in function, but unfortunatly, it makes it difficult to carry. Maybe some sort of belt-case or some such would make that easier. But the functional size is what I have been looking for for a long time.
It's easy to see it's a mock-up...
No blue screen of death...
without a keyboard, resetting my tablet pc was rather interesting.
This exists already. It's called the Sony U series (the new one). It just looks like everyone else is catching on ...
I think is good for sales person people, the current fujitsu p1000 that we use i kind slow.
definitely is going to be successful for business user.
One question: WHAT IS THE POINT? It's too big to function as a PDA, and too crap to function as a laptop. I smell micro$hit
I would say it hits a sweet-spot for size. It's big enough that you can use real apps on it and small enough to hold in one hand comfortably.
Yeah, you'll carry it in you're briefcase. Still doesn't mean I want a whole freaking laptop in there.
It's the perfect size to carry in your purse.
John.
ITS Not a PURSE...!!!, Its my mans bag.
Actually, im drooling over the thing. I want a real computer not a pda, and i want to be able to lug it around comforably. This thing is perfect. I forsee many changes in the next few years and I think mobile computing is going to hit the market quare in the cocktail nuts :P hostestly, i dont need to take it into stores, but it'ld be nice to observe my business'es using whatever good broadband service is mainstream (ehem, EvDO). Anyways, cant wait. guess sonys mini-tablet will have to hold me over till then.
-sd
This looks like a great device for mobile podcasting, skypecasting, and vlogcasting in the future.
The form factor fits squarely into the 'Daytimer' size which is perfect for most people who don't want to carry around a full briefcase but need all their info at their fingertips. Take a daytimer leather case, including paper pages, and add this thing and you have everything you need. Take it home and sync to your desktop or sync via wi-fi. Pocket PCs are too small to do anything useful with. Laptops are too heavy and require you find somewhere to sit or a table. I'd guess that executed properly, you'll see every person on your average commuter train going to work reading the morning news, checking e-mails, etc on this thing. Microsoft has finally nailed the form factor. If they can only execute without a million bugs and security flaws...
Perfect size for GPS apps, be it for aviation, water or land! I don't want to shell out 2k for a Garmin unit that all I can use it for is a GPS or PDA (then the screen is to small) with this, you get all of that plus a great little pc to read ebooks, listen to music, watch movies, word process, email, etc.. I can't wait.
Tk's right. This would energize the mobile market in places like automobiles where you could switch among gps, mp3s, videos and wifi using a touch screen.
I think the form factor is ideal. At "about the size of a paperback" I can carry it in a jacket pocket. The only thing I don't like about my Tablet PC is its weight and bulk.
But - do we believe the hype? All-day battery life for a Longhorn device? With always-on broadband? Either they expect a big jump in battery and power-saving technology, or they mean all day "as in 8-hour work day, well, you only really work six of them anyway... not including coffee breaks... mumble..."
Don't tease us Microsoft, you can't compromise on this. It NEEDS to be a true all-day device!
Ah...
From the speech itself:
„Our purpose is to offer at least 100 million truly mobile computers, which will be used more than 2-3 hours a day, allowed today by the battery lifespan”, announced Bill Mitchell, vice president of the mobile division within Microsoft.
2-3 hours a day? For your PC, media player, camera and phone!? That's just useless.
Darn, I can't edit comments here! Please ignore the last post, I was misreading the quote. He's referring to the battery life of present-day laptops. They do mean to come out with real all-day use. According to Microsoft's Jim Allchin (quoted here: http://shopping.guardian.co.uk/computers/story/0,1587,1478241,00.html), the Ultra Mobile 2007 will achieve this by using Flash memory instead of a hard drive. Apparently, using 64 bit Longhorn, it will address all this memory directly. That could be fast!
Darn, I can't edit comments here! Please ignore the last post, I was misreading the quote. He's referring to the battery life of present-day laptops. They do mean to come out with real all-day use. According to Microsoft's Jim Allchin (quoted here: http://shopping.guardian.co.uk/computers/story/0,1587,1478241,00.html), the Ultra Mobile 2007 will achieve this by using Flash memory instead of a hard drive. Apparently, using 64 bit Longhorn, it will address all this memory directly. That could be fast!
At http://www.segal.org/tablet/photo/ I've posted a photo of a Motion Computing LS800 Tablet computer in a jacket pocket. The LS800 is a bit bigger than the concept machine showed by Bill Gates but it gives you a bigger screen with 800 x 600 resolution that is easy to read. Carrying a spare battery in the other pocket and using Standby mode as needed I am able to get through 14 hour days without running out of power.