TabletKiosk V-700 UMPC

What, another UMPC? Don't tell us you thought the Samsung, Asus and Founder UMPCs we checked out earlier this week were the only ones out there. Like it or not, the UMPC is now a real product category (at least for now), and that means we're going to see more of these little boxes coming out over the next few months (though at least they won't be accompanied by cryptic, annoying, overblown hype campaigns). Like this one, from TabletKiosk, a company known for, yes, PCs designed for use as tablets or in kiosks. The company's entry to the UMPC market is the V-700, with specs that look consistent with the other UMPC's we've seen (though this one doesn't have an Intel processor): VIA  C7M at 1GHz, max RAM of 1GB, 2.5-inch HDD up to 160GB, 7-inch 800x480 display, and the standard array of buttons (and, of course, no specifics about pricing and battery life, the two most closely held secrets in UMPC-land). In fact, if you look closely at it, you'll see that the V-700 is one of the boxes that we saw a few days ago, back when the hype machine was in full swing. Of course, it didn't have any branding (and current pics still don't). But it's nice to see that at least some of those pics were real, rather than Photoshop projects from people with way too much time on their hands.

[Thanks, Rob]

[EgonMSD22 @ Mar 10th 2006 1:10PM]

This seems like its going to be the first gen entry level UMPC, by the fact that is running off of a VIA Chip. Its a shame that some goverment agency isnt working with these guys (all of the manufactors) they would tell us a price in a heartbeat.

[Jesse @ Mar 10th 2006 1:12PM]

I still dont understand the point of the UMPC. It is smaller and less powerful/functional than a laptop, yet it is too big to fit in a pocket and be truely portable. Who wants these?

[Mike @ Mar 10th 2006 1:13PM]

And Apple doesn't have cryptic, annoying, overblown hype campaigns?

I for one am looking forward to this platform since Apple is a 'no show'.

[Dan @ Mar 10th 2006 1:17PM]

Well, if it were white, had a fruit logo and the exact same specs, there would be a bunch of fanboys screaming about how absolutly fantastic and cutting edge it is.

[Ladderless @ Mar 10th 2006 1:27PM]

OK.... Where the devil are these?

For everyone who is complaining about the form of these devices, go to here:
http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/platform/umpc.htm

And look under "product information" -- Click on "watch the video of possible useages"

They show some pretty AMAZING forms -- I can't believe that they aren't showing those -- Although it would KILL the sales of the units coming out soon.

[EgonMSD22 @ Mar 10th 2006 1:29PM]

You know im sure people said the same thing about GPS or even Home Theater projectors, having a military use for the GPS and a Corporate use for the projector. Personally I carry out into the field, my PSP, PDA, laptop and my cell phone, if one of these could bring me down just to a UMPC and a cell thats less things to lug around.

There is a market for this without boundaries. I'd take it from my home where for general use, to my car to play music off of or a dvd for the family, hit a wi-fi spot to get movie tickets or something along those lines.... it just goes on and on.

Even if it is just Gates pushing the TabletPC to get Intel, and Samsung, powerhouses in there own right ot hype it up as well makes me belive that the Electronic Industry feels that this is the future of the PC.

[invaderluj @ Mar 10th 2006 1:31PM]

I for one am very excited about the UMPC platform...I see many applications for it in the school, science, and personal entertainment areas

You just have to wait a few gens for the kinks to get worked out

[Nick @ Mar 10th 2006 1:37PM]

Oh good, a VIA chip. I suppose this means we won't seen an Intel dominated market and can expect an AMD version to popup from some manufacturer. Good news!

Nick

[Justin @ Mar 10th 2006 1:40PM]

" Well, if it were white, had a fruit logo and the exact same specs, there would be a bunch of fanboys screaming about how absolutly fantastic and cutting edge it is."

Apple wouldn't just slap OS X with some year-old input software into that form factor. (those half-circle keyboards have been available on the Fujitsu P1500 for almost a year). They'd do something to set it apart, usability-wise.

[dem @ Mar 10th 2006 1:43PM]

ummm yeah... didn't they come out with something like this a few years ago? wasn't it called OQO?

[John A. Wolf @ Mar 10th 2006 1:43PM]

What is Alexandria that is on the screen of the UMPC in the picture? It looks like Microsoft's (as yet non-existant) TV download service. Anyone have information on this?

[Josh @ Mar 10th 2006 1:48PM]

Slap one of these babies into an armband, add a 12 hour battery life, and I'm sold. Its just the next step in making your computer go everywhere you do.

[atomb @ Mar 10th 2006 1:50PM]

check out the videos at #5's link. 2 really impressive designs! One is even white, shiny plastic so that will win over the 'vain' group too!

OQO is a good concept and yes it was out awhile ago...if you call 'out' being constantly under development and at a price point that is unrealistic and twice that of a similiarly spec'd laptop.

what? we're not allowed to like something because something somewhat similar exists? lose the 'cool attitudes' or go back to high school.

[The icollector @ Mar 10th 2006 1:52PM]

Its funny the number of manufacturers that are embracing the device...what if it flops?

[Jesse @ Mar 10th 2006 2:01PM]

ok the videos on intel's website look 100 times more promising than what they have shown so far. But on those videos it doesnt appear that the devices are running XP. it seems like the devices they are putting out now are missing the point of what the devices were inteded for.

[r19578 @ Mar 10th 2006 2:37PM]

I'd like to buy one - only if they could make the frame as thin as the "old prototype".

[tracy @ Mar 10th 2006 2:40PM]

yes VIA now your talking. should be low power and cheap. hey in the pic it looks like a compartment at the top of the device? what goes in there?? C size batteries? skittels? what does the red button do? were not supposed to touch it are we.

[Steve @ Mar 10th 2006 2:41PM]

Apple probably still remembers the Newton fiasco!
-------------------------------------------------

3. And Apple doesn't have cryptic, annoying, overblown hype campaigns?

I for one am looking forward to this platform since Apple is a 'no show'.

Posted at 1:13PM on Mar 10th 2006 by Mike 0 stars

[abigsmurf @ Mar 10th 2006 2:43PM]

There must be something pushing all these makers to produce so many types of UMPCs so quickly that wasn't there for tablets. Lets hope its low price...

The via is a budget chip though so there are positive signs

[Jcee @ Mar 10th 2006 2:47PM]

As soon as next week when Apple launches their latest cyptic, annoying, overblown Apple Fools Day campaign, we all know what the Engadget editorial staff will do.

This UMPC product class may well really take off...surely, Toshiba, HP and Lenovo models can't be far away. When Apple finally releases their product, it will assume its customary place at 2% of the world marketshare.

[ty @ Mar 10th 2006 2:59PM]

I think it'l come down to price and battery life (the two things which arent being disclosed).

If the price is too high then people will just buy a better performing laptop with a builtin keyboard.

If the battery life sucks or isnt significantly better than what we're getting from laptops then it completely negates the entire concept of the UMPC.

I think itll find a small niche of buyer like the tablet pc market.

[Justin @ Mar 10th 2006 2:59PM]

#2

I want one. When the battery life goes up and the price goes down anyway. If it's small enough to fit in my pocket it's too small to be usable (trust me, I bought the Dell v50 cause I thought I'd use it for portable internet, it rarely leaves it's dock), and a laptop is too uncomfortable to use around the house (for me at least).

[The Hague @ Mar 10th 2006 3:02PM]

Notice the artwork on the picture.

Direct lift from the iTunes music store look.

Right down to the font and kerning.

Too bad they can't copy what Cupertino is planning for the hardware.

This battle is already over.

[KF @ Mar 10th 2006 3:03PM]

All of these introductions are annoying. At least apple starts shipping its product when announced. Why can't a UMPC manufacturer do the same thing?

I know, I'll announce a new form factor for a PC, keep the price a secret, and release it sometime in the future when all of the interest has died down. Great marketing strategy guys!

Release the @#%^@#^@ things already!

[Special_K @ Mar 10th 2006 3:19PM]

I remember in the second Origami teaser video, there was a shot of a guy playing Halo on his UMPC. Now then, replace Halo with Half Life 2... XD John likes! The only qualm I have is the raw hardware necesary to play even such outdated relics as Halo can't concievably be scrunched down into a little handheld-sized package... can it?

[TorontoGuy @ Mar 10th 2006 3:19PM]

According to the Microsoft Press release of Mar 6, BAttery life for these devices is expected to be 2.5Hrs.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/mar06/03-09Mobile.mspx

[ZSX @ Mar 10th 2006 3:39PM]

John Kendrik from the jkOnTheRun blog seems to have been involved with the development of the UMPC.

He says that "I have seen the Via running on handheld devices and it runs circles around the Intel processors speed-wise. Big, honking circles."

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2006/03/origami_umpc_th.html

[Jake @ Mar 10th 2006 3:42PM]

I want a dock for one of these babies that looks like a picture frame in front (nice design, covers up all the buttons, maybe a slider or something so you can get at the buttons if you want).

The dock will also have all kinds of useful AV connectors so you can plug the thing into your home entertainment system.

So, basically, the dock sits there on top of your tv looking like a picture frame and flashing all your pictures when it's not doing anything else (need something, mirror maybe? to fill the space when it's not docked) but also provides full networking, streaming, recording, etc. capacity. Remember, you can run any XP program on it.

I know it's not white and wasn't made in Cupertino but this thing has promise in my book. Admittedly, they're not that great looking right now, although I personally don't think the Samsung model is as ugly as everybody else seems to think it is.

I see multiple uses and lots of flexibility for this little guy.

[Jake @ Mar 10th 2006 3:51PM]

check ou this site http://www.flipstartpc.com/aboutproduct_features_sizeandpower.asp , it looks alot more like a mini laptop. 4 by 5.6 inches, usb 2.0, integrated bluetooth and wifi,wighs under and pound, all day battery, integrated cam, and bets of all, a KEYBOARD. next generation o fthis will be what we hoped for from the "origami",.. .cant wait to see apples umpc if they make one

[Mike @ Mar 10th 2006 3:52PM]

#19 Apple probably still remembers the Newton fiasco!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, so do I. I still have 4 MessagePads!!!
Thank you Steve Jobs for NOTHING!

[DT @ Mar 10th 2006 3:56PM]

#14: The same thing that happened with Tablet PC. MS pushed that too, as if it was going to be bigger than the Second Coming. Floppity-flop-flop-flop. Sure, it's got its fans, but it's a niche product no matter how you slice it. This will be, too. The manufacturer's will realize this in a year or two and quietly stop producing them.

[noah @ Mar 10th 2006 4:29PM]

There was no annoying "hype campaign" as you call it. They put out some pictures without telling what it was, put up a website showing some of its uses, and it was the MEDIA (ie Engadget too!) that crawled all over it. You guys were the ones putting up all the "what the heck is it" posts every 5 minutes. They didn't hype anything. Hype is to advertise with greater-than-possible expectations. Does the product not live up to the advertised expectations? I think it does. It has GPS, touch-screen stuff, its portable, full OS, everything it said it would be. You guys (Engadget and other weblogs) fantasized it would be some uber-gadget. So why do you say that they had an annoying, over-blown hype campaign? The hype came from you.

[Mike @ Mar 10th 2006 4:45PM]

#32 Hmmm... Odd... I guess Apple hasn't come to the realization that they're producing a niche product (except the omnipresent Ipod, of course).

[LPH @ Mar 10th 2006 4:47PM]

Seems to me that more manufacturers are onboard with the UMPC than at the launch for the Tablet PC; hopefully this is a great sign. I've also noticed many new websites devoted to the UMPC platform. This is always a direct relationship to the excitement of the product. Check out forums on http://www.paperbackpc.com ; http://www.umpcbuzz.com ; and http://www.origamiproject.com and you can see the excitement.

[Silver @ Mar 10th 2006 6:19PM]

"When Apple finally releases their product, it will assume its customary place at 2% of the world marketshare."

Yeah Jcee, but comically enough it's that 2% that really gets under your skin, based on you and your fellow MS fanboys' "I hate Apple" rant-fests on pretty much every Engadget topic. Woof!

[Mark Nielsen @ Mar 10th 2006 6:24PM]

OK in all seriousness, if OQO would drop their price to what these are suppose to be, I'd buy OQO hands down.

We'll see what OQO decides to do though.

[T+ @ Mar 10th 2006 10:13PM]

Ok, so am I the only one wondering how much this costs?

[T+ @ Mar 10th 2006 10:14PM]

Ok, so am I the only one wondering how much this costs?

[Special T @ Mar 10th 2006 11:33PM]

Special_K,

Say what you will about the UMPC, or how Apple Macs are better than PC, but do not get into it with Halo. It's simply the best FPS ever made. More people play it and have bought it than any other FPS. Just look at the xbox live stats please. Halo 2 was the biggest selling article of entertainment on it's opening day, bigger than any movie/album/etc ever released. What.

You just need to get over the fact that Halo was going to be released on Macs first, until MS made a smart move and bought Bungie. Apple should have bought Bungie if it was smart, but then again it shouldn't have cuz nobody would have heard of Halo.

[Johnny @ Mar 11th 2006 7:26AM]

Damn - these things need a bigger screen - as big as the thing itself

[Nelson @ Mar 11th 2006 8:47AM]

The screen size was chosen because it is already being produced (which means a reduction in development time). Their goal is to reduce the overall size of the device to just slightly larger than the screen size. Not the other way around.

[Simon @ Mar 11th 2006 10:39AM]

PC World @ http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,%20125018,00.asp

"Priced Over $1000

Perhaps more important in determining whether the Q1 stands a chance of success is its price. It looks quite expensive. Samsung said the Q1 will go on sale in Europe for $1190, which is slightly over the $500 to $1000 price range we first heard about when Microsoft began talking about Origami."

-A laptop PC costs me $600 and up == it is almost as portable as an UMPC
-A Nokia 770 $350: it is far more portable (like cell phone), has the same screen resolution, better battery life time, open Linux OS, it is already available, software upgrades will give me internet calls soon, ... etc

I bet UMPS is too heavy and too big. Who neds a humvee?

[organicchunkysalsa @ Mar 11th 2006 12:33PM]

What is overhyped about these things is the fact that a handful of companies have alreay made them. The best one yet is still the OQO which truly is Ultra Mobile. What a complete joke is, is that fact that Microsoft decides to create a "new" category of product they can sell loosely based on PDA's(which is a dying market). If people think that the general public will swoon over these and start buying them off the shelf without even questioning "why?" then Microsoft is sorely mistaken. Believe me, I love the idea of a small tablet thats ultra portable but this is a category that already has a handful of options and as far as consumers go, the market for them is already saturated with just a handful of devices.

[David @ Mar 23rd 2006 9:39AM]

I've been waiting for something like this for years now. Since the tablet PC came out I've wanted one that was about the size of a large paberback book. Thes look about perfect.
Why?
I'm a photographer, I carry enough crap around with me that a laptop and even a tablet pc are more than I want to lug. This thing will slide right into my current camera bag. With this I can take my photos, upload them to the umpc view them at a very useable size and even edit them in photoshop using a pressure sensitive pen.

There are dozens of other things I'll use one for as well. It will be an incredibly useful item.