TabletKiosk UMPC pricing revealed

Ok, here we go folks, a UMPC with an announced price, ready to order. First from the gates is the TabletKiosk V-700 or rather, "eo" UMPC v7110. Now, forget what you heard about these pups dropping for around $500 to help position them between the handheld and laptop market, mkay? This UMPC sportin' a VIA C7 NaNo 1.0GHz processor, XP Tablet PC edition, 30GB disk, 7-inch 800 x 480 TFT touch LCD, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and 256MB RAM will hit the last week of April for, get this, $900 freakin' dollars! Now consider for comparison, that you can get a Dell XPS M140 laptop which also won't fit in your pocket but has twice the screen size, double the processing power, double the RAM, and double the disk for $50 bucks less and we just gotta wonder... why TabletKiosk, why? Sure, prices will go down with time, but that's not exactly the most auspicious start.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

[Ladderless @ Mar 28th 2006 9:13AM]

Why?

Because size matters. The early adopters are gonna make this one an instant sell-out.

Once there are five or six companies selling them, and the supply details get ironed out, prices will plunge.

BTW -- You can get that Dell notebook for a whole lot less... Look for coupons.

[Pal @ Mar 28th 2006 9:13AM]

No thanks :)

[yuppicide @ Mar 28th 2006 9:19AM]

I don't know anyone who would be interested in this thing for $900. It doesn't look like it fits in your pocket, it probably has crap for a graphics processor inside which means I wouldn't be able to play any decent games.

The only positive I see is that I'd be able to keep playing a game even when I gotta go to the bathroom, but the thing probably doesn't run any game I play in the first place.

[Kyle @ Mar 28th 2006 9:20AM]

This is crazy, specs are not that impressive. I just bought a used gateway cx200x for the same price. More hard drive, more memory, much much better processor (centrino vs. via), these computers unless either the specs get better or the price gets lower will be as big of a flop as any. I am a firm supporter of tablet pcs and frankly I prefer pen input to finger input. Keeps the screen looking nice

[.ed @ Mar 28th 2006 9:27AM]

i smell a history repeat episode a la those crappy ms outlook fossil watches.

[JC @ Mar 28th 2006 9:40AM]

How will Engadget backtrack if Apple releases a 7 inch screen tablet for $900?
Will they quote themseleves and recommend a Dell?

[Kel @ Mar 28th 2006 9:40AM]

Tethered to a 3G phone in a car would make this more attractive (at least to me).

[invaderluj @ Mar 28th 2006 9:41AM]

like I said before it will take a few generations of the thing before its worth getting

[sracer @ Mar 28th 2006 9:45AM]

UMPC is a form-factor solution looking for a problem to solve. After being excited by "Origami" only to be let down by reality, I checked out eBay to see what tablet pcs are selling for. I picked up a beautiful Fujitsu 3500 Stylistic 3500 for $250. 500Mhz Intel Celeron, 256MB RAM (surprisingly it is enough), Windows 2000 w/PenX extensions, 15GB harddrive, USB, PCMCIA, IR, etc.

I just popped in a PCMCIA WiFi card and I have a wireless web device. USB keyboard works just fine in a pinch.

I'm getting 3+ hours on the battery as an ebookreader, 2+ hours of heavy use on the battery. (1.5 hrs with WiFi usage).

There's plenty of drive space left on that 15GB to put videos on. (obviously not at DVD quality, but very watchable!)

It's a great little device to tinker around with. Most of us never had access to a tablet PC, and these older but affordable devices can give us a hands-on idea of what using a tablet is like.

The UMPC will need to be the price of a PSP for me to be interested. YMMV.

[Rob Bushway @ Mar 28th 2006 9:48AM]

Aguish look at the other pricing options slow 512 ms, 40�GB harddrive Carl faster for only $100 more. compared to the othe "slates" on the market, (LS800) the price is real attractive. They will get better and lower. Wasn't Samsung's coming out at around $1100

[Jared Dilg @ Mar 28th 2006 9:48AM]

Who gave JC a negative star? He makes a good point. Watch, Apple will soon release another iProduct at a 30% premium and the Jobs Legion will waive their credit cards high in the air. $300 for a minimalist boombox anyone? (disclaimer: I own an iMac G5)

[Dennis @ Mar 28th 2006 9:54AM]

The first generation UMPCs are for early adopters who are willing to shell out a little for something new. I also keep thinking this would be a good computer for a kid or teenager.

[dan_b @ Mar 28th 2006 9:54AM]

I just don't get it! Either MS is looking to the industry sector to push these or there just completely missing the mark. That commerical that surfaced a month ago was just totally unrealistic.

I can think of hundreds of workflows using different devices that would come in at a lot cheaper. People may be gadget mad but they aren't going to just throw money at this.

[PeterB @ Mar 28th 2006 10:05AM]

and by the way what happened to the rumored Apple event on April 1st? has engadget given up hope? and if apple rolls out a new tablet surely all hell will break loose.

[PodMonkeys @ Mar 28th 2006 10:07AM]

Ouch! But then again, people pay for size (or lack of), and size (or lack of) isn't always cheap.

[tino @ Mar 28th 2006 10:16AM]

256mb? I am waiting for this to tank like a dog so I can pick up one for cheap. :)

[AM @ Mar 28th 2006 10:21AM]

This device is not the one to buy.

It lacks several of the features found in the asus UMPC. we'll all see a jump in battery performance over the next year. not to mention the product has the touch and feel of a playschool toy.

[yuppicide @ Mar 28th 2006 10:23AM]

How does one get or receive stars?! Who gives out stars?! I can't seem to find a help section on them.

[tiuk @ Mar 28th 2006 10:35AM]

Ugh, and to think I was really excited about the UMPC.

Thanks for the tip about the the Stylistic 3500, sracer. I was leaning toward the Nokia 770, but it looks like the Stylistic is capable of more. Best part is there's plenty of 3500s on eBay with "Buy it now"s around $250.

[Enzo @ Mar 28th 2006 10:40AM]

http://www.mobilityguru.com/2006/01/31/fujitsus_tiny_laptop_gets_microsofts_tablet_pc_os/page11.html

not much better specs, for 500 more, but upgradable.

[Kevin @ Mar 28th 2006 10:58AM]

I think Microsoft is feeling the pinch money wise. With the flop they produced called ME, the Tablet OS flopping probably would of been hard on them.

To bad it looks like crap, doesn't have a cell phone, cannot fit in your pocket, and has some really horrid specs to boot. Oh and 900 bucks? I wouldn't pay more then $100 if it had everything I said above.

If they want to make something people will like and use, go to an Asian country. For some unknown damn reason they have some nice stuff that is multifunction (i.e. cell phones, ladies, etc). We get the same old thing with a new paint job, upgraded wireless, and some slightly better specs then the tablet computers were two years ago.

(twirls his finger in the air) Yaaaay.

[Blue @ Mar 28th 2006 11:01AM]

When these were officially released I thought they were crap, but now that I am planning a year-long vacation they are looking better and better. Small device, good for browsing, email, and storing digital photos and video. And cheaper than the Dell Latitude X1 too. I just hope prices drop between now and this time next year.

[sracer @ Mar 28th 2006 11:14AM]

Glad to help, tiuk. I bought mine from the seller with a bunch of Buy-it-now auctions @ $259. The guy is straight-up and I was impressed with the quality of the unit.

I'm really impressed with how lean Win2K is on this machine. Only 256MB of RAM and I can surf, play music, video, etc... all with a surprising snappiness.

I installed MobiPocket Reader PC on it and it makes a FANTASTIC eBook reader. I could never get into reading ebooks before, but on this tablet, it is pretty neat.

TwistedPaint is a great draw/paint program for the tablet too. Just draw/paint with the stylus and create some amazing artwork.

[JC @ Mar 28th 2006 11:40AM]

I try to keep Engadget honest about their Apple bias and I get a negative star as a consequence. Who knows how I was awarded this distinction but I'm proud of it.

[Vance @ Mar 28th 2006 11:47AM]

I would LOVE one of these, if I was in the market. Comparing it to a PDA is ridiculous because it is a fully functional computer, running all the Windows apps and able to be a laptop replacement if you don't mind the pen input method (which I don't mind at all).

This is NOT an oversized (and overpriced PDA), but a small form-factor LAPTOP with a touchscreen, half the weight, half the size and all the power and capability.

[Kel @ Mar 28th 2006 11:53AM]

I also noticed the negative stars today (with this post) Bad idea, as there are those that will be negative just to get a negative star.

[JC @ Mar 28th 2006 12:04PM]

I have an iPod and I like it...will that get me back to zero star status?
:)

[Jeff @ Mar 28th 2006 12:23PM]

What JC said.

Does anyone know of a site reporting this sort of news without their subjective BS propaganda in every blurb?

Why is the concept of size and weight in portable devices so alien to the staff? If this was an Apple product running OS X, you'd be trampling each other to death to make it to the local Apple Store.

I'd like to replace Engadget.

[HawkWolf @ Mar 28th 2006 12:32PM]

Well, I sort of agree that this is a solution looking for a problem. I can think of a whole lot of things I do routinely with my Treo 650 (talk on the phone, manage my shopping and errands lists, keep track of my finances), as well as what I do with my ipod (listen to music), and I can't imagine buying a full computer that's somewhat large to do all that with.

Then again, think about all the science fiction stories with portable computers or little notepad-sized PC's. We want that, right? If we didn't want it, we wouldn't write speculative fiction about it.

[wwaaah, I hate engadget, i hate it I hate it i hate it I hate it...

but I'm still going to read it and complain!]

[c.Lake @ Mar 28th 2006 1:10PM]

$900 dollars is way TOO much for something 2 steps bigger than a Palm Pilot, I don't care if it comes from MS or from Apple. $450 maybe, on the outside. For $900 bucks it better be running XP not Tablet.

[Mosquito Control @ Mar 28th 2006 1:11PM]

I want one of these. But $900. No chance.


It's utterly pointless to compare these to similarly priced laptops, though. Of course you get less for the money. Different products, different needs, different prices.
No one says "oh man, you spent $900 on that laptop? You could have gotten a desktop with twice the RAM for that money!"

Still, I won't get one of these with less than 512MB, and I won't spend over $500.

[Rob Bushway @ Mar 28th 2006 1:57PM]

I totally agree with the comments here that if the eo had an apple logo on it, the praises wouldn't stop.

Also: you can not compare these types of devices to a low priced laptop - the functionality and needs being addressed are not the same. In addition, doing so is very irresponsible. They are trying to solve a different problem. Do those low end laptops have touch screens? No. Can you write on them? No. They are also 6" bigger, which tends be introduce mobility issues.

Granted, I'd love to see this device priced at $500 and we will get there eventually. But to see that a $1000 unit with 512mb ram, 40gb 5400rpm harddrive, 1ghz system is aggresively priced, you only need to look at other slates on the market, primarily the LS800 - an 8" slate which is priced at $1699 for 256mb, 20gb harddrive.

[Ryan Block @ Mar 28th 2006 2:12PM]

What are you guys talking about, Apple bias? If Apple made one of these devices and priced it at $900 we'd balk just the same. I don't own anything -- ANYTHING -- Apple (I believe only one person on our writing staff has a Mac, I don't think anyone has an iPod). To say we're biased is absurd, we just call stuff like we see it. Seems like every time we make a criticism -- which is what we do, look at the consumer electronics world with a critical eye -- about a company or product someone likes, we get called biased from people trying to "keep us honest." The funny thing is, when we write negative things about Apple, which we do a lot, people say we're Apple haters. The fact of the matter is we provided the most comprehensive coverage of the UMPC / Origami launch in the world, and we're among the most qualified to discuss whether those prices are appropriate. What it comes down to is that it's impossible to please everyone all the time, though; so if one wants gadget news without opinion or criticism or just doesn't like what we have to say, they've got plenty of options for tech news.

Best, Ryan

[Martin D @ Mar 28th 2006 2:28PM]

Its interesting that so many people are bashing this device.
There are obviously people that are interested in this. I mean theres the official Microsoft communtiy at http://origamiproject.com/default.aspx

A pretty active community communtiy at http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/newbb/

and a whole list of sites over at http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2006Jan/bpd20060313035273.htm

So if people are interested enough to go to communities like origamiportal.com and umpc.com and post stuff even thought they aren't the official site they must want to buy one and believe others will too.

It may take a while for it to really catch on, but in the long run I'll bet it becomes a device that lots of people have.

[nabil shahid @ Mar 28th 2006 2:38PM]

#31: Tablet is XP. That's why its called "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition"

[JC @ Mar 28th 2006 2:44PM]

Ryan, what are the qualifications of Engadget staff? Degrees? Journalism school? Maybe R&D experience at a major electronics manufacturer? Computer hardware/software development, design, engineering? What are your qualifications to discuss appropriate prices? Manufacturing experience or management experience with an electronics manufacturer?

Just curious...

[oshean @ Mar 28th 2006 3:44PM]

Ryan Block: "(I believe only one person on our writing staff has a Mac, I don't think anyone has an iPod)"

I find that hard to believe that the Engadget staff is without iPods.

So... if no one except one staff person owns an Apple product, where does the Apple fanboy like enthusiasm come from?

----------------------------------------------------

Oh yeah, drop the UMPCs to sub $500 and I'm buying.

[c.Lake @ Mar 28th 2006 4:20PM]

@nabil shahid - # 36 -- Oops, my bad!

[David T @ Mar 28th 2006 5:55PM]

Dell: 5.5 pounds.
TabletKiosk: 2 pounds.

End of Story.

[Ryan Block @ Mar 28th 2006 6:31PM]

Yes, some of our staff have degrees in Journalism, though not all of us. Some just degrees in English. But there isn't exactly a school you can go to for consumer electrics industry analysis (though I'm sure one might say "business school"). We all do this 10-14 hours a day, some of us have been for years. We talk to engineers, PR, CxOs day in and day out, I'd like think we have a pretty good idea of what the deal is, and to know when we're not qualified to discuss certain things (which is why we don't do high end home audio, for example). So as a publication whose staff have personally spoken with the head of the Origami project, Bill Gates, management within Microsoft's mobile devices division, and the founders of OQO (the competition), I'd like to think we get this stuff. But if you want to question our qualifications or disagree we have the right to make judgments, that's cool, I just don't understand why you're wasting your time here trying to bag on us. There are lots of other sites out there. I value everyone's readership, but the constant negativity and player hating is wearing thin. So as long as you can't please everyone, we can only go on trying to please our harshest critics: ourselves. And oshean, I can guarantee you no regular staff writer at Engadget has an iPod.

[tiuk @ Mar 28th 2006 6:49PM]

I think you guys do a great job, Ryan, and that's why I read the site every day.

If some of you don't like it, why read it and then bitch about it? Life is too short.

[Spoonman @ Mar 28th 2006 7:35PM]

you can get a Dell XPS M140 laptop which also won't fit in your pocket....why TabletKiosk, why?

Is this a rhetorical question? You just gave the two biggest reasons: 1) it fits in your pocket (it's not meant to be your 100% PC and 2) it's not a Dell. #2 being the biggest reason for thinking people.

[Ryan Block @ Mar 28th 2006 7:48PM]

Thanks! I appreciate the sentiment!

[3rdsun @ Mar 28th 2006 9:10PM]

Ryan its a good job u guys do at engadget. you cant please everyone just try to please yourselves.. do the best you can and you can only be judged by your works.

[slow news day @ Mar 28th 2006 9:27PM]

Right now the price is unappealing to consumers, but this will likely appeal to businesses more. We can't wait to get our hands on these units for a wireless application that requires portability, where a PDA is too small but a laptop is too large.

[SDE06 @ Mar 28th 2006 9:47PM]

Sweet! Can't wait to get one of these! Perfect for train commute, getting tired of my MDA's tiny screen to watch movies or work or just browsing the web...

[Jim G @ Mar 28th 2006 10:02PM]

The UMPC bashing by people who neither bother to see videos of the devices in action nor apparently have used PDAs to their highest-end uses has got to stop.

The comparison to laptops is not appropriate. The form factor is essential here. There is an apt video of a lady walking down the street looking for an address holding her UMPC with GPS until she finds the right place. A bit silly, but are you going to walk down the street as easily with an open laptop? Or being in a store and considering a product: getting online, checking prices, and then making a purchase decision -- much easier with a hand-held device since there are no desks around.

On my Dell Axim PocketPC -- a PDA -- I watch TV shows and movies that I record myself. I read books. I play simple but fun games. I use a couple essential spreadsheets. Of these particular uses, a larger screen and more storage would provide a much more enjoyable experience. One could pay $600+ for a PDA with a 3.5-inch-screen for these purposes and ample processing capability and I would say maybe you could have gotten a better price but it was worth it.

To get a UMPC for 50% more that is a little less convenient to transport than a PDA but much easier to transport than a laptop is also well worth the money. Assuredly the smart shopper will wait a while for capabilities to go up and prices to come down. But I don't see curling up in bed with a laptop, turning from side to side every so often while reading a book or watching a movie. I can imagine doing this with a UMPC and there's the rub -- the form factor makes the device convenient and easy to use where such things like laptops cannot easily be used.

There is more utility for these UMPCs then there is for a laptop. Everywhere you want to use a computer with no place to set something down is an example. Walking, waiting in line, sitting in a cramped space, etc. I don't see the UMPC as a solution in search of a problem so much as I see the UMPC as all the computer most people need (and more) but with no one one realizing it.

[JMAN @ Mar 29th 2006 12:33AM]

I Think the Staff at Engadget does a great job. This is the most informative tech site on the web. If you ever take the time to listen to a podcast you will know these guys are super busy and take their job very seriously in reporting the tech news to us. Give them a break. UMPC's ROCK!!!!!

[Caz @ Mar 29th 2006 8:56AM]

"A bit silly, but are you going to walk down the street as easily with an open laptop?"

Huh? I've seen people walking down the street with GPS enabled (or not) PDAs, it did not seem to me that they were begging for a larger device for that purpose actually.

Solution looking for a problem indeed...

[Jim G @ Mar 29th 2006 2:57PM]

"Huh? I've seen people walking down the street with GPS enabled (or not) PDAs, it did not seem to me that they were begging for a larger device for that purpose actually."

You are ignoring my overall point that a 7-inch screen would make such things that can be done on a PDA easier and more enjoyable to view. It would make the GPS easier to view if it were on a larger screen -- think driving a car rather than walking. It would make it so reading a book or watching a movie would be easier to focus on for longer periods of time if they were a bit larger than a PDA screen.

You can read a text file of War and Peace on a tiny cell phone window but, dammit, the screen is just too small. The same book can be read on a PDA and you're getting there but the form factor is not quite good enough when balancing font size and how much is before you at one time.

I've spent a great deal of time dealing with PDAs and various kinds of media and I absolutely love both the portability and the utility of my Dell Axim. But the screen is too small to truly enjoy the media itself -- particularly reading books -- and the UMPC fits the niche between pocketable portability and the relative unwieldiness of a laptop.

Personally I don't care if the UMPC succeeds or not. But the screen size and resolution are an ideal compromise across a great many uses for things I already do both on a PDA and my home machines.

If that 7-inch screen were the entire face of the unit with any obligatory buttons on the side and it were a bit thinner and cheaper and lighter then I think more people would understandably jump on board.