How would you change the UMPC?

Let's face it: even the folks over at sites like UMPC Buzz and Only UMPC would have to admit that the much-vaunted Origami platform from Microsoft, Intel, and friends hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, and although the second round of these devices promises to offer a host of improvements (see: Q1 Ultra), there are still a number of problems that have yet to be addressed. Sure, future tech like flexible displays and 10-hour fuel cells would be great, but what could manufacturers be doing right now to make UMPCs a more attractive buy? That's the question we're posing to you, dear readers, and we'll get you started with the following suggestions:

• Higher resolution displays across the board (with smartphones already going VGA, we shouldn't be settling for no 800 x 600 here)
• Better input methods (forget styli and on-screen keyboards: we want tactile thumboards (not split, either!) and / or voice / gesture recognition)
• As usual, bring the prices down!

[Ohanes @ May 4th 2007 10:57AM]

Scrap the concept and bow-down to apple's iphone multi-touch platform.

[mobi fin @ May 4th 2007 10:59AM]

built in GPS and a $599 price tag would sell a ton of them.

ability to act as media center extender like Xbox 360

[Melvyn @ May 4th 2007 11:01AM]

Add a cup holder.

[Nelson @ May 4th 2007 11:02AM]

Forget ultra-portable with touch, I want a 52" multiple touch screen as my dining table. http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

[mashupmark.com @ May 4th 2007 11:03AM]

Remove the huge bezel from around the edges.

I just want a touch screen that is exactly that. A screen, you can touch.

Now the impossible:

Make it light, very light, but not feel plasticy and cheap.
Make the battery last 8 hours or more.
Stuff it full of everything, wifi, wifimax, bluetooth, gps, or at least make these optional.
Add ability to increase memory (as a designer I'd love a pad I could draw on, but I'd need at least 2GB memory).
Touch screen, stylus screen (maybe partner with wacom etc).

I could go on, but already I've said too much :)

[Dave95 @ May 4th 2007 11:08AM]

FIRST - Loose that Wheel of Fortune, thumb hurting on-screen keyboard!

Less power, I am not looking to replace my computer, especially with a product that has no tactile input. Longer battery. Lower price.

[Brandon West @ May 4th 2007 11:15AM]

I still haven't found a situation where I'd prefer one of these over a 12" notebook. Manufacturers can update UMPCs all they want, and while I want one from a gadget geek 'omg that's cool' perspective, I still can't justify the price while a 12" notebook that is easier to use and more capable is at the same pricepoint. So, I guess my main change would be - bring the price down, make them less powerful and bump the battery life, give me a reason to use the device! I don't need to run Vista on a UMPC.

[Zeek @ May 4th 2007 11:16AM]

Command Z.

[IraqiGeek @ May 4th 2007 11:16AM]

Drop in a 700-800MHz dual core processor with some 2MBs of cache instead of going to 1.2-1.3GHz single core processors.

Another cool feature would be to have dual media storage, where the OS and installed application reside on flash memory to make boot, suspend/resume, and hibernate times fast, and your run of the mill slow 1.8" HDD for user data. This way, the device would only need 4-8GB of flash memory which wouldn't add that much to cost as opposed to going 100% SSD.

[Gil @ May 4th 2007 11:17AM]

Battery battery battery!

Battery life is the biggest killer of these devices. Everything else just needs slight retouching.

[Paul @ May 4th 2007 11:19AM]

If the UMPC had these things, I'd stop using notebooks:
1. high speed wireless (EVDO/UMTS/HSDPA)
2. a useable keyboard
3. decent battery life

I have a the VAIO handheld, but the keyboard is too small to use and the wireless only supports EDGE. :( lame.

[wraith808 @ May 4th 2007 3:27PM]

Do what I did... get a phone with HDSPA (I use the blackjack) and tether it (either USB or Bluetooth). Not quite as fast with the limitations of Bluetooth, but fast enough...

[Kamalot @ May 4th 2007 5:05PM]

Check out the OQO at www.oqo.com.

[Jeff @ May 4th 2007 11:19AM]

I want a real keyboard. I have no idea why manufacturers are so obsessed with touch screens. Touch screens are for ATM's, not stuff you actually use on a daily basis.

The market has demonstrated time and time again that it *does not want* touch screens for devices that involve performing complex tasks. I think it's more than just indifference. I think it's active dislike and avoidance. Look at the tablet PC, look at the UMPC, look at the PDA. (You can talk all you want about the iPhone; it's not on the market yet, so you can't point to it as a contrarian example. I personally think it's going to eventually fail too as currently designed.)

When I was an electronics salesman just after college, we sold PDA's and various other things. But the machine people went nuts over when we first got them in were those Toshiba Librettos, a little tiny laptop that ran Windows 95 (current at the time) and only cost about $1,000 - which was crazy for a small laptop back then. We had a run on those machines every time they came in. When they sold out, we had people calling us for *years* asking if they were ever coming back. That's what people want.

Give me a tiny little PC with a tiny little keyboard and the same features otherwise of the UMPC, for $500, and I'll buy one.

[Guillaume Desjardins @ May 4th 2007 3:14PM]

you mean like the Oqo2 ?
http://www.oqo.com/index.html

[C Michael @ May 4th 2007 11:24AM]

But you really do want the split keyboard! Trust a user of the Nokia E70/6820 line, you type so much faster than with a blackberry-like thumbboard

[Jack @ May 4th 2007 11:25AM]

Make it small enough to clip to your wrist! That would be funky!
It would be like a mahoosive watch which you would have to squint at to get the time.

[Crispy @ May 4th 2007 11:32AM]

I look at these things as a more capable pda/gps/pmp device. With that in mind:

-must have built in wifi
-long battery life.
-daylight readible screen

-make the device resilient enough to where I can take it with me on the go, but it doesn't necessarily need to be "ruggedized"

-sell a seperate dock that gives it laptop formfactor so when i just want to browse the internet while watching tv I can type eaiser, but when I just want to use it as a gps on the go, the keyboard doesn't add too much to the size.

-car mounts would be nice in going with the gps theme.

-the samsung umpc allows you to access all your media such as movies, songs, and photos without full booting the device, thus allowing it to act more like a pmp player and saving battery life.


but really, a nice umpc gps app that I can use in the car as easily as a garmin, a screen that i can read easily in the sun, and somekind of laptop docking device would be all i would need to buy one.

[mj @ May 4th 2007 11:34AM]

An iPhone with better battery life. next question.

[TIMMAH! @ May 4th 2007 11:36AM]

Uh, find a market for it? Seriously, the tablet PC/UMPC whatever you want to call it has always been a device looking for a market. For the money, I think a convertable Tablet PC is much more useful (it can be an ebook reader/form enterer as well as a regular notebook PC.) Touchtyping for long periods is just not practical.

[Crayola @ May 4th 2007 11:39AM]

This UMPC idea is ridiculous, for one both OQO 02 and Sony UX ultra-portable have proved the concept to be neither cheaper nor as portable. In terms of weight, ALL the UMPC available to date, for some reason is heavier that Sony UX which is only 1.2 pounds (500g). It just makes me wonder, the technology is obviously there, why stick to a concept that is inferior?

Reality check 1, is it really that portable?
Reality check 2, those 7" screen at 800x480 really isn't good enough for normal use.

[Sleepy @ May 4th 2007 11:40AM]

Make the thing fit comfortably in my pocket. Make it dock easily (e.g., through a USB dock). Don't expect me to do any real work on the box w/o it being docked.

[Steve @ May 4th 2007 11:43AM]

I don’t expect I’d ever buy a UMPC although the concept is neat. You are better off with a 10”or 12” notebook. If you want basic webrowsing I’d opt for an iphone as you get HTML web browsing, phone and music player in one device. I’m hoping they add a gps function to the iphone so it can be my nav system in my car as well.

[padaro @ May 5th 2007 7:08PM]

REAL KEYBOARD (*more on this later) - at least 10"x4"

able to fit in a jacket pocket (max 6"x4"x2")

possibly 2 panel screen to get sufficient screen area for good resolution and keep in the profile (2 foldup panels @ 6x4)

12 hours battery life (active), able to sleep another 12.

from sleep: 1 sec boot to text editor, 54 sec full reovery

text editor that can save directly to email, xpreadsheet etc.

full normal desktop suite of programs

all connectivity - wifi, abg/ bluetooth etc.

strong light chassis/toughbook hinges etc so that you can actually open up and close on the run 10 times a day without any problems.

less than $1500

back to the keyboard
*detachable and bluetooth connectable so you can put it on your lap and leave the rest of the machine on the airplane dining tray if u want
*probly needs to fold in order to fit 10x4 into a 6x4 profile.

[shirizaki @ May 4th 2007 11:45AM]

Wifi for syncing. Bluetooth for headphones.

Icon-based selection. I'd love to just scroll down the side of the screen and double tap on a file to play it. Yeah, it's iPhone like, but adding an onscreen keyboard is nuts. Either that or a scroll dokicky on the side.

treat it lmore like a media player instead of a small form laptop. Don't make it a small form computer. If I want to browse the internet, I'll get a laptop with a real keyboard, bigger screen, and an actual OS instead of a stripped down OS.

People, forcing more tech into these things only drives the price. Strip out the other stuff and leave the essentials: a huge hard drive with a screen attached so I don't have to boot up a computer when I want to watch media.

[sturmnacht @ May 4th 2007 11:47AM]

UMPC much like Fujitsu's concept with its fold-out keyboard. I would buy one if it comes with an integrated DVD burner so it can double as a portable DVD player.

[Wolfman K 42 @ May 4th 2007 11:49AM]

Price Price Price. They have to be sub $1000, preferable sub $700 if they are ever going to get any sort of mass appeal.

I can't see spending more on a convienance device than I do on my lappy.

[Slugga @ May 4th 2007 11:54AM]

I wouldnt buy a umpc until they could get optical drives in them (dont know if/when thats gonna happen), but also
-longer battery life
-upgradeable components (ram, etc.)
-better price(around $500 base)
-latest wireless connectivity (at least wifi b/g to start)
eventually UMPCs will replace laptops, they just need time to iron things out

[Kevin Farley @ May 4th 2007 12:05PM]

One word.... acronym.... product.... oqo 2. Integrate the hell out of it, drop in every kind of antenna you can think of, go to solid state disks, use OLED display, and for good measure integrate it with a cell phone. Cost you say, whatever, they build it, first adopters will buy it price comes down.... done. Just build something people are willing to jump on, not this bull$#!^ halfway there crap they always seem to be building so suck away our dollars one step at a time. You know what would be really nifty... how about make the devices part of the new vista laptops, where you pull your UMPC out of the top of it and use the second status screen as the main display... just bigger. I could go on for ever!

[gak @ May 4th 2007 12:05PM]

Get Micro$oft to de-bloat Origami so that it will run very fast on a 800Mhz processor with 512M ram.
Battery life Battery life Battery life Battery life Battery life.
Built-in wireless connectivity.
$500 price tag.
oh yeah... did I mention battery life?

[Alan Strangis @ May 4th 2007 12:07PM]

#1: All should be tablet/laptop swivel screens (with touch screen). No thumbboards, no attachable keyboards (or bluetooth).

There's one or two manufacturers doing this, and that's what I'm looking for this fall.

All the other tech specs will come in time. It's all about the form factor baby.

[Mitch @ May 4th 2007 12:10PM]

ubuntu anyone?

[r.crecco @ May 4th 2007 12:11PM]

Greetings:

UMPC's display size should be reduced to 4-6 inches.

Slide out keyboards work very well.

If UMPC's Display size become 4-6 inches they will named Mobile Internet Devices.

These devices can be sold at about $500.00.

Then the market will take off.

Also if voice recogniction software is improved and installed in these devices, that would help too.
For business people, a feature that would be very useful, LCD projection capabilities.

Visit my Mobile Internet Device BlogSite:
http://midees.blogspot.com/

Regards Robert

[Jarrett Kaufman @ May 4th 2007 12:12PM]

Make it the size of a large PDA (range of my Axim X5 would be perfect), but with the resolution of the full-size ones and I'll take one.

[Scooter @ May 4th 2007 12:13PM]

- A decent chip. These things are too sluggish. Q1 ultra is like a slug in mud.

- Battery life up.

- Price down.

- Maximum codec and application support. When work is over I want to lie on the sofa or in a plane seat, streaming or watching media, working spreadsheets, or doodling. Make this part of my life.

- GPS, WiFi (n), Bluetooth.

- Multiple expansion ports: 2 or 3 SD slots.

- Flash memory, at least 32GB.

- Good connectors: HDMI, VGB, S-video, USB, e-sata.

- A slide-out keyboard would be great, but keep the unit light and thin.

- Rubberised surfaces for grip.

- Global release (not just Korea) and decent support (not Dell).

[MacSA @ May 4th 2007 12:19PM]

I think the perfect platforms for a UMPC is not actually a "PC" per say. The Ninendo DS Lite and the Sony Playstaion Portable are in effect the perfect ideas regarding a UMPC. IF the DS and PS had different OS', more processing power, awesome battery life, and the ability to connect via WiFi and EV-DO, then it would be a hit! The whole reason people think UMPCs are pieces of crap are because no one can make one powerful, with a readable display, easy input methods, and every connectivity method available. They are expecting laptop performance and ergonomics in a shrunken down piece of dung that is still priced too high and is laden with "options" that send the price in to the "screw it I'd rather buy an ultraportable tablet or laptop" territory. A fine example is the Samsung Q1, that thing is a terrible computer. For what it does I can resurrect an old IBM X30 of mine and be way more happy. I own a Toshiba Libretto U105, and I have to say its the best "super ultra-portable laptop" ever made. The bad part is that honestly I can say, after owning it almost 2 years, that the novelty has worn off (its too damn small!). The little cramped keyboard is not fun to type on and I sometimes wish it had a pen or touch screen like my old HP Jornada 720 (RIP). The Jornada was PERFCET, not too slow and not to fast with a PC Crad slot for a WiFi card, and it ran PPC 2000 Pro. I used that before I got my Libretto, but as the internet changed, the browser became incompaitble with more and more websites. In any case I think the UMPC is basically hampered by WINDOWS, change that and you can make a better UMPC. 2nd, battery life, 3rd, power (though a different OS would change that), SSDHD solid state hard drive (need I say more about that?) and always on cellular EV-DO connectivity (what good is a UMPC if you can't get on the freakin internet?) Anyways that is my opinion .. omit as needed.

[devwild @ May 4th 2007 12:35PM]

A very simple suggestion - somebody should pick up the reference designs intel comes up with. The board feedback is very clear - intel has some bright ideas but the few umpc makers keep making fatty little uninspired tablets.

Also, digitizer support would be nice for graphics folks - OQO got was right to include that.

Again, (affordable) accessories are key to making this concept work, proper stands/docks with IO for home/office use and such have been slim pickings thus far.

Built in support for technology like "Synergy" (software keyboard/mouse sharing), perhaps done through the RDP protocol in conjunction with a UMPC version of activesync, could allow you to plug a UMPC in to a dock next to your computer, and use it as an extension of your home machine seamlessly. That would make for a significantly more friendly experience.

[David H @ May 4th 2007 12:38PM]

Make 'em affordable. What a novel idea...

[tundraboy @ May 4th 2007 12:41PM]

A button that makes the thing grow to laptop size when you click it and shrink to cell phone size when you click it again.

If they can't provide that then chuck the product because it's too small to be as functional as a laptop and too big to carry around in your pocket.

The product addresses an interestng engineering problem and a non-existant consumer demographic (i.e. humans with the hand size of a tamarin and the visual acuity of a peregrine).

[Jeff @ May 4th 2007 12:41PM]

I would make them cost less than $299 plain and simple. Make a cheap device like these and more people will have them than have cell phones.

[Nikoooo @ May 4th 2007 12:42PM]

People want: fast and efficient data input method, full internet, full mail, full media player (any codec!), full Office applications, PIM, chat and small games. Also the UI MUST be tailored for the small screen. Last the device must be very portable and on the cheap side (500$ to 1000$).

[abdiel.aviles @ May 4th 2007 12:47PM]

This I want:
$500-$1000 price tag
OQO1/2/SonyUX sized to fit in my pocket (a big pocket)
touchscreen
wireless everything + GPS
NO keyboard
NO buttons at all except for power obviously
Windows XP/Vista
did I mentioned GPS?

[ecobore @ May 4th 2007 1:23PM]

How would I change it? Hmm, how about 5 minutes with a blow lamp!

[seamonkey420 @ May 4th 2007 1:26PM]

bring back the HP TC1100 line! that was the perfect portable tablet pc. hehe. not as small but perfect for using on the go.

but i would have to say that battery life and also concentrate on doing a few things well vs everything. we do not plan to replace our laptops/desktops w/a UMPC but rather want it to use when we are on the go and just need to get to the web, music/multimedia, email and doc reviewing. perhaps some basic drawing programs too (if it is touchscreen based/pen inputs).

and of course, bring the price down!!! why should i pay that much money for a scaled down machine thats not even a laptop? i'd rather drop an extra $500 and get a nice Vaio ultraportable w/built in wwan than any of the current umpc.

get the devices under the $1,000 price point and people might consider one but then again we'd prob just end up spending the money saved on extra batteries.. lol..

honestly, i see the UMPC failing in the next few years if these issues aren't addressed. speaking of such, how many umpcs have been sold to date?

just my poor .02.. hehe

[wabguard-email @ May 4th 2007 1:28PM]

-8 Hour USABLE Battery Life (Wifi,Bluetooth,Backlight ALL ON during the 8 hours)
-PRICE, PRICE, PRICE (If Im dropping 1K ill get a laptop, bring down to 500.00)
-Make Rugged and Light so not a pain to carry around.
-I don't need VISTA, WinXP + Linux Support Drivers
-Multitouch Screen + Daylight Readable
-Dock Included for KEYBOARD + Monitor (home support)
-Don't need a camera
-Multicard Reader (all popular formats)
-4-6G Flash for RAM + Bootup and HDD for user data.
-Wifi, BT, HSPDA optionaly included.

[leeon @ May 4th 2007 1:32PM]

Samsung is on the right track with the Q1. I think that as one prior poster put it. there needs to be more screen space with limited black frame and very little, if any, 'rugged' look/feel to it.

Also, better battery life.

[Brandon @ May 4th 2007 1:39PM]

Honestly, ditch specs for smaller size and longer battery life.

Why?

You won't be fragging anyone on that Q1, or playing a Night Elf without a keyboard.

Oh, that reminds me.

A built-in hardware keyboard is better than a crappy on-screen one.

I'm thinking of HTC Athens, aren't I?

[ug @ May 4th 2007 7:08PM]

"I'm thinking of HTC Athens, aren't I?"

How well does the HTC Athens play back video? I just ordered a GP2X in part because it is supposed to be able to play back desktop-grade DIVX files (downscaled of course).

[fincan @ May 4th 2007 1:46PM]

As wabguard-email said, 8-10 hours battery life with wifi on and screen at brightest setting. Battery life is a deal breaker for me.
Intel, AMD and all other folks should stop trying to build faster processors/chips/peripherals and try to invent either much less power hungry chips/boards or a nuclear/fusion/magic dust battery.

[hackedbyjoe @ May 4th 2007 1:55PM]

When I first heard about the UMPC, I was exstatic. I couldn't wait for one to come out at a reasonable price. Then I read a review that said when you try to use the tablet pen, it makes marks where you rest your hand on your screen; meaning you can't rest your hand on the screen while using the tablet pen. WTF! Why the hell would you have a pen if you can't rest your hand on the screen. I'm not saying lose the pen or the touchscreen; they are both invaluable. Just make it so you can switch between touchscreen OR tablet input. Right now, I use a gateway convertible tablet PC, and I couldn't be happier.

Second, I keep hearing "KEYBOARD!" "NO KEYBOARD!" "KEYBOARD!" "NO KEYBOARD!" ... Seriously, you don't want a push-button keyboard in a device this small. It is just not practical, and it nearly doubles the size of the device even if it is a slide-out. But you need a full keyboard too, it is supposed to be a full PC after all. Here is a solution for both:
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/projector-keyboard/index.html
Integrate that into a UMPC and then we will talk.

Third, a 7" screen or bust. Anything bigger is too big to be portable, and anything smaller is useless for a full-function windows platform device. And for god's sake put some sort of output so that you can use it on a bigger screen or a projector. VGA, DVI, HDMI, S-VIDEO, anything just put something. A UMPC would be perfect for presentations.

Finally, integrated Bluetooth is a must. That goes without saying.