How would you change the UMPC?
By Evan Blass 
posted May 4th 2007 10:50AM
posted May 4th 2007 10:50AM
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!
Put Mac OS X 10.5 on the UMPC and DVI-port for my 50 inch plasma!
specs: wifi, bluetooth, gps, a 7in touchscreen, 5hrs battery life (which i think some of the 2nd round are achieving), and no thumbboard. i like samsung's initial plan of the case with usb keyboard for when sitting at a table/desk. the thumbboards are so slow that inking would be just as fast for when truely used handheld.
ports: 2-4usb, dvi, lan, and audio
use: gps nav, listen to/watch media (winamp anyone?), and use office programs (including inking for notes) either ms or open office.
most important: $500. just looking for something capable of basic functionality. it doesn't have to be much more powerful than the olpc.
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?
"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).
The technology isn't there yet. People who pine for their old palmtops are not the norm. Those old palmtops were not powerful enough to use as portable entertainment devices. Cellphones and laptops are converging in the middle. My Cingular 8125 is terribly underpowered. It barely plays videos. I think a lot of progress can be done by building an architecture from scratch that is designed with strong multimedia performance, "good enough" core CPU speed, and long battery life. But the cellphone SOC architectures are too slow and the laptop architectures (as well as the destkop OSs) suck too much juice.
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.
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.
If the problem is: a a small device, screen to small; a decent sized screen, device is to big. (am i right) then what you need it a device that folds in half with a nice large display on the inside, and a nice strong case on the outside, kind of like a book. oh yeh an decent battery life.
basically what i'm saying in my above post, if the archos 704 included bluetooth, a better video out option, a mouse, a couple more usb ports and its software sported the ability to do doc reviewing it would make the perfect umpc.
Most resoundingly no to the OQO2. It's 3x$500 at minimum... 4x$500 to get it to a usable level, with a crippled processor and a low native resolution. It looks cool, but doesn't deliver.
Of course improved battery life and form factor, and features like bluetooth, GPS, Wimax, etc are important, but I think the problem lies more on a software level.
Why is Vista being installed on these machines? From what I have seen origami is a pathetic attempt to ensure that UMPC's use vista as well. Except that Vista is "bloated" and designed to run on high end desktops with >=2gb of RAM.
What we need is a customizable OS interface (read: linux) that is designed specifically for UMPC use, not a hacked interface application designed to run on top of a heavyweight OS.
What windows origami is trying to do is fit a GINORMOUS square peg into an itty bitty round hole. Drop vista, get your dev's to spend 20 minutes configuring GNOME or X to be usable for UMPC use. Its easy.
I think the biggest problem is (and that goes for the UMPCs as well as for the Internet Tablets) that they're trying to run a desktop- and mouse-orientated operating system on an ultra-portable, pen-centric platform. It just won't fly.
The ideal would be an updated Newton-like operating system. Say what you will about Apple, Doonesbury all you like, but the Newton operating system allows a user to comfortably and intuitively use a handheld without any hardware buttons other than the on/off switch (and even that one can be emulated: the on/off switch was one of the Newtons points of failure), without a keyboard and without the user even noticing that there are no mouse buttons, let alone moan about the problems of navigating his handheld without them.
The problem, to recap, with UMPCs and Internet Tablets is, that Windows is shite and that no Linux developer has ever put serious thought into a pen interface. So there.
UMPCs are useless. I'd rather get a UPPC or a small laptop.
Has anyone else noticed that these things all run Windows? That's the most glaring defect of any of them. Install an operating system on it instead of a virus development kit and I'll take a second look.
I want one of these so bad I can taste it. But I'm not going to do it.
I'm not a super geek. I just want to get email at work without being on a work computer. I'd also like to listen to my music (on the reader of my choice not the one forced down my mouth by big brother Jobs or Gates), read a book, surf the net or play poker on it.
If I push the customize button when ordering the Q1 and take 70% of the best options I'm looking at close to 2 grand. Forget it.
Make the web site readable for a NORMAL person. Is it so hard to tell me in plain english that yes, you can get a pc card from your mobile provider and slide it right in and whamo your online? But no I have to go back to school for yet another degree. Come on people.
I pay the cable company for cable as well as internet. I pay the mobile company for voice as well as texting (apparently for devices and services that are old news to the rest of the world). Rock on FCC. I pay Dell 2 grand for the xps that has superior service (with someone reading a script). If I get one of those DASH things from tmobile I've been looking at I also have to pay their internet charges, pay for the phone (apparently the screen breaks alot) and it doesn't even let me play poker at pokerstars. Not that I can find anyone at tmobile that can actually tell me what and how the device works. Apparently their 800 number as well as the kiosks don't actually employ anyone that can afford to play with the phone so they can give a person a clue that might buy it. Come on people.
For a device and the internet connect that will allow me to walk outside of my home and get my email, read a ebook, surf the net, listen to music and play poker I'd give anyone that can come through $30 a month for the rest of my life, maybe even 40. But as that can't happen I am fully prepared to wait until the day 20 years from now when someone finally gets it together enough to market the all-in-one-device. That's $10,800 that's staying in my pocket.
If you want me to buy. Be prepared to actually have someone on hand that can sell it to me. That means they can answer all the questions in a way that endears me to trust what they are saying. There should be no long pauses while someone reads a manual about a device they haven't a clue. Make it a price that matches its capabilities. Stop trying to sell a device to the general public using a vocabulary of an expert.
Make it a product that takes clutter out of my life not something that adds to it. Make sure someone outside of the R&D department can make it sing. Preferably the end-user. That's me.
(Ref:Reply:Stacy @ May 4th 2007 8:13PM)
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Nokia N800 Tablet PC ($380 or less.) Does everything you are asking it to do. Set up email or use free Gmail (Google Mail) from web page. Instant Messaging. Surf the Internet. PDF (Book) reader. Audio player. or Rhapsody. Video player. Orb. Games like Chess. Bluetooth & Wifi. Camera. Internet Radio. RSS Feed Reader. Photo Viewer. If you have AT&T DSL Internet at home then only $2 extra to get it on the road at hotspots such as McDonald's, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Barnes & Noble, etc. Or you can get the hotspots by them self for $20. As long as you can accept all the built in programs, you should be happy. Extra programs are growing, but still limited and some are not as easy to install for beginners.
Screen has to seamlessly flip to projected image...800 by 600 is a bastard resolution. Want a screen that uses stylus-sensing rather than direct touch...and a folding bluetooth PDA-type keyboard does the job for desk-like input.
Make it not Windows/Microsoft? That should resolve all the memory/processor concerns.
Some less common ideas...
1. Have a full-power mode and a low-power mode. In low-power, the UMPC would operate more like a traditional PDA with only certain low-power apps available, like calendar, contacts, etc, but the low-power and full-power versions would both access the same files. Then when you're in full-power mode, you can do more power-intensive activities, like web browsing and games. Also, low-power mode would require less boot time, and also have media player functions, like for playing video and audio files.
2. Develop a standard for attached peripherals that make the UMPC bigger, but that you might not *ALWAYS* want attached. For example, you could extend both ends with game controller features, like a D-pad one one side and a few game-controller-like buttons on the other. Or you could attach a DVD drive that makes the UMPC thicker. Don't need the DVD drive? Then leave it at home and enjoy a thinner device. Another attachment that could make the device thicker is an optional long-life battery pack, or extra hard drive space. Standard extendability, in this fashion, would eliminate the complaints like, "UMPCs try to do too much!" and "UMPCs do too little!" Well, then make them do the minimum, concentrate on a nice display and interface, and then make them extendable in a standard way. Then some people can add on, and some people can just use the minimum features and enjoy a smaller device.
3. GPS with a map app is a must.
4. Create a standard for docking these things. I want to be able to take my UMPC device home and plug it into a docking device into which standard I/O devices can connect, like DVI monitor, USB keyboard, USB mouse, USB external hard drive, USB printer, and extra USB ports/hub. That way I always have my data with me--on the road it's a UMPC, and at home connected to the docking station it's a PC. These same features would make the device easily connected to an HDTV using a DVI-to-HDMI cable. (Can you say bye-bye Apple TV?)
5. Provide all these things and make the price sub-$800, and I would buy one today and upgrade once a year. People would be just as addicted to these things as they are to getting new phones. I don't know why the PC manufacturers don't get it. It must be a conspiracy. ***PUTS JOHN C. DVORAK'S TINFOIL HAT BACK ON TO BLOCK MIND CONTROLLING CONSPIRACY RAYS***
If the ASUS one had a smaller bezle, 8 hour battery life, 1.5 GB ram, and a dual core 1.6 ghz intel for under 1500$ Maby 1750$ I would buy it.
Sorry for the double post. Couldnt find an edit button. I would also go for a 500$ one with an 1.6 ghz single core P4 512 MB ram WIFI and GPS and a thin sleek form factor. I could take linux on that too no prob as its nto for anything but basic consumer use.
I would buy that instead of the ASUS one and problly be happier. Either that or drop the price of a monocular 800*480 see through HMD to sub 300$ and I will build something I like based off a VIA processor and motherboard.
I have two apps for a UMPC-like device, neither of which is exactly matched by what's available today:
1. Portable 'photo album' device; I transfer photos from my camera and show them to people. The Archos 704 is close but not quite there. Ideal spec:
800 MHZ VIA C7-M processor
256 MB RAM
Solid-state storage (CF or IDE), about 8 GB
Screen about 20cm x 15cm, or maybe a bit larger; 1024x768 would be ideal but I might just settle for 800x600.
OLED screen. OK, not quite yet; so today I'd settle for an LED-backlit LCD. But it needs a good viewing angle.
Basic touchscreen.
No keyboard.
Scroll wheel. (e.g. on the side, where many things put the volume control)
No 'microsoft tax' - I'll run Linux thanks.
VGA and TV out, or perhaps DVI/HDMI.
802.11b/g. a would be nice too.
USB host for connecting a keyboard, mouse and flash stick.
Orientation sensor so screen can rotate itself.
Battery life: say 8 hours min.
2. 'Psion 5' - a small thing with a keyboard that I can use for reading & writing emails e.g. on a train.
533 MHZ VIA C3 or AMD Geode processor
124 MB RAM
Solid-state storage (CF), about 4 GB
Keyboard 75% of the pitch of a normal one. I think that means that the overall width would be about 19cm. Clamshell design.
So the screen could be about 17cm x 10 cm. 800x600 would probably be OK. Screen quality needs to be OK but not spectacular.
Basic touchscreen.
No 'microsoft tax' - I'll run Linux thanks.
VGA out, for projectors.
802.11b/g.
USB host.
Battery life: 12 hours min.
Personally I'm hanging out for the final step in convergence between the PC and the phone, as in a 5-inch UMPC running vista (eg. OQO2) but with full phone connectivity (GSM/3G/WiFi/GPS/Bluetooth etc.) like the HTC Advantage X7501. The key is dealing with access to those functions that you need to be 'always on' such as phone, messaging, etc. without needing to have the full (power hungry) OS running all the time. The ideal would be a UMPC with a second sideshow screen which runs the 'always-on' functions like phone/sms and also allows dap and other gadgets. I think such a set-up would dramatically improve battery life, even compared to running phone OS's like Windows Mobile, which I imagine still use considerably more power than sideshow.
The HTC Shift will hopefully be my dream device. No mention of battery life atm though..
As for improving UMPC, (are we considering a MID to be the same as a UMPC?)
- Improve battery life. My macbook can get 4 hours, I'd like atleast that
- Get rid of windows... MID's running Linux sounds like a better choice. (the Shift can do Linux and Vista I think, so you can have the best of both worlds)
- GPS. Mainly because it would be purely fun to have. :)
- KEYBOARDS! A device must have a keyboard, see Shift. :p
- Software, none of it is really designed for such a small screen.
The UMPC's are meant more towards business people and MID's users. I'm alittle more intrigued about the MID's now. :)
1. color e-ink in low-power mode for reading books (with note-taking ability).
2. calendar in low-power mode
3. 6-hour (at least) battery life
4. less than $300
In fact, if an e-book reader allowed notation, could keep a calendar, had a long battery life and was reasonably priced, I'd buy one in a second (even without the color). The ability to play mp3s would be nice, too.
The UMPC effort is a good one and I support it. Thre are definate uses for it existing today and will be in the future. It is however going to be a niche market device however. I envision it as a device used within a campus environment, where people have a desk/office but move around and need the computer with them.
Examples would be colleges, universities, hospitals, warehouses, airports, cruise terminals etc.
However there needs to be some changes in order for it to survive, and some things need to be kept.
The screen has to stay at 7-8 inches.
The display resolution should be be user selectible between 640x480, 800x600, 1024x600 and 1024x768
Connectivity has to be increased to include GPRS, Wimax, GSM, etc. To allow for maximum connectivity.
There needs to be a docking station. That has all of the ports on the tablet, but will also have RJ45 ethernet, audio out, video out, infra red, bluetooth, 2-4 usb 2.0 ports, firewire, battery charging bay etc.
Input should be touch screen so people can stand and type using a stylus (for accuracy) or a finger keyboard. Notice I did not say thumb keyboard. A finger keyboard is a qwerty keyboard occupying the bottom half of the screen with buttons large enough that you can type with one hand.
Battery life should be 6 hours at least with average use.
Memory should RAM and flash based. Totaling 512MB in the base unit. The active/working code of the OS should be able to fit in this size of RAM along with user files and 2-3 applications.
A 1.8inch hard disk should be included.
USers should be able to upgrade the RAM.
The OS, in my opinion is the major problem with this platform. It must be changed if nothing else is. The OS can be a Microsoft OS, but it must;
cold boot in less than 20 seconds
resume in less than 4 seconds
Be fully compatible with x86 platform
Must be designed for low power devices and not desktop as is currently being done.
They can use an entirely different OS build or use the faster (older) Windows 98SE core, patch it and make it compatible with modern devices.
But the current Windows XP and Visa builds are entirely too big for the UMPC platform and they are killing it. Graphics should be kept to a minimum in the OS.
The CPU, video and chipset processors should be able to adjust their speeds and voltages.
The CPU speed can be around 600-800Mhz and it must be passively cooled. Or if a fan is used it would have to be very slow
The OS can be non Microsoft as well. I did not say that in my earlier post.
But what ever OS is used the requirements mentioned for Windows apply. Such as the less than 20 second boot and fitting into the memory.
Another word about the CPU. Some of you may have heard of the Sony Th55. In case you did not. It was a PDA (best damm PDA ever made. In its time) It had a CPU that ran at 8-163Mhz. This CPU had everything built into it and could do anything these 400+ CPUs currently do. It ran the Palm OS. The battery ran for over a week between charges.
So building viable UMPCs is possible. Unfortunately what is happening is power guzziler Intel is being used in most CPUs and memory/performance guzziler Windows is used in the OS.
The price has to be $800-$1,000. For the base unit. Which would include only the OS, hard disk and 512MB of RAM.
The Docking station would be extra.
Oh, last thing
The docking station should also include a DVD/CDRW drive.
Just had another thought.
Leave out the GPS, GPRS, 3G, Wimax etc. as this would not appeal to every one and would increase the price. Besides we all know that those features are not available everywhere. Instead include a PCMCIA port. That way the people that want those features can get them, and the people who don't like myself. Can get the device at a cheaper price.
Wifi/802.11g and bluetooth would be standard however in the base unit. The ability to have voice convesations through a bluetooth headseet would be a plus.
Yeah I said it was the last but...
I was just browsing the PCMCIA options... In short amazing!
Imagine. You can connect as you wish
GPRS
SCSI
Firewire
USB ports galore
UMTS
Cameras
3G
hard drives
Manufacturer don't have to hurt their heads and their wallets tyring to include everything. Cause they'll never have eveything everyone wants. This also gaurantees upgradability. Users just buy the new PCMCIA cardbus that comes with the features you want and plug it in.
Shoot man!! do it now!!!
An ergonomic, intuitive keyboard, or mousepad on the underside (with a hard sleeve to cover it when it isn't being used). Touchpads along the edges, to keep touchscreens as fingerprint free as possible. The fastest up/downlink available, using multiple protocols with seamless, automatic switching between each one to keep the data connection at peak speeds. Synching with a land-based storage system to keep the device's memory clear (proactive data slinging). Hot swappable off-the-shelf rechargeable batteries.
Support for second monitors. Upgrade modules like the Asus XG Station, but smaller, to focus the functioning of the device towards gaming, mobile video, a projector, etc. Durability, cheapness, ease of repair, like the Model T Ford.
I'm some of this has been said (I didn't read all 80 comments).
1)Long battery life.
2)solid state (see #1)
3)speedy
4)plenty of USB ports: for keyboard/mouse etc
5)VGA out: desktop replacement/fill in and presentations
6)Connectivity: integrated wireless, network, EVDO, HSPDA, bluetooth, sim card slot to work as a phone if one wished
7)instant on/PDAesque boot time
8)oh, and a touch screen
What it doesnt need:
huge hard drive
huge screen
keyboard of any kind
Basically these should be bigger PDAs with fully functional operating systems and software suites. They should not be Sidekicks, they should not be gaming machines, They should not be laptops (if you want a keyboard integrated that's not touch screen get a laptop), they should not be expected to hold our entire itunes collection and every snapshot you've ever taken and all your bootleg videos. I envision these as an H2G2 like device that can substitute as a portalbe thin client that doesn't depend on a network and can just plug into an interface station (such as a monitor and keyboard and mouse at your desk) and then you can take it with you. When you are on the road, treat it like a PDA that's actually powerful and won't leave you straded or lugging a bunch of adaptor cables to give a powerpoint presentation. I could go on. ok, I will a little. keep it small. If you don't want something so big you can't put it in your pocket then you shouldn't need to have the full capabilities of a PC at those times (there is no need for the PC at the club).
make it resizeable like a pokeball so u can have it as ur cell phone key chain and make it big when u need it :p
Drop the price by $600 dollars. Longer battery life.
I'd change the UMPC by doing these:
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
1. Make them diverse! This is the thing I simply don't understand. Why does a UMPC have to be the same resolution, the same physical size, etc? There should be UMPCs throghout the entire spectrum, from something with a 4.5" 800x480, 4-16 GB Flash HDD, 0.5-0.75" thick and 1.5 lbs; there should be devices 6" 800x600, 20 GB PCMCIA (~iPod) HDD, less than 1" thick, and less than 2 lbs; there should be devices with an 8" 1024x768 screen, bigger HDD, but still less than 3 lbs. Some without keyboards, some with crappy chicklet keyboards (Zaurus), and some with tiny- but laptop-like mechanism and useful keyboards (Jornada 720 or Sigmarion 3), with keyboarded devices being convertable like the Zaurus C-series.
It just doesn't make sense- MS simply doesn't learn from their mistakes. They pulled the same thing with PocketPCs- there once was a diverse world of compatible Windows CE devices. CE wasn't like Palm OS- it's not like you had to do a lot of coding for each of these devices, as long as it was the same CPU it just worked. That is, until the PocketPC era (which includes Windows Mobile), when everything became just about identical. The early CE machines didn't do well because they were a bit too hands off- they didn't encourage useful software development and they didn't standardize on an instruction set (SH3, SH4, ARM, MIPS- all incompatible). But at the end of the pre-PPC era things started getting interesting, with good 3rd party software and some awesome machines- I still use my Jornada 720 and there is nothing I can order here in the US to replace it. It's a mini-laptop with a laptop-like keyboard, though with tiny keys- but because of the laptop keyboard-mechanism, I can type 60 WPM even with my fatty fingers.
2. Make it smaller and lighter. UMPCs are HUGE and heavy. Even for a 7" device with a HDD it is heavy. It ends up being more like an underpowered laptop than a souped-up PDA, which is more the approach, at least hardware-wise, that they should take.
You see people express this sentiment all the time, saying things like:
"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."
Which is totally true, for how the device is now. A lot of it is a matter of to each their own- because MS has them locked down in specs, size, screen size, etc they fit in a spot that is not much for most people and just right for very few.
On paper, the diference between 1 lb and the 2 lbs of a Samsung Q1 might not seem great, but when I've played with the Q1 the size and weight told me that this device, and its brethren, were simply not for me. It "felt" like a laptop, not a PDA or tablet- there is a different feeling between those two classes of devices. There is no reason a device that "feels" in the hands like a PDA/Internet Tablet can't have the full power of a desktop device. Also, the Samsun Q1, like most laptops, feels very easy to break, bendable, plasticy and not-solid- like most PC laptops do. Again, my Dell X51v, Nokia N800, Jornada 720 and Newton 2100 do *not* have this feeling, even with micro-laptops like the J720. Build quality? Not sure, but the feel of it is apparent.
3. Price. This is HUGE. I'd be happy to buy a slower and storage-light UMPC, even running Windows, if it was about the size of a Newton (6" screen, 1.2 lbs", i I could get it for a decent price. I'd buy an OQO or a Sony Vaio UX-series, but there is absolutely NO way I'm going to buy a $1000-2500 device and carry it around in my pocket. I'd be too afraid of breaking it or getting it ripped off. If I'm spending that kind of money, I'd buy a notebook *and* a PDA or PDA-like tablet like the Nokia 770/N800- which is a great device IMHO. Make it $300-700 and I'll buy, even if it is has to be slower and with a smaller screen- but it better be lighter too!
4. My last point for now is also a biggie: get some decent handwriting recognition on it. The Newton OS (2.x, not the 1.x "Eat up Martha" releases!) The worst part of it is that I think MS has licensed a decent engine- PhatWare's CalliGrapher engine, which can be purchased for WinCE under that name; used free (in a more limited version) with some versions of PPC/WM as Transcriber or purchased to use on a Windows desktop as the product PenOffice. The engine is very decent, but the way Microsoft has completely mangled it with their Tablet PC OS, you wouldn't know it.
Who the hell wants to right in a little box, and tell it to insert the line, etc. That is completely unacceptable. There is no reason that MS couldn't write a decent UI around the engine or even just bundle PenOffice with TabletPC or UMPC devices. The Newton OS is the best example of integrating real HWR into the OS, with CalliGrapher (esp older, faster versions like CG 5) on Pocket PC coming in as a close second. If you've only used Transcriber on PPC/WM, I can see plenty of reasons to get turned off, even though the engine is the same. Both the Newton OS and full CalliGrapher have the requisite decent HWR engine, but they also have a lot of gestures, features and shortcuts to make the process really efficient. It isn't the same as on a keyboard, but I can enter text at 40-50 WPM using either the Newton MP2100's built-in HWR or CalliGrapher on PPC/WM. And my handwriting is quite messy. Both have an easy keyboard you can pop up, various macro/programmable gesture commands, etc. For comparison, I can do 10-15 WPM on a thumboard or using Graffiti.
The input system on the UMPC and TabletPC sucks. MS should trash it and write something new- and worth using- around the proven CalliGrapher engine. This should involve full-screen, write anywhere HWR, no dumb input bar, etc. You tap somewhere once, which like a single mouse click brings the insert point to where you clicked. Then you write on the screen. That's it. The way MS does things now is slow, convoluted and painful above and beyond needing to write in a box. Considering the quality of the engine I was shocked to see how brain dead MS is taking care of it.
Man, thet best thing in the world would be for Microsoft to reply, take my input, and give me my perfect UMPC. I'm a Mac and Linux user, but I would purchase something running Windows if they could give me the hardware I want within a week of its release, before there were even proper reviews of it around. But MS prefers shooting themselves in the foot, I guess.
screw flash HDDs and tiny 30GB-40GB UMPCs, I won't buy one because there's never an option for atleast a 100GB HDD. There just isn't enough space.
Better battery life. I suggest they stop selling UMPCs until they can put a fuel cell into them.
More ram!
dual core ULV processor!
HIGHER RES SCREENS!!
slide out keyboards, like the UX.
Make em thinner. Even though I can easily fit any UMPC into my pocket, they're still pretty thick.
They are too small to be usefully productive on, but too big to put in a pocket. There was a reason why there was a gap between the PDA and the laptop, its the worst of both worlds. And they remind me of the game gear!
jacket pocket fit - 6"x4"x2"
tough chassis and hinges - open close on the run 20 times a day with no probs
12 hr battery use, 12 hr sleep on top of it
2s full boot from sleep
FULL KEYBOARD - min size 10"x4"
min screen 1024x768 (maybe a multipanel disp - two 6"x4" panels to quit squinting)
full desktop suite
2GB RAM
all connectivity - wireless esp. >2 USB ports
I Ordered a Sony's Vaio UX-380N, I previously owened a UX-280P, this is an amazing device, I ran V.Studio 2005 on this (280) w/o harm.
For Me The Perfect UMPC must start from the Vaio UX concept, not the Origami-Q1 Concept.
The main defects still have the UX are the Price (must be sub-1200$), Too Small Screen(current it's amazing clear but a bigger one sure is welcome) at least 5" (and better realstate usage), NO KIDNAPED WIRELESS WWAN MODEM (EDGE-CYNGULAR), 64GB Solid State SSD, PCI Xpress/34 slot instead CF or integrated WWAN Modem, charge connector moved from the bottom to the left or rigth, jut to allow use the stand while charging. Bigger Keyboard (better realstate usage).
4 Hour Battery Life is Enough (I Want to know for some one that really uses a Laptop more than 3 Hours unplugged no matter if have a 9hr batt life).
A Core2Duo Cpu and 2 GB of Ram, Vista Is OK.
From my perspective, there is a fundamental flaw with the whole UMPC concept:
If it's small enough to fit in my pocket, it's too small to have a big enough screen and full-sized keyboard.
If I want to do real work, I need a screen big enough to read and a real keyboard. However, anything big enough to have both of those things, is too big for me to carry around without having to make special allowances to carry the device with me. If I need to bring a bag with me, I might as well bring a full-fledged sub-notebook or ultraportable.
Unless something has a real keyboard, it's a toy.
I have used a PDA almost every day since 1999 and the reason I use one is because it is small enough that I can just throw it in my pocket. I've had 3 different folding keyboard for it, and had wireless and cellular internet and they at least double the size of the smallest PDAs.
Yes, it is possible to accomplish real work with it, but the extreme interface change would make the standard desktop OS interface unwieldy. I've tried using tablet PCs at work, and I always end up switching them to laptop mode. Maybe I'll use the touchscreen/digitizer instead of the mouse, but pen-based text input is awful. (Especially for those of us with bad handwriting....)
The fundamental form-factor/ergonomic trade-off makes it impossible for anything pocketable to become my primary computer, and anything non-pocketable might as well be at least subnotebook sized to give me a real keyboard.
what's the point of a UMPC? who needs it? what's it help me do better without a keyboard that i can't already do with a laptop?
more wireless connectivity: bluetooth, cellular data, etc...
Copy the Nokia N800, but give it a high resolution
7 inch screen. Make the screen take up the whole front of it.
Better docking solution. I saw a solution (called USB Duet) of placing a USB client port on the UMPC so you can dock directly to a PC through a standard USB cable, no expensive docking accessories needed.
Funny, when I reads these threads, I think back to a real-time OS called QNX, where they put an entire OS, a couple sample apps and a real web browser environment on a 3.5 inch floppy disk, back in the early days of Win95 IIRC. This thing packed everything into 1.44MB. Real web browsing.
How can it be so hard for the major players to make something that would hit the magic 80/20 rule for a small portable, useful device? If QNX can build an OS to run a nuclear reactor, on generally antiquated (but reliable) hardware, it would seem that someone could figure out how to do a real UMPC.
The OS (bloat) seems to be the problem, along with battery life ... the keyboard issue seems secondary. Solve the OS issue, the others will fall into place. I'd like to see some of the old WindowsCE stuff be resurrected on today's (better) hardware, like the Jornada 720 that others have mentioned, or the device from HP that I had but can't remember the name of ...
Anyone have a few million $ lying around to play with? From the comments i've read just in this thread, we have the makings of something special if we could figure out how to get the suggestions into a device somehow ... QNX, are you listening?
Some way of synchronizing with a desktop PC. Nobody is going to use one of these as there primary PC, so there needs to be a way to synchronize files and applications between a UMPC and a normal, more powerful desktop.
Oh yeah, and a lower price tag sounds nice too.