Ultra Mobile PCs: Do you want to mini-size that?

by Dan Blacharski

May 9, 2006 —

This week's highlighted research:

In-Stat. "In-Stant analysis: The ultra mobile PC - hip or hype?"

Gartner. "UMPC has promise but is far from mature."

IDC. "Worldwide handheld Qview."

I worked in an office once where I was given a "luggable," a type of early pre-laptop that was meant to be carried around from place to place. Because it was bulky and heavy, you didn't so much carry it as you did lug it around, thus the nickname. Today's notebooks are conveniently small and lightweight, and getting more lightweight every year. And the quest for portability has given rise to entirely new categories of computing devices, which can be put into a jacket pocket or purse.

The idea of a PDA is cool indeed. It allows you to carry around a small subset of what you can do on a regular laptop, and some even have a keyboard of sorts. Of course, typing on that keyboard is difficult, so using a PDA, no matter how powerful, as a regular laptop is not possible. We as consumers are a curious bunch. When we go to a fast food restaurant, we're asked if we want our drink "super-sized." But as our food orders (and as a consequence, ourselves) get larger, we want our technology to be as small as possible. But is there a point after which it gets too small? There are those who purchased Palm Pilots, thinking they would be on the cutting edge of technology, and then wound up using them as nothing more than address books. Now I don't know about you, but for me, if all I need is an address book, I would rather go for the $1.99 paper variety from the drugstore, with the companion 19 cent Bic data entry device.

According to IDC's report, the first quarter of 2006 marked the ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline in handheld shipments. The industry continues to add new features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and expandable memory, yet the handheld market continues to shrink.

Gartner's report notes that in March of this year, Microsoft and Intel revealed the details of the UMPC for the first time, with a reference platform for the device that weighs less than two pounds and includes a seven-inch touchscreen. The first UMPCs will run Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 and the Microsfot Touch Pack software, which provides the device with a touchscreen interface. Gartner calls the device a "tweener," because it sits between the PDA and notebook model. But while Gartner agrees the concept is an attractive one, there are still some limitations. The greatest limitation is price: The first UMPCs will be between $799 and $999, Gartner says that a price below $400 will be necessary for widespread acceptance. In addition, the low battery life is impractical, and there needs to be a superior method of text entry beyond thumb-typing.

The constant desire for smallness, combined with the limitations and downward trends of the handheld market, has created a whole new creature: the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC). Backed by Microsoft and Intel, several vendors have delivered this new type of handheld this year, in an attempt to combine the attractive size of the handheld, with the more complete functionality of a PC. The UMPC is based on a traditional PC platform, and is an attempt to overcome the inherent limitations found in other handheld devices. In-Stat reports that OEMs including ASUS, Founder, and Samsung have already introduced prototypes, and the UMPC is now taking center stage.

ITworld.com