Ultramobile PCs: The Next (Not So) Big Thing

Surely, exciting times are in store for consumers and solution providers alike. Whether it's the non-Microsoft Windows devices that Intel seems to favor or the Windows XP and Vista-loaded UMPCs that companies like OQO Inc., Samsung and Sony Electronics Inc. hawk, these devices are about to find their way into everybody's pockets, but not likely today.

While it's impossible to fiddle around with a TabletKiosk or an OQO and not get totally geeked-out on the possibilities, UMPCs remain a niche product for a number of reasons, not the least of which is price. The OQO 02 starts at a base price of $1,299, going all the way up to $2,349 for the version with a 32-Gbyte solid state storage drive. The eo v7110 from TabletKiosk, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hermosa Beach, Calif.-based Sand Dune Ventures Inc., starts at $899, and that's its cheapest UMPC.

Adam Snide, co-founder of online UMPC reseller Build Your UMPC LLC, Coral Springs, Fla., thinks the current crop of devices is only going to appeal to hard-core tech enthusiasts and customers in a select few vertical markets that need ultramobile processing power in the field.

"The OQO is like driving a Porsche. It's not for everybody," Snide said of Build Your UMPC's top-selling device.

Still, UMPC prices are expected to come down, particularly when more vendors start building them.

Developing a UMPC-based service practice is at least a year away for Nashville, Tenn.-based MSP MasterIT, said CEO Michael Drake, adding that prices need to dip to the $300 to $400 range before becoming palatable.

But Intel's bullishness on UMPCs has Drake intrigued. "UMPCs are still in that consumer product area. But given the fact that Intel can make things real, and real fast, in 12 months this space could be wide-open," he said.

And there's no doubt that putting the full PC and Internet experience onto pocket-size devices is on the chip giant's agenda. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel will unleash its latest chips and platforms for UMPCs at the end of the first quarter. The ultra low-voltage 45nm CPU code-named Silverthorne and the accompanying Poulsbo chipset make up its Menlow platform.

And Intel's not alone in the ultra-low voltage x86 game. Taiwan's VIA Technologies Inc. already has its C7 chips in OQO's flagship UMPC product, the 02. In the second quarter, VIA plans to go head-to-head with Intel's Silverthorne with a new chip of its own—code-named Isaiah—which promises high-end performance.

Target audiences for UMPCs certainly exist today, and savvy solution providers are getting a jump. GW Micro Inc., a Fort Wayne, Ind.-based VAR, offers IT solutions for the blind and vision-impaired. According to President Dan Weirich, UMPCs with a keyboard interface like the OQO 02 are a perfect fit for his customers. "Ultramobile PCs meet a specific need for our customers ... Portability is very important when you're blind," Weirich said.

Itty-bitty form factor notwithstanding, UMPCs are poised to be the next big thing for mobile power users.

Next: Methodology Methodology
The CRN Test Center defines UMPCs as small notebooks with a screen size of approximately 8 inches or less and weighing 2 pounds or less. The device should be designed for portability, support a full operating system, such as Windows XP or Vista, and have some kind of wireless connectivity, whether it's Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Reviewers looked at four devices: the Model 02 from OQO, the Q1 Ultra Premium from Samsung, the Vaio UX 490 from Sony and the eo v7110e from TabletKiosk. While they all came with a Windows operating system, only the Vaio UX and the Model 02 had Windows Vista. The Q1 Ultra Premium and the eo came with XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. AsusTek Computer Inc. did not respond to requests for a review unit.

Battery life was measured by running a movie on continuous loop off the hard drive until it was drained. Prior to testing, the power management options were modified to remove screen savers and sleep options. Each unit's power draw was measured at startup and after two hours of idle time. Hardware performance was benchmarked using Primate Labs' Geekbench testing software. Noise level was not considered because all of the systems were virtually silent. But all of the units became almost unbearably hot after three hours of continuous use. Considering these devices are intended to be used as an alternative to handhelds, there's a lot of room for improvement in cooling.

Sony Vaio VGN UX490
Sony's UMPC was the most expensive product submitted, at $2,500. Despite the high price, the Vaio UX secured first place because it performed reasonably well and is readily available to solution providers.

The Vaio features a sliding screen that opens to reveal a keyboard. It measures 6.5 inches wide, 3.5 inches high when closed (5 inches when opened) and 1.5 inches deep. The screen is small, measuring only 4.5 inches, but comes in at a 1,024- x-600 resolution. Like other products, the Vaio ships with Intel's Ultra Low Voltage Core Solo Pentium processor and 1 Gbyte of memory. The U2200 processor operates at 1.2GHz clock speed and incorporates a 1-Mbyte Level 2 cache with 533MHz front side bus speed.

The Vaio's LCD screen is calibrated for touch input, but it didn't feel very responsive. The keyboard, located under the screen, is backlit in blue when active. The flat keys actually made text entry difficult, but the unit fits in the hand much better than the larger products from Samsung and TabletKiosk. The mouse is located on the right, with left/right mouse keys on the left. A zoom feature expands portions of the screen resolution. There is a manual power switch for wireless, and the unit supports Bluetooth, WLAN and WWAN connectivity.

Weighing only 1.2 pounds, the Vaio shipped with a 48-Gbyte solid state drive instead of the traditional hard disk drives. The solid state drive is better for portability since it can absorb shocks better than spinning drives. When the LCD slides up, two cameras are activated for video and photos. There is a bit of a lag time for the camera to focus, so it's not ideal for snapping quick photos. However, the captured video is smooth.

The micro PC has a headphone port, a memory slot for Memory Stick Duo media with MagicGate functionality, a microphone port, a port replicator connector on the bottom, one USB 2.0 port and a DC-in port. It also ships with a whole array of accessories, including an integrated biometrics fingerprint sensor, a Bluetooth GPS receiver and a port replicator.

The Vaio drew about 25 watts on startup and 23 watts while idling. Its hardware performance was average, scoring 596 on Geekbench. The battery is on the side of the unit, and the curved shape gives the fingers a natural place to curl while holding the device. The battery lasted a little more than three hours, placing it a solid third in battery performance.

Solution providers can expect 6 percent to 12 percent margins on the Vaio UMPC. Sony's channel program offers two partner levels with minimum revenue targets set for each tier. Partner benefits include access to a solution provider portal, bid program and Authorized Service Provider Program. Other benefits include a two-tiered volume incentive rebate and spifs on various products offered occasionally. Sony said 100 percent of the Vaio UX units sold to business customers go through the channel.

Next: TabletKiosk eo v7110e TabletKiosk eo v7110e
TabletKiosk submitted the largest UMPC, measuring 8.5 inches wide, 5.5 inches high and 1.5 inches deep, with a 7-inch screen. Priced at $998, it's the most affordable of the bunch. Instead of an Intel processor, the eo has a VIA Esther processor. The VIA C7-M ULV 1.2GHz processor features a 400MHz front side bus and cooling via a heat sink without a fan. The VIA VX700 chipset is a single chip North and South Bridge architecture with integrated VIA UniChrome Pro II IGP Graphics.

The eo doesn't have its own keyboard, making it more like a tablet than a notebook. The LCD touch screen is calibrated for easy touch input, and the on-screen keyboard is easy to use. The native resolution is 800 x 480, but the zoom function can display in 800-x-600 and 1,024-x-600 resolutions. Reviewers really liked the handwriting recognition capability. When entering URLs in the browser or entering text, it was easier and more natural to write than to hunt-and-peck with a stylus on the screen keyboard. The accuracy was very high, except for the letter "E," which got confused with the euro sign about half the time.

The eo uses the standard 2.5-inch hard drive and can support from 40 Gbytes to 160 Gbytes of capacity. It has built-in 802.11b/g wireless networking with a separate power switch and a Bluetooth 2.0 module. The UMPC has one DC-in port, one headphone/stereo microphone combo port, two USB 2.0 ports, one 36-pin cradle connector that provides two additional USB 2.0 ports, a DB-15 pin VGA port to connect an external display and an RJ-45 Ethernet jack.

The orange nub for the mouse is located on the right, along with buttons for page up, page down and two function buttons. The left/right mouse buttons, a D-Pad with Enter key, and keys to toggle on and off the on-screen keyboard are located on the left.

The eo drew the least power during startup, peaking at 17 watts, and drawing 14 watts when idling. However, it performed the poorest, scoring only 400 on Geekbench. The eo V7110e uses a 6-cell lithium ion battery, but it distorts the shape a little bit. The battery extends up and down a bit so that the PC cannot lie flat on the table. The battery lasted a little more than four hours, which was the second-longest time. The eo v7110e was the only submitted product that supported Linux, in this case, Novell openSUSE.

TabletKiosk works with partners to customize the UMPC to fit specific vertical markets. The eo can run applications such as mobile POS, remote data collection, field logistics and clinical input. The company also offers custom accessories, including a magnetic stripe reader and a bar-code scanner.

While the technical merits didn't come quite up to snuff in comparison with rivals, TabletKiosk had the best channel program. The TabletKiosk channel program is a vertically-based single-tier program, and more than 95 percent of sales are driven through the channel. Partners are accepted to the program based on geographic location, relevance to target market and support services offered.

Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium
Samsung released the Q1 Ultra Premium as a midlife refresh of its second-generation UMPC offering, the Q1 Ultra. With improved processing and longer battery life, it beats its rivals handily on technical merits. Its channel availability remains limited, which is why reviewers declined to award the Ultra Premium a higher rank.

Samsung offers several configurations, and the tested unit fell in the high range. The high performance capabilities are reflected in the steeper price tag, at $1,299. Customers willing to take a hit on processing power in favor of saving money can select the Q1 Ultra, which will continue to be available, or one of the cheaper Ultra Premium configurations.

The Ultra Premium ships with Intel's Ultra Low Voltage Core Solo Pentium processor and 1 Gbyte of memory. The U1500 processor operates at 1.33GHz clock speed and incorporates a 2 Mbyte Level 2 cache. Despite being installed with XP, the Ultra Premium meets the requirements to run Vista, even the resource-intensive Aero Glass 3-D graphics. Even though the U1500 is capable of supporting up to 2 Gbytes of system memory, Samsung does not currently support memory upgrades in the Ultra Premium. This PC came with a 50.8-Gbyte ultra-small 1.8-inch hard disk drive.

There are a variety of input options, including touch screen, an on-screen keyboard and a split QWERTY keyboard on both sides of the screen. Samsung put half the keyboard and the mouse on the left side of the screen, with the other half of the keyboard, arrow keys, and the left/right mouse buttons on the right. This could be hard to get used to for Blackberry and other handheld users. There were some minor annoyances, such as the Enter key being moved out of the keyboard and located in the middle of the arrow keys. Additionally, having the mouse on the left side felt awkward.

Measuring 8.5 inches wide by 4.75 inches high and 1.5 inches deep, the Ultra Premium was the second-largest UMPC submitted. It comes with a fingerprint reader, a built-in USB Webcam and a 1.3-megapixel camera that is actually decent for photos and video. The 7-inch screen is backlit instead of sidelit, resulting in a bright 1,024-x-600 display. A docking station is available for the Ultra Premium. The PC has embedded 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There are two USB 2.0 ports, one Secure Digital/MMC slot, one DB-15 port and an RJ-45 Ethernet port.

The Samsung UMPC scored 1,078 on Geekbench, significantly higher than its rivals. At startup and idle time, the unit's power draw ranged from 28 watts to 32 watts. The Q1 Ultra Premium uses the 6-cell extended life battery that fit cleanly and did not distort its shape. The battery lasted a little shy of seven hours, which was by far the longest out of all the reviewed products. The Q1 Ultra Premium will be offered as part of Samsung's Power Partner Program.

Next: OQO Model 02 OQO Model 02
Just as the TabletKiosk eo was the simpler version of the Samsung Ultra Premium, the Model 02 from OQO is a sleeker and cleaner Vaio UX. Where the Vaio UX curved a little to fit the hand, the Model 02 is all about straight edges, resembling a flat box. Measuring 5.6 inches wide by 3.3 inches high and 1 inch deep, the Model 02 has a five-inch LCD display with a native resolution of 800 x 480. Unlike other UMPCs, the display does not accept touch input—a fact that kept tripping up reviewers as they frantically poked at the screen. Some configurations include an active digitizer for pen input. However, the screen can be rotated from landscape mode to portrait mode—handy when trying to get a closer look at an image or sharing the screen with others. The Model 02 also can zoom up to 1,000-x-600 and 1,200-x-720 resolutions.

The keyboard is much better on the Model 02 than on the Vaio UX, with raised keys that are backlit when activated. The buttons and mouse are included within the keyboard instead of on the side of the screen, giving a more traditional feel. All the numbers are organized to the right in a numeric keypad, and everything is organized for easy access.

The Model 02 was the only device without a manual switch for turning off wireless. Wireless can be toggled on and off with a function key, which is a bit difficult to find. It comes with 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as an expansion dongle with an RJ-45 Ethernet port. It has one USB 2.0 port, a docking/power connector and an HDMI port for video out.

The lightest unit, barely tipping the scale at 1 pound, the Model 02 had the worst battery life, draining in a little more than two-and-a-half hours. The hardware performance rivaled the Vaio, scoring 527 on Geekbench. Power consumption at startup was higher, at 27 watts, but it dropped to 20 watts during idling. The test unit was priced at $1,849.

OQO provides an industry-standard channel program, offering seed unit programs, and presales and postsales support. OQO also partners with other vendors to enhance the UMPC to make it more attractive to the channel. For example, solution providers can bundle AirMagnet's wireless troubleshooting tool, Laptop Analyzer, with the OQO.

Bottom Line
Despite the high price tag, Sony struck a balance between having a solid product and a stable channel program, an equilibrium that helped it claim first place. While the company would not win any gold stars purely on technical or channel merits, Sony offers a UMPC that performs well and is readily available to the channel. Even though TabletKiosk's eo v7110e scored the worst on hardware performance, its various input options, the ability to support Linux out of the box, low price and battery life saved it on technical merits. And TabletKiosk's channel program was by far the best one, comfortably securing the company in second place. Technologically, the Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium blows rivals out of the water, but until it is more readily available to the channel, reviewers decline to give it top marks. It landed in third place. The OQO's Model 02 performed almost equal to the Vaio UX, but it is also fairly limited in its channel program, leaving it in fourth.

If Samsung and OQO start to push more product out to the channel, they will become stronger options for solution providers.

Next: Five Key Players: Ultramobile PCs Five Key Players: Ultramobile PCs