Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

We’ve just come across a complete review of Samsung‘s Q1-SSD UMPC, the first device in its class with a solid state NAND flash drive. Sammy’s had some ups and downs with its Q1 devices over the last few months, giving us all the more reason to wonder what Riyad Emeran of TrustedReviews had to say about it. The verdict? That 32GB flash drive is pretty freakin’ fast — Emeran noted the Q1-SSD booted in a snappy 22 seconds, notched a PCMark hard drive score of 5895 (more than twice as fast as an HP Compaq nc2400), and was able to perform a complete system restore in just over four minutes. However, that performance increase for the flash drive doesn’t translate into as large of a battery life jump as we’d like, given that the battery only lasts about three hours, compared to two hours on the original Q1. But the worst aspect of the Q1-SSD, as TrustedReviews notes, is the fact that its retail price is £1,400 ($2,663) — double the original MSRP of the Q1 (£700, or $1,331). For that level of coinage, you may just want to stick to the pokey-but-slim Compaq nc2400 to lighten your gadget bag.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Now we’re talking. Or, well, continuing an ongoing conversation. Samsung seems to have a little spec bump for the Q1 every week or so: a flash drive here, a new processor there, but this time they’re doing it up right and sticking HSDPA into their UMPC. The new “Q1P” also packs that new Via processor from the Q1B, which extends the battery to a purported five hours. The Q1 really does take on a whole new level of hotness with a respectable battery life and 3G internet access, and supposedly the Q1P will include “several additional interfaces” as well — whatever that means. We sure wouldn’t complain to have an easier time interfacing with the thing when it’s released Q4 this year, but we’re not going to get our hopes up too high.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

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Filed under: Tablet PCs

We still don’t feel like consumers are rushing out to buy those portable but quirky UMPCs (well, an unnamed Engadget editor actually did rush out to buy one — and returned it shortly thereafter), but it seems like the form factor is here to stay anyway, and now Korean manufacturer Daewoo Lucoms — a spin-off of Daewoo Electronics — has released its own version called the Solo M1. Specs on this one are almost identical to the Samsung Q1, as the two devices share the same low voltage 900MHz Intel Celeron processor, 7-inch touchscreen, 512MB of RAM, and of course, Windows XP Tablet Edition operating system. Also like the Q1, the Solo M1 sports both Bluetooth and WiFi wireless radios, and comes with the option of a built-in GPS receiver and/or DMB tuner. You’ll have to forgive us for not getting too enthusiastic about these products anymore (the novelty wore off about 100 posts ago), but if you’ve set the bar a little lower than we have, then you can pick up your own M1 for about $1,050 — in won, of course.

[Via Mobility Site]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Peripherals

So you’ve got a Q1 (so, so many of you) but are finding that two and a half hours of battery life just doesn’t cut it? Well Samsung’s got a solution for you… sort of. For about $164 you can score yourself an extended battery pack, which should pump up that time to a more respectable/shoulda been standard 5 1/2 hours — providing you’re willing to put up with a little added weight and bulk, that is.

[Via UMPC Buzz]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Despite its $1,100 price tag and nearly universal panning by critics, the initial stock of Samsung Q1 UMPCs sold out within 24 hours of appearing on Best Buy’s web site this weekend. Of course, we don’t know how many units Samsung allocated for the initial sales period, but we suspect it was a pretty small number. After all, there are few better ways to hype a product than to announce that it’s sold out, and prospective buyers will have to wait a while before they can buy one. Yeah, we fell for it, too. But we’re still not about to click on that “Add to Cart” button.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Gaming, Handhelds, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Welcome back to The Pipeline, a weekly feature where we dig through the mainstream media and see what the pundits, prognosticators and and pencil pushers have been discussing over the past week.

Last week, the media piled on the Nintendo Wii, more or less agreeing that the name left just a little something to be desired. This week's target: Samsung's Q1 UMPC, which went on sale today. As much as we'd like to say somebody actually liked the Q1, the mini-tablet was panned across-the-board, from The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, who called it "so deeply flawed in key respects that it amounts to little more than a toy for techies," to BusinessWeek's Steve Wildstrom, who commented that "buyers would do better to step up to an ultralight laptop or down to a PlayStation Portable or a handheld media player."

Elsewhere in the media, WNYC radio's Leonard Lopate sat down with Giles Slade, author of "Made to Break," to trace the history of product obsolescence from Henry Ford to Steve Jobs (what, you thought it was an accident that your iPod dies just as a hot new model hits the stores?). Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times checked out the "Into the Pixel" exhibit of video game art, while that city's LA Daily News, checked out the celebs at the star-studded Helio launch, including Milla Jovovich and Chloe Sevigny. We assume the glitterati showed up largely for a chance to get a free Kickflip, though we suspect most of them could afford the phone, even at its $250 price tag.

The New York Times: A big question unanswered by a tiny PC
The Wall Street Journal: Two tech leaders aim for bold new portable, but miss the mark
The Washington Post: Turning a miniature into a lightweight
AP - Tiny PC carries a small load of annoyances
BusinessWeek - An itsy bitsy problem

WNYC - Made to break
Los Angeles Times - The fine art of the video game
Forbes - Helio heats up handheld lifestyle
Los Angeles Daily News - Hello, Helio

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-01-2006/0004351588&EDATE"> vspace="16" hspace="4" border="0" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.dvguru.com/media/2006/05/umpc_mce-(small).jpg"
/>At a San Francisco press
briefing and product demonstration that hopefully went better than its href="http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/14/samsung-q1-umpc-befuddles-top-execs-during-demo/">disastrous Korean
counterpart last month, executives from Samsung, Microsoft, and Intel jointly announced pricing and availability
details for the official U.S. release of the Q1 href="http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=umpc">UMPC. Starting on May 7th, early-adopters will be able to pick up a
Q1 — along with all the high-profit-margin accessories — at Best Buy’s e-tail location for $1,100, with an in-store
rollout planned for “later this summer.” As you’re probably already aware, the Q1, along with models from href="http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/09/hands-on-with-asus-and-founder-umpcs/">Asus, Founder, and href="http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=tabletkiosk">TabletKiosk, is among the first generation of so-called Ultra
Mobile PCs designed to enhance your on-the-go lifestyle, and sports a 7-inch touchscreen, Celeron M ULV processor, 40GB
hard drive, 512MB RAM, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

We know we've been giving the UMPC -- specifically the Q1 -- a lot of face time, but we have to admit, even though we're unimpressed with the first generation of these devices both in capabilities and having played around with 'em, we're still interested. And to our surprise an English site called Personal Computer World not only got and reviewed a Q1, but gave it some very high marks, citing its quiet fan, sleek form factor, and bright, clear display as high points for the device. In fact, they only knocked on it for having a "standard" battery life (huh? 2.5 hours is now standard?), smallish drive, and, of course, sucky Celeron-powered under-performance. Will all those 4/5-star ratings they laid down be enough to get users to plunk down £799 (about $1450 US) for one of their own? We don't know, but we didn't exactly find it encouraging that Samsung told PCW only "hundreds" had been pre-ordered.

[Via UMPC Buzz]

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Wondering who to blame for high-priced UMPCs? According to "market sources" out of Taiwan, it's Intel -- and Asian manufacturers in the company's thrall. The story goes something like this: Microsoft really, really wanted the UMPC to be priced at around $700. And the company was all set to partner with VIA, which could have delivered the goods using its C7-M processor. However, manufacturers like Samsung and Asustek demurred, insisting that Intel, with its good name and R&D might, was the only way to go. That bumped pricing up to the $1,200 range, and soured the whole UMPC launch. Well, maybe. If that's the case, we still have to wonder why the VIA-powered TabletKiosk eo is going for $900. And we can't help but point out that both Samsung and Asustek have had no trouble spurning Intel before, pumping out AMD-powered computers when it suited them. Regardless, VIA may have the last laugh. Samsung is already planning a $700, VIA-powered UMPC for later this year, and if other companies follow, pricing for the mini-tablets may actually come down across the board. Whether that will goose demand enough to make this a solid product category is, of course, another story.

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Samsung is set to officially launch its Q1 UMPC in the US on May 1, with an event in San Francisco. We're assuming (or at least hoping) that this will be a real launch, with an announcement of pricing and availability (Samsung has already launched the Q1 in Korea, with a price of  about $1,200). Of course, if Samsung decides to hold the event in the Moscone Center and starts sending out cryptic invitations, all bets are off.

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Video, Tablet PCs

We've seen the official price for the TabletKiosk eo ($900). Now another UMPC has gotten its first official price, and it's an even further cry from the original "about $500" price point once expected for these devices. The Korean version of the Samsung Q1, expected to go on sale next month, will go for close to W2 million, or roughly $2,000. Sure, the Korean version comes bundled with a DMB TV receiver, USB keyboard, auto adapter and other accessories, but considering that just about every phone, PMP or electric toothbrush sold in Korea seems to include DMB, and you can get a full-fledged tablet PC for well under $2,000, we really have to wonder who Samsung's targeting with this (other than, of course, the usual coterie of fans who will pick up anything promoted by a team of spokesmodels).