UMPC Choices Pt.2

The Samsung Q1 Ultra, Q1 Ultra Premium, Q1P, and Asus R2HV are all considered tablet UMPC's which means they lack a physical keyboard (except for the Q1 Ultra line which has a little split thumboard). They all have passive touch screens and everything is finger driven, though the R2HV has palm rejection so that you can lean on the glass. With these touch screens I could easily navigate something real quick without having to worry about carrying around a stylus. Though that is also where the trouble starts.

Since I would be using the UMPC to write notes on I would have to be very careful not to lean on the screen or my hand will cause something called vectoring (the computer can not distinguish the difference between your palm and stylus so it will cause lines going everywhere in between the two points). I am very bad for writing and leaning but I am sure with enough practice I would be able to write without leaning on the screen.

Any major input I need I to do could just done using a simple keyboard such as the Sierra foldable bluetooth keyboard paired to the UMPC. Quick and dirty solution. It would also mean I have to carry around one more item though. I am sure I could survive though.

In terms of power all the ones I listed have some of the more powerful processors designed for UMPC's except for the Q1 Ultra as it has a A110 processor running at 800 MHz. I just put that on the list as it is definitely one of the cheaper UMPC's out there but I personally would not go with it because if I am going to drop my hard earned cash on one of these it best do what I want it to do. For not much more money is the Q1 Ultra Premium which is only rivaled by the Sony UX in terms of power but at least half the price. A great plus for me and this is one of my options for a UMPC. Next is the Q1P, slightly dated but if it gets the job I would be fine as it has a Pentium M processor, same goes for the Asus R2Hv.

So the one from this list I would consider buying is the Q1 Ultra Premium for about $1300. It packs a Core Solo processor and the latest Intel graphics. Something this size should pack more power than something smaller such as the OQO. I like that it has an SD card slot for my removable storage needs and 2 USB ports. Like I said before the regular Q1 Ultra just can't pack enough oomph when compared to this for a few hundred dollars more. The Q1P seems like a fine choice and I really don't have to much bad to say about it except for its CF card slot is slow and a waste so my removable storage options are gone. With the R2HV I have only found it for about $1000 and for not much more I could get the Q1 Ultra Premium.

So those are my main thoughts on the tablet UMPC's out there. Think of this all as an elimination to help me better decide my choices. So of the round one cuts the Q1 Ultra Premium is my top choice. Next up will be convertable UMPC's.