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So what can you do with the UMPC?

We’ve seen a lot of prototypes, videos, reviews and specs. So what can we do with it? Here is a brief list of things that we MIGHT be able to do with our UMPCs. These are just a few of the things that could be done and not the official list of features or must-do kind of a thing.

This little gadget is called “Ultra Mobile PC”, saying this, it should be treated as a PC which is mobile; not exactly like a laptop neither a Smart Phone kind of a thing, this is in between these two.

Work: Sure, this device will be powered by Windows XP (customized edition) but we can not expect this to be doing all that we did on regular PC, but a whole lot of it, like

  • Checking your emails on the run & replying them
  • View, Review and Share Documents
  • Make & Show off Powerpoint presentations
  • Chat with your friends & Colleagues for work & fun
Now, please don’t ask us if you can install Photoshop, Maya or any of those resource consuming applications on this. Well even if there is a way to do it, you don’t want to do it.

Videos: It better be a mobile entertainment thingy. Oh yes! you can have a lot of fun with this when it comes to entertainment.

  • Watch Videos off your Hard Drive & on the internet.
  • Watch Live Free TV (not all models might have the TV tuner card built-in)
  • Stream your Videos from the UMPC to your Mega Plasma & LCD TVs
movielink_logo2.gifsling_logo.jpgMicrosoft has already made deals with Movielink, so we can for sure expect some live streaming Movies on these devices, more like a pay-per-view or pay-per-download kind of a thing. Another thing to note is that Microsoft has teamed up with Sling Media:We can pretty much watch those channels we have subscribed via our Cable or Satellite on the device where ever you are in the world (provided you have the access to the web)

Music: Lot of folks were wondering if they can install iTunes on it. Well even if not, sure someone is going to find a way to do it.

  • Listen to your favorite Music off the UMPC or on the Internet
  • Listen to LIVE Radio (again hardware dependent)
  • Stream your Music from the UMPC to your Pumped up Music Systems.
Talking about music, the deal that Microsoft has made with MTV should come in handy and sure you would have some service that lets you watch your MTV shows on this nifty device. If you can Podcast it to an iPod, why not LIVECAST it to UMPCs :)

Play:

  • Sudoku: Looks like one of the famous games will be included in the touch pack
  • Tones of other games that are already in use could be installed
  • Sure there are even more designed specifically for your UMPCs that will be announced soon

Mobile: Yep you might not find it as attractive as an iPod nano but you CAN carry (may be in a BAG of its own & not in your pocket from the dimensions we see) this device to listen to music, but there are other things which would be really cool, like

  • Having this docked in your Car, which supplies charge to the power hungry device (3 hours of battery is not enough)
  • Use the bluetooth enabled Pharohs GPS unit and Cruise on the Freeway with Voice enabled Streets and Maps.
  • Stream wirelessly (RF) Music from your device to your Car Stereo
  • With Bluetooth built in, sure we can think of ways the you can use it with your mobile phone while driving as a Handsfree.
pharos_logo.gifMatter of fact, Pharos has announced the Pharos iGPS-500, a powerful new GPS receiver designed to work with the groundbreaking new class of Microsoft Ultra Mobile PCs. The iGPS-500 will provide mobile professionals with advanced location and navigation capabilities as a part of a comprehensive desktop experience on a lightweight mobile PC. Click here to read the press release

So UMPCians, go ahead send in your comments on what other things could be done, Sure there are even more creative people out there…

Yet another UMPC from Elitegroup Computer Systems

TechDigest notes that Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) has launched the H70 tablet at CeBIT 2006 - the latest in a succession of newly-unveiled UMPCs - or Origami devices if you prefer.

Powered by a choice of either the Intel Pentium M ULV 1GHZ FSB 400MHZ with a 2MB L2 on-die cache or an Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHZ, FSB 400MHZ processor with a 512 KB L2 on-die cache, the H70 features a  7-inch WVGA TFT LCD touchscreen display and a “slip proof” to stop you dropping your new toy on the move.

Read the full story @ Tech Digest




TabletKiosk V700: Indepth Review

Folks at Tablet PC2 got the review of the product. In short the guys seem to tell us that

  • The V-700 is fun to use, so much so it’s addictive!
  • Easy to grab and go.
  • Small Size and light weight are an advantage that allows you to take it anywhere without being weighed down.
  • Because of the size and weight the V-700 is amazingly useful and convenient to have and use.
  • Bottom line is that we loved it.

Read the full review at TabletPc2

StartUp Time: Looks like a lot of people are wondering what the startup time would be, we can be sure that its going to be instant - there would be a hard reset/restart, (might take up to a minute-yup we all know it’s powered by windows and we can expect to use this quite a few times) but then when it comes to switching on the devide from its dormant state it should be less than 2 seconds.

DialKeys: Microsoft UMPCs are NOT the first ones to sport this.

Thouch Pack: A company named Fortune Fountain has come up an innovative way for interactive via Thumbs named the “DialKeys”, Not a lot of know that there are actually production model Tablet PCs out there which has this Dial Keys feature. Fujitsu P1510D is one of the first. Matter of fact when you compare the spec of this Fujitsu Tablet PC with those of the UMPCs its very close.

More Screenshots and Prototypes at DialKeys

Update: Touch Pack - So what is it anyway?

tp_all_1.png
The Origami Project Team has these detailed, here is a short version of the same. The Touch pack (as of now) is made up of five main applications/features

Launcher: It is the launching point for applications on UMPC devices and what you see in many of the marketing materials. At its simplest form, Program Launcher basically gives the user a way to easily categorize their applications to make them easier to find and easier to open on a small form factor pc. It’s also totally cool looking!

Won’t it be cool to have a button that has only the favorites that the user can customize to his / her needs ?

WIDWIWD(What I Did was What I Wanted to DO)not the actual name:This is just a little utility that a user can run that makes Windows more useable on a small, touch enabled computer. It makes about 10 setting changes to Windows such as widening the scroll bars, enlarging the minimize and maximize buttons, showing folders in thumbnail view, etc

Those Fat thumbed ones will for sure prefer a Bluetooth or a Full Sized Keyboard that has a dock for the UMPC.

Brilliant Black - A Customized Media Player: In order to make the media playback experience a breeze on the UMPCs they built a skin that fills the entire screen on the devices with large buttons to navigate the media controls such as play, stop, volume, etc.

Hope these BIG, Real Estate Consuming, Easy to use UI(not sure though) would have the AUTO HIDE feature built in to it, otherwise it’s pointless to have a 7″ Screen and watch videos in 5″ Look at this, you know what we mean…

brilliant_black.jpg

DialKeys: This is built by a company called Fortune Fountain Ltd. and it is a really cool way to do text input with your thumbs.

We can imagine the finger prints that we’ll have on our UMPCs, hope some cool fingerprint proof screen protector comes up soon.

Sudoku: A completely addictive game that is huge in Europe right now and gaining popularity in the U.S. as well.

Well we just found out someone has booked the umpcgames.com domain and there’s going to be tones of them sooner.

Detailed information @ Origami Project






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