Ultra-Mobile PCs have a 20 cm (7-inch) touch sensitive screen at a minimum resolution of 800 × 480. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is used with slight tweaks to the interface to make it more suited for the small form factor. In addition, a software suite known as the Touch Pack Interface is included to make the interface more suitable for use of stylus as well as hand. The Ultra-Mobile PC is just a platform for which manufacturers can design any model they want, provided they meet or exceed the baseline specifications laid down by Intel and Microsoft. However, the UMPC will be capable of running a full version of any PC OS like Linux. When the UMPC was disclosed at CeBIT 2006, Samsung, ASUS and Founder had near-complete devices on display. The Samsung Q1 officially launched on March 1, 2006

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UMPCs will be able to run any software that has been written for the Windows XP platform, though the small form factor will mandate some changes to the interface. The standard Windows XP interface is the default, though a choice of having an interface more suited for the small form factor is available with the Touch Pack Interface. Due to the small size, most UMPC do not feature a physical keyboard, but a virtual keyboard, known as DialKeys, is provided in the Touch Pack Interface. Also, since the device has standard USB 2.0 connectivity, external keyboards and mice can be attached.

Official UMPC Links

Microsoft UMPC
Intel UMPC

 

UMPC devices will include a 900 MHz Intel Celeron M, Pentium M or VIA C7-M processor, 256 MB to 1 GB of RAM, and a 30 to 160 GB harddisk, depending on the manufacturer. They could also feature GPS devices, webcams, fingerprint readers, TV tuners, or memory card readers. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet are all supported as well. UMPCs have enough processing power to support audio, video, and gaming, in addition to having rich support for browsing the internet as well as for other communication and networking applications. Windows Media Player will be included, with a special skin designed to provide a better experience on the small screen. The devices will also feature DirectX 8–class graphics, and all applications available for standard Tablet PCs are expected to be compatible.

 

 

In the future, the prices of UMPCs are expected to come down to the $500 range. Battery life is expected to increase from the present two and a half hours to eight hours. Finally, UMPCs will be upgraded to include Windows Vista early in 2007.