Samsung’s Q1 will be the first Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) available when it ships in the UK at the end of this month. The devices are a new category between PDAs and full-blown laptops. A UMPC could thus find a niche as a lighter alternative to a Tablet PC, but performance and battery life need to improve before the Q1 could be a worker’s chief business client.
The Q1 weighs 779g and is slightly larger than an old VHS cassette, making it easy enough to carry around. In its favour is the ability to run full-blown Windows apps under Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. However, its small 7in display made text difficult to read for some people in the IT Week office, and the 800x480 resolution does not allow apps such as Excel to fit much data on the screen.
We found the Q1 somewhat sluggish and slow to respond to user input compared with other Windows PCs. This perception was borne out by a low Business Winstone 2004 benchmark score of 10.3. However, our review unit had a 900MHz ultra-low voltage Celeron M chip. Other models use a Pentium M up to 1.2GHz and may perform better. The 512MB memory cannot be upgraded by users, and the device comes with either a 40GB or 60GB hard drive.
The Q1 ran for just two hours and 23 minutes in our battery life tests, suggesting users will typically see about three hours, though the time will vary depending on how much they use the wireless LAN. An optional extended battery should last about six hours, while an external Power Pack will provide up to nine hours and also recharge the Q1’s internal battery, Samsung said.
Unlike a full Tablet PC, the Q1 has a simple touch-sensitive screen. This enables an on-screen keyboard called DialKeys that lets users key in text. The keys are split into two semi-circular groups in the bottom corners of the screen. This allowed us to type haltingly, but at the same time DialKeys obscures much of the window being used. The standard Tablet PC on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition tools are also available.
The Q1 has good communications options, with 802.11b/g wireless LAN and Bluetooth as well as 10/100 Ethernet. Two USB ports and VGA output allow it to be connected to a monitor, keyboard and mouse while at a desk. There is also a CompactFlash slot for storage cards.
Although the Q1 lacks a keyboard, it has a thumb-operated pointer controller at the left of the screen, plus “enter” and “menu” buttons to the right. There is also a user-definable control that by default scrolls up and down in apps.
One unusual feature of the Q1 is that it can boot into a multimedia player mode instead of Windows, allowing users to view photographs, and play music and video.
While Samsung’s Q1 device will not suit all users, its small size and weight could make it attractive for mobile data capture applications or as a web access device. Potential buyers should also look at Motion Computing’s LS800 mini Tablet PC, which weighs about 1kg and has a slightly larger 8.4in display.
