This is a follow up article to the Everything You Want to Know about the Samsung Q1 Ultra. As you can see, there are significant improvements in the Q1 Ultra.
The Q1 Ultra is about half an inch shorter than the Q1b. There is a split keypad on either side of the 7-inch screen.
The Q1 Ultra supports native 1024×768 screen size. This make makes a huge different on a device this small.
My thumbs aren’t very big, but I still have a hard time mastering the art of thumb-typing on my teeny QWERTY-equipped gizmos. If you’re a road warrior with the same problem, you ought to try out the G-Tech Fabric Keyboard. It is the ultimate in portability as its made of a durable and washable “smart” fabric and unrolls from the size of a plump twinkie into a full-size keyboard. It can connect to any Bluetooth enabled mobile device such as a PDA, smartphone, or UMPC. It runs on just two AAA batteries housed in a hard plastic compartment attached on one end that also houses the Bluetooth transceiver.
The Medion MD RIM 1000 UMPC sure beats the Samsung Q1 and Q1b, and perhaps even the Sony UX180p. Why? Because it’s more usable thanks to the integrated slide out keyboard and touch pad. Other features include a 6.5-inch touch screen, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, integrated GPS, DVB-T tuner and web cam.
The battery has a lower capacity compared to the Q1b, yet offers about the same battery life of 4-5 hours. There’s no point in having a UMPC when the battery dies out within two or so hours.
I can’t confirm if the unit comes preloaded with Windows XP or Windows Vista. But, as you can see, the unit below has Windows Vista on it.
Click through for more images.
After a few massive releases (anybody got a spare PS3 lying around?) it’s been a week of disposing of packaging and measuring the damage of Wii controllers making expensive impacts with big-screen TVs. SlashGear has had its fair share of unboxings, too, with Parrot’s Bluetooth Wireless Speakers, the iZ3D Gaming Monitor and Samsung Q1b all preening for the camera. In fact we and our sibling site Unbox.IT have been featured in the Wall Street Journal this week, in an article on the unboxing craze sweeping the blogosphere.
There’s also been a big step forward in mobile internet, with the Sprint U720 EVDO Rev.A USB adaptor dropping into our laps and being the subject of some exclusive videos. We also managed to get it up and running on the MacBook Pro, thanks to some judicious software swapping.
Finally, we can’t let this opportunity go by without mentioning the sad passing of CNET’s James Kim, who died in the noble attempt to secure the rescue of his family. James, and his contribution to reporting, will be greatly missed.
SlashGear has been lucky enough not only to get our hands on a Samsung Q1 but the solid-state-disk Via-based version the Q1b. And because we know you love the rustle of packaging and the creak of ripping tape just as much as we do, here’s our boy Vincent Nguyen playing the Christmas Morning Game in another unboxing video.
Stay tuned to SlashGear for further hands-on reports on the Samsung Q1b, including details on just how improved the battery life can be with no moving hard-drive parts!
[edit: Thanks Jenn for pointing out my forgetfulness - the Q1-SSD is the solid-state UMPC, whereas the Q1b is Via-based and loses the CF and ethernet ports in favour of better battery life and a brighter screen]
If we gently ease Apple into an out-of-mind drawer then it becomes fair to say that the award for most anticipated hardware of the year goes to the UMPC, March’s Origami campaign for which persuaded some, at least momentarily, that Microsoft was hip. Since then, as first-gen models grace reviewers’ hands, the mainstream computer press have been trying to find a use for them, while the loyal Tablet faithful have in most cases defended their existence. There comes a time when every reviewer must spurn the fence they sit upon and, with only a minor pause to pluck splinters from delicate places, decide whether a UMPC is something to heap cash or derision upon. Hence the Samsung Q1 in my slightly sweaty hands.
Arguably the poster-child for the whole UMPC concept, the Q1 is nevertheless typical of its breed. At casual glance it falls somewhere between high-end PDA and sub-notebook, far greater in functionality than the former but, by virtue of space and battery constraints, lacking the power of the latter. In theory it’s a terrific idea, perhaps only hamstrung by technology not yet being there to realise the dream.
The Q1 features an Intel Celeron M ULV processor running at 900MHz, 256 MB of DDR2 RAM, a 7″ 800 x 480 touch screen, 40 GB HDD, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth, and is available through Best Buy and CDW only for $1,099. Sitting snugly in the hand, it’s a comfortable beastie and demands little investment in operational style once stabbing bluntly at the touch-screen becomes habitual. Unlike the UMPCs older siblings, full-sized Tablet PCs, the Q1 and its ilk use passive touch-screens which will respond to any old pressure rather than specific styli. One can only assume that it’s this fashionable promiscuity to touch that led Samsung to bundle the appalling standard stylus, which is an insult to both users and ergonomics in general.
A couple of days ago Slashgear wrote about how the VIA-blessed Samsung Q1b, the latest evolution of their UMPC range, would have HSDPA 3G connectivity as standard, as well as up to five hours battery life. Well, the people over at The Carrypad UMPC Journal must have a sideline as private investigators, because they’ve managed to dig out a presentation about the Q1b from the Samsung’s German website.
The sublimely slinky Kevin C. Tofel (the “C” stands for comely) tells us that Samsung’s second stab at UMPC loveliness, the Q1b, will not only wield a VIA processor but have broadband-a-like wireless 3G connectivity – for those of you who love numbers more than words, that means 1.8Mbps as the networks warm up, with 14.4Mbps at its peak.
Based on the clever and unpronounceable HSDPA technology, the Q1b now jumps ahead of the ultra-portable pack with its dedicated always-on connection. One of the common criticisms aimed at all of these tiny-tablets has been their dependence on finding an open WiFi hotspot, which otherwise handicaps their usefulness to the average Joe (or Josephine).
Samsung has also upped the battery life; as Kevin gleefully points out, it should be around five hours. Released in the fourth quarter, prices tbc.
What a day – we got a good look at Blackberry’s sexy new Pearl 8100 thanks to the Boy Genius. Sony Ericsson announced the drop dead gorgeous Z610 3G cell phone, news of the Q1 getting an upgrade to a 32GB Solid Stated flash memory and rumors of a new Q1b featuring Via C7-M ULV processor. We’re still waiting for reports from the world whether owners of the HD DVD really did get 2.0 firmware; feel free to drop us a comment or two. Are you looking for a new smartphone with a lot of storage space for your entire collection of tunes? The Samsung 8GB music phone SCH-B570 is your answer, if you’re a residence of South Korea.
Interesting news from Samsung that their next UMPC, the Q1b, will be using a Via C7-M ULV processor – that means a CPU speed of between 1.0 and 1.5GHz, quite a nice leap from the 900Mhz Celeron M that the current Q1 is saddled with. Hopefully this will be a suitable prod to the eye of the current naysayers that have (rightly) blamed the anaemic specs for the Q1’s lacklustre performance.
Check the link for the Q1b device manual…
Q1b manual (pdf) [via jkontherun]
SlashGear Japan
