Standard connectivity comprises WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and 10/100 ethernet, plus there are dual cameras (a VGA webcam and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the back for photography).  The Q1UP-V ships with a 6-cell, 57.7 watt battery that Samsung are claiming will provides up to 7hrs use.

Both models are available now, with the Q1U-CMXP costing $1,499 and the Q1UP-V priced a little cheaper at $1,449.  In the US the HSDPA version will use AT&T’s Broadband Connect network.

Samsung have previously announced that they intend to refresh their UMPC range in Q1 2009, including a potential change in, or addition of new, form-factors.  There has been speculation that this will include a netbook-style convertible Tablet, to take on both the ASUS Eee and Gigabyte’s M912.

Obviously with just 8GB to play with, choosing what goes back on to the device is a real issue.  Steve picked XP Tablet Edition having played with some Nlite versions of the OS; Vista is pretty much a no-go area.  I’ve always been curious as to how well they perform, and now Steve has shown there’s a real speed increase available.  Original HDD performance started at 21MB/s and dipped to 10MB/s through use, while the CF managed a constant 40MB/s.

Even more impressive, access times fell from 18ms to a mere 0.3ms, which arguably could make more of a difference in the sort of sporadic, impulse use scenarios a UMPC is intended for.  Long-term stability of the Transcend card is still an unknown, but if you’re wanting a relatively straightforward way to dramatically increase usability of a companion device then a solid-state update could be the answer.  With the CF card available for around $115 online, and the adaptor around $28, it’s far cheaper than a true SSD.

Euh admits that sales have been small compared to other segments, but according to the Sales & Marketing department that isn’t a barrier to the upcoming refresh

“In that market segment [pricing] is between $800-$1700 USD. It’s not a device you can buy for Christmas, it’s [more] expensive for a specific purpose … We are going to continue to refresh our product for the price point market because we still see customers need this” Samsung sales & marketing spokesperson

That’s led some to speculate how Samsung will update the UMPC, especially with the Eee and other budget ultraportable notebooks grabbing much of the companion-device market.  Obviously the processor will come in for some attention - Intel’s Atom is getting the most hat-tips - and more fettling to the keyboard that appeared on the Q1 Ultra.  Personally, I’d love to see a dual active/passive touchscreen, as seen on some of the full Tablet PCs, which would play nicely with both fingers and a digital pen.

What could convince you to pick up a UMPC in 2009?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

[via jkOnTheRun]

Andy himself admits that it’s a rough’n'ready hack – primarily because he limited himself to parts he had lying around – but the proof of the pudding is most definitely in the indigestion it gives you afterwards and in this case it’s a whole stomach-worth of top notch EV-DO at plentiful high speeds.

“I dive regularly and locations I go, I get hardly any cell coverage.  I needed an antenna with decent gain and with the ability to use external antenna.  Needed to be removable too … I get full signal strength everywhere.  If I remove it, I get 2 – 3 bars”

Origami Project forum [via jkontherun]

To be honest, there’s little in Walt’s review that’s new – he praises the lower starting price ($799 rather than the $1,099 the original Q1 began at), the ability to work on the move and the general aesthetics of the UMPC, while reserving criticism for the still vaguely mediocre battery life (two hours and five minutes when running music continuously with full brightness, WiFi on and no power-saving gizmos) and the lack of keyboard intelligence (i.e. auto-punctuation and capitalisation). But what’s important about it is the impact it could have on general consumers, who have so far regarded the UMPC concept as a geekish frippery.

Samsung must be hoping that greybeard’s thumbs-up will push the Q1 Ultra out of its niche market and into mainstream consideration, and given the majority of users are content with some simple browsing, emailing and writing the occasional letter there’s little reason why an ultra-portable couldn’t satisfy their needs – especially if Samsung made it patently clear that adding an external, full-sized monitor, keyboard and mouse is terribly easy. It’ll be interesting to see how much more often UMPCs appear in less specialist publications, as the rest of the world wakes up to a concept that’s finally coming of age.

This time, Samsung has made a tiny PC that’s practical to use [Walt Mossberg]

Mike seems pretty convinced by the physical design – although he wishes it was MacBook matte black so that the glare from the casing and keys doesn’t make typing tricky – but it’s the software and OS that lets it down:

“The slowness of the Control Panel building was not my imagination. The Q1U had to be reset rebooted and when the Samsung rep called it up, he thought it had finished after 4-5 icons appeared. I had to tell him, No, wait, it’s sloooow. And it still was, even after a reboot!”

From the sound of it, things only got worse: YouTube videos were jittery and far from smooth, audio performance through the speakers (something the original Q1 was regularly praised for) sounded “like AM radio” and there was some intermittent problems with controls for screen rotation, resolution switching and other UMPC-specific features.

Is this a one-off problem with a demo unit?  Considering the Samsung rep told Mike that the machines had only come in at the weekend, it’s difficult to imagine that they’d crap out already.  We’ll have to wait for a full hands-on to see just how well – or otherwise – the spec’s of the Q1 Ultra live up to the UMPC ideal.

Samsung Q1U Fondle[Mike Cane's Blog]

The docking station has:

• 3 USB Ports
• 1 External Battery Charger
• AC Adapter
• Audio Out
• MIC In
• Stylus Holder

Samsung Q1 Ultra media gallery [via GottaBeMobile]

According to the press release we’re looking at 600MHz or 800MHz CPU options, with 1GB of RAM as standard together with b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 – the HSDPA modem is listed as a “factory option” with no indication of whether it will be available from launch.

The full press-release is available here [BusinessWire]

It’s good news and bad for US fanciers of Samsung’s slick new Q1 Ultra, with the Seattle PI giving a throwaway confirmation that the split-keyboard UMPC will be launching this week following the device’s release in Australia and New Zealand last month.  That’s the good news; the bad is that what Samsung are releasing now might not be something you actually want to buy…

According to the article, “[at] the end of the summer … the ultra-Ultra arrives with a 32 GB solid-state drive and a high-speed wireless cellular radio” which sounds suspiciously like the HSDPA option we’ve all be waiting for.  That certainly casts doubt on this imminent release having cellular connectivity, although the 1 GB RAM, 60 GB hard drive and 800 MHz processor should satisfy most.

The Q1 Ultra should start at $1,199

Seattle PI [via Pocketables]

They will be offering different models to suit your needs. You’ll be able to chose from a VIA or Intel Pentium M processor, Windows XP Tabled Edition or Windows Vista and a 32GB SSD hard drive.

You’ll notice that they’ve address some of the concerns that were voiced over the first-generation Q1. If you choose the VIA processor you can squeeze over 5 hours of battery life out of the device. Or if you need the extra processing power, just upgrade to the Intel Pentium M. It’s always good to see a company listen to customer feedback and make an effort to correct the issues.

Thanks Hugo!

[via press release]

Related: SlashGear at CeBIT: Everything you want to know about the Samsung 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.

Make sure to visit my previous article on the Q1 Ultra for more details. Also check out the CeBIT image gallery for more images from the show.

There’s no doubt that the Q1 Ultra is eye-catching and practical in design. Its QWERTY keypad and stylus pen makes it practical and mobile without any extra accessories.

Long live, the Q1 Ultra’s battery life! The Q1 Ultra offers over 3.5 hours on a standard 4-cell battery, while the optional 6-cell battery guarantees over 6.8 hours.

The Q1 Ultra is a sleek little PC that travels like a pro, where ever, when ever and do what ever you want it to do. It’s compact body measures under 23.9mm deep and weighs just 690g (w/o DMB).

Ok, I have to give it to Microsoft for giving the Q1 Ultra a few new really cool tricks like full screen viewing of web pages, as well as “pen flicking” which is similar to what you can do on the Apple iPhone. By turning pages, you simply need to “flick” the pen forward or backward. That’s just too cool. The video for this feature will be up shortly, so look for it in the next day or so.

Samsung seems to really listen to their users. The company conducted numerous studies to find out how users use their Q1. As a result, Samsung learned that users are satisfied with the PC full functionality, touch screen, design, and screen size. However, there needs to be an addition of a physical keyboard, better battery life, connectivity and the overall size of the device.

This next feature, the “Finger Print” is possibly one of my favorite features on the Q1 Ultra. It’s simple to use and highly secure. You know how cumbersome and tiresome it can be going to a website where you’re required to enter your user id and password? Well, the Finger Print takes care of that for you. Simply swipe your finger down the strip and it fills in your predefined ID and password. That’s way too cool! The demo video will be up shortly for your viewing pleasure.

The mouse and joystick and definitely going to add ease of use!

When you need a camera, or two, for video chatting or taking pics – they’re ready to go. A front mounted camera allows for video chatting, while the second camera is conveniently located on the backside.

The Q1 Ultra’s Super Bright 7-inch WSVGA screen supports native 1024×600 with 300 nit brightness. There are some improvements in the touch screen to accommodate “finger” usages.

If HSDPA and WiBro is more your thing, then fret no more. The Q1 Ultra’s HSDPA and WiBro will access you to the Internet anywhere (where services are available. Other connectivity supports include WLAN 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, and Wires LAN.

The lucky folks in Korea will enjoy Digital Multimedia Broadcasts (DMB). This feature allows users access to live television and audio channels anywhere for instant entertainment.

Optional accessories such as an external optical disk drive, stylus pen, extra battery, car dock and GPS solutions will complete your ultimate experience with the Q1 Ultra.

Make sure to visit the image gallery to view ALL images taken at CeBIT 2007!

A few highlights of the q1 Ultra include the split keyboards on the left and right hand side. There’s now 1Gb DDR RAM, 0.3-megapixel camera on the front for video conferencing or whatever you want to use it for. There is also a second camera mounted on the backside.

Samsung is also releasing a bunch of accessories to go along with the q1 Ultra. I also have the video but cannot upload until later today.

Price is still unknown until the official press conference.

Ok, I need to run downstairs for the conference. Make sure to check back later for more detail information on the q1 Ultra.

Make sure to check the image gallery for more images!

It’s looking even better in higher-resolution, don’t you think? I’m particularly liking those edge-mounted speakers, which have had to shift round from their position on the front bezel in previous models thanks to the thumbboard’s inclusion.

To find the shots yourself, you’ll need to follow Jenn’s instructions:

“They’re hidden under the laser printer picture shown in the “Exhibition Highlight” box at the bottom left. Clicking it launches a microsite that requires some patience to sit through (I’m not a fan of “live typing” ads), but after that it isn’t difficult to find the Q1 Ultra section”

Dear Samsung – please show us the back of the Q1 Ultra. I’d love to be surprised with a docking station connector round there!

Samsung Exhibition [via pocketables]