Hands-on with Samsung's Q1 Ultra, Ultra Mobile PC
After bringing you the exclusive details on Samsung's Q1 Ultra UMPC, we got the chance today to get down and dirty with Samsung's second generation UMPC here at the big CeBIT show. Now, let us tell you something right up front: it's here, UMPC v2 is finally here.
Context & Ripple Effects
Samsung brought its second-generation UMPC, the Q1 Ultra, to CeBIT 2007, and Engadget — which had carried exclusive details on the device ahead of the show — now has hands-on impressions declaring 'UMPC v2' finally here. The device lands in a young category that spent 2006 under a usability microscope: GottaBeMobile devoted an entire usability-focused walkthrough to the Asus R2H, the most prominent rival slate of the first UMPC wave.
That framing matters. The first generation proved the hardware could ship; what it had not yet proven was that the pocketable PC form factor worked well enough to buy. A credible second-generation entry from Samsung, one of the few large OEMs committed to the category alongside Asus, is the test of whether UMPCs iterate into something mainstream or stall as an enthusiast curiosity.
First-order effects
- Buyers evaluating pocketable PCs at CeBIT get a concrete second-generation option, shifting the purchase decision from 'is this category real?' to 'which slate?' between Samsung and Asus.
- Asus, whose R2H defined much of the first-gen conversation, faces a refreshed Samsung rival whose ergonomics and keyboard layout will be judged directly against the usability bar the R2H reviews set.
Second-order effects
- Competing OEMs are pushed toward faster revision cycles in the sub-notebook space, since a visible v2 from a major vendor raises buyer expectations for screen, input, and battery on every slate that follows.
- Retail channels gain a clearer shelf story for the category — two named rivals with distinct hardware gives distributors something to merchandise beyond the vague 'Ultra Mobile PC' label Microsoft's original push left behind.
Third-order effects
- If second-generation devices actually close the usability gap reviewers kept flagging in 2006, UMPCs graduate from early-adopter novelty toward a durable pocket-computing niche; if they don't, the category risks repeating the first-gen pattern of impressive specs and lukewarm adoption.
- The episode strengthens Samsung's position as a form-factor experimenter across device classes — the same company shipping hard-drive phones and connected TVs — which compounds its leverage with component partners for whatever small-form platform comes next.
The trend: Handheld PC makers are entering rapid iteration mode on the UMPC form factor, betting that second-generation hardware can convert a heavily scrutinized category into a real consumer market.