Last week at CeBIT I had the chance to handle the LG UMPC a couple of times. In both cases, unfortunately, the device wasn’t turned on so it was impossible to see how Vista runs but based on other tests I did last week (ASUS R50 and ASUS R70), a clean Vista build on a 1.6Ghz or 1.8Ghz version of the Silverthorne processor should be about as fast as what we’re seeing on devices like the HTC Shift and Kohjinsha SH8. What I was able to do though was to get a feel for the device’s ergonomics. [read the full post after the break]

Its a device with a nice smooth pocketable feel but with a size and weight noticeably more than say the Nokia N810. The size increase is due to the 4.8″ screen, much bigger keyboard and higher capacity battery. (Estimated 15wh) The keyboard is really nice with a good key-spacing, good layout and great feel. JKK pointed out to me that it was very similar to the OQO and he’s right. The layout and key feel is almost exactly the same with the left/right mouse buttons in a vertical arrangement on the laft and a numeric keyboad on the right although the space bar seems to be offset to the left which didn’t fit my right-thumb spacing method. Where the OQO has a synaptics mouse pointer stick, the LG has a thumb pad which is bigger than the tiny pad found on the HTC Shift making it more likely to be useful. I prefer mouse pointers myself but I know many people, especially first-time UMPC users, prefer the easier learning curve of the mouse pad. Whether it’s as useful as the very nice pad on the WiBrain B1 range remains to be seen.

Click for larger image of the HP UMPC keyboard.

The slider mechanism is excellent. Top marks to LG for using a very smooth assisted slider which gives the user a feel of quality. The Gigabyte slider mechanism is third-rate compared to this one and I’d say it’s the best UMPC/MID slider mechanism i’ve ever tried. The plastics are good too. Rounded, shiny, attractive. Around the device you’ll find 2xUSB ports, an SD card slot and what looks like a SIM card slot. It appears that there’s no camera on the device though.

More images in the gallery.

There’s a lot of outstanding questions with the LG UMPC. How does it perform? What’s the battery life (I estimate 3 hours) and most importantly, how much will it cost. Assuming the specifications stay the same, with the 3G modem, Windows Vista, 40GB hard drive and the build quality i’ve seen I wouldn’t expect it to launch for less than $1000.

JKKMObile has some comments on the LG over at JKKMobile too.

• Intel mobility meeting
• Pocketables. HTC Shift = Favourite UMPC.
• Medion RIM 1000. Notes from CeBIT.