In the last two years we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of mobile computing choices. From high-end pro-mobile mini-laptops to tiny, pocketable devices that you can take anywhere. Even the smartphone segment has developed to the point where it crosses-over and now offers real mobile computing possibilities. The number of variants has grown to the point where there is a device for everyone but the downside is that choosing and buying process becomes more and more difficult . The UMPCPortal Ultra-Mobile Computing buyers guide is here to help you make your choice.

This guide, now in its third edition, will introduce you to the concepts and the options, go into detail about the technology and ultimately, help you decide if you need a mobile computing device and if so, which type of device you should be looking for. The 2008 guide has been updated with information about MIDs and Netbooks, information on the latest CPUs and technology and includes even more hints and tips about buying an Ultra Mobile Computer. It’s a very long report so we’ve split it up into four parts that will be posted each day this week. In a final post next week, we’ll pull all the pieces together into a PDF or E-book so that you can download it and keep it as a reference.

Part One: ‘What is an Ultra Mobile PC.’ We give you a history of Ultra Mobile computing, show you how the devices break down into segments and show you what each segment is capable of.

Part Two: ‘Details and Choices.’  It covers the form factors, the keyboard, storage, the screen and connectivity elements of an Ultra Mobile PC. You’ll find a good overview and a lot of tips that will help you refine your choice.

Part Three ‘Details and Choices continued‘ continues the details about the components and covers CPU (including a detailed overview of the currently available solutions) GPU, memory, battery, weight and cost.

Part Four: ‘Additional Information and further reading.‘ In this section we cover some of the less commonly found features on Ultra Mobile computers and give you information and links to further reading resources.

We hope you enjoy the guide and that it helps you make informed choices. It will be published under Creative Commons license so feel free to share and reproduce it for non-commercial use.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Germany License.