The UMPC was a failed 2006 attempt by Intel and Microsoft to build a market of portable, fully functional PCs. Unfortunately neither the OS or the technology was ready for consumers so the sector faded into the specialist market. In the meantime quite a bit has changed. The Atom platform has evolved and we’ve now got Windows 8. As a result the sector is coming alive again and it’s something we should all be keeping an eye on if we’re concerned about mobility and long battery life.
Today over at our sister site, UMPCPortal.com, we are fortunate enough to have a very early owner review of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T, the lighter, longer battery life but less powerful brother to the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 700T.
Hector, the ATIV owner, has written a great review with images and three detailed videos. There some really interesting information about 10hr battery life, the digitizer and performance.
Check out the Samsung ATIVSmart PC 500T Review at UMPCPortal.com
Note: We don’t track the Atom-based devices at Ultrabooknews so if you’re interested in learning about PC devices in the mobile sector, check out the UMPCPortal product database.
This ativ 500t is looking more and more like my next machine, I just wish someone would actually get the keyboard. Maybe att will have them with their 3g version.
With Windows 8 and next year’s Atoms, I’m hoping for the UMPC to make a comeback! I’m not sure it ever came in the first place though.
Otherwise, I’m hoping Ubuntu’s ARM push will succeed. I just want to use the same exact software while mobile as my desktop without having to carry a heavy x86 tablet or notebook.
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC makes a great work PC/Tablet. It is able to handle Office with no problem. Nice thing is if your going into a meeting, just grab the ATIV and open either OneNote, Word, S Note, etc… for note taking without worry your going to have sync back up when you get back to your office. It even has a bit of power to do some quick video editing.
Here is a quick demo of using the ATIV for note taking.
http://youtu.be/lg6W_w-jCWk