The Intel-based ultra mobile PC era is coming to an end.  The next generation of Intel SoCs for Windows and Android phones and tablets has been cancelled, signalling a departure from the 5-10 inch mobile PC space.  Core M could fill-in but it looks very much like Intel are stepping away from this market. We’ve covered this for over 10 years at UMPCPortal so it’s a hard-hitting story for this website and all its fans. What’s the future for ultra mobile PCs?

Like the time I tested my first UMPC in 2006 this iPad Pro 9.7 is giving me goosebumps. 682 grants of powerful tablet and keyboard with LTE and 256 GB of SSD. This setup costs about the same too. 1368 Euros after tax / $1178 in the USA. Holy cow it’s expensive, but because this is a loaner, I’m still smiling.

I’m still testing too so I can’t give you a definitive answer on whether it’s the best ultra mobile PC out there right now but I like the keyboard design, the camera (finally up there with smartphone quality) and the size. Portrait typing [this part] is easy due to the size and weight. The onscreen keyboard is great too, but you already knew that didn’t you!

Can I connect a USB drive and transfer files? No, because I don’t have the Lightning port adopter but then again I’ve just been testing the Samsung TabPro S and because I didn’t have a USB-C adapter I couldn’t do the same! The image below was transferred via iCloud Web on my PC.

The iPad Pro 9.7 is the first Apple product I’ve ever been interested in so I’m really looking forward to testing it over the next week. Battery life is going to be important and I’ll try and work out just how much of an ultra-mobile nut you need to be before it becomes ‘value.’ I’ll be installing Office apps, testing the LTE and enjoying the amazing camera.

I’m sure many of you out there have the iPad Pro already. If you’ve been using it on-the-go, let me know how the experience has been for you.

And finally. After just this short amount of time I’m into that keyboard and finding it amazing. You see, Steve Jobs, you can make a good ultra-mobile tablet product with a pen and keyboard.

What a pleasure it was to have a few minutes (well it seemed like a few minutes) to take a look back at UMPCs from 2006-2010 at the Techlounge last week.  If you want to know where the roots of the consumer-focused tablet are look no further than the Origami project. Others had done tablets before but Microsoft, Intel, VIA and a few manufacturers and brands did research from 2004 that resulted in the consumer-focused UMPC. While the research was correct (hat tip to Otto Berkes, wherever he is) the results, as products, were too big and lacked adequate software. Hey, It wasn’t until 3 versions of Windows later that it gained an internet-focused ‘share’ option! Perhaps the initial buzz was too much but there was certainly a craving for something out there. Origamiportal, the former name of this site, rose to 1.4 million page views per month until 2010 when Apple launched the iPad and took over the market. Intel never gave up and today we’ve got UMPCs costing just $99.

Sascha and Chippy look back at the UMPCs

Take a look at the video for a fun look back at 2006-2010 and some inside stories.

I’ve just ordered the HP Stream 8 5900ng 8-inch Windows tablet because of an amazing European 3G deal. The HP Stream 8 5900ng includes an unlocked 3G module and comes with 200MB of Europe-roaming data per month for 2 years. You can top-up on a regular or one-off basis. According to information on the HP Germany website, USA is included from the 1st Feb 2015. Is this the ultra-mobile PC deal of the year? My company just paid  €149 after entering an offer code and taking into account the sales-tax rebate. Office 365 is also included in the deal. Even without Office 365 this the best 3G-enabled ultra-mobile PC deal I’ve ever seen in Europe.

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I really thought we would be in a position, in 2012, where mobile operating systems would be able to offer a full Web experience but we’re not. My recent experiences with Google Plus drove me to dig out an UMPC.

Google Plus is becoming a business-critical application for many. Blogger, marketeers, brands and bands are all jostling for position. Millions are enjoying new online relationships and a huge amount of interactivity through photos, live video and circles but what happens when you’re mobile? The Android and IOS based solutions are really poor which is surprising considering Google should be creating products for its own operating systems.

Things you can’t do on Google Plus mobile (correct me if I’m wrong)

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Meet:Mobility Podcast 41 is now available. Recorded on 1st Feb 2010, JKK, Sascha and Chippy talk around the iPad and other mobile computing news including the Aspire ONE 532H, Archos 7, Dell Mini5, iPad, ExoPC, NetbookNavigator, Firefox for N900 and Adobe Flash.
Detailed show notes below.

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Full show notes available at Meet:Mobility.

This little baby is near perfect for moblogging. It’s lightweight and can handle most tasks well. Its your typical UMPC all-rounder but as always, there are some issues.

Screen brightness is at the top of the issues list. While the resolution is high and sharp, the brightness can be a problem. A glossy screen adds to the problem when you’re out and about. Secondly, the lack of 3G highlights that tethering over Bluetooth is never as easy as it should be. I had to re-configure the BT dial-up-netoworking connection twice before it worked and then I found out that you can’t connect internal applications on the N82 to the internet via 3G when the BT modem is in action. This isn’t a huge problem but it means that latitude updates stop working while I’m tethered.

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My main job is to promote ultra mobile computing solutions. High-end smartphones, MIDs, UMPCs, Netbooks and the like. My websites work extremely well as a platform for information and discussion but there’s a big problem – hands-on. We’ve done live videos and chat sessions which have worked well but I want to do more.

Here’s an idea…

How about I rent a big mobile home / RV, load it up with devices from resellers in Europe and come to you instead? I recon I could join up with a few mobile internet, barcamp, web conferences, mobile monday events too and make sure as many people as possible get the chance to see the devices. Hamburg, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, London seem like good, central cities to aim for but first I need to get a big list of events together, work out the best time to do this and find a sponsor. I can probably link up with a few other mobile device bloggers in Europe too.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, both from the customer, blogger or sponsor side of things, please let me know.

I’m off to upcoming.com!