Laptops vs Notebooks vs Netbooks vs UMPCs ... "I am so confused"Part 4 of 4

We will continue this article from where we left off last week. If you missed last week's article, you can read it at: www.jamaica-star.com

We have looked at laptops, notebooks and netbooks; we will make our final stop at ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC). The UMPC category has been around for a little more than three years now; it was started by Intel, Microsoft and a few other companies. A UMPC is a very small, lightweight PC weighing less than 2 pounds, and small enough to fit into a carry-on or a purse. They offer screen sizes of 4 to 7 inches and all have touch screen capabilities. But don't judge these devices by their size, some of these small PCs can run Vista compatible software fluently.

With UMPCs, the operating systems that comes installed are not scaled down versions like the ones we see on smart phones, for example Windows mobile. The windows on UMPCs are as functional as the ones we are accustomed to on our desktops! Most UMPC devices are too small to offer a physical keyboard, so the default choice is an on-screen virtual keyboard, they also give you the option to connect a keyboard or mouse through connecting ports on the device.

UMPCs are equipped with Intel or VIA processors and presently range from 512 MB to 2GB DDR2 RAM, and up to 160 GB of hard drive space. Some UMPCs come with solid-state hard drives, but these tend to be more expensive and come in a very smaller size such as 4 GB.

Unlike netbooks, UMPCs come packed with enough video and processing capabilities to support gaming and video playback. As for communications, they normally come standard with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity options. UMPCs have all the features of standard tablet PCs and maybe more. Modern UMPCs have the ability to run for up to eight hours and some can run for days without charging. Yup! you read correctly, days!

Presently, UMPCs may look or shaped like large smart phones; however UMPCs are not phones and neither do they have phone capabilities, contrary to what most may believe. There are UMPC concepts that include fully operational phone capabilities on these devices, but as mentioned they are presently concepts. Two such concepts are the "XPphone" and the "DigiCube MIDPhone-50", which were displayed at the Computex 2009 show (Computex is an International Information Technology Show held in Taiwan annually). Both of these devices are UMPCs that has phone capabilities.

High Tech Computers mostly known by many as HTC, is also a developer of UMPCs. HTC has developed a reputation as being one of the world's top manufacturers of high-end cell phones. The "HTC SHIFT" is a well known mobile device in the UMPC market; it is seen as a high-end UMPC, with high praises in the UK. The "HTC SHIFT" comes furnished with Microsoft Vista Business, 800MHz processor and a 40 to 60 GB hard drive (depending on the manufacturer). The HTC SHIFT will set you back US$ 900.

This article covered four of the approximately seven different mobile PC categories. We looked at laptops, notebooks, netbooks and ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC), each category targeting a different market. Knowing exactly why you need a mobile device is very essential to your buying decision, which should not be done on a spontaneous basis. Remember, mobile PCs are not as flexible as desktop PCs, and oftentimes whatever you purchase is what you will be stuck with. I hope this article helped clear up some of the confusions and misconceptions that many people had.

For questions and comments

Technical writer: Kamar McIntyre

Tel: 849-9381

Email: kamar_mcintyre@yahoo.com