• Illustration: UMPC Program Launcher

A new class of lightweight Tablet PCs for consumers will feature seven-inch touch-sensitive screens and some new user interface features. Formally unveiled at the Mar. 2006 CeBIT conference after several weeks of hints and rumors, Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs) will occupy an unproven niche between handheld devices (such as personal digital assistants [PDAs], smart phones, and portable music players) and laptop computers, and therefore may have a hard time finding a market in their first iteration.

Characteristics

First demonstrated as a mockup by Microsoft Chief Software Architect Bill Gates at Microsoft's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in May 2005, UMPCs are small battery-powered PCs based on a Microsoft hardware reference design and running Windows XP Tablet Edition. Unlike regular Tablet PCs, which are geared toward mobile workers, UMPCs are designed for consumers, who could use them to send and receive e-mail, surf the Web, access digital media (such as music and pictures), and play PC games.

UMPCs are significantly smaller than laptops or regular Tablet PCs, weighing less than 2.5 pounds and with touch screens smaller than 7 inches diagonally. They have a battery life of 2.5 hours or more, a hard drive with between 30GB and 60GB of storage, and use mobile processors from Intel or VIA. The first UMPCs also feature built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and Ethernet ports, and future versions may contain additional hardware suitable for a small device, such as GPS receivers, digital TV tuners, and readers for compact flash and SD memory cards. However, the specifications for UMPCs omit some hardware features that are standard on regular Tablets or laptops—notably, keyboards and CD/DVD drives.

UMPCs use the Tablet interface, which supports digital pen-based input and ink-to-text conversion, as well as an optional Touch Pack interface created exclusively for UMPCs and designed to make certain tasks easier on their small touch-sensitive screens. The Touch Pack includes the following:

• A specialized start menu called Program Launcher, which resembles the interface found on Media Center PCs and Portable Media Center devices, arranges application shortcuts in categories such as "Communicate," "Connect," and "View." (For an illustration of the Program Launcher, see "UMPC Program Launcher".)
• DialKeys, an application from partner Fortune Fountain, displays a touch-sensitive keyboard split into two quarter-circles at the bottom of the screen, making it easier for users to enter text with their thumbs (as users do today with the popular BlackBerry mobile e-mail device from Research in Motion)
• A new skin for the Windows Media Player fills the entire screen with large control buttons (e.g., play, fast-forward)
• Wider scroll bars, larger minimize and maximize buttons, and automatic display of small images (thumbnails) for all files
• A touch-sensitive version of Sudoku, a popular logic game.

The first wave of UMPCs will run Windows XP Tablet Edition, even though they are expected to be released mere months before Microsoft's next client OS, Windows Vista. These first UMPCs are unlikely to incorporate the necessary hardware, such as DirectX 9 graphics cards, to support all the new user interface features of Vista, such as translucent windows (collectively, these features are called Aero), and may not be able to run Vista at all (for example, if they lack sufficient memory). Microsoft says that UMPCs designed specifically for Vista will ship after the launch of the OS.

The first UMPCs will become available in the second quarter of 2006 with expected retail prices between US$600 and US$1,000. The first Intel-based UMPCs will be available from Asus, Founder, and Samsung, while the first VIA-based UMPCs will come from TabletKiosk and PaceBlade Japan.

Where Does It Fit?

The first UMPCs are more expensive, less portable, and offer less battery life than multifunction handheld devices such as PDAs and smart phones. In addition, many dedicated handheld devices perform their intended function better than a UMPC—for example, the first UMPCs lack the graphics capabilities to compete with cutting-edge portable game players and cannot play DVDs like a portable DVD player. At the same time, their lack of an integrated keyboard will make it difficult for UMPCs to replace a traditional laptop computer for tasks such as composing e-mail or creating documents. Consequently, the initial UMPCs will probably appeal only to early adopters and technology enthusiasts. However, if their battery life and processing power improve and their prices drop over the next several years, UMPCs could attract consumers who want the power and application versatility of a laptop in a smaller package and who don't mind the lack of keyboard or CD/DVD drive.

More striking than the UMPC itself was the marketing campaign leading up to its announcement. Several weeks before CeBIT, Microsoft posted a cryptic Web site with references to "Origami," the code name for the UMPC project, and unknown sources released an internal Microsoft video showing a prototype of the device. This fueled speculation among bloggers, and later in the mainstream media, that Microsoft was planning a music player to compete with Apple's iPod or a portable game device to compete with Nintendo's DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable. Although many commentators expressed disappointment when the UMPC was formally unveiled, Origami garnered more media coverage than the typical Microsoft prelaunch campaign, and thus could form a template for future Microsoft consumer product launches.

Microsoft's UMPC page is at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/hardware.mspx.

Links to UMPC information for developers, such as how to create and test applications for UMPCs, is at msdn.microsoft.com/mobility/tabletpc/umpc/default.aspx.