Ultra Mobile PC
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An ultra-mobile PC, or ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), is a miniature version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
and
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
in spring 2006.
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
had already made a first attempt in this direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series, which was only sold in Asia. UMPCs are generally smaller than
subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreased over t ...
s, have a TFT display measuring (diagonally) about , are operated like
tablet PC A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...
s using a
touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
or a stylus, and can also have a physical keyboard. There is no clear boundary between
subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreased over t ...
s and ultra-mobile PCs, but UMPCs commonly have Major factors other than the common clamshell laptop design, such as having small keys on either side of the screen, or having a slide-out keyboard. The first-generation UMPCs were simple PCs running
Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
or an adapted version of Microsoft's
tablet PC A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...
operating system. With the announcement of the UMPC, Microsoft dropped the licensing requirement that tablet PCs must support proximity sensing of the stylus, which Microsoft termed "hovering". Second-generation UMPCs used less electricity and therefore could be used for longer (up to five hours) and also had support for
Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, which was released five years before, at the time being the longest time span between successive releases of ...
. Originally code-named Project Origami, the project was launched in 2006 as a collaboration between Microsoft, Intel,
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
, and a few others. After largely being supplanted by
tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being com ...
s, production of ultra-mobile PCs was discontinued in the early 2010s.


History

In February 2006, a
viral marketing Viral marketing is a business strategy that uses existing social networks to promote a product mainly on various social media platforms. Its name refers to how consumers spread information about a product with other people, much in the same way tha ...
campaign was quietly launched for the UMPC, then still referred to by its codename, "Project Origami". Speculation over "what is Origami?" and pictures of the rumored prototypes were passed around and covered extensively on
Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editor ...
, Scobleizer, Thatedeguy and other technology sites. Finalization of the Origami project was announced in time for CeBIT. Much speculation had positioned Origami as a portable gaming device that would directly compete with Nintendo's DS and
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
's PlayStation Portable. This rumor gained credibility after videos were leaked showing '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' being played on a UMPC. While the movie was quickly taken down from its original source, mirrors still existed on many other sites. Later in the week, the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
confirmed that "Origami" was actually to be a regular PC with "limited gaming capabilities".


First devices

The first UMPCs on the market were AMtek's T700 and Samsung's Q1. The AMtek T700 was sold in the US as the ''TabletKiosk eo v7110'', ''agoPC ago7'', and '' Azentek GB-810'', in Europe as the
PaceBladeEasyBook P7
' and ''its Label Origami'', and in Australia the ''TabletKiosk eo v7110'' and the ''Pioneer DreamBook UMPC 700'' and in Japan the ''PBJ SmartCaddie''.
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
made a first attempt in this direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series. OQO also sold UMPCs. The OQO model 01 and OQO model 01+ were launched prior to the ultra-mobile PC era, but its specifications were very similar to those of most UMPC models.


2006

In July 2006,
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
released the VAIO UX, including a model which contained a solid state drive (SSD). Because of this, the VAIO UX was the first flash-memory SSD based PC available. Sony continued releasing and selling VAIO UX models until early 2009. In late August 2006, TabletKiosk launched a line of Intel-based UMPCs, the eo i7210 and i7209. It followed this up in March 2007 with a ruggedized VIA based UMPC, the eo TufTab v7112XT. In September 2006, Raon Digital launched the Vega running an
AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...
Geode LX800, 256 MB of RAM, and a 30 GB hard drive. It had a screen, a 500 MHz processor, and a battery life of 5.5 hours. It ran Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and retailed for 680,000 Korean won (US$700–750). However it did not have WiFi capability. In early October 2006
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
quietly launched the Q1B, bringing the ultra-mobile platform closer to the vision that Microsoft created. The Q1b featured a VIA C7-M ULV processor running at 1 GHz, up to five hours of battery life, and a lower price than the Samsung Q1. It also featured optional modules for
HSDPA High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols—High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)—that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunic ...
or
WiBro WiBro (''wireless broadband'') is a wireless broadband Internet technology developed by the South Korean telecoms industry. WiBro is the South Korean service name for IEEE 802.16e (mobile WiMAX) international standard. By the end of 2012, the ...
for ubiquitous internet connectivity in major cities around the world. AMtek also released their T770, a Windows Vista powered device with a 1200 MHz processor and 1024 MB of RAM. It had a 40 GB hard disk (or 60 GB on another cheaper brand, and also the same device) and a screen. It was available for 899 € (the cheaper brand was 849 €).


2007

WibrainWelcome to Wibrain!
/ref> launched their first UMPC models, B1E and B1H, in December 2007. In 2007,
Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
introduced the OQO model 02 in his keynote at CES 2007. Th
OQO model 02
shipped with a screen,
EV-DO Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO, EVDO, etc.) is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access. EV-DO is an evolution of the CDMA2000 (IS-2000) standard which su ...
WWAN,
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
, 802.11 a/b/g
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
, running
Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...
and
Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...
. OQO won the
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
recognition of its model 02 as the world's smallest fully functional computer (where a 'computer' means ability to run Windows). In August 2007, Raon Digital launched their second UMPC 'Everun' which had built in
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
and
HSDPA High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols—High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)—that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunic ...
. It used the AMD
Geode A geode (; ) is a geological secondary formation within sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded. The crystals are formed by the fill ...
LX900. Later, Everun was introduced as the UMPC with the longest battery life—as much as 6–7 hours with its standard battery and 12 hours with a large battery. Unlike the previous model, Everun had a full
QWERTY QWERTY () is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. The name comes from the order of the first six keys on the top left letter row of the keyboard ( ). The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden t ...
keypad, aesthetically similar to a
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
of the time. On September 17, 2007, OQO launched the model e2 for the European market with a localized keyboard, 1.6 GHz VIA C7-M processor, 120 GB hard drive or a 32 GB SSD option. In October 2007 the Asus Eee PC (model 701) was launched. With a 7-inch screen, full keyboard and Wi-Fi, running Linux, it started the netbook revolution.


2008

HTC HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...
launched the Shift in January 2008. It ran both Windows Vista and a PDA mode called SnapVUE simultaneously. The Windows Vista half ran on an Intel A110 Stealey CPU at 800 MHz, with 2 GB of RAM, Intel GMA 950, and a 40/60 GB HDD. The PDA mode ran on an ARM11 CPU with 64 MB of RAM. The two operating systems shared quadband
GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...
, triband
UMTS The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the In ...
, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0 radios as well as a single 800x480 touchscreen display. Input could be selected with a single hardware button, with the Windows Mobile half limited to 640x480. Behind the display was a sliding and tilt mechanism, similar to that seen on the HTC TyTN II, to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Wibrain launched the second models of B1L series with
Ubuntu Linux Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. Al ...
on February 27, 2008. The starting price was around $500.00. Wibrain UMPC featured a touch enabled LCD screen at 1024x600 resolution, a 1.0 GHz or 1.2 GHz VIA C7M CPU, 512 MB or 1 GB of memory, a 30 GB or 60 GB harddisk, a full QWERTY keyboard and built-in WiFi (802.11b/g). Around the same date, CHIP.DE featured an article about the R2H and R50A from ASUS, which ran a Windows Tablet PC edition OS on its Intel Celeron system. It had a VGA-TV output, GPS, 3 USB ports, 60 GB hard drive and 512 MB RAM. It also offered wired/wireless network capabilities. In September 2008 Nova Mobility announced its second generation Side Arm 2 Industrial UMPC. It was designed around the Intel Atom processor and was the first industrial grade UMPC released on that platform. It had GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth standard and 3G as an option. EVDO was also available via the PCI Express card slot in the top of the unit. Two USB ports, a touch screen and QWERTY keyboard were available. The device weighed less than and offered up to ten hours of battery life.


2009–2010

Yukyung introduced the Viliv S5 in mid-2009 followed by Viliv X70 models. In July 2010, the Viliv N5 was introduced. The N5 was a small notebook-style UMPC whereas the S5 and X70 were tablets. They featured GPS, Wifi, Bluetooth, 3G availability, SSD options with Intel Z520 processors and integrated GMA500 graphics with hardware acceleration for H264 HD video playback. The starting prices were around US$599 with a battery life of five hours or longer. Also in 2009,
Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
introduced the Toughbook U1 UMPC, what was then the world's first fully rugged UMPC on the market.


After Microsoft

Several companies developed handheld personal computers in very small sizes after Microsoft ended its UMPC marketing effort in the early 2010s. In 2010, Ocosmos announced the OCS1, a gaming UMPC with the latest CPU from Intel, which featured Windows 7 Home Premium and front and rear-facing cameras. It, along with several other models introduced by Ocosmos, were never released. In early 2015, Ockel Computers developed the Ockel Sirius B. Ockel introduced its successor, the Ockel Sirius B Black Cherry, in November 2016. Ockel was also working on a UMPC, which included a 6’’ touchscreen. The Ockel Sirius A was launched mid-2016 as a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. In 2017 the company started shipping the device to backers. GamePad Digital (GPD) released the
GPD Win GPD Win is a Windows-based palmtop computer equipped with a keyboard and gaming controls. It is an x86-based device that runs Windows 10. It is capable of running any x86 Windows-based application that can run within the confines of the compute ...
, an
x64 x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit version of the x86 instruction set, first released in 1999. It introduced two new modes of operation, 64-bit mode and compatibility mode, along with a new 4-level paging mo ...
Windows 10-powered handheld gaming PC, in October 2016. In May 2018, GPD released the
GPD Win 2 The GPD Win 2 is a Windows-based palmtop computer that is the successor to the GPD Win. It is manufactured by Chinese company GamePad Digital, and crowdfunded just as its predecessor was. Announced in first-quarter 2017, the crowdfunding cam ...
as a successor to the GPD Win. In January 2021, GPD announced the
GPD Win 3 The GPD Win 3 is a Windows-based handheld computer that is the successor to the GPD Win 2 and GPD Win MAX. It is manufactured by Chinese company Gamepad Digital (GPD), and crowdfunded. Specifications History Following the GPD Win 2 i ...
. Unlike previous models, which relied on low-power
Intel Atom Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of IA-32 and x86-64 instruction set ultra-low-voltage processors by Intel Corporation designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with ordinary processors of the Intel Co ...
or Intel
Core-M Broadwell is the fifth generation of the Intel Core Processor. It is Intel's codename for the 14 nanometer die shrink of its Haswell microarchitecture. It is a "tick" in Intel's tick–tock principle as the next step in semiconductor fabri ...
processors, the Win 3 is available with higher power
Core i5 The following is a list of Intel Core i5 brand microprocessors. Introduced in 2009, the Core i5 line of microprocessors are intended to be used by mainstream users. Desktop processors Nehalem microarchitecture (1st generation) "Lynnf ...
and
Core i7 The following is a list of Intel Core i7 brand microprocessors. Introduced in 2008, the Core i7 line of microprocessors are intended to be used by high-end users. Desktop processors Nehalem microarchitecture (1st generation) "Bloomfield" ...
processors with Intel's Iris Xe Graphics. The Win 3 also dropped the clamshell form-factor in favor of a sliding screen. GPD also released the GPD Pocket, a 7-inch PC which included an aluminum casing and a full keyboard. It was released in mid-2017 after receiving more than $3 million in crowdfunding. While not branded as UMPCs, several 7–8 inch Windows tablets with
Intel Atom Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of IA-32 and x86-64 instruction set ultra-low-voltage processors by Intel Corporation designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with ordinary processors of the Intel Co ...
SoCs such as the HP Stream 7 were released between 2014 and 2016 running either Windows 8.1 or
Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...
.


Features

Project Origami defined a specification for computers with a 20 cm (8-inch) or smaller touch sensitive screen at a minimum resolution of 800 × 480. To make it more suited for the small form factor, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition was originally used with slight tweaks to the interface and a software add-on known as the ''Touch Pack Interface'' to make the interface more suitable for use of a stylus as well as hands. When the UMPC was disclosed at CeBIT 2006,
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
, Asus, and Founder had near-complete devices on display. The UMPC initiative also included later Windows versions. UMPCs with
Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...
installed are able to run any software that has been written for the Windows XP platform, though the small form factor often mandates some changes to the interface. The standard Windows XP interface is the default, though a choice of having an interface more suited for the small form factor is available with the ''Touch Pack Interface''. As the units are so small, many UMPCs do not feature a physical keyboard, but an on-screen
virtual keyboard A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows the input of characters without the need for physical keys. The interaction with the virtual keyboard happens mostly via a touchscreen interface, but can also take place in a different form ...
provided in the Touch Pack Interface (such as the DialKeys, below). Since the devices have standard USB 2.0 connectivity, external keyboards and mice can also be attached. UMPC devices included either
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
or VIA processors, 256 MB to 2 GB of RAM, and a 30 to 160 GB hard disk, depending on the manufacturer. Other ultra mobile devices featured
AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...
or Transmeta Crusoe CPUs. Some ultra-mobile PCs also featured
Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
(GPS) devices,
webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in videotelephony, livestreaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral ...
s,
fingerprint reader Fingerprint scanners are security systems of biometrics. They are used in police stations, security industries, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Function Everyone has patterns of friction ridges on their fingers, and it is this pattern t ...
s,
stereo speakers Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...
,
TV tuner A tuner is a subsystem that receives radio frequency (RF) transmissions, such as FM broadcasting, and converts the selected carrier frequency and its associated bandwidth into a fixed frequency that is suitable for further processing, usually be ...
s, and
memory card A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a so ...
readers.
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
,
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
,
Ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 1 ...
and WWAN connections were sometimes included as well. UMPCs had enough processing power to support audio, video, and gaming at the time, in addition to rich support for browsing the internet as well as for other communication and networking applications.
Windows Media Player Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player (application software), media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing sound reproduction, audio, video and viewing images on personal computers runnin ...
was included with a special skin designed to provide a better experience on the small screen. The devices also featured DirectX 9–class graphics. In 2006, UMPC prices were approximately $1000 in the United States, and although Microsoft made efforts to push down prices for the 2006 holiday season, they were not expected to reach the US$500 range market analysts felt was necessary to achieve mainstream success. Most UMPCs were available with
Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...
, although many later UMPCs came with the option to have XP or Linux installed, as some devices were too sluggish to run the Vista
kernel Kernel may refer to: Computing * Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems * Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution * Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming * Kernel method, in machine learn ...
on which Windows 7 is based. One example of this is the Samsung Q1 Ultra which originally launched with only Vista versions, but subsequently launched Windows XP versions. This is largely because UMPC hardware at the time was too close to the minimum Vista requirements to be comfortably used.


DialKeys

A new text input method was implemented for ultra-mobile PCs. Consisting of two rings of keys around the lower corners of the screen, DialKeys was intended for use with the thumbs.


Accessories

Several companies developed accessories exclusively for the 7" UMPC platform. These included carry cases, screen protectors, styli, protective bump cases and
docking station In computing, a docking station or port replicator (hub) or dock provides a simplified way to ''plug-in'' a mobile device, such as a laptop, to common peripherals. Because a wide range of dockable devices—from mobile phones to wireless mou ...
s. In addition, several prototypes of "mounting solutions" were previewed which permitted the UMPC device to be mounted in the car, on the wall or attached to an adjustable arm. User interface software was created enabling UMPCs to become portable infotainment devices. There were touch-friendly, voice-controlled, user interface software platforms designed to run on Windows XP and Vista-based UMPCs allowing users to control Windows without the need of a mouse and keyboard.


Programs

* Microsoft Office OneNote *
GO Corporation GO Corporation was founded in 1987 to create portable computers, an operating system, and software with a pen-based user interface. It was famous not only for its pioneering work in Pen-based computing but as well as being one of the most well ...
*
EverNote Evernote is a note-taking and task management application. It is developed by the Evernote Corporation, headquartered in Redwood City, California. It is intended for archiving and creating notes in which photos, audio and saved web content can ...
* Stardraw Control


See also

* CrunchPad *
Handheld PC A handheld personal computer (PC) is a miniature computer typically built around a clamshell form factor and is significantly smaller than any standard laptop computer, but based on the same principles. It is sometimes referred to as a ''palmto ...
* Mobile Internet device * Netbook *
Palmtop PC A handheld personal computer (PC) is a miniature computer typically built around a clamshell form factor and is significantly smaller than any standard laptop computer, but based on the same principles. It is sometimes referred to as a ''palmto ...
* Picoprojector; together with a webcam and laser projector, this can be used to eliminate keyboard and screen of a UMPC, making the UMPC significantly smaller. *
Subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreased over t ...


References


Further reading

*


External links


Microsoft's official ultra-mobile PC website

UMPC comparison website


* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xnqKdWMa_8 Notes on the History of Pen-based Computing (YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ultra-Mobile Pc Microsoft initiatives Microsoft Tablet PC Personal computers