An exclusive gaming industry community targeted
to, and designed for Professionals, Businesses
and Students in the sectors and industries
of Gaming, New Media and the Web, all closely
related with it's Business and Industry.
A Rich content driven service including articles,
contributed discussion, news, reviews, networking, downloads,
and debate.
We strive to cater for cultural influencers,
technology decision makers, early adopters and business leaders in the gaming industry.
A medium to share your or contribute your ideas,
experiences, questions and point of view or network
with other colleagues here at iVirtua Community.
Imagine taking life with you is the slogan after this wonderful hand held mobile pc. It is new generation office and must see for everyone. Samsung experts review this device for you....
I was walking the streets on one hot, sweltering summer day back in2004. I’m sure the humidity had something to do with it, but the heavybag on my back and all the things I was carrying in my hand made sweatooze out of every pore. I ran into a coffee shop with the airconditioner operating at full blast, quickly removing my bag and laidit on the table. A number of things including my laptop, PMP and PDAclumsily spilled out of my bag and got me wondering if I wassubconsciously a CSI agent.
what for? Three summers later, the landscape of the IT world has completelychanged since then. Some say three IT years equate to thirty humanyears. Our cell phones now provide us with television broadcasts andvisual conversations. The power of convergence has allowed us to leavethe unnecessary devices at home. We cannot help you if you are an“early-adapter†or a “prosumer†who needs to have the latest gadgetswith you at all times, but let’s take a look at this technology crazefrom another perspective.
One device that incorporates numerous devices; we introduce the “Ultra Mobile PC†Last year, wireless-LAN devices flooded the electronics market. Theall battled for the title of “ubiquitous leader†and their weapon ofchoice was convergence. Most of these converged products were UMPCs.Samsung participated in the Origami Project hosted by Microsoft, andintroduced the Q1, the first ever UMPC. Many other companies introducedUMPCs, but the reason no particular products pop into our heads isprobably because UMPCs have not yet penetrated the mass markets.
The First generation UMPC While the UMPC market is still in its infancy, companies are alreadydeveloping their second generation UMPCs. The new generation is lookingintroduce a keyboard, higher resolution and performance, and longerbattery life, and Samsung has opened the gates once again with its Q1Ultra. There is no telling whether the Q1 Ultra will be a homerunhitter or a multimillion dollar bust, but there is a strong reason togive it its recognition.
A positive and dramatic change The name Q1 Ultra was a little unexpected for a sequel to the Q1, as we expected Q2 or similar type name. However, the word ultra clearly indicates that this new product isnot just a modification but a clear upgrade to its older brother.Comparing the two, we see improvements with its CPU, the LCD screen andits wireless network capabilities.
The biggest change introduced in the Q1Ultra is theresolution of its LCD Screen and the keyboard. The LCD screen has beenupgraded from its 800 x 600 to 1024 x 600. This reflects Samsung’s acceptance of Q1’s customer reviews, as mostwebsites have horizontal lengths of 1024 pixels which cannot be viewedon a 800 x 600 screen without scrolling left and right. Problem solved.The keyboard is the QWERTY type, laid out like the desktop keyboards.The keys are meant to be pushed with your thumbs when holding thedevice with both hands. This is a positive change to the virtualkeyboard its older brother offered. However, because the keys areplaced very tightly next to each other, much practice is probablyrequired for ease of use. I tried the keyboard out myself, and despitemy nimble thumbs, I experienced occasional typos. Other improvementsinclude the joystick, which has been upgraded from being able to movein four directions to eight, allowing for more precise movements, andthe “Mouse Sel†button on the outer rim of the joystick will activatethe joystick to act as a mouse. Also, by clicking the “Dial Keyâ€button, you have the option of using the virtual keyboard.
Both the mouse pointer and the joystick are located close to your left thumb, accessible for easy and swift manipulation. The “Custom†button located on the lower right side has a newdesign. The Q1 placed the “Enter†key on the lower side, which is nowplaced in the middle of the “Custom†button. Below that, the left rightmouse button was positioned, which allows for easier use than the Q1.The “Stylus,†which supports the touch-screen, is inserted on the lowerright side of the Q1 Ultra. The finger print sensor is on the lowerleft side, and can be used to login to the computer or for thecomputer’s security.
There are two cameras located, one above the LCD screen towards the middle and the other on the opposite side. An indicator showing the current function is located to the left ofthe camera module, and four touch-buttons to the right. Starting fromthe left, the four buttons are the UDF, which establishes the “Customâ€button, the volume and brightness control buttons and a “Menu†buttonwhich acts, among others, to activate wireless internet. This “Menuâ€button can rotate the screen, allowing the user to easily view longdocuments on the LCD screen. There is a folding stand on the back sideof the device, allowing users to stand the Q1 Ultra while using it on atable or desk. These are small things, but all these add up to a userfriendly device.
The stress level of product or service organizers today must be atan all time high with such demanding and highly knowledgeable “expertconsumers.†These new brand of consumers not only know their products,but know how to ask for what they want. Considering this, the changesmade to the Q1 Ultra is very encouraging. They have made it a priorityto improve on the issues most users have asked for, and the productshows the results of this along with additional improvements made forease of use.
Q1 ultra, ultimate portability The files provided by Samsung point to how well the Q1 Ultra isadapted to the wireless internet environment, including its Wibro,HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, as its definingcharacteristics The Q1 Ultra has responded to every and all wirelessinternet environments, truly allowing the user access to the internet“anywhere, anytime.†Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean “freeâ€access everywhere, but users will have the widest possible wirelessaccess to online contents as long as they are willing to pay for it.
The Q1 Ultra allows wireless internet access through not only thenewer environments of HSDPA and Wibro, but also through Wi-Fi andBluetooth. Even if you don’t need constant access to the internet, thefact that you have the flexibility of choosing the best method to getonline is truly a defining characteristic of the Q1 Ultra.
4 hours and 50 minutes? Sonly, Fujitsu and IBM all use their independent technology in powersource management in their laptops and other portable electronicdevices. Imagine a phone which runs out of battery after oneconversation? This is, of course, an extreme example, but one cannotemphasize enough the importance of power source management in today’sdigital products to its success in the market.
The Q1 Ultra’s battery life has extended beyond that of the Q1.In actual use, the total battery life was four hours and fifty minutes. This is quite an achievement considering the experiment wasconducted while using functions such as wireless LAN and running moviefiles which typically eat up most of your battery life. With thecombined use of an extension battery, the time of usage increased toalmost nine hours, at eight hours and fifty minutes. With such batterylife, even people who have to work outside all day long do not need tolook for an outlet to recharge its batteries. The fact that one doesnot have to carry around an adapter is truly a sign that Samsung hasachieved “ubiquitous†status with its Q1 Ultra.
the king of multimedia What is the difference between a PMP and UMPC? Bothdevices are capable of performing most functions done by PCs, whilealso acting as portable movie and music players. The borderline betweenthese products are ambiguous at best. If there is a difference, it isin how they are operated. PMPs specialize in multimedia functions, andother than a few products, most cannot setup and run programs.
It may be unnecessary to highlight this point since the Q1 Ultra ismeant to be a PC. However, if you are a user who lacks knowledge of PCsor are driving a car and cannot operate complicated devices, you caninstall multimedia programs in the Q1 Ultra and easily access music,movies or TV through DMB. These various accessories give more meaningto the word “Ultra.â€
Digg Topic
Tag topic on On del.icio.us
Technorati Search
Post to Slashdot
