Samsung unveils five Q1 Ultra UMPCs

Even though yesterday's news was that the Samsung Q1 Ultra would launch this week, I didn't expect it to happen today.

But it did! After months of releasing bits and pieces of information about what was initially known as the Q2 and exactly one year after the original Q1 went on sale (how precious), Samsung has finally made its second-generation UMPC official.

With a newly confirmed starting price of just $799 (Update: Samsung added $100 to entry-level prices due to a CPU change), the Q1 Ultra will be available in no less than five configurations beginning in late May and continuing through the summer.

UPDATE 08.28.07: Samsung announces additional XP-based models.

	Q1U-EL	Q1U-XP	Q1U-V	Q1U-CMV	Q1U-SSD
Price:	$899	$1,150	$1,200	$1,500	$1,999
Avail:	June	June	Late May	August	August
OS:	Vista Home Premium	XP Tablet	Vista Home Premium	Vista Home Premium	Vista Home Premium
CPU:	800MHz Intel A110	800MHz Intel A110	800MHz Intel A110	800MHz Intel A110	800MHz Intel A110
HDD:	40GB	60GB	60GB	80GB	32GB SSD
WWAN:	--	--	--	HSDPA	HSDPA
Cams:	--	300P front 1.3MP rear	300P front 1.3MP rear	300P front 1.3MP rear	300P front 1.3MP rear
Slot:	--	SD/MMC	SD/MMC	SD/MMC	SD/MMC
Security:	--	--	--	Fingerprint scanner	Fingerprint scanner

All five models share the following specifications:

• Display: LED-backlit 7" WSVGA touchscreen (1024 x 600)
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 400MHz
• Chipset and graphics: Intel GMA950, 128MB shared memory
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g wi-fi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• I/O ports: 2 USB 2.0 ports, audio jack, RJ-45 jack
• Audio: 1.5W stereo speakers, dual-array microphone, HD audio
• Battery life: 4.5 hours (li-ion prismatic)
• Dimensions: 8.96" x 4.88" x 0.93"
• Weight: 1.5 lbs.

There will also be a nice selection of accessories (see photos here), including what looks to be a rather excellent docking station, GPS module, 6-cell extended battery, and various cases. Pricing and availability are unknown.

Lots to choose from. I have my eye on the entry-level model and the docking station. Am I the only one who thought the 600MHz A100 was reserved for MIDs and the 800MHz A110 was for UMPCs? I had no idea the A100 could run Vista. (Update: All models now run on Intel's 800MHz A11o processor. The 600MHz A100 chip initially marked for inclusion in the Q1U-EL was quietly removed and replaced.)

Interactive Demo
Q1 Ultra Press Center

[Press release (thanks, Pete!) | GottaBeMobile | jkkmobile]

Comments

[Benz145]

Wow, I love it when a company goes above an beyond. The 799$ model, although underspeced in my opinion, is an extremely attractive price for anyone looking to get into UMPCs. I share you same though as to whether or not a 600MHz CPU could even RUN Vista, but apparently it must be able to, otherwise they wouldn't be offering it : P

If I had to recommend any of the models to someone, I would probably say either the Q1U-XP or Q1U-V, both similar, only difference is which OS you want. They are definitely very good prices, I hope I'll be able to get my hands on one of these as some point to give it a test drive. Even more hopefull, I want to see Sony make some sort of response to this big announcement from Samsung, I feel as though Sony is over-due for a new model (even though their UX390N is only months old haha).

[Chilli]

wow, what a cool umpc. do you know when the prices are expected to decrease? i wish i had one of those but unfortunately i have to stick to my iphone-plans which are way more affordable. by the way..what´s the difference between a normal hdd and a ssd?

[Jenn]

I think it'll be a few years before UMPCs in general hit Microsoft's initial $500 target price point. First-gen Q1s may get a price cut after all the second-gens are released, but I think the Q1U prices are going to stay where they are for a while (at least throughout the end of 2007).

There's an excellent write-up on the differences between HDDs and SSDs here, but the short of it is that solid-state disks (SSDs) have no moving parts and offer better/faster performance. It's sort of like the difference between, say, the Video iPod and the iPod nano/shuffle: the former uses a spinning hard drive and the latter uses a flash drive that can withstand all kinds of shock and movement. It's a crass comparison, but that's kind of the gist of it.

[thegurio]

The main diference between a SSD and a HDD is that the former is a Solid State Drive, meaning that there are no moving parts so that if indeed it did the unthinkable and took a fall etc. it wouldnt be damaged. It also consumes less battery power and runs cooler.

The only downside is that it has a finite number of read/writes and the fact that they are so expensive to produce.

[COSTANDINOS KARIKOGLOU]

DEAR MADAM / SIR
I WANT TO BUY THE Q1U-CMV BUT I CANNOT EASILY BUY FROM USA, AS IN GREECE ( WHERE I LIVE) THE CUSTOMS APPLY CRAZY CHARGES.
DO YOU KNOW ANYWHERE IN EUROPE THIS IS SOLD?

BEST REGARDS
CK

[frank pacos]

Can the HSDPA be used in USA?