Selecting the best UMPC released in 2007 was not an easy task. In one hand you have few really good products and in another hand you have a year marked with products with poor performance thanks mostly to Intel's new processors and Microsoft's Vista. Taking in consideration all this, here is my list of best UMPCs of 2007:
5-Samsung Q1U - It was one of the first to be release with LED Displays, the first one to be released with a integrated keyboard, a fact that changed the Opinion on UMPCs of the specialized press which never understood the concept and usability of a slate UMPC.
4-Gigabyte U60 AKA Avox A65U1 - This UMPC became the best seller at todoUMPC in the last two month of the year. The low price of it, a integrated keyboard and the GPS Module sold with the device helped to position this UMPC in the best seller list despite some no favorable reviews published by specialized pages.
3-Everun by Raon Digital - a radical new design compared to it predecessor. An excellent battery life.
2-Asus R2Hv - the last of the Pentium M UMPCs. It's a fact that battery life is not that good in this UMPC compared to what we see in other UMPC using the Intel A110. But this device did a good job for those looking for "extra" performance. That and the fact that it has an integrated GPS made this UMPC a best seller. Unfortunately, Asus only had a limited amount of Pentium M so they made only a few them. It predecessor, the Asus R2H was also a best seller in 2006 and part of 2007.
1-OQO 02 - A excellent design that reminds me the Apple iPhone. The best cradle that I have tested. A performance hard to believe for a VIA processor.
The HTC Shift did not make my list because... where is it? It was supposed to be sold by now in USA but that never happened. Another good UMPC is the Kohjinsha SH8 but it's in my opinion a design that makes this device a little bit bigger than what I consider the optimal UMPC. The Fujitsu U810 was not included in my list because of it's poor performance in Vista and the really poor keyboard design. The keys location on this device is in my opinion the worse that I have seen in a long time.
Lets see now that brings 2008. Will Intel finally release a REAL processor? Will Microsoft finally optimize Vista? Will UMPC makers jump into the Linux Boat to release real low price UMPCs? Who knows...
Frank --
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recognition! We at OQO are grateful for your evaluation (and the many other awards we've received this year), and look forward to continuing to innovate in this market to remain the leader for years to come.
-- Dennis Moore, OQO
Give to Ceasar what belongs to Ceasar.
ReplyDeleteFrank do you use xp or vista wirh oqo. i use vista and it is insufferable even with all the speed tweaks.
ReplyDeleteI used with Vista. I'm running Vista in my Q1 also and I did not notice the OQO to be a lot slower in than my Q1. Vista is heavy and it's slow in these devices. Period. I do not turn off my Q1 in months just to not deal with a almost 3 minutes booting process. To give you an idea.
ReplyDeleteMy chips in for the Samsung Q1, I have been a proud owner since August 2007. Great device!
ReplyDeleteHenry, I own a Q1 since November 2006. It's my main PC. I have problems with my vision so even when I can see the good features and devices like the OQO, these devices are really not for me. I'm in love with my Q1 and so far in more than a year I have not found another UMPC to replace it.
ReplyDelete