I wonder at times if people who write about UMPCs or Tablet PCs actually use the Tablet PC Input Panel, known as the TIP.
My first Tablet PC was a slate. To get used to the PC, I spent time attempting to not use the docking station, Yet, In a pinch, the keyboard was handy. In fact, many early adopters considered the advantages of a slate versus a convertible, and concluded a convertible was more valuable.
Additionally, I rarely converted my handwriting to text. OneNote pampered me. However outside of this application, converting handwriting to text seemed difficult and so I continued to rely on the keyboard. I believe others fell into this same trap of abandoning the TIP.
Unfortunately. this decision has led to some serious misunderstandings about the UMPC. The UMPC is not a small Convertible Tablet PC And it should not even be compared to a convertible. Instead, the UMPC is a small slate.
The distinction may seem minor until one realizes the TIP is the key to using the UMPC efficiently. Include the power of the Vista TIP and the Ultra Mobile PC really shines.
This post was completely written in the TIP. In fact, I even write 200-300 word posts for my classes with the TIP. Actually, 1000 word papers have been edited on this UMPC, as well as 100 plus pages of dissertation drafts.
The TlP is fast, efficient, and provides an opportunity for me to think between sentences. But this was not always the case. The TIP takes practice.
First, make the registry changes discussed on this site so that programs launch quickly, as well as getting almost instant on. Next, start training the TlP. After a short time the TIP will recognize your handwriting and you will be able to get work or pleasure done quickly.
If you own an ultra Mobile PC then don't make the fatal mistake of looking for a keyboard - Learn the TIP
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Pretty one-sided, since it seems the majority of new UMPCs on the market today have keyboards. Even Samsung has seen the handwriting on the wall and revised their UMPC to include a keyboard.

I would not buy a UMPC without a keyboard; after years of frustration dealing with a multitude of PDAs without keyboards, my trusty Tungsten C showed me a whole new world of how a simple keyboard actually did make a PDA revolutionary in organizing your life. Previously, the pain of handwriting input or pecking on an on-screen keyboard meant that I very seldom used the PDA as more then a toy.

Obviously you are writing to users with an "old style" UMPC. I urge your readers to just demand a device with an integrated keyboard, rather then "looking around" for a keyboard or forcing themselves to painfully use the TIP. You might consider my Everun "not a true UMPC" for some obscure reason, but I believe hardware manufacturers have redefined the UMPC concept as necessary to meet the buyer's demand, which today means an integrated keyboard.

Sony US, OQO e2, Fujitsu u810, Everun, Samsung Q1u, HTC Shift, Kohjinsha SH8, Gigabyte U60, HTC SHift. ABout the only manufacturer who is lagging the pack is Asus, but it is only a matter of time.