What is an Ultra-Mobile PC?


By Adam Snide - February 2007

Adam Snide
President of Sales & Marketing BuildYourUMPC.com
1) Upgrade your personal computer
2) Why buy a Home Server and keep your old computer
3) In car use
4) Call anywhere anytime with unlimited calling
5) Using the technology to make a safer environment
6) Students, employers, and professionals should all migrate to a UMPC
7) and much more...



What is an Ultra-Mobile PC? The simple answer: A full fledged computer, running a full operating system like Microsoft Tablet PC 2005, Windows Home XP, Windows XP Pro, or the new Windows Vista. Microsoft and Intel classify these devices as being handheld and have a touch screen of 7" or less. Initially, Microsoft and Intel called this the Origami Project.
Background: You can find an abundance of background information relating to the Origami Project on Google, Microsoft, Intel, or by going to Wikipedia or OrigamiProject.com
Why are we so passionate about the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) evolution? Most of the blogs and marketing are not doing the UMPC marketplace any justice. There is a lot of great information about the specifications for each UMPC and many websites that will compare all of the UMPC models. For US in the UMPC market it's great because we are in the marketplace and understand what we and our customers want and need. For average person, it's a daunting overhaul of information.
The UMPC evolution has taken shape in the form of a handheld computer. The picture below shows exactly how a UMPC can be used on a daily basis in your home or office. It's quite simple, the handheld device "mounts" into a docking station and replaces the need for your existing computer. Is this all a UMPC can do? ABSOLUTELY NOT.


We have learned from one of the UMPC evangelist, Hugo Ortega from Australia, that this is actually an incorrect way to setup your UMPC. The UMPC (because the design is much smaller) can comfortably be placed under the monitor between your monitor and keyboard. Ergonomically, this allows you to stay focused with your eyes and body pointing straight ahead and in a more comfortable position.
We are currently video taping how to setup your UMPC ergonomically. Sign up for our newsletter to find out when this will be available on our site.
Ok, so now that you have your UMPC setup correctly, why is it evolutionary?
Using two screens to multi-task may scare some away. We have found that the smaller screen is perfect for note taking or even better, have your email application (such as Microsoft Outlook) opened on it at all times. When you get a new email message, you'll see it immediately. Simply double click on the new message and the message opens on your primary larger computer screen. I do not suggest using the UMPC as your primary monitor which is where most people go wrong. People don't realize that ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ACCESSORIES is the docking station. Some docking stations come with a built in CD/DVD combo and others don't. With most (every one we have seen) comes with multiple USB out ports on the back and side of the device. This is great for plugging in your external mouse and keyboard (wireless mice and keyboards are also supported).
Setting up some fun with your UMPC. Most consumers will be replacing or adding a computer to there home with the purchase of a UMPC. If you are replacing a computer because it's outdated, you may want to consider an alternative. Take the monitor, mouse, and keyboard from your computer and use it for your new UMPC's docking station. Next, use a USB to USB cable or a network cable to connect from your docking station to your old computer. With some simple installs and configurations, you'll have created a small home network between your two devices. Why is this helpful? You'll have the ability to use your old computer as a file server. A file server allows you to back up your UMPC data (files, pictures, music, ect) to a file folder on your old computer and vice versa. With a Remote Desktop Protocol setup, you can use your UMPC to remotely view your old computer (running Windows XP) and run any applications on the system as if you were actually sitting in front of that computer. Remember, your old computer may be slow and the Remote Desktop Protocol (Free Microsoft tool known as RDP) won't make it run any faster. What you have done is setup a way to use the old programs and keep your data in the same place you've always had it. Keeping a copy of your information on a USB thumb drive is also a good idea. (Hitachi just came out with a 250 GB thumb drive for about $150!)
Ok, that's great, but what else is really exciting about the UMPC evolution?
Turning your old computer into a home server. This is an off the wall idea I acquired from the 2007 CES show after listening to Bill Gates talk about HP's new venture out sometime this summer. He talked about how HP was going to announce the new Home Server. This is a great idea but I think about 1/2 of 1% of homes will actually purchase one of servers for a price of about $3000. With my idea, you can accomplish a similar function for a very little investment. Here is the idea behind the Home Server from BuildYourUMPC.com: With your spare computer, you can have it setup with all of your music (like an iPod) and stream it into any room in your house at any given time. Your UMPC or another computer could log on and play music in to a bedroom for example. All you need is a wireless speaker (preferably an IP wireless speaker) and you have success. You could play music in the bathroom, kitchen, or setup your computer to play your favorite songs at certain times of the day. I personally like to wake up to Satisfaction on the weekdays. You could also setup wired or wireless video cameras in your house as a security motoring system. If you have the OQO with broadband access or if you are in a wireless environment, you could log onto your home server and view your webcams. I personally like this idea because if you have children at home and somebody is watching them, you can always have your eye on what's going on. Of course, this is just my opinion and I don't know all the laws pertaining to this (if there even are any) so please do your due-diligence prior to moving forward with this. Other options may include setting up a picture archive folder system, control your children's computer usage, etc. The home security and home server industry is going to explode in 2007. You could get started with your old PC or pick one up from ebay for around $75.
How about this for WOW! Voice Over IP (otherwise known as VOIP) is a technology that allows you to send and receive phone calls over a wired or wireless network. This technology uses a considerable amount of bandwidth and is clumsy on some home networks. However, with a Sprint or Verizon Broadband contract, you can throw away your old cell phone! All you'll need is a Bluetooth headset, sign up for SKYPE service, and you're all set! Travel anywhere (within your carrier's covered territory) and talk as long as you want for around $20 / month! (If you text message a lot, don't worry, you can send text messages with your SKYPE account too.) This is only available through the OQO model 02 with broadband service. The Broadband service is about $60 a month. For some people, $60 a month is more then what they currently spend and I can understand that. You have to remember that this service enables you with streaming broadband access through your phone. What does this really mean? It means that you can share that broadband connection with other computers in your office, school, or home! They'll also have the capability to access the Internet through your UMPC. If you look at all of the benefits from having instant access to the internet and add VOIP on top of it, you'll be using technology to work for YOU instead of letting technology work you.
Most new TV's today have the ability to be networked. When the TV is networked and your UMPC is connected to the wireless on the same network, you can typically control your TV from your UMPC. Including recording shows, turning the device on and off, sending and receiving emails from the device (yeah, I know that what you need, spam from your TV).
GPS Software. Have you ever heard of TOMTOM? My first experience using a navigation system was about three years ago. It was built into a vehicle and provided real-time turn by turn directions. I thought it was the best idea ever. TOMTOM is a European company who created this software to go onto specific hardware modules that they designed (great business model) for portable in-car navigation. We are going to be representing a software that uses the same 3D view as TOMTOM with all the same great features for GPS navigation. This is great for anybody that easly gets lost but even more importantly, for those professions that require substantial travel time (i.e. Veterinarians, Doctors, Sales, Lawyers, etc...). If you're a tourist, this is a perfect solutions because the software contains around 4 Million points of interest. Let's say you are hungry for Italian. Press three buttons and you'll see a layout of all the Italian restaurants within a certain geographical radius. We are now a ProClip reseller as well so you can purchase your customized UMPC clip to mount into your car at a discount through our website (available 1st quarter '07). Sign up for your website to be one of the first to get your UMPC car clip!
Meetings and School use: Simple, UMPCs should be in every person's hand who often attend business meetings or go to college. You can take unlimited notes with this device using your stylus or finger tip. One benefit of the OQO is the fold out keyboard, mouse stick, and number pad. The TabletKiosk eo i7209/i7210 models have video cameras/speakers/microphone for video conferencing. In some environments where students use UMPC's, a mediator can setup a monitoring station to remotely view student's UMPC's screens. This is great for providing assitance in answering questions because the mediator can click on the student's screen from their monitoring station and share video and audio of the student's UMPC. To take it one step further, you can enable the audio/video for one-to-one conferencing while the mediator has joint control of the screen.

Hospitals and Doctors: HIPPA scares everybody and if your not nervous, you're just not admitting to it. We have worked with hospitals that evaluate employee time and attentiveness to the HIPPA regulations towards computers and personal information security. When evaluated, it appears that their is an enormous amount of time logging on and off a computer when entering and leaving a room. Imagine leaving a room with your computer on your belt clip and plugging the computer into a docking station in the next room! This is a major increase in productivity and efficiency. Now, taking it one step further, you can easily install a Citrix or RDP software on each UMPC making it a dummy terminal over your encrypted wireless network. If a UMPC is ever stolen, the device never has any information physically on it.

So much more to come...
Please post your comments. Let's start a real discussion on how people use the UMPC to change the way they live.

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