I suspect most of us that have bought UMPCs are probably going to vote for the one that we bought.  I did accordingly vote for the eo v7110. :) 

At the same time, I really think the v7110 is just the "best" of the UMPCs for my particular needs.  Data portability was a big factor for me, so the larger hard drive I could get with the v7110 was a key factor.  If I wanted a device that was more focused on multimedia, I would probably lean towards the Q1.  If I were looking for sure power and even low-end desktop replacement, I'd probably be looking more closely at the i72xx series.  Finally, the Asus seems to generally give the most bang for the buck for the very price conscious.

-Jeff

Are we comparing apples to oranges here?

Some have 2 hours battery life, others 5.
Some have a 4.2 inch screen (Vega) others 7inch.
Some have GPS, others don't.
Some have BT,  others don't have BT (Even though they are supposed to be the same model)

I think there needs to be some clarification on what qualifies a device as best.

I agree the question is subjective, but that's what makes it useful. Some offer more features but less battery life, others offer smaller design but higher cost, etc. Just go with the thought of "if I were to buy one, I'd buy x" approach.

 

thanks,
Dustin

That's a tough one for me...  I'm still looking at my first one because I'm waiting for Vista to come out on one.  My first choice right now would be the ASUS, but I'm still waiting to see how well WoW or Guild Wars works on it or the future Stargate Worlds.  I know they are not meant for those kinds of games, but I'm sure they will get there in 6 months time, right?

 

Thats a totaly unanswerable question!

One of the great things about UMPCs (and computer products in general) is that they are all targeted at a different audience. A manufacturer would be silly to produce something that they thought was best across all categories. As with a lot of things, you can work out an average but the average often doesnt exist.

I have a poll request though -

Which organisation is doing the best job in promoting the UMPC.
Microsoft
Tablet Kiosk
Intel
Samsung
ASUS

And how about -

Whats the best UMPC website?
Origamiproject
UMPCBuzz
Ultranauts
Carrypad
GottaBeMobile
JKontheRun
Origamiportal
UltramobilePCTips
UberTablet

OK. I know you can't really run those two polls on this Microsoft website. aybe i'll run them on mine! I just realised I've got poll capability on my portal.

Off to set it up now.

Steve.

the q1 with the dual speakers would probably be the one i'd like to get, mainly because it'd be used mostly for portable media with some web surfing.

chippy:

Whats the best UMPC website?
Origamiproject
UMPCBuzz
Ultranauts
Carrypad
GottaBeMobile
JKontheRun
Origamiportal
UltramobilePCTips
UberTablet

(COUGH COUGH) ;)

I totally agree though - this is an unanswerable question. My eo v7110 is better for web browsing and research, but the Samsung would be better for multimedia and the Vega would be better for Car UMPC use.

You can ask the FAVORITE, but after having only hands-on experience with one, (excepting 20 minutes of playing with a Samsung at Fry's) I am biased.

I'd say 'Mine!' is best. ;) LOL

I did a lot of research before my purchase and I'd have to say Samsung Q1. While the battery life isn't quite as long as I'd like, I expect that in most gadgets. Even my logitech mouse has a backup battery on the charge. I have to say what swayed me over the others was the dual stereo speakers. I wanted to be able to watch shows and listen to music on it as well as browse the Internet and get pc uses. All the others seem to have only one speaker. So "best" is a subjective term based on what the users needs. Im sure some people want gps and others want better battery life. To me the Samsung is the best in terms of delivering multimedia capability.

I am in the final stage of trying to decide between the TabletKiosk V7210 or the Samsung Q1b.  Based upon my research, I believe one of these to be the best of the current UMPCs currently available.  I would use my UMPC mostly for email and surfing.  I realize that I could do this on a cheaper device but I would rather not be caught underpowered.  Face it in a few months these 2 top of the line UMPCs will be passe.

I am puzzled that the UMPC products are not more readily available at traditional retail outlets.  In particular, I would love to see one of my top picks available at Costco.  The availability through online retailers such as CDW, Best Buy, Dynamism and others does not allow for the fondling that one must do in order to achieve the level of confidence needed to pull the trigger and buy.  I believe that the market penetration would be huge if UMPCs were more available.  Most of my friends have no idea what a UMPC is but they think it sounds "neat".

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

this has been my main reason why I still haven't taken the plunge on an UMPC (well that and medical bills take'n too much money away from fun stuff...so price also)  I've been to a few best buy stores and they have no clue what i'm talking about, same with the closest fry's to us.  They were clueless also.  I have almost taken the plunge and ordered one a few times, with the idea of "i can always return it if I don't like it" but i'd rather not have to give up the money first and deal with shipping back and forth.  So for the time, my laptop will just have to keep me happy, which it does...and for portable fun I still have my sony PSP. 
I do hope the UMPC does catch on, and by that I mean become available at the local stores where you can see what these things are.

Enjoy
Sam

I have the Sony UX 180 and the Sony PSP but i prefer to carry my sony PSP around


It has the following features
Internet Radio
Internet Video
Instant Messaging
Email Clients
Internet Browsing
Editing Documents
Organizer
Videos
Music
Photos
7:30 hrs of videos
Games :D
Can use it as a digital although only the 1.3 MP cam available at the moment :(
and the GPS :D
Waiting for the phone mod to hit the stores and Sony to release VOIP and video conferencing
I am also able to load up old school games such as snes,n64 and lot of other stuff.
Its small

Sony UX180 Wasted 2000$ on it.. and i prefer a vaio to it.

Anonymous:

I am in the final stage of trying to decide between the TabletKiosk V7210 or the Samsung Q1b.  Based upon my research, I believe one of these to be the best of the current UMPCs currently available.  I would use my UMPC mostly for email and surfing.  I realize that I could do this on a cheaper device but I would rather not be caught underpowered.  Face it in a few months these 2 top of the line UMPCs will be passe.

I am puzzled that the UMPC products are not more readily available at traditional retail outlets.  In particular, I would love to see one of my top picks available at Costco.  The availability through online retailers such as CDW, Best Buy, Dynamism and others does not allow for the fondling that one must do in order to achieve the level of confidence needed to pull the trigger and buy.  I believe that the market penetration would be huge if UMPCs were more available.  Most of my friends have no idea what a UMPC is but they think it sounds "neat".

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I haven't used the Q1b, but it would really have to go some to beat the v7210.  I've had my v7210 for about a month and can strongly recommend it.    I've tested a few games such as Deer Hunter 2005 and the Medal of Honor series and they install and work fine on my v7210 using a Thinkoutside Bluetooth keyboard.  I frequently have trouble sleeping and it's great to pull out the UMPC and surf the web or play poker or other games on Pogo.com and similar sites.  

I've been using computers for over 40 years (good god I'm old!!!) and IMHO UMPCs really are "neat."

 

Tom