As many are aware, Samsung's Q1 line comes with a PC to PC USB link cable. Future UMPCs should not need this, and should have a mini-B USB port. Plugging a USB port into it and the other end into a PC should have the UMPC simply show up as a standard USB harddrive.

The Zune squircle. I got a Zune 2 days ago, and I love the touch-sesnitive squircle.

Also, it would be nice if the UMPC team ganged up on the Zune team and made them let us use Zunes as USB hard drives.

The Everun does this already, except you have to shut it down to work.

My Ideal future umpc is the q1 premium with a slidable/htc type keyboard with built in hsdpa

I'm not sure if the USB link cable also comes with synchronization software, if not, there is option to establish a LAN using Wi-Fi with Ad-Hoc configuration, on the PC and UMPC, which seems more practical.

It works fine between 2 PC's, even through walls. However, connecting directly 3 or more PC's works well only with very short distances.

Bandwidth on USB2 cable is 480Mb/s, Wifi is 54Mb/s. Throughput of hard drive is 120-160Mb/s. Until 802.11n is in widwspread use, the USB data cable will continute to be needed, assuming the hard drive doesn't get much faster and SSD doesn't become the dominant storage medium in the mean time.

The USB cable has the advantage of not requiring network authentication and can be used with almost any PC. I wondered at the beginning if Samsung did the right thing by providing the USB cable instead of a Gbit ethernet port. Now it is obvious their choice was logical.

It's debatable whether the UMPC hard drive should appear as a USB drive on another PC. If the other PC attempts to boot from the USB drive, that will seriously scramble Windows.

I don't understand what you're trying to say, and I doubt you understood what I was saying. I was not saying get rid of USB for data transfer, but make it built in, and OS independant. That way you could plug a standard/normal mini-B USB cable into a USB, and plug it into any PC running any OS, or a 360/PS3, and it shows up as a standard USB harddrive.

It's debatable whether the UMPC hard drive should appear as a USB drive on another PC. If the other PC attempts to boot from the USB drive, that will seriously scramble Windows.

It would do no damage to the PC trying to boot from the UMPC.
And Windows on the UMPC would simply crash, since XP won't boot off on a system dissimilar to the one it was installed on.

So unless both PCs were the same kind of UMPC, the boot would simply fail, with no damage, except a loss of hibernation data if it existed

The USB connection could be complementary when there is no ethernet based LAN or Wi-Fi NIC available. Perhaps even as a mean to get some extra throughput. However, the USB's are often disabled in BIOS to avoid data stealing. Anyway, added functionality is always a plus.

I find it very practical to power my pocket PC's over USB ports, basically because I don't have to carry another power brick. But too bad ActiveSync wasn't designed to work over Wi-Fi. Mobility and wires don't combine so well.

Igor Sotelo:

...

I don't see the relevance to my suggestions?

I'm not suggesting removing the other normal/master USB ports, I'm suggesting the ADDITION of a mini-B port

Also, I'd love a Squircle-based optical mouse, where the Squircle just replaces the scrollwheel (complete with that nifty inertia effect done by the driver/hardware) Have clicking it left/right act as back/forward, up/down as page up/down, center as clicking the scrollwheel

Look, communication is not something that fails because an ";" is missing somewhere. While I have limitations in English, perhaps you can't stand an opposite opinion or abstract enough, not necessarily I have missed the idea.

Or if the intention of your thread is other, say it clear from the start: "I'm doing a brainstorming session, want others to give their own ideas, but no any critic opinions".

No, it was more of, why are you saying this?

Or if the intention of your thread is other, say it clear from the start: "I'm doing a brainstorming session, want others to give their own ideas, but no any critic opinions".

My point is that you didn't give an opinion though, what you said didn't seem like it had anything to do with what I said other than the word USB

why are you saying this?
As an example. It would be a typical situation where opposite opinions shouldn't be expressed inmediately.

I got right what was the "USB idea". Resuming, you would like the UMPC to be able to connect to another PC and be recognized as HD, plus you provide some details on what kind of USB port would be needed. As it would allow wider OS compatibility.

My point is that something like that can also be done with Wi-Fi, with additional flexibility. Later I was looking at possible situations where an USB connection could be practical. Finally, I made comments related with Pocket PC devices, some of which have such an USB port.

Igor Sotelo:

My point is that something like that can also be done with Wi-Fi, with additional flexibility.

That would not guarantee as universal usefulness as USB. For example, USB would allow it to work with PS3/360 since no drivers are needed (the whole point) or a PC without wifi. And you wouldn't have to configure anything

While I think all of the suggestions here are great, to me they are more minor enhancements that will not change the interest of UMPC's.  UMPC's need a serious boost in popularity if they are to continue as in all of 2007 only a weak 350k were sold.

What is needed is a more functional UMPC small enough to carry in a large jacket pocket and when opened have a touch type keyboard.  Thumb and pen only forms have had no real interest to the mainstream and will not as everyone prefers touch type input for full windows.  That is just the facts of life you can make all the improvements you and dream about but if it is not small enough to carry in a jacket pocket and does not have touch type keyboard input it will never sell many units.

Here we go again!

 

that is the real problem, you can change little features but until they provide a touch type keyboard and are small enough to fit in a jacket pocket they just will not sell.

Primaz, it would be really helpful if you would append "in my opinion" in there. When you don't, that is part of why people respond to yu so negatively.

It would also be helpful if you tried to be more inclusive of those who have differing opinions. Perhaps if you said "I'd be interested in seeing some models of the variety you prefer, then we'd at least be more open to your ideas.

As it stands, you come across, bombastically I might add, that only your version of a UMPC is expected.

Woadan