Just when we think we've reached our mobile limit, something always comes around to blow our minds. PDA's hit the mobile business world and exploded into an overnight sensation. Laptops use to be a rare purchase, but are becoming almost as common as a regular desktop now. Tablet PC's haven't taken off like everyone had hoped, but they do have some great uses. PDA phones and other internet ready phones are almost a necessity, not only delivering email and internet, but now video and other mobile entertainment. What could possibly be next? How do you get better than what we have now?
Introducing the Ultra Mobile PC (or UMPC) standard. What is an Ultra Mobile PC? It's a standard developed by Microsoft, in what they dub the "Origami Project". An Ultra Mobile PC will be similar to the tablet pc, but much smaller, and with a much more specific purpose.. to deliver information and entertainment "on the go", in a small form factor mobile pc. It would essentially be a cross between an internet ready pda, and a tablet. A UMPC will be larger than any pda on the market, but still small enough to carry around easily, without all of the bulk you get from a laptop or tablet.
It's important to remember that UMPC is a standard though, like the term PDA is a standard. There won't be two exactly alike, except maybe certain brands that have similar models, but they will all be similar in most ways.
So how is a UMPC going to be so small, yet powerful enough to do anything?
Well, quite honestly, it's actually pretty simple to make such a thing so small and still powerful. Without a full sized keyboard, with a touch screen replacing any mouse or touch pad, and with usb and memory stick slots replacing floppy and cd drives, you've reduced the necessary size tremendously. So you essentially end up with something nearly as powerful as a laptop, yet less than half the size, and so much easier to carry around.
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