Om’s Ten Mobile Compumandments
Well known (and damn good) tech blogger Om Malik recently weighed in on the UMPC movement, specifically on the HP Mini-Note.
Sadly, he was less than impressed, citing it’s weight, slow boot time with XP and most importantly to him, it’s massive heat production as deal breakers. He, like many users, came in with a lot of excitement and ended up disappointed by the reality of the device…hopefully designers take notice of such reactions. You can read his full review HERE.
The experience was not a total loss, however, as all the deficiencies he found in the Mini-note caused him to turn his mind to what qualities he would demand in a true mobile computer. One of the reason I always respect Om’s views even when I don’t agree with him is that he never snarks…he never just says what is wrong without giving an opinion about what is right, and how the two can meet. Constructive criticism like his is so rare on the net these days.
Therefore here, freshly carved in granite, are Om’s Ten Mobile Compumandments
- Instant On
- Doesn’t generate too much heat.
- Minimum 5 hours of battery life.
- Must feature at least four communications options: WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth & Wireless Wide Area Network connection to, say, an EVDO or HSPA Network.
- Less than three pounds (Batteries included).
- Screen size of 3.5 to 8 inches (wide-screen proportioned)
- The primary function of the computer should be cloud-based activities that can include everything from listening to live music, reading blogs and watching videos. Writing research reports or cranking out spreadsheets isn’t the primary purpose of these machines.
- It should cost no more than $300. This isn’t a computer; it’s a communications device. It should really be an on-the-go device. It is a device for the moments when your cellphone isn’t enough, and laptop is too much. An iPhone should qualify.
- Its innards, ports should be geared for Internet-based activities — from making calls on Skype to consuming RSS feeds — though it should be able to handle external peripherals.
- In the future it should move away from the keyboard and have a touchscreen interface that allows one to sift through large amounts of data (or web pages) quickly, as cramped keyboards and touchpads can be hard to use.
Personally I agree with just about all his points, though some I have more trouble with (I intend to write a good deal on any UMPC I own, for example). What about the rest of you? Is Mr. Malik on the right track? What is he wrong about? What would you add?
Written by Zealot · Filed Under General
Tagged:
Did you like this post?
Share your vote!
(No Ratings Yet)
You can also participate in other conversation in our active forums with 200,000 other Members. It only takes 2 minutes to 
I’m having problems with figuring out what a UMPC is for…. It is too large to carry 24/7 like my smartphone and if I’m going to carry around a notebook, I’d rather take a full featured one. It seems like a nice toy but I couldn’t replace my smartphone or laptop with it…..
I think one of the points misses the point of an UMPC. “Writing research reports or cranking out spreadsheets isn’t the primary purpose of these machines.”
Why not? If all you want to do is listen to music, read blogs and watch videos etc., then something like a Smartphone or WMD is perfect. Using office products such as spreadsheets and word-processing is primarily why I bought an eeepc to use on the train. My Dell 15.1 inch now stays at home; I carry around a small backpack instead of a large one, and can work effectively out and about. It’s made a huge difference.
When I get home, or to work, I just plug the eeepc into an external monitor with a wireless keyboard and mouse (this is what I’m using right now). Not a gaming machine, sure, but no different to any “work” pc setup this way. But I can unplug it and work anywhere.
The other problem with his points (at the moment) is realism when it comes to the cost. However, as it’s a “wish list” of sorts, that’s fine.
As for price, perhaps a bit unrealistic, but I feel it is one of his most important points. The Eee 701 was a success partially because compared with the prices of other Laptops, it was an impulse buy. To be a success in the mainstream population, I have stated all over the place even before reading Om’s views that a UMPC HAS to stay below the $300-350 range in my opinion. Any more expensive and it gets harder to justify the compromises.
The perfect UMPC for me? An HTC Shift running an operating system that is optimal for such a device and a price point around $500. Operating system is the crucial part - Iphone has taught us this.