DailyTech - ASUS UMPC Gets FCC Approval

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Gadgets ASUS UMPC Gets FCC Approval
Brandon Hill (Blog) - July 5, 2006 1:02 PM

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11 comment(s) - last by kibets.. on Jul 6 at 8:42 PM

You'll soon be able to get your hands on Asustek's first UMPC

Asustek's first UMPC has received FCC approval meaning that we should be seeing a US release of the R2H very soon. For those of you who haven't been keeping up with the development of the R2H, DailyTech had a chance to play around with a unit at Computex and it's quite impressive. The unit features a 7" WXGA screen, WiFi, BT 2.0+EDR, 1.3MP camera and biometric security. Asus engineers also told us that they are hoping for at least two hours of battery life with its first UMPC effort. Asus expects the R2H to retail for under $1,000 which would put it right in line with Samsung Q1, but far below the Sony VAIO UX50 and UX90.

Microsoft’s UMPC initiative has gotten off to a rocky start mainly due to limited big-name manufacturers releasing products and the high price of entry. When Microsoft first announced the handheld devices, they stated that prices would range from $600 to $1,000. Instead, we’ve been seeing products ranging from $1,000 for the Asus to $1,800 for the Sony VAIO UX90. Microsoft is hoping for better luck when “Vistagami” UMPCs are released next year, and hopefully prices will be more in line with what the company announced back in March.

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battery life

By Acanthus on 7/5/2006 1:16:37 PM , Rating: 2

It does a little more than an Ipod.

RE: battery life

By One43637 on 7/5/2006 1:21:11 PM , Rating: 2

right, but 2 hours of battery life on a portable unit makes the unit less attractive. how many places will you be to jack in every 2 hours to recharge when you're using it on the go?

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RE: battery life

By Capt Caveman on 7/5/2006 1:29:45 PM , Rating: 2

These are first generation products and you can't compare them to an iPod. That's what spare batteries are for. I have a Nokia 770 which has about 2 hrs of life. Extra batteries aren't too much money and if you saw the display on it, you'd understand why the battery life isn't the highest. Plus, take on BT and Wifi power requirments.

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RE: battery life

By ToeCutter on 7/5/2006 2:05:42 PM , Rating: 2

Extra batteries? That's the solution?

These are nothing more than tiny PCs with tiny screens. I'm not sure how "mobile" a device with a 2 hour battery life will be.

The UMPC initiative has already failed. Stillborn. No one outside these techie web sites even knows what they are. They'll never break into the mainstream because you can buy a full size notebook (complete with, *GASP*, a keyboard!)for nearly half the price.

MS jacked this up from the start. They set expectations WAY too high and a price point WAY too low.

Sales 101: Under promise, over deliver. MS has *never* adhered to this simple rule. Case in point: Vista....

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RE: battery life

By Exodus220 on 7/5/2006 2:50:03 PM , Rating: 2

Hey, Sony can do the Overpromise and Underdeliver with their consoles so why not let Microsoft try. However, Sony seems to be able to sell the product better than MS is right now. While I read this I think of how everyone complained of the battery life for the PSP but that is looking pretty good right about now...2 hours really is pathetic since notebooks get better life than that.

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RE: battery life

By MercenaryForHire on 7/5/2006 4:12:31 PM , Rating: 3

quote:
They'll never break into the mainstream because you can buy a full size notebook (complete with, *GASP*, a keyboard!)for nearly half the price.

And for a few hundred more (IIRC, I haven't comparasion-shopped the market extensively) you can get a full-fledged, does-everything-and-more, Tablet PC.

IMO, the UMPC fits perfectly into a market that doesn't need to exist.

- M4H

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RE: battery life

By Capt Caveman on 7/5/2006 9:09:06 PM , Rating: 2

Sadly, I don't believe you understand the purpose of the product. I'm not going to be carrying a tablet pc or notebook everywhere I go. I can with one of these; surf the web, check email, etc. all on a very nice display.

My Nokia 770 fits in my shirt-pocket and thus I can carry it anywhere I go. If I'm in the city, I can always find a Wifi signal, so if I'm waiting in line somewhere I can check my email or browse the net. Using one of these products after trying to do it with a PDA/cell phone and you'll appreciate it.

Like I already said, this is a FIRST generation product. Batteries will get better but in the meantime they aren't very expensive nor very heavy unlike batteries for tablets/notebooks.

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RE: battery life

By ToeCutter on 7/6/2006 10:00:35 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
Sadly, I don't believe you understand the purpose of the product.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't think *anyone* understands the market for this, especially MS.

I've read each of your pro-UMPC posts with an open mind, but I'm still not convinced that a market for this platform exists outside the verticals. The UMPC simply doesn't offer any tangible benefits over an ultraportable due to the price point.

Case in point: the Avertec 1150 has a 10" screen, DVD-RW, 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, keyboard and is only slightly larger than a UMPC. It retails for around a grand. Even by todays standards, that's a truly impressive feature set for a thin and light notebook. Displayed side by side at Best Buy, how is UMPC to compete with that?

Interestingly enough, I've had several conversations with others this week regarding "gadget burnout" (lugging around a cellphone, iPod, digital camera, etc) and I think UMPC is symptomatic of this syndrome due to its loosely defined role in the heavily hyped "digital lifestyle".

Ugh, I can't believe I used that term in a sentence...

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um battery life?

By One43637 on 7/5/2006 1:11:07 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Asus engineers also told us that they are hoping for at least two hours of battery life with its first UMPC effort.

is this right? 2 freaking hours? that's worse then the old iPods. =/

Very, very Nice

By kibets on 7/6/2006 8:42:58 PM , Rating: 2

I really like how they have dedicated left and right click mouse buttons, very nice. I think this is the perfect size for travel and general use.

The reason these devices are not even more popular than they are is I have never seen an advertisement for one. Only online blogs and I can's see Asus doing anything to remedy it. We need Dell to whip one up for $399 and start pitching it on TV. - I have one and the 7" screen is very readable.