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InformationWeek reviews the Q1 Ultra UMPC

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q1ultra1 Reviews continue to come in on Samsung’s latest UMPC, the Q1 Ultra. InformationWeek’s Dave DeJean has written a pretty decent review of the Q1 Ultra, but in the end isn’t quite convinced that it is a fully functional PC.

There is one big piece of information that Mr. DeJean has wrong and it needs correcting. DeJean says that the Origami Experience Pack comes with Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center is not a feature of the Origami Experience Pack. Windows Media Center is a premium feature of Windows Vista and it is only available in the premium versions of Vista: Home Premium and Ultimate. The Origami Experience Pack contains three applications: the Origami Experience ( for accessing pictures, music, and files), Sudoku, and Touch Settings (an application to enhance the touch interface). The Origami Experience Pack is shipped with Windows machines that Microsoft has certified as an Ultra-Mobile PC . It is also available as a download for those devices that meet Microsoft’s qualifications of a Ultra-Mobile PC.

The Samsung Q1 Ultra ships with Windows Vista Home Premium and contains the Origami Experience Pack.

Here are DeJean’s closing thoughts on the Q1 Ultra:

The ultramobile PC category is growing rapidly, and designers and manufacturers are experimenting almost wildly with features and designs. Samsung has been one of the leaders with its work on the Origami spec and the rapid release of new Q1 models over the past year. It’s design decisions for the Q1 Ultra are interesting, particularly the continuing omission of a full keyboard and the reduction in processor speed from 1 GHz to 800 MHz (even while adding Windows Vista, an operating system that requires a good deal of heavy lifting).

The portability is hugely tempting — I’d love to leave my 6-pound laptop at home and take a Q1 Ultra (and a folding keyboard) on my next trip. But overall, a device with a small screen, no keyboard, and performance in the PDA class doesn’t quite convince me it’s a “fully functional PC.”

Watch our video review on the Q1 Ultra here, and read comments in our Samsung forum on how users are enjoying the Q1 Ultra.

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