Samsung Brings Vista to Q1P UMPC

The latest version of Samsung's ultra-portable Q1P sports a 1 GHz Pentium processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, and Windows Vista Home Premium.

Electronics giant Samsung has rolled out another edition of its Q1P ultra-portable palmtop computer, this time sporting Microsoft Windows Vista. The new Samsung Q1P for Windows Vista offers a 1 Ghz Pentium processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, and comes pre-loaded with MIcrosoft Windows Vista Home Premium.

“Since the introduction of the Q1 UMPC, Samsung has been unwavering in its commitment to growing and developing this new product category,” said Bret Berg, Samsung’s Senior Product Marketing Manager for Mobile Computing Products, in a statement. “With the Q1P for Windows Vista UMPC, Samsung has once again proven its dedication to the UMPC market by delivering a powerful product that allows even the most mobile individuals to enjoy the many benefits of the Windows Vista operating system while on the go.”

Despite being cool technology, the UMPC market has yet to truly take off due in part to high price tags: for many road warriors, UMPCs don’t offer enough of a discount from traditional notebook computers to justify the trade-offs of small screen sizes and on-screen or miniature keyboards. Still, to folks for whom portability is everything, the range of applications and communications options available to Windows-based UMPCs can be very appealing.

As with other Q1 models, the Vista-equipped Q1P sports a seven inch, 800 by 400 LCD touch screen; users can enter data using an “inking” feature which enables users to handwrite data directly onto the touch screen. The Q1P comes equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking, and features Samsung’s AV Now feature, enabling users to tap into movies, video, music, and images without going to all the trouble of booting up Vista.

The Q1P for Windows Vista is available now through leading retailers at a suggested price of $1,299; a number of optional peripheral accessories are also being offered, including a USB keyboard with built-in track point and two-button mouse.