Ultra Mobile PC lacks direction

ONE OF Intel's pet products is a device known as the Ultra Mobile PC which duly made an appearance at IDF San Francisco. But getting an answer to the question - "Yes, but what is it for?" appears to be a challenge.

The design idea is sound. A PC small enough to fit in your pocketbook/handbag with battery life of around seven hours. Screen size of around 2.5" means it won't quite fit in a pocket, though.

The demo showed the UM PC acting as a mobile internet terminal. So the INQ asked Intel's corporate vp, Mooly Eden, what kind of communications it might employ? The answer was - the whole lot. Bluetooth; WiFi/WiMax; 3G - they may all be employed.

Plus it will feature loads of built in location technologies including GPS. So it's up against smartphones and the likes of Tom Tom, then?

Not really, Eden replied. He pointed out that the demo showed the UM PC relaying videos and music to a car's sound system. So it's up against a video iPOD, then? Not really, came the reply.

Given that the UM PC is designed to work without a fan, wouldn't it make a good home entertainment PC? Definitely not, Eden explained. That's the job of Intel's Viiv - which has far more computing power.

You might find a UM PC acting as a DMA (Digital Media Adapter), though. That's a device which enables legacy equipment - like analogue TVs - to interwork with a Viiv based system.

A point on which Mooly Eden was certain about the UM PC was the fact that it is based on Intel's 32 bit architecture. And that has lots of existing software and add-ons. Unlike smartphones which unfortunately have ARM processors, he suggested.

The intriguing bit centred on the UM PC's graphical user interface (GUI). In the demos the UM PC very definitely had a touch sensitive screen and a degree of handwriting recognition in order to respond to commands.

The INQ won't find out until later today which company actually supplied the GUI. But it won't be a re-run of the Apple Newton or graffiti inside the Palm Pilot. These days people can type.

Eden claimed that the UM PC is very definitely a consumer device. So it might prove to be a noble successor to the Psion Revo. Especially since the Ultra Mobile PC the INQ saw very definitely has a 'twist out' keyboard.

Where Intel is going with the UM PC, however, is still open to debate. µ

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