Dell gearing up to release its own UMPC?

We know, not a great many of you out there are clamoring for the latest and greatest UMPC, but when rumors begin to surface around Round Rock's involvement in the game, it's hard not to listen. According to an unusually brief blurb from a moderator over at TodoUMPC, "sources" have informed the site that Dell will be entering the UMPC market with a duo of devices. Unfortunately, the only "details" that were mentioned beyond that are the pricetags, which look to be €600 ($816) and €1,100 ($1496) for the two models. 'Course, we've certainly got ourselves all worked up over something similar before only to be woefully disappointed, so we're going the extra mile to keep the excitement at a minimum until Dell itself speaks on the issue.

[Via Slashgear]

[Big @ Jul 9th 2007 9:19PM]

Listen up Dell.
If you wanna make a SPLASH in the market, do it for less than $1000.

include VoIP, WiFi, Worldband GSM and a built in webcam.

You'll be heros.

[Señor Swanky @ Jul 9th 2007 9:24PM]

Wow, great business move. UMPC are like... everywhere, right?

What's next-- the Dell tv remote? At least people use those...

[epedemic @ Jul 9th 2007 9:40PM]

http://www.dell.com/html/us/segments/bsd/webelieve_teaser/
I doubt these two things are related but mabye.

[Josh @ Jul 9th 2007 10:36PM]

Unlikely - Its probably those other computers that were alluded to about a month or so ago on here...Vestro or Vostro or something. That's where I'd put my money.

[nojok3 @ Jul 10th 2007 12:39AM]

Definitely sounds like a UMPC
"want to send messages across town"

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 9th 2007 9:51PM]

Interested.

Go on...

[Russell @ Jul 9th 2007 11:17PM]

I think UMPC's have a huge opportunity to take over the market of the large screen PDA's and subnotebooks...

However the problem now (as with subnotebooks) is still battery life.

Give me a device I can literally leave on / use ALL DAY, that's a good 7-8 hours of actual use per charge.

I love my samsung i730 pda phone with exchange activesync etc... However maybe I could get away with a flip nokia or something with decent battery life and is meant to just be a good phone if I could really use the UMPC + WWAN as a more powerful PDA.


Oh and I need a good way of carrying it on a belt or something so it's always with me. While you're at it I am also going to need Eyegoggles for a HUD so I can look like a total nerd. (more than I do now)

[David @ Jul 9th 2007 10:16PM]

Isn't the lack of interest largely due to the cost since the money usually gets you in the same ballpark as a lower end laptop? If Dell is going to get into this shouldn't they at least compete on price? That is, if they're really getting into the UMPC market...

[3rdsun @ Jul 9th 2007 10:35PM]

There might be little interest now but if Apple even mentions they making a UMPC every Tom, Dick and Harry wuold line up for one calling it the greatest thing since the iphone. Anyways I would rather have a UMPC than a iphone, at least it can do something.

[Señor Swanky @ Jul 9th 2007 11:25PM]

If Apple did it, the point is that it wouldn't be like current UMPCs. Dell and Lifeless.

I mean... dull.

[Erik @ Jul 10th 2007 12:01AM]

If Apple did it, the point is that it wouldn't be like current UMPCs.

They'd cost more and be a closed platform. So yes, you're right.

[Rick @ Jul 10th 2007 12:39AM]

Yes, and they'd sell.

[wingman @ Jul 10th 2007 3:31AM]

Yeah...sell like the Newton!

[Rick @ Jul 10th 2007 8:51AM]

The iPhone already outsold the Newton. Good one.

[Major Malfunction @ Jul 10th 2007 12:06AM]

Well, I relatively early adopter of the UMPC platform. And I have to admit, it is the only technological platform to go down in performance and up in price. Really, I have a Q1, 1Ghz Centrino, 1GB ram, and since its inception, the follow-on processors are slower and more expensive. *shrug* I love the idea of the UMPC, but like others have said about Apple, if they enter the sector, the MS driven market is screwed because I'll sell mine immediately just for multitouch and the level of touch sensitivity because the Q1 is driving me crazy with its lack of sensitivity and it was supposed to be the best.

[iforgot @ Jul 10th 2007 5:35PM]

I have the follow up device - the Q1U - with the 800 mhz Intel A110. Vista is a dog, especially on a device like this (I plan to try Linux on it, if I keep it after an upcoming trip).

Apple could easily simply release a larger iPhone and have their own 'umpc,' but it wouldn't solve the biggest problem, lack of a real keyboard. Then again, keyboards are pretty nasty, wouldn't be surprised to see them (and the alphabet? ;)) replaced with a smart touch interface.. t9 already works great, except for all the special cases.

[nojok3 @ Jul 10th 2007 12:41AM]

UMPCs make Palm's Foleo look like a good alternative (for price)

[FSK1138 @ Jul 10th 2007 12:46AM]

here the new dell umpc
http://www.doctorsgadgets.com/images/dellumpc.png

[Dave @ Jul 10th 2007 2:16AM]

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/vostronb?c=ca&cs=cabsdt1&l=en&s=bsd