Promising Ultra-Mobile PCs

Subscribe to BusinessWeek

Founded in 2000, San Francisco startup OQO was the first to load a full Microsoft (MSFT) Windows operating system onto a handheld device. OQO's first commercial version of the product won accolades at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2004, and a successor was cited by Guinness World Records as the smallest, fully loaded, personal computer.



And while it didn't catch on widely with users, OQO kept plugging away and recently released a second generation of the ultra-mobile PC. It's too early to quantify demand for this emerging family of computers, says NPD analyst Stephen Baker. But some of the biggest names in consumer electronics -- including Sony (SNE), Samsung, and Asus -- are following OQO's lead.



For a consumer, it's not hard to see the appeal. They're smaller than laptops and so-called tablet computers, but more powerful than pocket PCs and smartphones.



Portable PC Future

They also include a wide range of nifty features. The Asus R2H, for instance, features a 7-in. touch screen, fingerprint scanner, 1.3-megapixel camera, and embedded GPS, all on a machine that weighs just 1.8 lb. Samsung's NP-Q1 includes built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a flash-based memory drive. Sony and Samsung each outfitted their most recent ultra-mobile PCs with a flash-memory drive which lets programs boot and run faster, while conserving battery life.



Analysts say future versions of the ultra-mobile PC will be even more portable and boast longer battery life -- potentially giving computers big and small alike a run for consumers' electronics dollar.



Click here for a rundown of BusinessWeek.com reviews of promising ultra-mobile PCs.