The Samsung Q1 is the latest breed of computer known as the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC). It resembles the size of a typical hardback and weighs just less than a bag of sugar.The unit feels safe in your hands but can eventually put strain on your wrist if held one handed.
| Inside the Q1, Samsung has opted for components you'd normally find in a low-end ultra-portable laptop. There's an Intel Celeron M CPU running at 900MHz matched with the Intel 915GM chipset. This ageing combination doesn't offer strong performance, and neither does it serve for very long battery life. There's 512MB of RAM, 32MB of which is allocated to the on-board Intel Extreme Graphics display adaptor.A range of hard drive options are available for the Q1, ranging from 20GB to 60GB. Samsung has attempted to enhance the Q1's multimedia capabilities by furnishing it with a dedicated media playback suite. This functions in a similar manner to the Media Center portion of the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system, minus the television playback features. It can be launched by sliding the device's power switch to the left (instead of right to launch Windows). The Q1’s onboard WiFi makes this an effective web-browsing tool. |
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Battery life is not one of the Q1’s strong points. It lasts up to 3.5 hours during normal use or up to 1.5 hours while watching a movie. As a result, you'll want to make sure you don't stray too far from mains power, or better still carry a spare battery.
The front of the screen is dominated by the screen which is surrounded by a pair of speakers and a selection of controls.It’s ideal for the office as the Q1 features two flip out stands, one for resting it on a desk at a 45 degree angle which comes in useful when using it with a USB keyboard. The other is for resting it at a 20 degree angle.You’ll quickly notice that there is no keyboard as the Q1 is controlled by a touch screen plastic stylus which is tucked away at the rear of the unit.
The left side of the Q1 homes a video-out port, a port, an audio jack, volume control button and a hold button which disables all user input, including via the touch screen. There is a VGA-out port on the right alongside another USB port, but you may find it hard to connect bulky USB devices as the port is very close to the AC power socket.
The Q1 is extremely easy to work with and you’ll find a number of shortcut buttons.There is an eight-way control stick on the left and below that, a button for switching between the three different screen resolutions.You’ll be impressed by the quality of the screen and it is also wide enough for you to comfortably watch a DVD with another person. It provides little reflection, even in direct light which is also a bonus. You’ll find the microphones along the bottom which enable the Q1 to be controlled by voice commands. Samsung have included the very clever Dialkeys. An application that launches a translucent on-screen overlay which enables you to touch the relevant keys; it then enters text into the document window. However, it is not always as precise as it should be and it may slow you down whilst you’re getting used to it. Talking of slow, the Q1 isn’t winning any races. It is fairly responsive and can run everyday applications like playing a movie, surfing the web or carrying out general office tasks with ease. Such tasks are definitely do-able for the Q1 but you shouldn’t expect it to do much more. UMPCs are a fairly new invention and it is obvious that the Samsung’s Q1 is on the learning curve of what works and what doesn’t. Until perfection is met, the Samsung Q1 is doing a good job in the meantime.
