The history of the personal PC started with the IBM PC, which first came out 27 years ago. Needless to say, a lot has happened since then.
One can go on and on about the improvements in processing power, data storage capacity, features found in the applications, the ability to handle multimedia materials and the list of technological advances over the decades.
In the 1990s, the Internet was launched for public use. Suddenly, everyone became networked. Some people would say that computers are not worth much if they are not connected.
Today, three trends are obvious. First, Internet connection speed has increased tremendously. In the early days, the only way people could connect their PCs to the Internet was through a phone line. Today, broadband has become accessible in more and more places. Not only is the data rate higher, it also costs less and less. All of these make our dependence on the Internet just stronger than ever.
The second, the portable computer is becoming smaller. You may still remember Toshiba's Libretto from 1996. More recently, we saw the Flybook from Dialogue. There have been many other notebooks that pack the same computing power as their bigger brothers. In a way, we can also include smartphones like Nokia Communicators into the small personal computers, and they whet the appetite even more for truly portable but continuously connected devices.
The “Aspire one”, Acer’s Ultra-mobile PC, has a bright, 8.9-inch screen with 1024x600 Web resolution and a keyboard that is 90 percent the size of a full notebook keyboard. (JP/Zatni Arbi)
Today, these two trends are merging. With mobility, people want to be able to "access the network at any time, in any place", to borrow the words of Acer's president, Gianfranco Lanci. So, more and more notebook computers come with different types of connectivity -- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 3G and HSDPA.
Dialogue's Flybook was one of the first notebooks with a slot for a SIM card that I had the chance to play around with. However, its price was beyond the reach of the common people, like me.
"We focus on design," said the attendant at Dialogue's booth at Computex last week, when I complained to her about the high price of the otherwise great Tablet PC. Great designs obviously have their own cost.
What if what we want is a notebook that will not break our shoulder bones and empty our savings account? Today, we have the UMPC.
Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPC) are quickly becoming a popular choice because they are small, lightweight and, most important of all, affordable. A complete UMPC -- with Wi-Fi and color display -- costs around Rp 5 million.
By now you must have been familiar with the eee PC from ASUS. Yes, it was the first UMPC that hit the market. It was a hit, too. It might have been intended for students living on a small scholarship, but it has turned out that a lot of the people who buy it are those with high disposable incomes.
Today, the eee PC's dominance is being challenged by similar products from HP, Dell and others. And just last week, Acer hauled journalists from everywhere to Taipei for a one-hour unveiling of its "Aspire one" (without a capital "o"). It's a UMPC that Acer promises will make you want one. The event took place on the first day of the annual Computex event in Taipei, which this year ran from June 3 to June 7.
Going into the market later than the rivals has several advantages, for sure. In the case of Acer, the benefits are clear. First, it has learned from the imperfections of the existing models and therefore is able to improve its own design.
The keyboard on the Aspire one, for example, is one of the best that I've seen on a UMPC so far. It's only five percent smaller than the size of a normal notebook keyboard. When I tried out the units on display during the event, I could feel the keyboard was much more comfortable to use than the one on the eee PC.
Second, it was clear that the original 7-inch screen was just too small. Asus and several other UMPC makers have now increased the screen size to 8.9 inches. Aspire one starts with the 8.9 inch. And, judging from the few demo units on display, the brightness and color quality of the screen will not disappoint. The secret is the use of CrystalBrite technology with LED backlit. In addition, the resolution is 1024 x 600, which is great for Web browsing.
Third, Aspire one also uses the latest processor from Intel, which is nicknamed Atom. Intel designs this particular processor for use in UMPCs. It does not boast super high clock speed, but there's still enough horse power to run Linux or Windows XP. Acer offers Linpus Linux Lite to slash the price even more.
This UMPC comes with 512 MB or 1 GB memory. It can be fitted with 8GB of NAND flash module or an internal 80 GB hard disk.
What surprises me is the rest of the features: A 5-in-1 card reader, three USB ports and a second SD card slot that will automatically add to the internal data storage capacity. It's just amazing how so many things can be packed into such a small notebook.
A question that comes to mind is whether the inroads of the UMPCs will cannibalize the other notebooks. Lanci doesn't think so, and I would agree with him. I would envision that the majority of users will buy an UMPCs as a companion to their notebook or desktop PC. The reason is simple. You cannot run Photoshop or AutoCad on a UMPC -- although you can store and display your photos on it.
So, what's the main purpose of an UMPC then? Clearly, it's designed for mobile Internet access for browsing, emailing, chatting and Skypeing.
Aspire one has a lot of potential, especially when Acer comes out with the next generation that supports 3G and HSDPA.
"In Indonesia, Aspire one may not be available until July," said Helmy Anam, head of communications of Acer Indonesia's marketing department.
This is why the price is still unknown. Chances are it will be in the same price range of its competitors. But, then again, the race in the UMPC arena is just gaining momentum, and we are bound to see fierce competition among the UMPC top guns.
