Technology & Learning - September 2007 - (Page 14)

» Reviews Q1 Ultra By Melissa Houston Company: Samsung; www.samsung.com Operating System: Preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows XP Tablet Edition; supports all Vista applications. Price: $799 and up. Pros: Lightweight, high-resolution screen, long battery life, Bluetooth enabled. Cons: Vista runs slow on the 800-MHz Intel processor with 1GB memory. Ultra-mobile PCs have been struggling to find their niche in the marketplace—they’re not quite laptops, nor do they have the capabilities of a tablet. Samsung has attempted to silence critics with the new, super-light, 7-inch touch-screen handheld Q1 Ultra, its second-generation UMPC. No question, the Q1 Ultra is hard to resist. Wireless capable, complete with two cameras, and stylus pen– enabled, this 1.5-pound UMPC has plenty to offer someone who wants to be connected on the go without having the burden of a heavy tablet or laptop in tow. For ultimate anywhere computing, its four-cell lithium ion battery gets up to 4.5 hours of life on a single charge, and it even includes GPS navigation. The Q1 Ultra can do just about anything a laptop can, but as expected it’s a bit slower since Vista tends to eat up a lot of memory when loading programs. Still, we found the Ultra to boot up pretty fast, and its wireless connectivity is fairly strong no matter where we tested it. It also boasts sharp 1024x600 native resolution and a bright, LED-backlit LCD screen. Could the Ultra be the new musthave classroom accessory? The base model is arguably affordable, but doesn’t include the integrated cameras. And since most folks are enthusiastic about USPCs, in general, because of all the plug-in capabilities, Samsung offers an optional external USB keyboard—which is good, since we found the Q1 Ultra’s QWERTY split thumb board slow and tedious, despite practice. If you’re stuck navigating or note taking by stylus pen you may find the screen too small to do any meaningful work. Melissa Houston is T&L’s managing editor. Are You Making a Difference? Tell us how you lead by using technology in education. Enter yourself—or a colleague—in T&L’s 2007 Leader of the Year Program. You inspire, encourage, empower, and give wings to others’ dreams. Now it’s your turn. Technology & Learning’s 2007 Leader of the Year Program is once again honoring K–12 administrators, technology coordinators, and teachers who use technology in innovative ways to help teachers teach and help students learn. We invite you to share your teaching, training, and managing success stories with our judges. Four finalists will win an expensepaid trip to NSBA, prizes from our sponsors, and recognition in T&L’s 2007 Awards Issue. Deadline: September 20, 2007. Rules and online entry form at www.techlearning.com/ content/contest/etloy/2007 LEADER of the f the h CINDY WILSON-HYDE, T&L LEADER OF THE YEAR, 2006 WINNER. Sponsored by: Year 14 | www.techlearning.com http://www.samsung.com http://www.techlearning.com/content/contest/etloy/2007 http://www.techlearning.com/content/contest/etloy/2007 http://www.techlearning.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - September 2007

Technology & Learning - September 2007 Contents Editor’s Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews Getting It Wrong Cover Story: SchoolBiz School CIO Higher Ed Integration How To What’s New Bottom Line

Technology & Learning - September 2007

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