Is My Search Misguided?

Perhaps the points Tracy makes should make me rethink considering a UMPC to meet my computing needs. Perhaps I should just look at getting a smaller Tablet such as Motion's LS800.

That may be the case but lets start off by looking closer at what Tracy says in her post.

1. First she talks about the need for a device to take notes on. I agree with her. If I were a student who takes lots of notes, I would want to have a lot of real estate to write on and to see more than a small snapshot of my notes. For me though, I don't take a lot of notes, not even when I was a student. I really just like to copy meeting minutes or other documents into OneNote and then mark them up. Though that doesn't happen much anyway. Even with paper, I never took many notes. But for those users that want to take a lot of notes and review them, like many students, during class or on site, then a UMPC with only a 7" screen will probably be problematic. She also stresses that the touch screen will interfere with taking notes. I did write on a Samsung Q1 and did not notice a problem but I only used it for a few seconds. I'll definitely will want to look into that concern more.
2. Tracy mentions that one might buy it as a hand held media device but questions why. My main use for a UMPC would not be as a media device. I have an Ipod Nano to listen to music / podcasts and I don't tend to watch video on the go. However, I could see myself watching video on the train or when traveling so while this wouldn't be a requirement, I can see this as a plus for me.
3. Again, I wouldn't buy this as an ebook reader as I prefer reading books and magazines in paper format. Just my preference. But I think a 7" screen may be a good size and with the form factor I think I might find myself reading more from a digital screen. She also mentions here the battery life. I agree, 2 hours is not acceptable. I live with that now with the ACER. So buying a UMPC or a replacement Tablet with only 2 hours of battery life is a show stopper for me.
4. The article continues that many other functions can be met with a Tablet and I agree. If your requirements include having a large screen then get the Tablet but if you are happy with a smaller screen then take advantage of the smaller form factor, get the UMPC and have these other needs, such as web browsing, email etc met with that device.

So, to answer the question in title of this post 'Is my search misguided?' I say 'no'. But I do think that Tracy raises some very good points. The UMPC is not for everyone nor is the tablet or laptop for that matter. So its important to understand what your needs are and then choose the device or devices that best meet those needs.

Up next, the devices!