Review: Samsung Q1 handheld computer

Windows has gone through several mobile guises over the years, with Pocket PC and SmartPhone devices being the most familiar platforms.

Microsoft's latest venture is the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) and the Samsung Q1 is the first to take advantage of the technology.

In essence, the Q1 is a cross between a notebook and handheld computer  – both in size and power terms. To prolong battery life, it uses an ultra-low-voltage (ULV) Intel Celeron processor, which runs at 900MHz. It also sports 512Mb of memory and has a 40Gb hard disk.

The Q1 costs £799, so compared with notebook computers of the same price, its specification doesn't match up to much. However, this portable computer has a few tricks up its sleeve to make up for the lack of power.

The 7in display is a touch screen that allows navigation with a stylus. The Q1 also runs the Tablet Edition XP operating software, which means handwriting recognition is excellent.

There's a thumb joystick on the left-hand side of the Q1 to flick between applications and menu options, and a button to adjust the resolution of the screen. In its native 800 x 480 setting Windows looks sharp, as does digital media such as video and photos.

On the right-hand side is a four-buttoned customisable Quick Launch Pad,and both Enter and Menu buttons to activate a shortcut screen.

The strategic positioning of these buttons allows you to use the Q1 a bit like a handheld games console, and weighing just 779g, it won't give you sore arms after a few minutes. There's a flip down stand on the back too.

Perhaps the major difference between this and any other mobile computing device is the inventive Dialkeys application. Activating this brings up two dials of keys on each side the screen, which is then used for, supposedly, fast text input. However, like any new input method, it takes time to get used to and will never beat the speed of a keyboard.

There are two USB sockets to add keyboards and mice, a Firewire socket, VGA output, CompactFlash memory card slot, network, headphone and microphone sockets. There's also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for cable-free internet and peripheral connections.

Even though the Q1 uses a ULV processor, battery life wasn't as long as expected. Samsung claim three and a half hours but the Q1 only managed two and half in our tests. Moreover, a 90-minute digital video ate 70 per cent of the battery.

Graphics are integrated and will cope with Windows applications but not 3D games. The Q1 is, however, powerful enough to run AVStation –  a media application that provides quick access to videos, music and photos without having load Windows first.

Its overall performance is nowhere near the speeds achieved by even budget notebooks but the Q1 is designed for basic applications – email, internet browsing and word processing for example.

At just shy of £800, the Q1 will appeal to Tablet PC fans, but for the majority of us, it's a bit too niche.

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Verdict: A notebook that offers fantastic value for money and is surprisingly fast in some areas. A basic but solid offering for the price.
Rating: 4/5
Price: £649

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