An ultra mobile PC or UMPC is designed to be the smallest, most lightweight and portable device that runs the full Windows XP Professional Tablet Edition operating system. This is the biggest distinction between the UMPC and a pocket PC or PDA which runs either Windows CE or the Palm OS respectively. Microsoft has defined the hardware specification of the UMPC as a computer with a 7” diagonal or smaller display that has a 800x480 resolution and integrated touch panel. While pocket PCs and PDAs have smaller screens, this can often be a negative because software applications that were not designed for this small screen format don’t translate well. Even programs that were designed for these devices only show a very small portion of the data needed and require a lot of scrolling which reduces the overall usefulness of the device. The weight of an ultra mobile PC is two pounds or less and the UMPC must have integrated wireless internet and Bluetooth capability. While pocket PCs usually have the same capabilities and a lighter weight but the downside of a small screen and limited operating system. Because the UMPC runs Windows XP Professional, you can use the same software as on your desktop or laptop computer. The only limitation to this is that the screen resolution provides a 15:9 viewing ratio and some standard software may require scrolling to view all of it. Also, since the UMPCs have less powerful processors and less memory, some applications might not perform as well as they would on a more powerful computer such as a standard desktop or notebook PC.
With a bigger screen and more powerful computing that a pocket PC along with lower price than a tablet PC, an ultra mobile PC is a great companion device for a standard computer when portability is the most important factor.