Next Generation UMPCs Coming in 2007

The Windows Vista ultra-mobile personal computers, code-named Vistagami, will be introduced by Microsoft next month at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, announcing the new wave of UMPC devices. The next generation UMPCs are supposed to have better battery life and cheaper price tags than its unsuccessful precursors, according to the reports.

Along with Windows Vista support, the next generation ultra-mobile PCs will likely come in a wider range of looks, including some models with keyboards, such as forthcoming Athena X7500 from HTC or Samsung’s SPH-P9000.

The X7500 reportedly includes phone, GPS, wireless and two-megapixel camera functions, while the SPH-9000 has also mobile phone and the WiMax wireless technology.

The laptop/personal assistant hybrids - UMPCs - based on Microsoft’s Origami platform and announced in March 2006, are claimed to be one of the “the biggest technology disappointments of the year“, mostly because of poor battery life and high price.