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For years, I've searched for the perfect notebook alternative. So far, I've not found anything that meets all my criteria. But when the first reports of Microsoft Origami-based devices emerged earlier this year, my hopes stirred.

Origami is the code-name for a new type of portable computer, the Ultra Mobile PC. UMPCs are, as the name implies, smaller and lighter than ultraportable notebooks but bigger than PDAs.

Samsung recently began selling the first UMPC for the U.S. market, the Samsung Q1. Is it the ideal notebook alternative? Read on.

Reviews? Not So Good

The Samsung Q1 is a first-generation product. And like most such devices, it's expensive (list price: $1099), and the technology behind it has more than a few kinks. The reviews for the Q1 have ranged from lukewarm to scathing.

PC World's Dennis O'Reilly noted the many usability compromises imposed by UMPCs, including cramped screens, difficult navigation, truncated windows, and dialog boxes that open outside the viewable areas. He also lamented the lack of an optical drive. But he grudgingly said that either the Q1 or a similar device, TabletKiosk's EO ($1164), could be "the portable computer I've longed for," if their prices were lower. Both devices could replace a full-featured laptop "if you're willing to live with an overcrowded screen and a few costly but necessary add-ons," Dennis writes.

The New York Times' David Pogue was even less complimentary in his review of the Q1. The UMPC "aims to bridge the size gulf between a palmtop and a laptop, but winds up inheriting the worst aspects of each," he writes. "Like a palmtop, it feels claustrophobic, clumsy for text input and, with its exposed touch screen, vulnerable. Like a laptop, it's expensive, has short battery life and requires two hands to operate."

The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg reviewed the Q1--and panned it heavily. The device "is so deeply flawed in key respects that it amounts to little more than a toy for techies. For everyone else, it's impractical and frustrating. Unless the UMPC can evolve significantly beyond this first effort, it may wind up as a footnote in the history of personal computers, rather than an exciting new category. ... My advice is to skip the Q1, and hope that the next generation of the UMPC will be better."

But There Are Alternatives

If the mostly tepid reviews are a turnoff, don't fret. There are other ultracompact computers to consider, including Fujitsu's LifeBook P7120 and Motion Computing's LS800:

Fujitsu LifeBook P7120. A full-featured notebook weighing just 3 pounds, the LifeBook isn't cheap at about $2000. But it offers a two-battery option for extended use away from AC power and a comfortable-to-use keyboard, says PC World reviewer Carla Thornton.

Motion Computing LS800. This $1699 Tablet PC weighs only 2.2 pounds and is about the size of a paperback book. It's geared toward medical professionals and others who need a highly portable computer. Go to Motion Computing's site for details.

What's Your Alternative?

Are you using an ultra-small, ultra-lightweight computer? A PDA with accessories (such as an external keyboard) that serves as your notebook alternative? If so, tell me about it.