Portable computer maker Viliv may be on its last legs

I’m hoping my N5 will last a while. When it comes to versatility it beats out all the Android and iOS devices out there. They just have way too many limitations. 

I’ll be buying ultraportables from now on too. Anything above a 5 inch screen with an Atom CPU is just a waste of money. If I need a bag to carry around a device then I’ll expect it to do a whole lot more than my N5.

Yup, anything with a screen larger than 5 inches and has an Atom processor is a waste of money. Also, anything with a screen larger than 5 inches and running any version of Android or iOS is an even more waste of money.

Like I said, only those who dabbled or produced low quality products would be left. 

Sony for example, despite having a strong dedicated user fan base that continue to use and mod the few units Sony sold, have never done anything else in the UMPC market and barely even touched the netbook market.

Though I’m sure people will start modding the Sony Vital as soon as it comes out but that’s basically the new Sony PSP and aside from running Android is probably not too much can be done with it…

While the tablets are presently popular but a touch interface only UI is limiting, not being as flexible as a UMPC can be, and a UMPC doesn’t have to be chunky!

Though sliders, like Smartphones, may eventually run Windows 8 and become the new UMPC’s…  We’ll have to wait at least another 2 years to see how the market will evolve.

Ok, perhaps my understanding of the word “dabbled” is wrong 🙂

What do you think is the main difference between an UMPC and a tablet running Windows 7?
I went from an Asus R2H running Windows 7 to an EXOPC running Windows 7.
I see the EXOPC as a real tablet/slate whereas the R2H was more of a UMPC.

Yes, UMPC’s are primary a small form factor version of a pen computer, usually with a secondary input option like a track point or optical mouse and usually a keyboard of some sort.  While a tablet is usually a Slate, usually lacking any other input options besides the touch UI that doesn’t work well with non-touch otimized operating systems. OS like Android and iOS lack native support for pen inputs and only recently has Android started developing features like better USB host support. In addition to the other limitations of Android and iOS compared to desktop operating systems like Windows and OSX, are some of the reasons why there is still interest in the UMPC market, albeit insufficient to keep many of the companies that did more than dabble in the UMPC market from going under. The problem is UMPC’s have been too pricey and Windows not useful enough in… Read more »

I partially agree with you. I really don’t miss the alternative inputs at all!
Although I expect a lot of Windows 8 I think Windows 7 is way better than a lot of people aknowledge.

I’ve had this discussion on several fora, but I think that a lot of people that “throw away” Windows 7 as a slate-cabable-OS don’t put enough effort in investigating the touch enhancements. It is not touch-friendly out of the box, but you can make it touch friendly in a few clicks!

Next to that it is the OS that people “know” as used with a keyboard and mouse…that makes it harder to understand that you can also use it with touch. I think it would be somewhat similar if Apple all of a sudden started handing out pens, keyboards and mice to people to use their iOS devices.

I would have to disagree, now while Windows 7 can be pretty well optimized with some effort to be usable on a touch only interface it remains that Windows is still optimized for keyboard and mouse input. Like what would you do if there was a crash?  You can’t hit Ctrl+Al+Dlt with a touch screen!  While many programs are optimized to keyboard shortcuts. Even on the web many Flash sites are designed for a mouse and don’t work well with touch screens. Work arounds and other compromises can help to a degree but nothing beats native support.  Especially since most people just want simple and have it work out of the box.  It’s the reason Android and iOS are so popular because they are simple and easy to use, despite their limitations. But those limitations are also why some people still prefer to use Windows or Linux on their portable… Read more »