I've been following this development for many weeks. Always on the lookout for the new toy that will make my job easier and make me more productive.
It started with a brilliant viral marketing campaign. It certainly got the buzz going! Rumor piled upon rumor until the release at CeBit. If letters and words were energy, the amount expended on this subject could have taken us to Mars and back. But hype is still hype. Time will tell.
There appear to be many offerings scheduled for the launch. Then there is the "second tier" guys in the background, panting to get their offering out. How many times have we seen this game played?
I do tend to be an early adopter of cool tech devices. I've been using a TabletPC for a couple of years now starting with a no longer available NEC VersaLitePad. It was cheap, only $1200 so I jumped in and never looked back. I use a computer of some sort all day in the field, in a fully mobile context. (I do Property Inspections) The form factor of the slate suited my work flow perfectly. The NEC was lacking in only two areas, battery life and viewability outdoors. That has been handled with a switch to a Motion LE-1600. Sweet machine!
Will I switch to a UMPC? Likely, when they are out for a while and have proven themselves in "battle" with the road warriors. The small form factor is already available in Motion's LE-800. This little gem does all the UMPC is reported to do in a thinner and lighter package. Price is the barrier. The LE-800 is a bit spendy. Not that much less than the full-on 1600.
If the UMPC offerings from the various venders can hit an under $1000 price point with all the bells and whistles and decent battery life, I'm there!
Dana