UMPC

UMPC swallowing PPC whole?

My educational and professional background is in English and editing, so I’m a bit of a stickler for the minutiae that most people couldn’t care less about: punctuation, spelling, capitalization, accuracy, and so on. I notice, for example, when the Pepper Pad is referred to as the PepperPad or the Pepperpad. A minor error like that obviously doesn’t affect sales or prevent consumers from understanding what the device is about, but a similar mistake could.

Consider the pesky little term being bandied about the tech world like it doesn’t have its own specific definition: UMPC.

Microsoftumpc

The term, which refers to portable computers that actually meet certain requirements, is being slapped onto a whole mess of devices these days.

A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald points to a second coming of the "UMPC" with the upcoming Samsung SPH-P9000 and HTC Athena. The Tatung could have been named as a resurgence participant, too, as it, like the others, is not an Ultra-Mobile PC. It’s an ultramobile PC, sure, but it’s not a UMPC. Likewise, they’re all pocket PCs, but only the Athena and Tatung are Pocket PCs.

"UMPC" may eventually go the way of "MP3 Player," but for now, for me, the distinction still exists. Capitalization makes a difference.

Editors (and UMPC experts) rejoice.

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Jenn K. Lee

Jenn K. Lee is the founder of Pocketables. She loves gadgets the way most women love shoes and purses. The pieces in her tech wardrobe that go with everything are currently the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Sony Tablet P, and Nexus 7, but there are still a couple of vintage UMPCs/MIDs in the back of her closet.

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