The Samsung Q1 is the world's first physical implementation of Microsoft's much-hyped Origami project. It's part of a new breed of computer known as the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), but cynics will argue the Q1 and its ilk are a blatant attempt by Microsoft and Intel to reverse the fortunes of the ailing tablet PC, by making it slightly smaller.
Design
At first glance, the Q1 is reminiscent of Sony's PSP console, albeit a very fat one. In some respects it also resembles a Cossor Melody Maker radio from the mid 1950s, though its glossy black bezel and striking 7-inch screen give it a modern feel.
It's approximately the height and width of a typical hardback book, and weighs 779g, which is slightly less than the average bag of sugar. As a result, the unit feels good in the hands, but it puts a mild strain on the wrist when held one-handed for long periods.
The front of the device is dominated by the screen, on either side of which is a pair of speaker grills and an assortment of control buttons, which we'll discuss in more detail later. At the rear of the Q1, there are two flip-out stands -- one for resting it on a desk at a 45-degree angle, and another for resting it at a 20-degree angle. The former comes in handy when using the Q1 with a USB keyboard, and the latter is ideal for using with a stylus while it lies on your desk.
Below the stand, you'll find a set of power indicator lights built directly into the Q1's removable battery. Press the button, and it illuminates a strip of up to five lights to indicate the level of remaining battery power. This allows you to check whether you'll need to take the power adaptor with you when you leave home.
Despite its odd physique, the Q1 is a PC at heart, so it has a vent at the top to aid the cooling of its components. A tiny fan whirrs fairly constantly inside the unit, expelling warm air through the vent. When in operation, the entire top end of the bezel is warm to the touch, but the unit never gets hot enough to burn your fingers.
Features
Samsung has fitted the Q1 with a number of shortcut buttons to aid ease of use. There's an eight-way control stick on the left and below that, a button for switching the screen resolution between its native of 800x480 pixels, and two alternatives -- 800x600-pixels or 1,024x600-pixels. The alternative resolutions make images on the Q1 look horribly blurred, but provide slightly more desktop space.
The screen is of fairly good quality. It has a wide enough horizontal viewing angle so you can watch a movie with a friend without huddling together, and it isn't overly reflective, so you can comfortably view it, even in direct light.
To the right of the screen there's a set of four user-programmable buttons labelled U1-U4, each of which acts as a convenient way of launching applications or opening pre-assigned documents. Below these, there's a Return key and a button that launches a menu for adjusting common options like screen brightness and orientation.
There's an array microphone along the lower bezel, allowing the Q1 to be controlled using voice commands. Rather than opt for a single mic, having a pair of mics in an array configuration can help extract voice input from ambient noise and aid accuracy in voice recognition applications. Using the Q1 in this manner works well after a little practice, but most users will prefer to use the stylus tucked away at the rear of the unit.
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Jordan-Findlay 1 October 2011
Comment: Is samsung serious
linusmellumnav 19 January 2008
Good: everything
Bad: nothing
Comment: Thanks indeed to the greasy salesman on tottenham court road who sold me my Q1, not that I knew this at the time. Who could have known back then that the Q1 would replace my sturdy gas turbine powered towering behemoth that called itself a PC with a delectabley discreet computing powerhouse that called itself the Q1.
no longer the need to concentrate blocking out the sound of the twin fans in the desktop, for thankfully its all swicthed off and sits beside my desk as an off cream disfunctional doorstop. My Q1 sits atop my mac mini, plugged comfortably into the KVM and providing photoshop, ACDC, delphi, blender , and all other computational needs.
Luckily I'm not a games player, I'm more of an artistic inventor geek. If I were a games player, the Q1 would probably not do. Its not the fastest graphics in the world and its hard disk wouldnt win any worldspeed records. But who cares, its small, beautiful, portable and satisfies my computational needs. and yes the wife covets it, one day she knows it will be hers - but not yet.
Andrew Hyde 20 January 2007
Good: Form factor & full Windows & Office compatibility
Bad: With adjustments, battery life lasts 2 hours, would like to see 4 hours
Comment: I've worked with loads of laptops/tablets - currently I have a Vaio, IBM, Toshiba latop, Toshiba tablet and Samsung Q1.
The Q1 is my best gadget buy of 2006. Small, reliable, well made & designed. Battary lasts around 2 hours (amend the power settings to max battery). I've bought the extended battery for 4-5 hours in long meetings or on the road. I've also got the Samsung external battery for those all-day meetings or when I'm away from the office; it lasts around 9 hours.
You can ease the startup time Windows takes by using the Windows hibernate to shutdown! Fantastic for taking notes in meetings and sending them right out. Good device for playing music and watching video. My kids like the 3D card, which allows them to play decent games in a PSP-like format.
Finally, a classy device for the low price. Who needs a laptop when you have a device that you can use anywhere - meetings, train, tube, standing, sitting, lying down on the beach (I took it on my hols!), etc.
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