The case on the eo reminds us of the exterior of an Apple MacBook. However the texture of the eo’s exterior plastic hints at a lighter, and softer composition. Apple’s MacBook case is made of polycarbonate that is designed to be “impact resistant”. The eo UMPC is a much smaller and lighter device. A polycarbonate exterior would be cost-prohibitive and unnecessary.

In hand, the eo feels comfortable greeting the user with a colorful and bright 7″ lcd display. Navigation and control buttons flank the left and right sides of the display for easy access. The system status lights are bright and conveniently located on the top right corner. Both the left and right sides of the eo feature a series of ports and switches that are also easy to access. At 2 lbs. the eo truly is a featherweight, carrying a great abundance of computing “power per pound” in comparison with most any device outside of the UMPC platform.

Weighing in at 880g, it feels solid in the hand but, with the battery pack sitting at the top of the device, it does feel top heavy. To help navigation, there are a wide range of keys scattered around the case, which means navigating the screen is easy. We particularly liked the inclusion of a specific right-click button, making Windows secondary functions easier to perform and giving it a more user-friendly feel.The screen is a 7-inch panel and, depending on the task you are performing, you can easily find yourself switching between screen resolutions. We defaulted the panel to 800 x 480 pixels, as this gave the sharpest image quality, but when it came to opening dialogue boxes, we were forced to change it to 1,024 x 600 pixels so we could get more information on the screen.

At first, we thought it had a digitised screen, as it comes with an extra thick coating and didn’t seem particularly responsive. However, this would preclude the use of the TouchPack DialKeys, which is the UMPC’s primary input mode.Instead, it’s a touch screen, but you need to type with the tips of your thumbs, as using the fleshy part doesn’t register with the sensor. This makes for an incredibly tiresome way of writing and we found ourselves using the handwriting recognition method instead.

The Q1 weighs a mere 1.7 pounds, but it’s not quite as pocket-friendly as the OQO Model 01. Measuring 8.8 by 5 by 0.5 inches, the device, however, is slightly smaller than the Motion Computing LS800. Samsung’s 7-inch widescreen is actually pretty good for watching videos and surfing the Web. With a native resolution of only 800-by-480, the Q1′s display is sharp enough to view basic business documents.Unlike the OQO, the unit lacks an integrated keyboard, which may be its biggest downfall. The portable has a scroll button that lets you scroll horizontally and vertically, but that’s it. There’s no pointing stick or touchpad to move the mouse cursor around the screen, which is frustrating.

The Q1 is not Wacom-enabled, like the vast majority of tablet PCs on the market today. The screen is a touch screen. You don’t have to use the stylus; you can use your finger—or anything, really—to navigate Windows or surf the Web. This is good because the included stylus is hard to grip and uncomfortable to use after extensive periods.The Q1 is good for writing short e-mails without getting frustrated, but longer assignments are much harder, since, in practice, the side of my hand constantly hit the touch screen, causing the mouse cursor to fly off-target. Another alternative is to use Fortune Fountain’s DialKeys software—a translucent virtual thumb board located on the lower corners of the screen. This comes preinstalled and works responsively, but it takes a while to get used to. Attaching a USB keyboard to either of the Q1′s two full-size USB ports is probably your best bet. The unit also has built-in Bluetooth, so you can opt for a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

The Q1′s about the size of a large paperback book, though it weighs considerably more than that. The front is dominated by the crisp, non-reflective 7in, 800 x 400 display, which looks very fine surrounded by the Q1′s shiny black, control-covered faceplate. Make no mistake, this is a nice looking gadget. Below the screen are a pair of microphones, set up as an array to improve their pick-up ability. In the top right- and left-hand corners are the stereo speakers, driven by an SRS TruSurround XT engine.The sound’s not bad, but it’s really only the bass-booster that makes a difference. In any case, nine times out of ten, you’ll have headphones on. The array microphone is more useful, improving the quality of your end of a VoIP conversation – though network effects can still take their toll on the overall sound quality, of course. Array mics on a notebook with an integrated webcam make sense, but seem unnecessary on a device you unthinkingly pick up and hold in front of you when Skyping – at least, that’s what I found myself doing.

To the left of the screen is a circular array of four user-definable application launch buttons, an Enter key and a button dedicated to Samsung’s own settings application. On the other side of the screen sit a largely redundant analogue joystick – rather like the one on the Sony PlayStation Portable – and a key to activate non-native screen resolutions.

The UX50 is one very attractive piece of kit – the sleek blacks and silvers it’s made of instantly ask that you pick the thing up and play with it. Realising that there’s a Windows-XP based PC inside with all the functionality of a full-size laptop or desktop simply adds to the “wow” factor. Throw in a few novelty items, such as the typically Sony IC-card reader, a touch-sensitive screen, a fingerprint scanner and a blue-backlit sliding keyboard for a pretty stunning first impression. In fact, it’s all very reminiscent of previous U series mini Vaios, but that’s another story.

The port replicator doubles as a cradle and sports three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, a 15-pin D-sub for connecting a monitor and an Ethernet port. For folk not wishing to travel with the full shebang, there’s a mini two-in-one display and LAN adapter that weighs next to nothing. When attached to my office screen, keyboard and mouse, the UX50 performed fine. It couldn’t drive the external monitor above 1,024 x 768, though why this should be so is a mystery at this time. Given the fact that the Core Solo inside is no speed demon, I can’t see anyone using this setup as more than a stopgap measure.

While there’s 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth, that’s it for wireless connections – a fatal blow. US versions of the UX series come with EDGE support, but there’s no GPRS or 3G, unless you opt to find a CompactFlash adaptor. It’s the same story with GPS: one or more of these properly integrated would significantly enhance the UX50′s appeal as a do-it-all mobile device. As it is, it’s largely restricted to home and office environments – battery life is barely adequate at 2hrs 37mins too, even under light use. And while the 529g weight isn’t noticeable in a bag, it’s far too big and heavy to make it into a jacket pocket.

So despite all the promising hardware, the UX50 shares many of the foibles of current UMPCs. The dual docking options, desktop power and portability make it an option for those who want the same system in multiple locations, but there’s otherwise little reason to opt for this over a decent PDA. While you’re getting significant power in a tiny package, it’s wasted unless it’s accessible on the move – the keyboard’s ergonomics, tiny screen and the impracticality of using Windows with a touchscreen soon put pay to that.