Ultra Mobile PCs are extremely small hand held computers that look like PDAs on steroids. These devices are actually fully functional computers however that will put some desktops to shame in terms of performance. They are an elitist item not really targeted at the average consumer, in my opinion, because of the high cost of ownership.

The original intent of these small computers was to allow the consumer to be able to perform all business tasks on the go. Laptops to many are far to bulky for true mobile computing and desktops are only viewed as backups to laptops. There was a clear niche market for smaller computers. Ultra mobile PCs sought to fill this gap. They forgot about one important element though…affordability.

With the introduction of netbooks last year into the mainstream marketplace, ultra mobile pcs have taken a back seat to computers that function just as good on the go for 1/4 of the price. The OLPT (one laptop per child program) started it, Asus commercialized it and now MSI, Dell, HP, and Acer have all jumped into the game.

Netbooks have taken the place of of UMPC’s because they almost represent a disposable laptop. Yes, I said a disposable laptop! With an average price of $300, netbooks are cheaper than ipods and a lot of mobile phones. Where does this leave the UMPC?

If you can afford to buy one, they are still a little bit smaller than netbooks and they offer more power. UMPCs unfortunately will become novelty items for gadget collecting nerds like myself eventually because of the current economy. Asus and other companies took a gamble and assumed that affordable computers with a little less power would attract more consumers. They were right! Netbook are here to stay, I am not so sure about ultra mobile pcs.