The new VX700 chipset is designed for devices that are bigger than a smartphone, but smaller than a traditional ultra mobile notebook or laptop. Typified by the Origami device proposed by Microsoft, and brought to market by Samsung in the form of the Q1, the UMPC form factor is a fully powered PC device.

UMPCs hope to become something of a souped up MP3 player allowing users to carry advanced multimedia, computing and communications capabilities around in their handbags, if not their back pocket.

VIA says this is the first "single chip" implementation of its kind for ultra mobile devices. The VIA VX700 integrates all the cutting-edge features of a modern chipset's North and South bridges into a single chip package measuring just 35mm x 35mm, generating a silicon real estate saving of over 42 per cent says the company.

The chipset is leveraged by DualCor Technologies' cPC mobile computing device, which brings together all the capabilities of a personal computer and a mobile communications device in a handheld form factor.

"The VIA VX700 chipset together with the VIA C7-M ULV processor has enabled us to create a new convergence device that combines the convenience of a digital communications device, with the power of a conventional PC in a thin, elegant machine," commented Rob Howe, President of DualCor Technologies, Inc.

"The VIA Ultra Mobile platform featuring the VIA VX700 has been critical in helping us achieve the cPC's small size and enhanced battery life, while still providing the performance that today's mobile user needs for everyday PC tasks."

Comparison of UMPC Formfactor vs. DualCor cPC

Despite its more diminutive size, a look over the specifications for the DualCor cPC shows several advances over the original specs for the Origami-type devices. The screen is smaller at 5-inch making it more pocketable. The device weighs only 1.1 pounds (just a shade short of 500 grams), yet it bundles in a heap of extras like more ports and 3G connectivity.

It should be noted that the battery life times quoted here are using the device running Windows Mobile 5.0 rather than Windows XP Tablet edition, so depending on what you plan to do with the device, you are going to change this particular metric.

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