The Asus R50A is shipping and it’s quite expensive. The UMPC will cost an estimated $1,878. It may be worth it for some of you, as the portable unit will run Windows Vista and features a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor. It also features a gig of RAM, a 32GB SSD hard drive, a 5.6"screen at 1024 x 600, three USB ports, a microSD slot, a wireless keyboard and an external DVD reader / writer. The R50A will also allow you to connect wirelessly via 802.11 b / g WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G. The unit is currently shipping if you have the money.

The Gigabyte M704 features a slide-out keyboard and a 7 inch screen with a high 1,024×600px resolution. At 190×120.8×30.3mm, it weighs a mere 780g.

Other features of the Gigabyte M704 include VIA Esther ULV C7-M 1.2Ghz CPU, 40/60GB HDD, 1.3MP camera, Wi-Fi, SD Card slot, and VGA out. This Gigabyte UMPC runs Windows Vista Home Premium.

Asus is set to launch its UMPC, the R50A, which has full PC and GPS functionality, in January. Not much more info at this time, but stay tuned!.

The typical UMPC is too small for many people, particularly in screen size, while the typical Tablet PC is too large for some purposes (e.g., industrial and medical applications). So, along comes Tatung with a sort of hybrid (my term, not theirs) between a UMPC and a Tablet PC, the WebPad TX-3000: 10.4 inch screen, AMD LX 800 processor, 1GB compactflash card (serves as main memory?), wireless, USB, a PC Card slot, and the lot. I can see this bridging the gap for a number of people, but no word on whether they’re releasing it beyond Thailand. And no idea on pricing.

Fujitsu continues to release small devices that are attractive to anyone with very good eyes and relatively small hands. The U1010 UMPC is no different. 800MHz Intel processor, 5.6 inch touch screen, up to 6 hours of battery life, Tablet PC functionality, 1GB of RAM, and 40GB HDD make this a decent enough performer. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi make it a good communicator. It’s only in Asia at the moment, but hopefully Fujitsu will ship it over.