A lot of UMPC news this week too.

Samsung has a new version of their Q1 (the Q1b) coming out, with a new processor to improve battery life, bigger hard drive and more memory.

Asus has just announced their R2H UMPC device, with pretty standard looking 1st generation UMPC specs and a fingerprint reader.

I’ve seen several recent articles talking about the price point for UMPCs, and whether they are good value for money compared to low-cost laptops. There’s a very good article up at TabletPC2.com on why the much-talked about $500 price point for these is just not realistic yet. This has some good stuff on what UMPCs currently cost to manufacture, what you should you really be thinking about if comparing to a low-end laptop, and how new technologies traditionally come with that higher price tag at the beginning of their life cycle.

For more details on those new units, and the lowdown on UMPC costs, check out these articles:

Brighthand on Samsung, Asus UMPC models

Why a $500 Price Tag for an Ultra Mobile PC Isn’t Realistic