This is my first entry in a blog intended to explore the hardware driving the UMPC platform. Whether it's the little pieces of silicon that form the processors, chipsets, audio, those never-big-enough storage devices, or the pretty LCDs, this blog aims to satisfy the urges of that inner-engineer that needs to know all the details – no matter how uber-technical or mundane it may seem to others.

In the past intelligent little electronic do-hickeys have typically been powered by RISC or ARM-ish processors. While these architectures were great for battery life, and suitable for their narrow digital roles, they were at the same time hampered by their limited functionality and proprietary hard to develop applications and middleware. Now we are seeing a new breed of devices coming to market driven by the x86 or PC architecture bringing new levels of performance and flexibility, but also new challenges regarding size, heat, and battery life.

Stay tuned for the next entry when we take a deeper look at the battle of the architectures...