CNet reported yesterday that Samsung is going to be releasing a version of the Q1 with a solid state drive. It will be dubbed the NT-Q1-SSD.
According to CNet, Samsung expects the solid state drive to boost boot time from 25 to 50 per cent. The Q1-SSD will also be about 20g lighter.
The solid state hard drive is expected to be even more robust than a standard hard drive according to the article. The article points out that a flash drive can withstand twice as much shock as a traditional spinning hard drive. I expect that there would be a difference in reliability due to continuous vibrations too, however, the article doesn’t mention this.
CNet also mentions that Samsung will also offer a Q1b version of the UMPC which will include a 60GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM and a Via C7-M processor. No mention if the Q1b is targeted to Vista, but my guess is that power UMPCs users will enjoy checking it out.
No launch dates were given for either UMPC model. Yes, expect to pay more. However, as the cost of flash drives continue to fall solid state drives may become the standard components. No mention if the flash drive will be sold separately either–as an upgrade to existing Q1 owners that absolutely must have the latest and greatest.
(Additional news: Citanic on UMPCBuzz posts some pictures of a forthcoming extended battery for the Samsung Q1 from Mugen Battery.)