Switchback UMPC shipping, manufacturer Black Diamond acquired

It's been a bumpy ride for the rugged SwitchBack UMPC we first saw over a year ago -- the developer, Black Diamond Advanced Technology, was purchased by Roper Mobile Technology, and plans for a multiple-OS support were axed in favor of an Windows-only system -- but the device is finally shipping, as is a BackPack expansion module that extends the unit in various ways. Features include a 5.6-inch touchscreen with your choice of XP or Vista on a 1GHz Celeron M with 2GB of RAM and up to 120GB of storage with SSD options, that funky Alien-looking keyboard, a hot-swappable battery, optional Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11g, and GPS radios, and military-grade shock, vibration temperature, and immersion resistance. The optional BackPacks can be outfitted in almost limitless configurations, with plans for digital cameras, biometric security units, RFID readers, USB 2.0 ports, Type II slots, and audio in / out. There's still no word on price, but Roper says the SwitchBack and a basic BackPack with audio I/O, serial and USB ports, and video-out are available immediately.

[TMF @ Oct 29th 2007 4:37PM]

UMPC: Ultra MANLY PC

[Jeremy K. @ Oct 29th 2007 4:51PM]

That keyboard looks terrible!

[Quincy @ Oct 29th 2007 5:06PM]

Yeah, it looks a bit odd. But these days it seems that you never know until you try things out. We might all get surprised. Or not...

[Shadyman @ Oct 29th 2007 5:33PM]

It reminds me of a few of those Blackberry keyboard designs we've seen over the years.

[R @ Oct 30th 2007 8:40AM]

The curvey lines kinda remind me of the Razr keypad . . .

[RDM @ Oct 29th 2007 5:07PM]

WTF?

[Jerome @ Oct 29th 2007 5:09PM]

they use that pc on the intel OCC chopper!

http://motorcycles.about.com/od/conceptbikegalleries/ig/Intel-OCC-Chopper/

[Fraggle.Rock @ Oct 29th 2007 5:53PM]

Linux is supported... nongnongs :-)

If you read the specifications page you'll see that the supported OS' include some Linux distro:
* Genuine Windows XP Pro (standard)
* Windows Vista (optional)
* Linux (optional)


Link here: http://www.ropermobile.com/products/switchback/specifications/

[Fraggle.Rock @ Oct 29th 2007 5:55PM]

BTW - I MUST get one of these... with hot-swappable batteries, add-on GPS, solid-state drives (mmmmmm) - field work and operations will be that much more fun ;-)

[g3n3tiX @ Oct 29th 2007 6:37PM]

Cool ! Awesome ! Single word sentences !
Want !

[St. Stephen @ Oct 29th 2007 7:04PM]

I am definitely buying one of these. I spend most of my life outdoors in the elements and need a small, lightweight, rugged pc that I can carry in my backpack and this looks like it fits the bill perfectly! I'm so excited! I just hope it's not outrageously priced.

[Chad @ Oct 29th 2007 7:13PM]

"Hot Swappable Battery"? Wha...? So I can yank the battery out and put a new one in, while the thing is on, and it won't die?

How does that work? It must get power somewhere. I mean, if not, why not just yank the battery out and use it without one forever?

[St. Stephen @ Oct 29th 2007 7:38PM]

OMG.. you are so stupid!! haven't you ever heard of magic before?? duuuuh!

[Puddle Jumper @ Oct 30th 2007 12:22AM]

It should probably have a capacitor within it to keep the power flowing for a minute or two so you can get the next battery in there. Or at least one should hope so...

[Eric @ Oct 30th 2007 12:07AM]

No word on price because they don't want to scare everyone off without generating at least a little buzz. Getting certified mill-spec costs money.

[barrywoods @ Oct 30th 2007 12:33AM]

You probably have to put it in hibernation mode to swap out the battery, capacitors will keep the ram running for the 30-60 seconds it takes to swap. I'm betting this thing will be in the $4000 range.

[St. Stephen @ Oct 30th 2007 2:47AM]

you think it'll cost that much? wow! that's a lot more than I figured! It certainly is an appealing device though.

[Chad @ Oct 30th 2007 6:41PM]

Nope - about 1.5 times that - see my comment below.

[R @ Oct 30th 2007 8:43AM]

Good eye!

Though I sincerely hope that screen is VERY visible in daylight if they're going to use it for the bike's gages. I know most LCDs are hard to see in sunlight (where one would usually ride said chopper).

[Sascha @ Oct 30th 2007 6:05PM]

A recent video of the Switchback UMPC i took at the Boston ESC:

[Sascha @ Oct 30th 2007 6:07PM]

sorry guys, i guess html is not working so well (please delete my other comment)
Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcYIlgrHqVo

[Chad @ Oct 30th 2007 6:40PM]

I emailed them, here's their response.

Hi Chad,

Thanks for your interest in the SwitchBack! I've attached the spec sheet for the computer. Our pricing starts at $5995 for the standard SwitchBack, which is well equipped with:

-1 GHz Celeron
-1GB Ram
-40 GHDD
-Sunlight Viewable Touchscreen
-Bluetooth integrated
-802.11 b/g integrated
-Gun Metal Gray
-Power Cord
-1 Battery
-1 Year Standard Warranty

So - $4K was a gross underestimation of the price.