Samsung officially announced the Q1 Ultra and its pricing (for the entry-level model) puts it closer to Microsoft's original target for the platform. The Q1 Ultra will be available with two processors: the 600MHz Intel A100 and the 800MHz Intel A110. The device has a minimum battery life of 4.5 hours with its standard lithium-ion battery pack and includes 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR wireless connectivity. Other features include a 1024x600 LED-backlit display (300 nits brightness), dual-array microphone, VGA out and split-QWERTY keyboard. The Q1 Ultra is also available with an optional 3.5G HSDPA cellular modem, docking station (includes three USB 2.0 ports, standard/extended battery charging slot, audio-out microphone-in and stylus holder), GPS navigation, 6-cell extended battery, 8-cell extended battery and an external dual-layer DVD burner.

The Q1 Ultra will start at just $799 for the Q1U-EL (late May, entry-level configuration) with a 600MHz processor, 1GB of memory, 40GB HDD and Vista Home Premium. $1,149 will bump you up to the Q1U-XP (early June, commercial configuration) with an 800MHz processor, 60GB HDD, SD/MMC slot, fingerprint reader, dual cameras and XP Tablet PC Edition. The $1,199 Q1U-V (mid May, primary consumer configuration) includes an 800MHz processor, 60GB HDD, dual cameras and Windows Vista Home Premium.. The $1,499 Q1U-CMW (August, enhanced consumer & commercial configuration) adds an 80GB HDD, fingerprint reader and HSDPA while the $1,999 Q1U-SSD adds a 32GB SSD.

The Q1 Ultra will be available from a wide range of B&M and online retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon and NewEgg. For those interested, the user manual for the Q1 Ultra is now available for download in PDF form from Samsung's website.