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Oh, how I love sensationlist headlines. I was between this one and “Elvis loves his UMPC.”

With all of the community chatter this week regarding Via chipsets (boring!), I had begun to question if Intel hadn’t, in fact, somehow hobbled the UMPC at the starting gate because of pricing issues.

Turns out the boys over at engadget had similar thoughts and posted some lucid commentary:

According to “market sources” out of Taiwan, it’s Intel — and Asian manufacturers in the company’s thrall. The story goes something like this: Microsoft really, really wanted the UMPC to be priced at around $700. And the company was all set to partner with VIA, which could have delivered the goods using its C7-M processor. However, manufacturers like Samsung and Asustek demurred, insisting that Intel, with its good name and R&D might, was the only way to go. That bumped pricing up to the $1,200 range.

Not likely. As the article goes on to point out, TabletKiosk is marketing a UMPC that is not too much above Microsoft’s target pricetag of $700. And we continue to hear rumblings of a cheaper Samsung UMPC model too. I don’t think this is about Intel sabotaging the UMPC. I think this is about somebody trying to sabatoge Intel with rumor and innuendo… though we have no idea who that might be. *cough*AMD*cough*

You can read the full story from engadget here.

Not sure how I missed this one, but it seems like a few other folks and sites did as well. And we probably shouldn’t overlook a deal with MS for Movielink to become the premiere provider of video content for the UMPC platform.

Movielink is trying to place itself in the position of becoming to the UMPC platform and the movie industry what iTMS has been to the iPod and the music industry. Yesterday, the company, which already caters only to users of Windows 2000 and XP, announced a partnership with Microsoft in which Movielink will be “the premier brand and provider of video content for the UMPC.”

This would certainly play into Microsoft’s marketing of the UMPC as a consumer life-style device. It would also be a perfect match for a subsidy partnership with Verizon FIOS. However, since the original announcement of the UMPC, there has been nothing more about the Movielink connection (or of Microsoft’s plans to make this a consumer device for that matter). Time to send Movielink’s PR people a quick note.

You can read the full article on the Movielink deal here via Arstechnica.

If you haven’t noticed, my journalistic skills aren’t exactly in the same league as, say, ABC News’ newest anchor, Katy Couric. For one, I never know “Where In The World” Matt Laurer is. I definitely lack the knowledge required to discuss the world’s most pressing issues with the likes of Al Roker. And I certainly couldn’t go toe-to-toe with Katy doing the play-by-play of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

But that didn’t stop me from landing an exclusive interview with the very busy, very gracious Director of Marketing for TabletKiosk, Gail Levy.

Ultranauts.com: Gail, I appreciate the time you’ve taken to conduct this interview, especially with it being so close to the eo’s launch. Let’s ease into the questions and hear a little bit about you as you are new to your role at TabletKiosk. Tell us a little bit about the company, your role and what sets you guys apart?

Gail: I started as the new Director of Marketing of TabletKiosk on March 8, and hit the ground running. Although the tablet platform is new to me, I am very quickly becoming acclimated to tablets, UMPCs, the competitive market and the enthusiastic user community.

Working at TabletKiosk is extremely exciting because we are a specialized, boutique-style manufacturer making a name for ourselves in a market full of established players and mega-brands like Samsung, HP, Acer and Toshiba, Our advantage is that we are innovative, creative and quick on our feet to implement changes. Most important, is that we are 100% committed to customer service in every aspect of our business.

Our focus remains on the vertical markets, however our advertising approach is to show eo in real-life settings. My background is in consumer products, and I intend to stay away from the old “speeds and feeds” approach that has been prevalent in computer marketing campaigns. Our new marketing pieces will focus on how eo can increase productivity in these markets.

My role is to create programs that educate the public and user community while increasing sales of our entire product line. I am currently putting together a marketing plan that incorporates public relations, targeted print advertising, key tradeshows for our vertical markets as well as lots of public outreach for the end users.

Ultranauts.com: Wow, that’s certainly a full plate. And there’s little doubt that you guys have been busy. Arguably, you are the vendor making the most noise about the UMPC. Can you give us some insight into how you will continue with the marketing momentum you’ve got going?

We are also working with professionals in our vertical industries to create spec sheets that address their specific issues. This will be a very targeted approach.

Ultranauts.com: It’s a targeted approach that sounds somewhat differentiated as well… and I’m sure the market is looking forward to the creative ideas. I know I’m looking forward to receiving my free evaluation unit. Which brings me to this questions: you’ve undoubtedly had some hands on experience with the eo — how do you think people are really going to use and adopt this platform?

Gail: I think that that people are really going to catch on to the benefits of the UMPC platform, eo is the perfect pc for mobile workers who may use the platform as a compliment to their desktop systems to allow them to communicate within their networks. Will eo replace traditional desktop systems? Probably not. I’m guessing that they will be used in conjunction with other systems to allow workers to be more mobile on the job or in their personal lives.

For the general consumer markets, I see the UMPC platform being a big hit with students and families. With wireless becoming more prevalent in our everyday lives, people will want to have access to the internet and their important files at all times.

Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to Ultranauts.com’s interview with TabletKiosk’s marketing queen, Gail Levy. Will Gail announce a new UMPC model? (no) Will Gail talk about her pets? (yes) Will Gail address Microsoft’s UMPC marketing efforts? (definitely).

Again, a big thanks to Gail and TabletKiosk for taking the time right before their big launch to sit down with us.

Grab some popcorn and get ready for a couple more UMPC blockbusters.

First up is world famous Hugo with his UMPC remote simulation. Not only does this guy have too much time on his hands, he’s completely validated Ultranauts UMPC prediction #2. Again, great work Hugo! Download the video here.

Next up is a TabletKiosk eo video review from the folks at gottabemobile. I hate watching these. They just make me wonder where the heck my UMPC to review is? Well, TabletKiosk, where is it? Kudos to gottabemobile.com for another fine review. And again, yet another of the Ultranuat’s UMPC predictions (#4 this time) comes true! You can check out their video here.

This week’s poll has a little bit of fun with the UMPC’s abilities as an all-in-one wonder machine. With tounge-in-cheek, the poll asks how you will fund your UMPC. Reading between the lines, the poll is really asking which device your UMPC is most likely to replace.

Of course, being super-rich (not to mention good-looking), I chose the option where I don’t need to sell anything to afford my UMPC. What I’m really revealing with that answer, however, is my addiction to gadgets. My UMPC likely won’t replace any other “specialty” device… it will just complement it and provide me more options and flexibility (the only exception would be if I had a TabletPC… I don’t see a reason to have both). But to be fair, if I weren’t super-rich (not to mention good-looking), the device I would likely sacrifice — if physically forced to choose — would be my PMP.

How about you? Vote now!

Chris Paton, who runs doctorsgadgets.com, has started up a new forum for caregivers interested in the new UMPC platform. You can reach the forum directly by clicking here.

If you’re a doctor (or play one on TV), head on over and contribute. Also, send us a line and let us now how you think UMPCs fit within the medical community. I’d be especially interested in hearing from folks from Cerner and McKesson or from PatientKeeper and MercuryMD. What plans do you have for this new platform?