Jan 8, 2007 | blog
The more I’ve been thinking about which new laptop to get, the more I’ve been drawn to the UMPC concept. The lightweight mobility provided by the devices has been very appealing.
Samsung, for example, has a great device called the Q1 that really helped to defined this new genre of devices. Incidentally, Samsung has just announced the upgraded version, the Q1P SSD at CES (more info here at eWeek), that includes a 32MB Solid State Drive (Flash Drive).
The really neat thing about a UMPC like the Q1 is the PDA-like touch sensitive screen that you can use your finger or stylus on. This makes the device much easier to use and more accessible on the fly. It’s easy to pull out, turn on, and use quickly when needed, especially when standing up or on the move. But with a full WinXP install, the systems can run off the shelf software that allows you to do almost everything that you do on your main PC. This is the flexibility that I’m after in my next computer.
My current interest in this category of mobile devices is the Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 Notebook. This device is technically labeled as a notebook, and includes a touch-sensitive 8.9″ screen rather than a standard electromagnetic digitizer found on most Tablet PCs. The differences allow you to use your finger or other stylus rather than the custom pens delivered with Tablet PCs. Also, you miss out on the “hover” mode that the digitizer offers, though I’ve heard that is not a totally bad thing.
The system is kind of a hybrid device, that is technically a notebook, but because of the touch-sensitive screen mounted on a swivel it and the Tablet PC OS option, it can be called a Tablet PC. In addition, the size and weight of the device, along with the functionality lend itself towards a UMPC.
There have been several previews and reviews of the device of the last few weeks, with a nice video review over at jkOnTheRun. The only thing I wish for would be a dual core processor, but that would just consume battery at a ridiculous rate.
So, why am I considering a ultra portable computer as my main PC? Simply because I have no huge computing requirements. I have a decent home system that can accommodate my DVD burning and other processor-intensive requirements. My daily computing needs revolve around mainly web based services like GMail, meme-trackers, browsing, online office tasks, etc… The other things I use are a few local tools for blogging and editing photos and such. So I can get by with much less computing power than most people. The only thing I need is RAM, and the P1610 can top out at 1GB so it should work out quite well.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to pick one of these up in the next month or two and be able to give some real world feedback. There are so many options, a person could also go for a regular “convertible” Tablet PC with a 12″ screen for the same price point but get more processing power and DVD burning options. Tough choices for sure!
What’s your opinion on UMPCs and Tablet PCs?
Jan 4, 2007 | blog
I’m not sure that many would. The biggest use of a home server would be for storing recorded video in its original high-quality state.
Most consumers don’t know what they would need a server for and those that have moved into recording or watching video content are using services like SlingBox or Orb. These types of services allow them to watch live TV over the Internet from anywhere with a broadband connection.
What else would consumers use a server for? Let’s try some ideas:
- Email: No, Yahoo, GMail, Live Mail, and many others have that tied up – why host or store your email anymore?
- Streaming Media: Why, with YouTube, online audio services, iPod/iTunes, and the like would you want to manage all those files and stream them?
- Web Server: Huh, all the free blogging services, hosting services and such – even the fee-based services are cheap! Why bother with managing a server?
- IM: Nope, GTalk, Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, etc… is where your friends are. Not “Bob’s Messenger” with you and your mom.
Well, I can’t come up with much more in the time I have, but you get the drift. A year ago, I still would have thought this was a great idea, but now I think MS would be better served coming up with better Vista licensing plans for consumers with multiple computers – Office too!
Via: Neowin.net – Microsoft to unveil Windows Home Server at CES
Dec 10, 2006 | blog
So is it that “confusing” about what Palm is doing with Garnet? Yes they sold the operating system by spinning off the OS development arm as PalmSource. Yes they’ve now licensed it back from Access, the Japanese company that purchased PalmSource in its entirety.
It seems to me that while Palm OS 5 (Garnet) is several years behind Windows Mobile or Symbian, the basic OS in the feature department, it still has great usefulness as a smart phone OS. The biggest thing is that the Treo platform with Palm OS 5 simply works, its tried & true. It also has a huge following and a very easy to use GUI.
Since the OS has been used for many versions of the Treo, the continual refinement of the user interface is where the product improvements will keep the OS fresh.
Via: The Wireless Weblog – What is Palm doing now?
Dec 8, 2006 | blog
BetaNews has posted a review of the Zune, and its not very favorable of the device. I’ll admit that I’ve been seeing a number of bland reviews of the device all over. While the user interface is top-notch, the physical aspects of the device, size, and controller configuration leave much to be desired.
Compared to the iPod and other devices such as the Creative Zen series, the device simply seems like a prototype of what the Zune could be.
I’d been thinking of getting the Zune as a gift for my wife for Christmas, but now I think that the Zen is a better option. Since we have a subscription to URGE, I also don’t want to have to change music services. Maybe the follow-on device will fix some of the shortcomings of this version of the Zune.
Via: BetaNews – Zune Has Too Many Issues to Compete
Nov 14, 2006 | blog
So with Windows Vista out the door, its time to start evaluating new computer systems at home. The picture today is not as clear as it was a few months ago.
- Do I go with all laptops (which has been my plan for almost a year)?
- Do I go with an upgrade to my existing desktop, new laptops for my wife & kids, and a UMPC for me?
- Would an UMPC for each member of the family make sense, or only for those highly-mobile?
The trouble with it all is that our computing needs have changed, and software models have changed. What is a useful computer for a person that only browses and gets email? What about for my 10 year-old who really only uses the computer for some on line games? How will it grow with her? Do I need to get a uber-powerful unit for my 16 year-old who uses the Internet, games, and media heavily, or will a moderate system work?
Since Vista is around the corner, some of the usage scenarios I was thinking of are not as clear anymore. The usefulness of on line services like GMail, Digg, Del.icio.us, Zoho and more negate the need for a lot of expensive software upgrades. This also changes what kind of system resources are needed to run the services we use on a daily basis.
The interesting part is that each one of us need a new computer. We’ve been putting off upgrading until Vista was released, and some of the new hardware features supported by Vista were available. So, yes, it is important for everyone to get a new system – one or two are so old and slow as to be useless at this point.
So, my question is – what are your upgrade plans now that Windows Vista has been released, and what functionality are you looking for in a new system?
