07-26-2004, 07:00 PM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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DigitalReview and the Flybook Ultra-Portable Notebook
"If you�ve been attracted to the likes of FlipStart, the OQO or any other ultra-portable notebook, you owe it to yourself to have a good look at the tablet-style Flybook. You expect it to have WiFi and Bluetooth, but add a SIM card slot for GPRS (there�s even a CDMA model), a CF / PC card slot, 2 FireWire ports and suddenly you have an ultra-capable machine. Did you say you want it in Ferrari-red?"
As described above, DigitalReviews have gotten their hands on a rather decent ultra-portable notebook called the Flybook, produced by Dialogue. It runs Windows XP Pro and as well as red, you can get the case in blue, black or silver. he specs include a 1Ghz Transmeta Crusoe CPU, 512Mb RAM, a 40Gb Hard Drive, a ATi Radeon Mobility GPU, a touch screen monitor with a resolution of 1024 x 600 (Wide-XGA) resolution (32-bit colour), 8.9" wide-view, 16:9 display Low Temperature Poly Silicon-based TFT screen and it's able to output to an external monitor up to 1800�1440 at 32-bit colour. In terms of the I/O, this includes 2 FireWire ports, a LAN (RJ-45) port, WiFi, 2 Firewire ports, 2 USB2.0 ports, a built-in Modem (56K) (RJ-11), a mini-VGA port, a Video-Out port, a PCMCIA Type-II Slot, a earphone/Mic port, AC 97 with two built-in speakers, a 80-key standard keyboard, two sets of Mouse Emulation buttons and a Trackpointer. And as if all that wasn't enough, as optional extras you can also have Bluetooth and a SIM card slot for GPRS.
There's a removable battery, which lasts for around 3 hours and the design is clam shell and tablet convertible, with landscape/portrait display. The dimensions are: 235 x 155 x 31 (mm) and the weight is 1230g. Phew. That's quite a list! 8O The sugested price is $1999 USD. Note that this is only part 1 of the review, with a lot more detail promised for part two. Be sure to check the first comparison photos, where the Flybook is shown with a Toshiba TE2100 laptop and a iPAQ 2210 and Asus MyPal A730. The Flybook isn�t a PDA and isn't suitable to carry around in your pocket all day but it certainly looks really tempting for longer trips. So, is there anything else you would be looking for in an ultra-portable notebook, or has the Flybook got all angles covered?
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07-26-2004, 07:02 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 830
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this is one of the nicest and smallest tablets ive seen
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07-26-2004, 07:17 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 32
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$2800+
Ouch!
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07-26-2004, 07:19 PM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ARNAGE2
this is one of the nicest and smallest tablets ive seen
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I have to agree. It seems to have all the angles covered. OK, the price of around $2000 is on the high side, but you are gettting a lot for that. I'm impressed.
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07-26-2004, 07:27 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 252
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ARNAGE2
this is one of the nicest and smallest tablets ive seen
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except it's not a Tablet pc.
One of the great things that MS did with TPC was not use a touch sensitive screen. If it had they would be far harder to use. I can rest my hand on my 3505 on the screen as I am writing. I wouldn't be able to do that with this machine.
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07-26-2004, 07:29 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 559
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Wow. 8O I'm very impressed!
This device seems to cover all the bases. And, from those pictures, it really does look Ultra-Portable!
If nothing else, it proves that all that stuff can be squeezed into a tiny device. The future looks bright! :mrgreen:
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07-26-2004, 07:36 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 434
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Actually the review says it should retail for USD 1999 which isn't bad. As for the Tablet PC not working on a touch screen with a passive digitizer I am running the Tablet OS (SP2) on a Sony U70 with a passive digitizer and it works great.
__________________
James Kendrick* ...using mobile devices since they weighed 30 lbs
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07-26-2004, 07:44 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 468
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Very nice!! Even better if you could install the Tablet PC OS on it (assuming you could get your hands on a copy of it, of course...)
I'd love to know just how they implement the CDMA version. Specifically, could I use it on Sprint, which is my mobile phone provider?
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07-26-2004, 07:48 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 555
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I've been hunting for a device to replace my HPC. When I saw the article I thought that I've found it. Until I read that the battery only lasts 3 hours....
Oh well -- the hunt is half the fun 
(Still, the device looks awesome)
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07-26-2004, 08:19 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 301
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by dochall
One of the great things that MS did with TPC was not use a touch sensitive screen. If it had they would be far harder to use. I can rest my hand on my 3505 on the screen as I am writing. I wouldn't be able to do that with this machine.
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Quite right. I've got the M205. If it had a touchscreen instead of a magnetic digitizer, I can't see how it work in note-taking/slate mode properly. It would be like trying to write on a legal pad without actually touching the paper with the heel of your hand.
I'd really like to see a review of this feature/problem from someone who has had sginificant "hand-on" time with a magnetic TabletPC first. Maybe this will come clear in their pending "Part II" review.
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Linear Mode
