New Technologies Spur PC Design

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://technology.nzoom.com/technology_detail/0,1608,183533-113-380,00.html' target='_blank'>http://technology.nzoom.com/technol...113-380,00.html</a><br /><br /></div>I'm glad to see the evolution of PCs, PDAs, and related devices (see my article on the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=103240">shrinking Tablet PC</a> yesterday). This article talks about these trends at a higher level, but has a very interesting snippet from HP:<br /><br />"And one design that HP's Landry believes shows promise is the Scout, a design known in the industry as a 'tweener, because it's bigger than a PDA but smaller than a thin-and-light notebook. About the size of an old-fashioned day planner, the flat-panel screen tilts up and has a retractable keyboard. In discussions with customers, Landry says people often say about HP's popular iPaq that they wish it had a larger keyboard or a larger display. 'In my personal opinion, that's where I'd put my money right now,' Landry said, declining to say when such a product might hit store shelves or web sites for sale."<br /><br />Does this mean that the prototype HP <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6367">designed last year</a> may one day become a reality? Here's hoping... :)

[bblock]

SIGN ME UP!!!!!


(oops - was I shouting? sorry...)

[kaiden.1]

I think that the tablet PC will shrink in size. People like to carry things that are managable like the size of a hardback book. Slightly larger than a standard paperback. To me that would be ideal. The PPC is just too small to do anything more than the normal PDA stuff. You won't find the main stream public using the PDA as a laptop. I could easily see how the public could be swayed over to a tabletPC in the sizes that I mentioned above. I think that HP is right on this one if he is referring to the size that I mentioned above. I do not think that a slightly large Ipaq as a tablet PC is going to work. The PPC users would like it, but the group that wants a tablet PC will not.

We should not get the two mixed up. There will be two distinct devices and they should not be mixed.

[voodoo]

This sounds a lot like the NEC Mobile Pro 790. It has a 1/2 VGA touch screen and is about 5X9.5X1 inches with a 92% full size keyboard. Even though it came out a few years ago, it has built it CF, PCMCIA, modem, IR, and video ports. I prefer the smaller size of the IPAQ, but depending on your needs this is a great device that could be easily improved with today's technology.

I think the big question would be, does it run CE, Pocket PC, or some desktop version of Windows. I definitely think this device form is missing in the market right now.

[Foo Fighter]

I'm a big supporter of change in PC design. One of the reasons why I bought the flat pane iMac (besides the fact that I've always wanted to play around with OSX) is because it looks cool. I'd like to see more PC vendors push the envelope of enclosure design. I wouldn't mind an "All in One" PC just as long as certain components (particularly the video card) were upgradeable.

[Sven Johannsen]

My gosh, how far we have come. We are actually talking about the potential for a device, somewhat bigger than a PDA but smaller than a laptop, with a touch screen sort of like a small tablet, but also a keyboard capability when that is needed. I think we may just be close to the technological advances that might make such a device possible

http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles/1998/10/1998-10-10-Vadem-Clio-Frist.html :?

[Newsboy]

Wow, what an amazing concept! Why didn't someone think of this already!?? [/sarcasm]

http://sharp-world.com/sc/excite/hc7000/image/top04.gif

[D.psi]

Yes I fondly remember drooling over the possibility of the Clio. I couldn't afford one at the time, and they have since been orphaned as a technology.

I guess the point of the tablet PC compared to a Clio, is the fact that there are no tradeoffs in terms of the software. You get the full up Windows software, not some (nearly) braindead half-cousin.

D.psi

[hrianto]

I am looking for &lt;1 lb tablet. That is the ultimate device IMHO.

[Sven Johannsen]

I guess the point of the tablet PC compared to a Clio, is the fact that there are no tradeoffs in terms of the software. You get the full up Windows software, not some (nearly) braindead half-cousin.

D.psi

True, but the advances in technology over the last 5 years could certainly sandwich a PIII processor and 512K of RAM into a Clio body. Seems the concept was just ahead of it's time. To me it's more of a 'let's try this again', than a vision of the future.

Personally a 5x8 or 6x9 overall size device, with WinXP tablet would be about right. enough screen real estate to make normal PC work manageable, but not so big it is a chore to lug around. About the size of a day planner would do it for me (but thinner of course)

[Kgragert]

Wow, what an amazing concept! Why didn't someone think of this already!?? [/sarcasm]

http://sharp-world.com/sc/excite/hc7000/image/top04.gif

Yes, I also went back to the future and got one of those futuristic machines, and they truely are an amazing concept. Use it every day.

Ken

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles/1998/10/1998-10-10-Vadem-Clio-Frist.html :?

Man, I loved the Clio! Was a SEXY design...completely innovative and years ahead of it's time. Too bad it was crippled with a limited OS and had very weak hardware. Juice that puppy up with both hardware and software, and you'd have a serious winner...I don't think devices like this need to run XP to be successful in the consumer market, they just need to be powerful enough to be USEFUL.

[Newsboy]

The clio was nice, but as Jason said, crippled by hardware. It was just too slow for my tastes. The MIPS processor in the Intermec is zippier than the SH3 processors offered in similar HPCs. My Z50 is ungodly slow compared to the Intermec. The other let down of the Clio was the screen. The Intermec screen is far and away better than any other HPC screen I've ever used. The closest thing I can compare it to is the HP1910 screen I have. Bright, sharp, and colorful.

[fireflyrsmr]

just in case someone from hp is lurking -
I've always found it interesting when people have come on with the lighter smaller form factor arguments. comments about bricks and such. For some of us there is a middle ground. I find i still have to carry around the laptop and the ipaq. When moving from the Newton I thought long and hard about that bigger hp clamshell and the NEC but in the end I couldn't see meeting someone in the hall - wanting to set up a meeting - and then having to balance something that large to check schedule and input. The Newton was about as big as practical to stuff in a pants pocket. The really cool thing is that picture of the expanding keyboard that could go to touch type size. the hp with 78% keyboard never made sense to me either. Given a gig of space - the expanding keyboard - and the slots to make presentations from the machine then I'd be inclined to upgrade with the thought i'd be able to ditch the laptop finally.

now if they could incorporate a projector too then i could lose that. :wink:

[D.psi]

Sven wrote:
D.psi wrote:
I guess the point of the tablet PC compared to a Clio, is the fact that there are no tradeoffs in terms of the software. You get the full up Windows software, not some (nearly) braindead half-cousin.

D.psi


True, but the advances in technology over the last 5 years could certainly sandwich a PIII processor and 512K of RAM into a Clio body. Seems the concept was just ahead of it's time. To me it's more of a 'let's try this again', than a vision of the future.

I'd love to try it again... But how long would the battery last?

It looks to me like some of the tablet vendors have taken some of the Clio attributes and attempted to re-implement them w/o patent violations :?

Sure give me a tablet that has the battery life that the Clio claimed to have. That'd be great. I guess that the Crusoe architecture that some of the vendors use has the power advantages over the intel architecture that allows better battery life. Anyone have a clue what a typical battery charge gives you?

D.psi