The HPC is Back...Sort Of

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://theregister.co.uk/content/53/33172.html' target='_blank'>http://theregister.co.uk/content/53/33172.html</a><br /><br /></div>"Psion Teklogix has dropped the familiar EPOC operating system in favour of Windows CE.NET 4.2 for an updated version of our old mobile computing favourite, the Netbook, once also known as the Psion Series 7. The new release, the Netbook Pro, is at least a significant hardware upgrade. In place of the original 190MHz Intel StrongARM SA-1100 processor, there's a spanking new 400MHz Intel PXA255. The memory's been upped from 32MB to 128MB, too, though its internal expansion capability has been lost. The Netbook's 7.7in 640 x 480 passive matrix display has been replaced with an 800 x 600 TFT model. The sound has been updated from a 12-bit system to the AC'97 codec, backed at long last with microphone and speaker sockets."<br /><br />The irony of the birthplace of Symbian switching over to a Windows CE .Net-based platform still gives me a good chuckle, but Psion is serious about making vertical-market HPCs it seems. Too bad they're so expensive - I can think of a lot of people who could benefit from a "laptop lite" such as this device.

[guinness]

How do they plan on selling these when you can buy a decent laptop anymore for as little as $700? (Some tradeoffs here and there, but still)

[acronym]

it says exactly how at the bottom of the article. lower tco. compare the support costs of rolling out about 100 laptops to a vertical market using proprietary applications with something as simple as this device.

think of the last couple months of windows patches alone

[Kati Compton]

If it were $500-$700 I would definitely be interested.

[CTSLICK]

With the focus on mobile workforce why no integrated WiFi and bluetooth?

[Paul]

same here, if it were cheaper, I would pick up one of these things.

[sgyee]

About time. I've always loved my NEC Mobilepro 770.

[Chris Spera]

Too bad they're so expensive - I can think of a lot of people who could benefit from a "laptop lite" such as this device.

Exactly. The HP Jornada 820 was a complete flop. It was also about $999 if memory serves correctly.

However, even at $599, I don't think I'd buy something like this. The major problems with the 820 are still all over this device. It's too big to be a hand held, too small for a laptop and doesn't have any real storage capabilities. Also, without BlueTooth or Wi-Fi, its going to go nowhere fast.

but this is just my two cents. I reviewed the Jornada 820 for the WindowsCE Lair back in 1999. Though I liked the device, I couldn't recommend purchasing one. I still wouldn't recommend this kind of device to anyone but a VP or above who wanted to take some sort of light weight, limited computing device on a business trip so they could work on documents or something.

That isn't a vertical market...that's one or two guys who don't have a Pocket PC or Palm unit...


Christopher Spera

[Janak Parekh]

However, even at $599, I don't think I'd buy something like this. The major problems with the 820 are still all over this device. It's too big to be a hand held, too small for a laptop and doesn't have any real storage capabilities. Also, without BlueTooth or Wi-Fi, its going to go nowhere fast.
I agree about the lack of WiFi, but there's a few things this device has that a laptop doesn't: speed and battery life. Being extremely simple means instantaneous turn-on time. Its battery life, if it's like earlier HPC units like the z50, should have 8-10 hours. That's just not something you get with most laptops nowadays. I wouldn't mind having one for notetaking and other small applications, but not at $1,500.

--janak

[gonzo]

How do they plan on selling these when you can buy a decent laptop anymore for as little as $700? (Some tradeoffs here and there, but still)

Quite simply, that psion don't care about the domestic market at all....

They're aiming this at big business (e.g. rolling them out to sales teams to do demos....etc).
Psion shot themselves in the foot by whining about declining sales, when their 5mx (a fantastic product, I owned one myself) was overpriced compaired to ppc + palm.
They also refused to make a color screen 5mx that people were crying out for!

[bjornkeizers]

Psions were always waaaaay overpriced for their features. I've been using handheld devices since 1996, and I've owned the earliest Palms to the latest PPC's. That list also includes two Psions: a Siena and a Revo.

The Siena was my first real PDA as such; I could program it with.. I think it was called OPL? It had a spreadsheet app that could create actual graphs and charts! 8O It had a decent word processor!

I got a Palm Pilot Professional three months after I bought the Siena, because it had a touch screen, and was, to me at least, something straight out of Star Trek, so I had to have one.

But still... I did like the psion way of doing things. In 1999 I bought a Oregon Scientific Osaris, which runs EPOC, to try out the new OS. I loved it. It had a good explorer and behaved much like a full size PC did. So when I heard that Psion would stop making devices for consumers, I went out and bought a Psion Revo, which I used literally once, and is now sitting in its box unused. Why? Because a PPC is much better. It offers more features and a color screen. Psions really aren't bad, they're just overpriced and don't offer the features we want[ed] at a price we could afford. I wanted to own a 5mx, but it cost three times as much as a Palm IIIe 8O ....

[ToeCutter]

Why, why, why?

What we have here is essentially a PDA in notebook form factor. This "device" measures 9.25 x 7.24 x 1.38 inches, weighs nearly 3 lbs and costs $1500.

Why would ANYONE even consider purchasing this device? For the same price you can get a IBM ThinkPad X31 (which is nearly the same size) with WinXP, Wi-Fi, FireWire, USB 2.0, 20GB HDD, 12" XGA LCD and ATI Radeon graphics!

I understand this may be targeted towards vertical markets, but come on, where's the value? A low-end Tablet PC can be had for half the price. This thing could barely compete even if they haved both the size AND price.

It appears Psion has jumped out of the pan and into the fire...

[Thinkingmandavid]

I have used the Symbian OS and it is the greatest!
I remember months ago when I fist heard about this happening, I was bummed that they werent doing anything with the Symbian OS. And as many have stated, the price is way to much! 500 is still way too much if you arent going to have a laptop. That is my opinion, I dont buy pda's of any sort for that much.

[Chris Spera]

I agree about the lack of WiFi, but there's a few things this device has that a laptop doesn't: speed and battery life. Being extremely simple means instantaneous turn-on time. Its battery life, if it's like earlier HPC units like the z50, should have 8-10 hours. That's just not something you get with most laptops nowadays. I wouldn't mind having one for notetaking and other small applications, but not at $1,500.

--janak

I agree and disagree. Despite the long battery life, it has no REAL storage capabilities. Its TOO big. The reason why the Jornada 820 failed was because for the price, its form factor was too big, it had no real storage, and little to no power. Apps were also few and far between.

This device is a FAILURE from the start because its too expensive and too big. Its features don't offer a compelling reason to purchase, ESPECIALLY at this price point.

Janak, you make an EXCELLENT point about battery life, but the 820 had similar battery life and it didn't make a difference at all.

Kindest, Most Respecful Regards,


Christopher Spera

[kamodt]

The Jornada 820, and all the other Jupiter-class devices for that matter, were never designed to replace a notebook or a Pocket PC. The form-factor was designed to take advantage of key features of WCE; instant on/off, longer battery life, and potentially lower costs. Unfortunately, the OEMs didn't price the devices low enough so the price delta between Jupiter devices and notebooks was too close.

The benefits of instant on/off and long battery life were still evident when users actually used the devices for what they were designed for, i.e. for email, occasional web access and presentations, and to stay synchronized with your desktop PC. Laptop users didn't need this device and Pocket PC users didn't want it but others did.

Psion actually considered using WCE when they were first designing this device. Internal politics wouldn't allow them to switch from the EPOC OS but it's better late than never. There are people who want this form-factor. Storage isn't a problem when you have a Microdrive available and a wireless connection to the network. I used to astound people by using my 820, with a Proxim card, in a remote terminal session and accessing AOL from my desktop machine. Showing full AOL on a WCE device can't be done on an H/PC or a Pocket PC. Full-sized screens are useful for lots of apps even when full laptop capabilities aren't.

I do agree that the pricing of this Psion device is too high. It's a slick device but I don't think I'd consider it at that price. The original Jupiter target price was under $800 with a gradual reduction to $599.

If anyone is still reading at this point, I apologize for the long post. I tend to get nostalgic about this stuff.


Keith Amodt
Father of Jupiter

[PlayAgain?]

I don't see anything wrong with Psion using Windows on the Netbook. It makes perfect sense. Symbian is the OS best suited for smartphones and it makes great business sense to put Symbian on a smartphone.

But who's going to buy a Netbook running Symbian? Sure, it's more stable than Windows, but where's the support? Where's the software that the Netbook target market would want to use? At least with Windows, the netbook can hit the ground running with a wide range of already commercially available products.

So people saying that this is a nail in Symbian's coffin are in danger of sounding like jpzr at msmobiles.com and you don't want that now, do you?

[Andy Roberts]

But You must remember the Netbook pro is not aimed at End users but at the corporate market

[epdm2be]

IMHO It's a shame that Psion is ditching their EPOC for Windows. PERIOD.

Again a European company who had a good OS (with GOOD apps) who has to ditch it in favour of the allmighty American dictator.

And "they" are talking about competition. Yeah, as long as the competition is an Arican originated product like Palm-OS they'll "tollerate" it otherwise they'll kill it.

As for the 5mx. Yes, Psion made the biggest mistake to 'invent' the series 7/netbook. Especially since they already gotten flat on their face with their previous sub-notebook efforts (Does anyone remember the MC400?). They should have beefed up the Series 5 with a colour screened 5mx and perhaps a faster cpu. I mean A Series 5 with colour screen and SA1110+bluetooth really would have been something... allas we're stuck with Palm or Microsoft :-(