04-17-2003, 01:16 PM
|
|
Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
|
|
New Technologies Spur PC Design
I'm glad to see the evolution of PCs, PDAs, and related devices (see my article on the shrinking Tablet PC yesterday). This article talks about these trends at a higher level, but has a very interesting snippet from HP:
"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."
Does this mean that the prototype HP designed last year may one day become a reality? Here's hoping... 
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 02:50 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 98
|
|
SIGN ME UP!!!!!
(oops - was I shouting? sorry...)
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 03:33 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 110
|
|
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 03:59 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 13
|
|
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 04:07 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,466
|
|
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.
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 05:31 PM
|
|
Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
|
|
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...lio-Frist.html :?
__________________
Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 07:32 PM
|
|
Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 298
|
|
Wow, what an amazing concept! Why didn't someone think of this already!?? [/sarcasm]
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 08:13 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 84
|
|
Ha yes the Clio
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
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 08:26 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 24
|
|
I am looking for <1 lb tablet. That is the ultimate device IMHO.
|
| |
|
|
|
04-17-2003, 08:30 PM
|
|
Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
|
|
Re: Ha yes the Clio
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by D.psi
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)
__________________
Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
