Pocket Computers: Slated to Leap Forward in November
October 22nd, 2007 (4:00pm) Samuel Dean 8 Comments
November is almost upon us, and it promises to bring some advancements in tiny computers–larger than smartphones, but much smaller and lighter than notebooks. If you haven’t looked into these yet, do so.
At the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco, Nokia has officially launched its new n810 Internet Tablet—a much discussed product (shown above and below). The n810 is only a little bigger than the size of your hand, and if you were already familiar with the previous n800 tablet that Nokia did, the big addition in the new version is a full QWERTY keyboard that slides down from the bottom of the unit. The fact that the keyboard slides means that the overall size of the unit can stay down, and it can fit in a coat pocket.
The n810 is brand new, and I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet, but I own one of the n800 tablets, and I’m not surprised that Nokia chose to add a keyboard. The n800 relies primarily on a stylus for input, although there is a software-based keyboard you can pop up. After using the n800 for a while, I’ve found it most useful for entertainment applications such as watching videocasts, but the same device with a keyboard might entice me to get business tasks done. The n810 uses the same TI OMAP 2420 CPU found in the n800, but it’s much faster at 400-MHz.
Nokia’s n810 also has built-in GPS, Wi-Fi and a camera built into the front of the unit that can be used for videoconferencing or taking pictures. It’s Linux-based, but there is a large community of developers for the n800 already in place. Do note that the n810 is slated to cost $479 upon its release in November—about $100 more than the n800, which, at under $400, qualified as an impulse buy.
Meanwhile, a much awaited product that will also arrive in November is the HTC Shift which is also much tinier than a notebook, with a 7-inch screen, but it runs Windows Vista (see below). It has Wi-Fi as well as 3.5G connectivity, and a touch-sensitive display. For business use, this device and another pocket-sized computer—the OQO Model 02 (which I wrote about in a previous post)–look like top choices among totables that are smaller than notebooks. The OQO Model 02 also runs Windows, and both it and the HTC Shift have full QWERTY keyboards. The OQO Model 02 is now shipping for $1,299.
One of the really nice features about the HTC Shift is that it stays in instant-on mode, so you don’t have to wait for it to boot up. Its predecessor, the HTC Advantage is also worth a look if you want a system smaller than a notebook that you can tote in a pocket.
Do you have any good tips on miniature computers?
8 Comments Post your own comment
skinnyninja49048 says: October 22nd, 2007 6:36pm
Before you consider these, I recommend that people look into the 11.1″ screen laptops, such as the Sony TX series or the Fujitsu P series. In my opinion, that size is really the perfect mix of portability and size. They are right around 3 pounds (the Sony is 2.8 I believe) and yet they are full featured laptops.
What’s absolutely critical is that I can do 50 WPM on an 11.1″ form factor. The OQO thing though? Forget it. No way can I type up a blog post on that thing.
Brad Linder says: October 22nd, 2007 7:58pm
Asus will also be launching the EEE PC in the US in November. The tiny PC is kind of Asus’s answer to the XO Laptop (the One Laptop Per Child laptop). It’s 2 pounds, comes has a 900MHz celeron processor and runs Linux, although a Windows XP version is expected out later this year.
The device has a 7 inch screen, and a smaller than typical keyboard, but that’s how you keep the weight down. The small screen also probably helps with battery life. The EEE PC comes in several different varieties, with reported battery life of 2.8 to 3.5 hours.
And while the PC was first pitched as a “$199 PC,” the price has kind of gone up. If you’re a government or other institution ordering in bulk, you can get the entry level machine for that price, but in the US, Asus will be selling EEE PCs for $299 - $399.
Anyway, the long and short of it is, this device will be more than the Nokia Internet Tablet, but a bit less than a full laptop, and not quite as cool as the HTC Shift.
Dennis Moore says: October 22nd, 2007 10:07pm
@skinnyninja49048:
Check out this independent and thorough review, which includes typing speed test results if you scroll down a bit: http://www.pocketables.net/2007/10/review-oqo-mode.html.
44 wpm on OQO model 02. Very consistent with other typing speed tests performed on OQO and other UMPC’s. Don’t know about you, but I can type about 80+ wpm on a full sized keyboard when transcribing from something, but not when thinking — I can’t come close to composing 40+ wpm for my blog at http://dbmoore.blogspot.com/. I can always type on my OQO model 02 as fast as I can compose — as I am doing right now.
I hope we’ll have you some day as an OQO customer.
– Dennis Moore, OQO
John Mayson says: October 23rd, 2007 6:37am
I think some people miss the point with this device. It’s not intended to replace to a notebook computer. Suggesting someone buy a small laptop instead of an N810 is like suggesting a small car instead of a riding lawn mower. They’re entirely two different tools. If someone wanted an mp3 player would you suggest a laptop since they can also play mp3 files? Of course not!
I have three laptops (two at work, one at home). I’m considering the N810 so I can still access the web at times when it’s not practical or convenient to carry a laptop around.
Will Eee PCs Upend the Portable Pricing Market? « GigaOM says: October 30th, 2007 4:02pm
[...] that qualifies as an impulse buy. Compare that price to some of the other new miniature PCs, which Web Worker Daily rounded up recently. The much ballyhooed new Nokia n810 Internet Tablet, for example, is $479, while the OQO Model 02 [...]
Tina says: November 4th, 2007 1:02am
Nokia N800 now costs under $250 and with the new OS2008 (free download before end of Nov), you will have the best portable web surfing and PDF ebook reading device and it weighs 0.45lbs (yes, less than half pound) with 4-7 hours of battery life. You can download tons of free opensource software for it. It plays full version of YouTube, Google videos and other flash videos. It has GoogleTalk and Skype and a lot more. Did I mention the price: $220-$250 online?
(It is #1 or #2 in Amazon’s sales rank in its category for months)
58places » Blog Archive » Pocket Computers: Slated to Leap Forward in November says: November 4th, 2007 1:53am
[...] here Author Kadin Barton Comments [...]
heyy says: April 30th, 2008 7:37pm
eyy i want one