hook a keyboard up to it:Paul Allen Shrinks Windows PC With Vulcan's FlipStart
- From: "David Poehlman" <poehlman1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "jfw users email list" <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 08:20:09 -0500
Paul Allen Shrinks Windows PC With Vulcan's FlipStart.
By Jay Lyman, TechNewsWorld, February 17, 2004.
"Bottom line - this form factor could be a big winner,
converging PCs, handhelds and tablet technology," Gartner
research vice president Martin Reynolds told TechNewsWorld.
"It also suggests that one day we could have cell phone-
sized devices with this capability."
The idea of the Windows desktop PC in a small, mobile form
is nothing new, and judging by the amount of notebook sales
to consumers, the mobile form factor is in high demand. But
the latest approach to the mini PC -- on display at this
week's DEMO 2004 trade show in Seattle -- has the
endorsement of Microsoft co-founder and tech heavyweight
Paul Allen.
Analysts are mixed on the mini PC space and the new device
itself, dubbed the FlipStart, which looks like a personal
digital assistant (PDA) with a small display and thumb
keyboard. However, it does seem to represent another step
forward in the trajectory that is moving toward a real
Windows PC experience in a very small mobile device, at
least according to Gartner research vice president Martin
Reynolds.
"Bottom line -- this form factor could be a big winner,
converging PCs, handhelds and tablet technology," Reynolds
told TechNewsWorld. "It also suggests that one day we could
have cell phone-sized devices with this capability."
Porting the PC.
The Windows XP-powered device, weighing 1 pound and sized
at 5.8 inches by 4 inches by 1 inch, features a 1-GHz
processor, 256 MB of RAM, a 30-GB hard drive, a 5.6-inch
1024 x 600 pixel display and a lithium ion battery that
will run the device for two to six hours of use.
The company said that with integrated 802.11b wireless
capability, the FlipStart combines the performance and
functionality of Windows XP with the connectivity of
wireless PDAs to provide continuous, mobile access to
software, e-mail and the Web.
Analysts have praised the mini PC for its ability to use
desktop PC software without the need for special mobile
viewers or emulator applications.
"These systems fit all existing infrastructures and make it
easy to port corporate apps into the handheld environment,"
Reynolds said. "It has most of the portability of a PDA but
can do serious computing."
Lost in Translation.
IDC smart handheld devices analyst Alex Slawsby said
handheld-size PCs are nothing new -- with other versions
already out in the form of the Tiqit83 and OQO's Ultra
Personal Computer. While bringing a full version of Windows
XP into the small form factor could pique consumer
interest, Slawsby cautioned that the XP experience might be
better tuned to a larger system.
While there is worldwide familiarity and fondness for the
Windows PC experience, Slawsby said, it is difficult to
replicate the experience in a smaller device with mobile
constraints on size, battery life and heat.
"The idea is to give you all the functionality you would
want in the desktop or laptop in a mobile environment
without sacrificing anything," he said. "But part of the PC
experience is a larger screen, a mouse and a keyboard; the
same thing goes for laptops.
"You may be able to put XP on small hardware, but you don't
have the ability to leverage the same input capabilities,"
Slawsby added.
Paul Allen's Pet.
Reynolds said the biggest challenge for the handheld-size
PC is to make it good enough for day-to-day work without
the need for a sophisticated dock that stays at home or in
the office.
Slawsby, who said the FlipStart is getting attention in
particular because of its backing from Paul Allen,
indicated there are still questions about the price of such
a device and its true ease-of-use and desktop-like
interactivity.
Vulcan spokesperson Michael Nank told TechNewsWorld that
the company will be announcing more on distribution and
pricing for the FlipStart device, which should be priced
comparable to a midrange notebook computer. While he would
not offer a timeline for those announcements, Nank did
indicate the project is something Paul Allen believes will
be embraced by users.
"This is really something being driven by Paul G. Allen and
his interest in technology," Nank said.
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