Billy the Gates reinventing the wheel

Check this out and tell me if this is what I think it is:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,39615
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/winhec/images/image007_lo...
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/winhec/gallery.asp

Looks familiar

I saw that yesterday, yea.

It's a Windows XP tablet, 1024x. No keyboard. Made us chuckle though. If only I could glue it to my Jornada.

The second image is of a different device, but as you say. Reinventing the wheel - good formats die hard and so on... and so forth.

gee ... I think its a mini-tabletPC ... but that image you found there sure looks like a ... HPC!

Coming full circle my friend ... coming full circle.

Microsoft keeps trying to reinvent the small form factor computer. They've made quite a few attempts. They had H/PCs. They had some devices whose name I can't recall and can't find details on them that were supposed to be used like a remote terminal to your PC. They had the tablet form factor, and now they're trying some more. I think they're convinced that there's supposed to be some form factor between PDA and laptop that'd be successful, but haven't found it yet. Though the concepts are all nice, IMO.

It's probably price that's the problem with all those devices. If MIT really can create the $100 laptop, I'm sure you'll see a lot of products using similar technology (and possibly OS, which is Linux) at the small form factor end.

You're thinking of Mira / Freestyle.

Yeah, I was thinking about Mira, though I haven't seen the name before (but googled it now). Microsoft had an official name for this and a dedicated portion of their website, and I believe there were a couple of real devices shown there. However, I can't find them now, and they're likely gone. Probably was part of their hardware website, and that's been scaled back as they dropped everything except keyboards and mice.

Yeah, I was waiting for Mira to arrive ... and then it got scrapped ... ...

well ... its a good thing that MS has the muscle and intent and perseverence to keep trying and trying and trying and ...

Portable (laptop) is not any more supposed to be what it was years ago. I see that companies are replacing their computers with laptops. So, there really is space for a NEW PORTABLE form factor.; C:Amie, you are right! Something between a 14-15" laptop and smartphone or PocketPC. TabletPC is just a scaled-up PocketPC; with a different OS. OK, who cares about OS - if it works

It looked like a Sony Location Free TV (7" model), but the function was more like the Vaio U50/70.

TBH I do not think Microsoft invents a lot of stuff, if anything. They just invest in existing form factors that might work, and promote them. They did not invent the PC (Apple made it, IBM copied it). They did not invent HPC (hp and others marketed that form factor before WinCE). PPC was a copy of Palm. Fujitsu sold a lot of Pentium tablets before Tablet PC. And so on. I think MS gets too much credits when they put the money in and it works. However, for our benefits, I do welcome the investments from MS as well, regardless of who gets the credits of invention.

It looks like this new device that Gates is holding in his hand is another MS investment on a new formfactor (that they didn't invent). It's basically the PalmTop that was all the hypes when development started from the likes of Sony, OQO, and Vulcan. With MS stepping in, this formfactor will be put to test.

It is also interesting to note there has been a theory that palmtops will replace PDAs, and MS will thus lose the huge Windows Mobile market. And now they're trying to cover it with another product.

However, I still think that a full blown PC OS is not suitable for the portable system for many obvious, but often overlooked reasons. To use an existing example, you simply can't run full blown Linux on a PDA: they often run a subset or some varient of it. The palmtop running a version of normal Windows is simply too slow. Altho they claim to have put instant-on functionality on it, I do not think it is the same "instant-on" that we know in CE. At best it will be an improved suspension feature based on flash memory instead of HD.

On the other hand, CE, or Windows Mobile, will move towards totally on converged smartphones. PPC will be no more mainstream, and become a niche with a legacy, like HPC has.

So the question remains, what is to become between the portable computer (laptops, tablets) and the smartphone (which replace PDAs)? My prediction is that it will remain a grey area for quite a long time. CE is too small, and Windows is too big. If MS wises up, they should built a completely new OS for portable computing, instead of bouncing between the two existing product lines.

Just for my education; what is the difference between a "palmtop" and a "handheld"?

Actually, as far as InstantOn is concerned, PalmOS basically turn off the LCD, and stop the CPU altogether. They do have some sub controllers (or CPU) that allows the system to wake up to do things ... think interrupts.

From what I know, HandheldPCs also do something like that. The CPU is stopped altogether. The DRAM is still refreshed, else we would go into the reset state. From this aspect, the current notebooks can already suspend and resume in (more or less) the same way. The problem is that notebooks CPU consume much more power than the CPUs in handhelds etc.

Consider the Fujitsu lifebook P7010
http://support.fujitsupc.com/CS/Portal/supportsearch.do#13



Considering that it has a larger screen and a (much) faster CPU, its ability to run 7.5hours continuously is remarkable!

The P1120 can run 9hours with a hi-cap batt and has almost identical size as the MP900. If you put these machines to suspend mode, the batt should still last fairly long. At hibernation mode, it should last many many days (or weeks), since there is no power running, only normal battery charge loss over time. And at hibernation mode, it takes around 20secs (as someone mentioned on another thread).

Bottom line for me is that XP is currently quite capable of running nicely as a near instantOn OS on a notebook. Only grunt is the LCD, CPU and HDD power draw. If we compare notebooks with LCD size similar to a HPC (think Sony picture book, Lifebook P series and librettos [newer ones with low-voltage CPUs]), the batt life is very close.

I have not got a chance to try embedded XP, but I believe it offers smaller footprint and also ROM-based OS. Yes?

*DELETED*

ooops ... double-post ...

Edited by Snappy! 2005-05-05 1:49 PM

wow, nice machine. why don't i have the money for it anyway, still not the same size as my 728

Panasonic has just updated its line of ultraportable (and semi-rugged) notebooks, and it's looking quite good. Four machines (R4, W4, T4, Y4) between 1kg and 1.5kg, battery life from 7 to 12 hours. The 1.2kg W4, with 8 hour battery life and built in DVD burner is my favourite. Of course the price is way too high.

vjurkas,
Palmtop is bascially a portable PC that works and acts like a real PC and runs PC software, but at the size that is smaller than a laptop or tablet. The 3 different forms aren't defined very clearly, but it goes roughly like: laptop is designed to be put on a place, such as your "lap" or a desk; tablet is held with one hand/arm and operated with the other; palmtop is held with both hands and operated by thumbs (like a gameboy).

Handheld is not a PC. Ok so HPC is an oxymoron Anyway, a handheld is designed to function as this form factor is good for. It doesn't need the same resolution as your desktop. Nor does it run all that software. The whole design of the device down to the CPU is purely for this form. So that's where the big distinction is between a handheld and a palmtop.

You can say that the DOS based hp "handhelds" were actually palmtops, until they switched to CE and added touchscreens.