If there was a modern Psion or HP Jornada type computer that ran full Windows, would you buy one?

Wow, spam revives half-year old thread.

So let's continue the discussion (It's ok wally, that's how it is on hpcf I guess hehehehe)

We've all said about the pros and cons, and really you simply can't ignore CE's lightness: faster = slower cpu required = longer batt life, etc etc etc. So no, you still can't use an XP machine on the road the same way you would use a CE machine due to the batt-life VS weight VS processing power trade offs.

Price has become almost a moot point though, with the Atom being so cheap: from a $300 netbook (with xp on ssd) to a $1000 OQO, the price range is getting very close, if not on par, with the price range of CE devices.

What surprises me is the rise of MIDs (mobile internet devices, aka mini web tablets) did not promote CE at all, which has been good at that application for so many years.

Ok so that was my rambling on a sunday morning. Pardon me

Hi For me there is one reason why a Windows XP, Linux, Vista, etc machine can never replace my PDA in that as far as I am aware, there is no way of synchronising Diary, Contacts and E-mail, as simply as one can via a PDA or phone.

I rarley recently changed from a Jornada 728, to a a Nokia Communicator, but a ruled out buying a netbook because of the above limitation. It is essential for me that I can carry around an up to date diary and syncronise with my desktop PC when I return to office, picking up any changes my secretary has made to my diary or I have made to my phone diary. I have tried Microsoft SynToy to syncromnise the pst files on two XP based machines and that proved disastrous, as it regularly lost appointments and changes. However, I someone could release an XP based Netbook which syncronises via ActiveSync, or similar and accepts a SIM card, I would be very tempted to swap for my Communicator.

The HTC Shift I think can do that, somewhat indirectly.

The general idea is to use a Windows CE or Windows Mobile device as a "mediator" between two Windows PCs. One way to do it is to have that CE device by your desktop PC, so before you take your portable PC, you sync desktop with CE, and then CE with portable.

But the HTC Shift simplifies it because it has both a Windows Mobile device and a Windows PC in one machine. You only need to sync the WM half with your desktop, and you're good to go. The PC and WM in Shift can sync themselves when you're on the road. Altho I'm not 100% sure if someone has actually tried that syncing thing... Particularly I don't know if you can sync the Shift's WM with another PC. The Shift also has UTMS and HSDPA built in.

Edited by takwu 2009-02-22 11:03 PM

Newbie here, but this might spark some debate into this topic.

http://www.umpcportal.com/2008/09/everun-note-full-review

This is the everun note, it's slightly smaller than a mobilepro 900c, and is a full laptop running windows XP, looks to be had for $600 and up depending on configuration. Even the lowest priced model is significantly more powerful than any of the atom based netbooks too.

Oh, and it's available now, instead of being announced to come out at some undetermined time.

Edited by Skarth 2009-02-27 4:00 PM

Hi Thanks for message, I hadn't realised the HTC Shift could sync it's own Windows CE and XP PIM software, very useful. The price of these machines is still higher than I am prepared to pay, but I'll keep in mind for the future as the second hand price comes down with age.

Thanks

Hi Thanks for message, I hadn't realised the HTC Shift could sync it's own Windows CE and XP PIM software, very useful. The price of these machines is still higher than I am prepared to pay, but I'll keep in mind for the future as the second hand price comes down with age.

Thanks

OMG!!!!! I just have to have one of these! It's a Sony VAIO P-Series. $999 in Canada. Check it out:

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?store...

I thought you folks would be the only people who could truly appreciate this form factor.



I guess the poll question is now valid!

Edited by Mobi 2009-03-11 11:28 PM

Yeah except most people here don't appreciate that kinda price range.

And it's not that small either, compared to a Jornada or Psion. I think it's just a bit smaller than a Mobile Pro, or the old Picturebook (which runs XP just fine, when I turned it on just a few days ago).

Now the UMID mbook is more like a Jornada-size PC.

Hello! I used to think like you, that a CE device is essential for sync, but to be honest it all depends where you store your PIM data. Most on-line services now have some kind of bridge between your desktop and the cloud. Windows Live offers a desktop client for email/contacts but will also sync when you have an internet connection, and PIM can also be accessed on its web-based client. And of course there are all the Google services which also work off line on your desktop, but sync to the cloud the moment you have connectivity and have on-line access too. Nowadays I don't really have to think about syncing anything as everything works transparently in the background.

My current system is email and contacts on Windows Live, calendaring on Google and everything else (documents etc.) on Live Mesh. Any changes I make on the desktop clients are automatically updated to the net then pushed to all the devices I have connected which use the web as the conduit. If you give your secretary access to your work Google calendar, she can make updates to it which are updated out in real time to your portable device (be it PC or phone).

It should be taken for granted that all connected devices should be able to do this nowadays, and I agree with you that WWAN connectivity is essential for any portable device. Sadly this is not true of the trusty old H/PC, so I've now had to drop my Izzi Pro and MP900c from my armada of portable devices.

Edited by ZSX 2009-03-12 10:16 AM

One problem is the high price. The other is the OS (Vista).

Hi - Thanks for the info, I am glad this is working for you. However, the IT policy of the company I work for would not allow me to sync any company information such as that held in Outlook, with any Cloud Computing / Web based storage and I doubt this will every be allowed.

I would also not wish to share any of my own personal information with a third part, or rely on them not to loose it.

The Sony P Series and all current Net books, are too large for me and I therefore still prefer my Nokia Communicator with easy access to Internet/ E-mail wherever I have mobile phone/ or WiFi network, easy PIM syncing to PC, TomTom, etc, etc / or my trusty Jornada 728 which I keep as a fall back device to my Nokia.

Thanks
ExPsionMan

Interesting to see this clouding thing really happening. I remember me arguing a few years ago that less storage and applications would be needed for portable devices because of the "shift of data and software to online access", which in today's lingo became "cloud computing".

For ExPsionMan's company and similar ones, I'm sure one day they will figure out a secure way to use clouds, for example by setting up their own servers.

So back to my old argument, I think my verdict was that an HPC or similar device will be all you need on the road, one day.

I went over to the American site, and the reviews are not good. Apparently it's quite sluggish (not surprising given the reports of Vista's bulkiness).

On the other hand, the specs aren't bad, and the price (US $899) is within a range many of the poll respondents said they would pay (for a smaller machine to be sure). I seem to recall a $1399 price for the jornada in Canada when it was new. Perhaps if you could run XP on it and find the drivers....

Edited by Mobi 2009-03-12 3:22 PM

With the cloud losing your data isn't really an issue as long as you keep everything sync'd locally. The issue obviously is privacy, and whether you believe that Google, or any other company for that matter, will "do no evil". With twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites, some privacy has been voluntarily given up. With all the security cameras trained on us, what remains of that privacy has been taken.

Sadly any on-line service is a tradeoff unless you run your own email server off a system in your basement, but that is the way things are heading.

or your ISP will start providing it with no (or much less) incentives to invade your privacy, and more reasons to cater to customer preference.

Just like how they include webmail, webpage hosting, photo storage, and even messaging services, at no extra charge to your access fees. That's how cloud will be available in the future.