Comments on: Would you buy a device between a laptop and smartphone? « GartenBlog

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:08:06 +0000

OK, give me the functionality of the Dell Latitude XT2 but make it half the size so it is no bigger than 8.5 x 6 x 1 with a 8 inch diagonal screen. That would provide all the funtionality of a laptop while out and could plug into a dock with full keyboard and screen when at home or in the office. That is a product that I would buy.

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:29:24 +0000

What is this netbook supposed to accomplish? Where is it that I will want a smaller version of my laptop (keyboard and all)? I understand the arguments against the smartphone being a “content creation” device but other content creation, my iPhone does a LOT. With the successful deployment of iPhone apps through the app store I use it more than I would any previously owned mobile phone. I have music, video’s, podcasts, weather, email and web browsing. I even find myself pulling up tidbits on the internet while watching TV, accessing the IMDB or doing a wikipedia search on a person of interest at the momemt.

For me the tweener device would be if you could get a laptop with a touch screen and not take up so much real estate for a keyboard that is only used some of the time, that would be great. I could download my photo’s to it, do some quick photoshopping and upload to the web. The other thing is a real keyboard should be available either as a flip out. Think of a mini tablet pc.

I think the key (and you will know more than others) is that they will have to have a market to sell it to. So who is this market? Who wants a mini laptop and what will they use it for?

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:20:40 +0000

Not font scaling. Most programs will allow you to change the text size (Firefox, Word, etc). But just the text size. The rest of the UI stays the same.

True resolution independence.

And yeah, lowering the screen rez in control panels to something non-native is possible now but not even close to ideal.

By: David Churbuck

David Churbuck — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:46:42 +0000

I can’t divulge Lenovo’s numbers but the volumes have been very strong in the past 12 months, strong enough to create a “category of interest” among the analysts, and definitely a strong point in the past holiday quarter. The category will be renamed — to what is unknown.

By: william bao bean

william bao bean — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:48:08 +0000

can you talk about the success of the netbook? the research houses are predicting that all the growth in the market this year to come from this tweener category with desktops in decline and notebooks flattish

thanks, enjoy your blog

william

By: David Churbuck

David Churbuck — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:18:34 +0000

Font scaling, I agree, is a big issue as the form factor shifts.

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:31:28 +0000

Look at digital camera, cell phone, and laptop for a moment.

Even within these “single use” type devices there is huge variance.

Between a Nikon DSLR and a point and shoot there is a huge gulf. Is it possible to get PAS type shots from a cell phone? Not quite but soon enough. Need 3fps, good white balance, a bunch of storage, and a decent lens. Megapixels for the consumers but anything above 6MP is just going to introduce a ton of noise in something that small.

Recent trip: iphone, MacBook, and Canon PAS.

The phone comes. No question. The Canon PAS, yes for now until cell phones get better. And there’s a safety factor in not having them combined. The MacBook? Email, web, and watching movies.

NetBooks need a VERY good UI and most of that comes from the touch pad. I’ve become a huge fan of gestures on the glass mac trackpad after swearing I would never give up the ThinkPad nipple.

One obstacle I see is no real resolution independent OS. Get a 24″ LCD on a given OS and the text size is tiny. Sure you can up the magnification but the menus and the rest of the OS stay the same size. No true resolution independence.

Same problem but inverted on NetBooks. Throw in a nice high-rez screen and it’s all too tiny.

Not enough attention paid to these kinds of things.

By: jim Forbes

jim Forbes — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:24:24 +0000

someone has to be “first” in any category. And in this space specifically there will be great products. It’s not hard to imagine corporate or govt entities (think the IRS or Census bureau) equipping field folk with such devices.
but suppliers will need to market, which is just not being done now. And they are going to have to provide any buyer with a compelling argument and a real call to action.
Portable computers can no longer be based on “Field of Dreams” marketing; “If you Build it, they will come.”
mi dos centavos,
Jim Forbes