Airth
03-12-2003, 08:56 PM
Sony have just announced the PCG-U101 in Japan. OK it's not a PPC, in fact I doubt anyone is going to get this in their pocket but it is a tiny laptop running XP and loaded with a customized Palm Desktop. Sony are really trying hard to develop this concept, there's no-one else in Japan who is getting close at the moment, and I think even if this is not for you then at least the technology involved may bleed down into future Clies.
Here is the link, in Japanese but with lots of lovely pictures: http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-U101/
I looked at the previous U series a couple of months ago as a serious alternative to a Clie. I decided that there were just too many compromises being made, it was either too small or too big. Maybe this one will offer a more viable alternative, though I guess the dimensions will be much the same.
The screen can be rotated 90 degrees and the 4 way multi jog dial automatically changes orientation as you do so. The dial can also be used in conjunction with part of the keyboard to allow text entry even when holding the PCG, in the same style as a mobile phone.
It comes with all the features expected from any other laptop, and weighs in at 'just' 880g including battery. OK I know that's 3 or 4 times the NZ but think of the health benefits! The battery is rated at 3 - 5.5 hours, you can change it to a weighter version to give you 8 - 13.5 hours. It also has 3 buttons to turn it off, put it into standby mode or if you like power saving mode. It also comes equipped with a 2.4GHz wireless LAN, which I suppose will kill the battery even quicker.
The screen can lie flat, flush with the keyboard. Give it another year and I bet this will turn all the way and operate like a tablet PC. I realise this is a very different beast to a Clie, but I think we can all see the convergence that is occuring between mobile phones, PDAs and PCs. Samsung are tackling it from the phone end and Sony are coming at it the other way. What will this mean for PDAs in 3-5 years time?
Here is the link, in Japanese but with lots of lovely pictures: http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-U101/
I looked at the previous U series a couple of months ago as a serious alternative to a Clie. I decided that there were just too many compromises being made, it was either too small or too big. Maybe this one will offer a more viable alternative, though I guess the dimensions will be much the same.
The screen can be rotated 90 degrees and the 4 way multi jog dial automatically changes orientation as you do so. The dial can also be used in conjunction with part of the keyboard to allow text entry even when holding the PCG, in the same style as a mobile phone.
It comes with all the features expected from any other laptop, and weighs in at 'just' 880g including battery. OK I know that's 3 or 4 times the NZ but think of the health benefits! The battery is rated at 3 - 5.5 hours, you can change it to a weighter version to give you 8 - 13.5 hours. It also has 3 buttons to turn it off, put it into standby mode or if you like power saving mode. It also comes equipped with a 2.4GHz wireless LAN, which I suppose will kill the battery even quicker.
The screen can lie flat, flush with the keyboard. Give it another year and I bet this will turn all the way and operate like a tablet PC. I realise this is a very different beast to a Clie, but I think we can all see the convergence that is occuring between mobile phones, PDAs and PCs. Samsung are tackling it from the phone end and Sony are coming at it the other way. What will this mean for PDAs in 3-5 years time?