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prusik[Threw out everything I wrote of The Story I'm Currently Writing yesterday. Then wrote 955 words I'm much happier with to replace them. Second scene incubating in my brain as I blog...]
I only need the keyboard on my laptop four times a year. Otherwise, it's always in its slate configuration.
Obviously, I already knew this on some level. I just needed to put it this way to get the point across to myself. That is, if my laptop did not have a physical keyboard, I would only notice literally only four times a year. When I get the oil changed in my car, I log into work from my mechanic's lobby. Whenever I actually need a keyboard, I have advanced warning. (Hey, self, what if you get into Clarion some year? Ok, it may not be exactly four times every year. If I go to Clarion some year though, I suspect they'll give me advanced warning.)
A slate style tablet PC would serve me just fine as long as I pack a USB or Bluetooth keyboard whenever I need one. Now, at first glance, this seems like a useless observation. Few, if any, laptops come without keyboards these days. (I mean, do they still make slate style tablet PCs?) Well, unless you count those small computing devices that run Windows. AKA, the Mobile Internet Device (MID) or Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC).
Every ten years or ago, the computer industry seems to rediscover handheld computers. Companies release computers the size of VHS tapes or smaller to lots of noise about innovation. Few people buy them. They disappear to be mythologized by their few fans until it's tie for their next resurgence in the next decade. The handheld form factor is the cicada of the computer industry. (Yes, I know cicadas are on a 13 or 17 year cycle. It's an analogy. Work with me...)
Ok, it doesn't replay exactly each time. For example, with each iteration, the handheld device is more computationally powerful. The last time around, we didn't have the smartphone. But every time, they converge to this weird tweener form factor that's too small for a keyboard one can touch type on, but too large to fit comfortably in a pant pocket. (I always think if it has to go into a bag anyway, why not buy a small laptop and get a decent sized screen and a real keyboard in the process?)
It's hard to imagine why the MID/UMPC might have mainstream appeal. And so far anyway, it doesn't look like they're catching on at all. That is, like the same phenomenon a decade ago, there are a bunch of diehard folks who find them genuinely useful and want everyone to know it at the top of their lungs. Then there is everyone else who are perfectly happen with some flavor of laptop and some flavor of cell phone.
This time though, there are actually a few handheld that could conceivably fit in a pant pocket. One of them, the OQO Model 02, I actually rented for a week. That was when I realized I don't ask my laptop to do anything computationally intensive by modern standards. (It can't run everything I want to run, like say, Ableton Live or Propellerhead's Reason, but it does run everything I need to run.) The Model 02 is almost exactly the size of two Moleskine pocket notebooks stacked one on top of the other. It fits in my pocket a bit snugly, but it does fit. Battery life is adequate enough that with a little planning, I should rarely be stuck with a dead device. However, OQO looks like they're about to go out of business.
There are a couple others, notably the Viliv S5 and UMID M1, that are somewhat larger that might fit. They're aren't available in stores though. Even if they were, it's not like I can go to a store and try them in my pocket for size. ("Honest, officer! I wasn't pick-pocketing. I just wanted to see if it'd fit.) On the other hand, I can google for dimensions. I have cardboard, a measuring device, a Swiss Army knife and clear tape on hand. I can play the home game. (This is like some sort of incredibly pathetic, but geeky, version of Cinderella...)
The long dimension of the Viliv S5 is about .6in longer than the OQO. Surprisingly, it fits fine in my front pant pocket. It's not as comfortable, but it's workable. The company claims 6 hour battery life when playing video. I suspect this means they have hardware optimized video playback. The battery life I'd see would be undoubtedly shorter. Oh, it has no keyboard of any sort. It relies on a haptic virtual keyboard that's translucent over the bottom half of the screen. See opening paragraphs.
The UMID M1 is mere millimeters longer and somewhat thinner than the Viliv S5. More importantly, it's about .4in wider. That turns out to be the crucial difference. If I don't line it up just right, it doesn't even make it into my pocket. Once in there, the width means it doesn't seat as deeply. Whereas the Viliv (barely) fits within my pocket, the UMID M1 sticks out and jam into my hip. Sitting down with the UMID M1 in my pocket would not be a happy experience. (Note: UMID doesn't actually claim that it fits in anyone's pocket. Viliv seems to be marketing the S5 as a portal media player that happens to run Windows apps. They have a GUI on top of XP so that you needed ever confront XP directly if you don't want to. We'll see if that strategy works.)
Now, why would I want to get a handheld to put in my pocket rather than replacing my increasingly finicky 5 year old laptop? Well, I've also wanted to replace my Moleskine pocket notebook for a while now, mostly because I'm too lazy to transcribe my scribbles so that I can edit it. (I still have the beginning of a short story that I haven't worked on because I'd have to type it out of my Moleskine.) If I only need a keyboard on special occasions, the handheld doesn't seem like a bad option. I just have to get one before they go away again.
(The more optimistic might think "Hey, this time, the handheld computer might be here to stay." I don't exactly disagree. What stays though is more likely to be the iPhone/iPod touch rather than what manufacturers currently hawk as MIDs or UMPCs though. In fact, rather than some sort of MID/UMPC, I may get an iPhone/iPod touch if I can find equivalents for the software that I currently run on my laptop.)
I only need the keyboard on my laptop four times a year. Otherwise, it's always in its slate configuration.
Obviously, I already knew this on some level. I just needed to put it this way to get the point across to myself. That is, if my laptop did not have a physical keyboard, I would only notice literally only four times a year. When I get the oil changed in my car, I log into work from my mechanic's lobby. Whenever I actually need a keyboard, I have advanced warning. (Hey, self, what if you get into Clarion some year? Ok, it may not be exactly four times every year. If I go to Clarion some year though, I suspect they'll give me advanced warning.)
A slate style tablet PC would serve me just fine as long as I pack a USB or Bluetooth keyboard whenever I need one. Now, at first glance, this seems like a useless observation. Few, if any, laptops come without keyboards these days. (I mean, do they still make slate style tablet PCs?) Well, unless you count those small computing devices that run Windows. AKA, the Mobile Internet Device (MID) or Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC).
Every ten years or ago, the computer industry seems to rediscover handheld computers. Companies release computers the size of VHS tapes or smaller to lots of noise about innovation. Few people buy them. They disappear to be mythologized by their few fans until it's tie for their next resurgence in the next decade. The handheld form factor is the cicada of the computer industry. (Yes, I know cicadas are on a 13 or 17 year cycle. It's an analogy. Work with me...)
Ok, it doesn't replay exactly each time. For example, with each iteration, the handheld device is more computationally powerful. The last time around, we didn't have the smartphone. But every time, they converge to this weird tweener form factor that's too small for a keyboard one can touch type on, but too large to fit comfortably in a pant pocket. (I always think if it has to go into a bag anyway, why not buy a small laptop and get a decent sized screen and a real keyboard in the process?)
It's hard to imagine why the MID/UMPC might have mainstream appeal. And so far anyway, it doesn't look like they're catching on at all. That is, like the same phenomenon a decade ago, there are a bunch of diehard folks who find them genuinely useful and want everyone to know it at the top of their lungs. Then there is everyone else who are perfectly happen with some flavor of laptop and some flavor of cell phone.
This time though, there are actually a few handheld that could conceivably fit in a pant pocket. One of them, the OQO Model 02, I actually rented for a week. That was when I realized I don't ask my laptop to do anything computationally intensive by modern standards. (It can't run everything I want to run, like say, Ableton Live or Propellerhead's Reason, but it does run everything I need to run.) The Model 02 is almost exactly the size of two Moleskine pocket notebooks stacked one on top of the other. It fits in my pocket a bit snugly, but it does fit. Battery life is adequate enough that with a little planning, I should rarely be stuck with a dead device. However, OQO looks like they're about to go out of business.
There are a couple others, notably the Viliv S5 and UMID M1, that are somewhat larger that might fit. They're aren't available in stores though. Even if they were, it's not like I can go to a store and try them in my pocket for size. ("Honest, officer! I wasn't pick-pocketing. I just wanted to see if it'd fit.) On the other hand, I can google for dimensions. I have cardboard, a measuring device, a Swiss Army knife and clear tape on hand. I can play the home game. (This is like some sort of incredibly pathetic, but geeky, version of Cinderella...)
The long dimension of the Viliv S5 is about .6in longer than the OQO. Surprisingly, it fits fine in my front pant pocket. It's not as comfortable, but it's workable. The company claims 6 hour battery life when playing video. I suspect this means they have hardware optimized video playback. The battery life I'd see would be undoubtedly shorter. Oh, it has no keyboard of any sort. It relies on a haptic virtual keyboard that's translucent over the bottom half of the screen. See opening paragraphs.
The UMID M1 is mere millimeters longer and somewhat thinner than the Viliv S5. More importantly, it's about .4in wider. That turns out to be the crucial difference. If I don't line it up just right, it doesn't even make it into my pocket. Once in there, the width means it doesn't seat as deeply. Whereas the Viliv (barely) fits within my pocket, the UMID M1 sticks out and jam into my hip. Sitting down with the UMID M1 in my pocket would not be a happy experience. (Note: UMID doesn't actually claim that it fits in anyone's pocket. Viliv seems to be marketing the S5 as a portal media player that happens to run Windows apps. They have a GUI on top of XP so that you needed ever confront XP directly if you don't want to. We'll see if that strategy works.)
Now, why would I want to get a handheld to put in my pocket rather than replacing my increasingly finicky 5 year old laptop? Well, I've also wanted to replace my Moleskine pocket notebook for a while now, mostly because I'm too lazy to transcribe my scribbles so that I can edit it. (I still have the beginning of a short story that I haven't worked on because I'd have to type it out of my Moleskine.) If I only need a keyboard on special occasions, the handheld doesn't seem like a bad option. I just have to get one before they go away again.
(The more optimistic might think "Hey, this time, the handheld computer might be here to stay." I don't exactly disagree. What stays though is more likely to be the iPhone/iPod touch rather than what manufacturers currently hawk as MIDs or UMPCs though. In fact, rather than some sort of MID/UMPC, I may get an iPhone/iPod touch if I can find equivalents for the software that I currently run on my laptop.)
