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Another Peep From Transmeta
Robrt writes: "According to this news.com article, the first Crusoe based products will be released at PC Expo. The article doesn't give much other information. " They comment that they're not sure if we'll see laptops or webpads, but we might see something. I'd love one of those webpads with the Lucent wireless, and say, 8-12 hours of battery life.
1/4" thick? I've seen those on Star Trek, but that's about it.
Well, I'm looking at the screen on my Thinkpad. The top screen half is about 1/4" thick. If it were made wider/taller, the battery and electronics could theoretically run along the sides.
I don't think it should be impossible, size-wise, although the weight thing is definitely a problem (assuming we want it to run longer than 5 minutes).
--
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
That's where having little tiny saws built into the floppy drive comes in handy.
MacOS IX on a webpad. MMMMMM fruity
When someone yells "Stop" or goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over.
The Crusoe-powered S3 internet appliance on Transmeta.com looks suspiciously like an Etch-A-Sketch.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Most of the palm units will open the serial port whenever it sits in the cradle. Many people leave the unit sitting in the cradle when they are at their desk. Sucks up the batteries real fast. I went from 5-8 days to 3-4 weeks when I stopped doing this.
AFAIK the difference between MobileLinux and regular L. is pretty slim. (Working battery checks and such stuff basically.)
;-)
This is why I want one of these as well. If it's pulled off it will really slap those PocketPC 'puters. The ones that run WinCE. They are big-bloated and slow. A bad compromice between a Palm and Laptop. With the Crusoe, a touch screen and wireless LAN I'll be set. Then I just need to be able to stream MPEG2/DivX to it to be *really* happy.
A webpad/slate is one of the things I'm going to buy this summer, and I bet it'll have a Crusoe in it. Currently that's the best bet.
Saws?! Pheh! You're still thinking 20th Century technology. Lasers are the wave of the future.
--GnrcMan--
carlos
--
As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.
Not telnet, ssh!
It's dated Feb 21, 2000. Look at the story icons and find a story sequence which matches that pattern before Feb 22...assuming it's not a personalized page with some categories omitted...
When you reach a corner, the Palm in your shirt pocket won't let you rotate in a new direction...or else when you put it on a table, it balances upright without a stand.
Well, maybe you should think "pendulum-powered generator" (or the weighted wheel in a movement-powered watch).
It seems like it would be possible to follow up with another BIOS that emulated PowerPCs, for example, and then the same box could run Mac OS. Perhaps multiple personalities could fit on one flash chip. Has anybody heard anything about further personalities for the chip? I guess if they opened the specs, anyone could write their own personalities. Anyone for a Z80 personality to play MAME on? 8-) -Elan
I'm not very sure about how to play quake with a webpad, without keyboard...
But, sure, with a good mobile internet link and a 10 hours battery, it makes a remarkable all-day-long internet death match while sitting in the depths of a dark forest !
If there is linux on it, sur it will be my next machine !
-- javaDragon is an instance of JavaDragon.
Word on the streets here in Taipei, Taiwan is that Transmeta will be making a major announcement at Computex 2000, Taipei (June 5th-9th).
Considering that a local manufacturer called FIC (First International Computer) plans to manufacture a Carusoe based web pad, and the fact that they will be making a Bluetooth demo at their booth (on PCs). I would guess that a announcement of a Bluetooth enabled webpad contract with some Taiwanese manufacturers would be the order of the day.
Because I live in Taipei, I will certainly be at the show, and I will be making up-to-date reports on my website... so be sure to tune in!
Tim
tim@mobilelinux.com
www.mobilelinux.com
We will either find a way, or make one.
- Hannibal
We will either find a way, or make one. - Hannibal
If the webpads are released first, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
:) with a fairly high resolution.
The pics I've seen make them out to be pretty big (although they could always be people with really small hands
All we can though do is wait and see.
Think about it. Transmeta has something that Apple didn't, and never will (probably). They've got Linus.
A lot of geeks are going to have a transmeta device high up on their list of must-haves, just to see exactly what he's been doing for so long.
There is another reason. Transmeta make only the chip, and not the whole device. This means that they are not gambling everything on one consumer product, but rather supplying others who will do the gambling for them.
Find funky gifts
However, low-power means more than just battery life. It also means less EMI, at least from the processor. That might make for embedded processors in areas computers couldn't otherwise be in.
Now, if Transmeta could only come up with room-temperature superconductors... Now, THAT would reduce heat output!
After that, what's left? The hard disk is a big energy user, but you only need energy to overcome friction. Reduce friction, reduce power requirements.
Then, there's the floppy drive. Hardly anyone uses those, any more. (Apart from me. I've carried around the entire source for X11R6.3 on 3.5" floppies, before now!) Not a whole lot you can do, there, though. I suppose you could try spinning the read heads, rather than the disk.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
But this will not be an Apple Newton type device. It will be a variation of an existing theme running existing applications, mostly.
It will be as new as a Deleron or Curon (or whatever the names are this week);a new processor running industry standard apps. What's the point, then? Battery life...that's the difference.
It won't be anywhere as dangerous a platform as the PcoketPC.
I can't wait.
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
My understanding is that Transmeta is not in the business of developing/deploying any devices of their own, but rather, just providing the chips to those who will build and market devices (read, value-added services) as they see fit.
As stated by Ditzel earlier this week, there is quite a "horse race" going on between the companies that are developing webpads vs. those that are developing notebooks.
Perhaps, we should all just wait and see.
Just this morning, I was wishing that these things would debut already...
I needed to review a pile of code, walk aroun with it, get comfy like with a print out..
Something a half-inch thick, with an 8.5x11 screen, with hand-writing recognition, would be ideal. If I could sit "indian style" on my desk, and review/edit some code... Mmmm...
Personally, I don't think it should be MEANT for web browsing. Browsing is an application. This thing should be an actual computer - a 'full size' PalmPilot if you will.. With a virtual keyboard or graffitti, full color. 128MB Ram, a several Gig of drive space...
Something the size of a large notebook's screen, with all the functionality of the notebook. Yeah, that's what I want. If it's a dedicated browser, forget it - I have too many other things I want to do.
-- What you do today will cost you a day of your life.
or, the PocketPC, for that matter!
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
What would probably help-out with the battery consumption as well as the cost would be to make the webpad device essentially just a wireless display -- something like an X-station. Maybe it could boot from a small PROM/flash and then hit the wireless LAN to finish booting.
This would allow the manufacturers to keep the flash/non-volatile memory smaller and it would allow you to update the "OS" with a normal CD-ROM on your Linux/BSD/Winbloze machine. Without the large memories, disks, or whatever, the webpad's batteries would last longer and the cost would be less.
Additionally, by making the webpad just a "display," you could run programs on the server, thus saving your batteries, reducing cost (lower powered CPU in the webpad), and you wouldn't have to worry about compatibility with the CPU used in the webpad itself. Just imagine "setenv DISPLAY mywebpad:0" and then run whatever you like...
Granted, you'd have to have the "server" on whenever you wanted to use the webpad, but it's likely that you'll have to do that anyway to have a connection to the internet. Plus, many of us have full-time servers running in our homes anyway, right (especially if you have a cable modem or DSL)?
Mike
Pinball, arcade video, tech and more: www.micsaund.com
While I, too, am looking forward to the release of a Crusoe-based product, I do not think that they will be initially offering devices that can offer the level of performance as standard notebooks. If you only need a PIM, than the Palm or Windows CE devices will offer long battery lives, instant on (which Crusoe is not likely to offer) and limited application support at a fraction of the price that Crusoe is likely to be offered at.
However, I know that there is no substitute for a high-end laptop for typing reports or development. The screen is responsible for a lot of the power consumption and I do not want to have a miniscule screen and an equally miniscule keyboard when I want to be productive. Sure, it would be nice to have outrageously long battery lives, but I (and I'm sure many of you) will not be willing to give up the high-performance, feature-rich laptops that you have come to enjoy.
ByteMyCode.com: A Web 2.0 code sharing community.
The huge win that they should be looking for will not be in a proven market.
Trees can't go dancing
So do them a big favor
Pretend dancing stinks!
Think flywheels.
...an Apple IIc with a squished, monochrome LCD monitor. Was this scene actually there? Or was I on drugs when I (thought I) saw this?
--
New empires...began ebbing and flowing all over the place like Moon Pies on a hot sidewalk.
..!!in an intastella burst i am back to save the universe!!
It's true. Here's why!
-- web pads are bulky. Condoms fit easily in your wallet.
-- Condoms are plug and play.
-- Portable web pads probably would use infrared technology for data transmission, requiring extra expense. Condoms use older parallel port technology: just need a female port and a male adaptor.
-- If you're running anything crucial on a web pad, you'll want a firewall. Condoms have their OWN protection.
-- Condoms come lubricated for better access.
and, of course, something that most of us will never really come to terms with:
-- Sex is better than Slashdot. Sorry, but it's true.
Nicholas
disclaimer: opinions contained therein are not neccessarily those of my employer.
So with mobility and constant access, does this mean that the risk addicted can go into full afterburn?
I mean online blackjack, game shows, ebay, shares, options, and bank accounts...as if this isn't risky enough; all this over ip!
Wasn't it in Neuromancer that some third world nations lost alot through fences due to immature security policies? The protagonist, an early entrepreneur in this exploitation? To give in to temptation and slice a little off himself...to then have his synapses low-level formatted?
Its amazing how many forces are in place to make security-sensitive elements of our life; public, and easily compromised.
By malicious individuals, intervening governments, and oppressive corporations?
Or deceptive marketing tactics, mediocre software engineers, differences in philosophy, and weak standards?
Webpads so efficiently unveiled by Transmeta can only seem to be the first steps toward complete digitization of our hopes and assets.
There is that network solutions/register.com commercial on TV - with the golden testaments and inspirational theme #7 music.
I register my CONTEMPT!
Screw your information campaign.
It still comes down to personal exploitation and the mutation of liberty into a digital certificate.
Its all a menagerie...
Chew on some dirt and plant a tree.
Climb a mountain and buy a cellphone scrambler.
Wrap yourself in electromagnetic silence.
Smell the whif of silicon factories and wince.
Remember the day when answering questions took effort.
And how it made us ask better questions, write better music, and lead more fulfilling lives.
Walking away is like finally hanging up the phone on endless chatter.
Clouds of packets, storms of broadcasts, the thunder of DOS attacks, and the flash of a trojan's call home.
Our hero is lost and far from coming home.
I don't know about you, but I don't see anybody selling web pads. I'm very much looking forward to a nice wireless pad that I can use on my home 802.11 network.
Why am I responding to my own message here? So I can answer two questions at once! :-)
Yes, the screen and it's back may be 1/4" thick, but that doesn't include the touchscreen part. I figure the thickness of the touchscreen media should be a little less than the thickness of the keyboard that we are getting rid of. And I'm ignoring the thickness from the folding part of the Vaio since (IIRC) that is usually on the very end of the unit and adds mainly to the depth of the unit, not to it's thickness.
In my view, the battery thickness is what's going to hurt most of all. You can get the motherboard pretty flat with some work, and depending on how much you want to be able to upgrade it. No upgrade for the RAM? Keen, we can solder it to the motherboard. I don't think we'd need a HD for the OS. It could be in FlashRAM or the system could boot from a CF card (is that possible?).
I would think the Bluetooth would have to be part of the system. I can't imagine creating a webpad and requiring that it be hooked to the Internet via cable. IR is nice, but requires that you have it aimed directly to the recieving port. Nice for sync'ing a PalmOS unit to your laptop, not nice when you want to sit back on the couch and browse the web.
I think that covers it until someone hits me with a Clue-by-4 for something I've missed.
--
I'm a scientist! I don't think, I observe!
After all, Corel got press for all of their "non-annoncements" not because of Cowpland, but because of the Linux connection.
Having said that, the technology is interesting, it has some big money behind it, and it's hitting all the current industry buzzwords (Internet, wireless, Linux ... and it runs Windows!).
I *have* a StrongArm laptop - a NetBook from Psion. (www.psion.com). Still very rare in the U.S., but the coolest portable computer I have ever owned. Instant-on symbian OS, cute little browser, enough pre-loaded software to do some *real work* with the thing, touchscreen instead of touchpad, and a keyboard *just* big enough for real typing.
Everyone who's seen my NetBook wants it. And no, you can't have it. It's MINE!!!
(manical laughter)
- Robin
I wonder how long Linux would run on an iBook? I hope Pat Volkerding et al can find the time to do a PPC port of Slackware sometime soon....
--
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
Throw in the politics that Steve Jobs came back, and really didn't want anything that wasn't MacOS, and it pretty much turns into a situation of having no way of being able to support the product.
You might find some Newtons out there; there may be some useful things to learn from it. Practically speaking, it's now more a curiosity than anything important. Which is fairly regrettable...
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Cool idea. Somewhat similar to the idea I had when I was a kid.. there would be a "computer" inside your watch, but it'd really just be a terminal that'd connect to a server wirelessly.. If we could handle the wireless stuff (allowing for potentially billions of devices to connect to servers simultaneously..), it'd be quite nifty. :) And for people that didn't have or want a computer at home to be their server, there could be a service.. similar to the web-hosting services of today, but instead of paying for hard drive space you'd pay to run your little task on their server. Kind of a cool idea.... :) Pay $10 a month to have a quad G4 in the palm of your hand, running off two AAA's. ;)
The streets shall flow with the blood of the Guberminky.
Would you really want a webpad that is 1/4 inch thick?
I would prefer something from 1/2 to a little over an inch. Think about it. Do you really want a fragile, expensive lcd screen to be thin and flexible?
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
I think the web pad is so darn cute! I'm not certain what application one would have in my business, so I'd better get one and write some apps! The thought of having a wireless transmitter to a Point of Sales server would be interesting... then my waitress might be able to get my order right... regards, Benjamin Carlson
"If voting could really change things, it would be illegal. " - Revolution Books, NY
Ooh, I do hope it a web pad. The pictures I've seen (with /. on the display) look so cool.
-- Superlame http://catpro.dragonfire.net/joshua/
I was wondering if there has been any prices quoted on any of the devices that the crusoe chip is going to be in. Does anyone here know how far along the linux port has come for the processor also?
thanks,
motardo
Gimmie something like a pocket PC, or at least larger, color screens on these cell phones.
I'm gonna wait a while, and stick with my Intermec 6642.
I think that while these low powered CPU's are great, the real solution will be better batteries. 8-12 hours may seem like a long time, but if you want these things to become truly convenient, it will need to be much longer. A new type of battery could extend the life of electronic devices much more than a CPU that takes less power.
Grabbed the market by the balls...
2 months ago...
Lets hope they have another ace up their sleeve
Eh...
what i'd really like to see is a strongarm based laptop - less power consumption than the crusoe and a nice chipset compared to the ugly hack that is x86. who need VLIW when you got a clean RISC with less power consumption ? Linux/ARM rocks too.
Think Apple Newton. Need I say more?
Given PC Expo's current leanings toward corporate and high-end users, it would make more sense for Transmeta to go with Crusoe-powered laptops and leave the Webpads for another time. Besides, the appliance market is still somewhat unproven, while pretty much everybody (myself included) is salivating for a laptop that can last for more than two hours. The laptops are potentially a much better market for Transmeta.
Mike
I would love to install an X server on the webpad and use xterm to admin my box or program those CS projects from the comfort of, well, anywhere.. :) If the webpads do indeed run mobile linux, this should be really easy, right?
Any other ideas?
-A
"We hope to have a variety of interesting and sexy products shipping in high volume in time to be under the Christmas tree," he said.
-----
It's getting all hot and steamy in the handheld industry. People in the lab are drooling in anticipation... just don't tell our significant others about the objects of our fancy. =)
Humorless sig goes here.
Perhaps it's an old problem. When an old boss and friend of mine bought one, it was when the first version came out... I remember him complaining about the batteries running out too quickly on him... perhaps it was defective, but it probably imprinted a bad impression in my mind. =)
Humorless sig goes here.
StrongARM laptop (200MHz) + 640x480 + VGA output +USB+PCMCIA+... Will run Linux RSN :)))
The "advanced link of the day" today is Oleg's Scheme Environments that add a hierarchical data store that consciously remembers NewtonScript "soups," which essentially represent a useful way of throwing "queries" from one place to another.
In contrast, while PalmOS does make pervasive use of persistent data, it doesn't have an equivalent to "soups."
The point here is that while "web slates" and the like may make neat "eye candy," some of the stuff Apple has discarded (and they had to discard Newton; they had lost the ability to maintain it...) is more advanced than some of the fancy things we think are k001 today.
That being said, I carry around a Palm III. Newtons were a bit too expensive, rather large, and, importantly today, the fact that they're complex critters that are not supportable by anyone because the technology was lost makes them unacceptable for future use...
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Forgot the standard disclaimer: IANAEEAIKNASC.
No way, a coked up PC is much more dangerous.
I belive Karma has a Use-by date. It will expire after a certain amount of time. So as you get use to high levels of Karma you have to keep working harder to keep it. Just like drugs really :)
You should be ashamed of yourself for posting such heresy, and trying to excuse it by saying that this is your own opinion. Remember, this is Slashdot - you are entitled to your own opinion, providing it is the same as everyone else's. Please proceed immediately to the nearest correctional facility for a new course of brainwashing. Beware, any similar offences will result in your account being bitchslapped. :-)
just my honest opinion...
IDEO created a prototype webpad for Transmeta - looks pretty cool to me. Check it out:
http://www.ideo.com/studies/transmeta.htm
Well, since my submission has been rejected from the queue, I might as well post this link here, in a relevant topic:
Transmeta's magic show
--The more you know, the less you know.
Palm already makes it. I have had a PalmIIIe special edition for the past 7 months, and I carry it with me everywhere, in my pocket, no neoprene case or anything. And I have not had a problem with it so far.
Don't say I can get a webpad in time for Christmas.
I want one now!!!
Mmmmmm.... Well this is my sig.
Personally, I want something I can leave on a coffee table and not worry about it. Something about a quarter inch (say, the thickness of a CD case) and less than a pound. About a 14" screen.
Does anyone know any size details of any of the upcoming web pads?
--
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
My iBook usually goes between 3 and a quarter to 4 hours as long as I don't run the CD too much.
Scary thought. Hate to see it happen to Transmeta.
Got Rhinos?
"I think that while these low powered CPU's are great, the real solution will be better batteries."
Better batteries would be great for extending running time, but as processor speeds increase, at some point you'll run into a fundamental problem. With such small form factors, these devices are going to have problems dissipating heat.
You could put in a small fan, but the fan takes up space and consumes part of your power budget. Heat pipes are compact and passive, but the heat still has to go somewhere, so they're only good up until the power dissipation is enough to make the case uncomfortably hot. At that point you must reduce power consumption.
It's been posted before that AOL & Gateway threw money at Transmeta for wireless webpads... I'll betcha that's what will appear. No time for links, gotta run.
Score -1: tantalizing, yet lacking real info
(Search for aol & gateway press releases....)
---
In contrast, the point of Transmeta is to design a family of microprocessors. They don't build the boxes to put them in.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
The register reports that Transmeta has now 0.15 micron Crusoe CPUs. This leads to even lower power consumption than anticipated. Maybe with this they will be able to keep up with the new ARMs powerwise and the mobile Athlon performancewise.
I want HAL back there in the back room feeding it the information, and letting me talk to it.
But I won't let HAL control the doors.
We were supposed to have HAL in 1997, and the NewsPad was a piece of toss-off technology so mundane that it should have apparently been old when HAL was new. But we still don't have it, primarily because of display cost. If a big color flatpanel is so expensive, mate it to more electronics and call it a laptop, instead of a mere limited-function display. Besides, Clavius base was SO big in 2001 that it must have been in existance for several years. And here we are flirting with a space station about to fall out of the sky before it's ever really occupied.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
They're established with us geeks, but the rest of the world doesn't know who they are.
Got Rhinos?
If Transmeta makes one, I'll buy it.
Maybe. :o)
Got Rhinos?
If your Palm has low battery life, you either have a broken device or bad batteries. I've owned two different Palms (Pilot 5000 and IIIe). The first one lasted several (>6) weeks on a pair of AAAs. The second one still has the original batteries in it three months after I bought it--and they are only about 30% used.
Clearly these results depend on usage patterns, but even if you used your 10 times more than I do you should be getting multi-week uptimes.
--
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