Sony/Transmeta Video Laptop

Polo writes "Sony has a new small-sized transmeta powered PCG-GT1 laptop with a stronger focus on video. The lcd screen reverses and [swivels] for easier shooting. With so much hardware support required, I wonder if linux drivers will be difficult to implement. Interesting camera/pc convergence stuff (besides that, with hard drive costs coming down so far, its probably a good idea. Definitely looks like fun. Here's a ZD Net Review where they aren't so hot on a slightly different transmeta vaio. (not the one with the crazy sidemounted video camera)

Comments

Picturebooks are already out for intel

[jandrese]

YOu can already get a picturebook with an intel processor, We have a couple of them at work. Here are my impressions:

• This thing is tiny. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's less than 1/4 the size of my Dell laptop (Latitude CPx--with the batteries that explode).
• The Screen is wierd, with only about 1/2 the height of a normal screen (resolultion is 1024x384 or something), so you are constantly panning up and down the screen.
• Ours is loud, although I think it might be a misfeature of the particular laptop we have, the little beastie has a high pitched incessant whine while it is running.
• The camera is neat, quality is on par with Indycams and the like, the built in software lets you add all kinds of useless effects to the picture, we never use it.
• There are apparently linux drivers for the camera, although I don't have the link handy.
• Battery life is pretty pathetic if you don't get the external battery add-on. We usually just have to leave the thing plugged in whenever we want to use it.
• These machines are so thin they only have one type II PCMCIA slot, which leads to lots of swapping (naturally type III cards are out of the question).
• The Picturebook is also among the lightest laptop I have ever used, it is literally no problem to carry this thing around, unlike my aformentioned Dell (especially with both batteries installed).

Overall they are pretty neat little boxes, although a little small for everyday use (the keyboard is a bit cramped as well, but the pointer does have three buttons--unusual for a laptop). I'd recommend them for people who absolutely need to have the smallest fully functional latptop possible (and who have small fingers).

I found a much better picture, and article

[Kwelstr]

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001016/tc/sony_p c_dc_1.html This picture shows the full camera and has a more detailed explanation