User Review of Transmeta-Based Aquapad

An Anonymous Coward writes: "Remember when dot.com's were profitable and webpads were these cool little toys that were going to explode? Well that never happened but it seems like at least one company has actually come out with a Midori Linux webpad...called the Aquapad - looks kind of cool but only uses flash memory, so no storage :( I don't know if it would really be worth getting, but it looks like fun."

Comments

This just in...

[Tregod]

Aqua pad floats in water! (not recommended)

No storage - but Wireless access point.....

[Sonicboom]

"A developers kit accompanied this AquaPad which included an 802.11b WLAN Access Point, and 802.11b Cisco Aironet 350 Series PCMCIA card.
"
It can be effectively used as a dumb term - all storage would be on the server side.

Re:No storage - but Wireless access point.....

[pacc]

And a microdrive compatible compact flash slot gives you at least 1Gb, does that count?

The Aquaman of Web Appliances.

[Lemmy Caution]

Just like Aquaman. Pretty much useless in almost every environment.

Storage:

[ImaLamer]

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2001/microdrive .html

Besides, I want one. This web-pad sounds too cool.

This is the sort of thing I've wanted for years.

No Storage... wrong.

[Arimus]

Actually reading the review they say that the CF slot does support the IBM Microdrives... <OT> wonder if IBM remember the Sinclair Spectrum Microdrives?</OT>.

Looking at the device it does look rather nice and given it's underlying OS is Linux the potential for getting to do things its not designed for probably won't be too much effort.

Suggested use, tie it in with a RF locator and web based map of large campus style corporate headquaters and visitors (or employees) need never get lost again ;>

Re:No Storage... wrong.

[garcia]

it also comes w/a PCMCIA slot. You can get TWO microdrives in there then. The IBM drive comes w/a PCMCIA card that you can plug in to read it on laptop's or desktop's w/the PCI adapter.

2G seems plenty for a web pad.

Re:No Storage... wrong.

[BrookHarty]

Noticed the screenshots ran IceWM as its window manager. Rather easy for non unix users to understand and start using also.

Re:No Storage... wrong.

[_Sprocket_]

It might be worth noting that you can save SOME data without external storage. I wrote a few odd text files just for giggles and they seem to be stored on the internal flash memory. And configuration changes manage to survive between boots. But, of course, I doubt there is a whole lot of available space.

Of course, I've had no problem using CF cards. Next week, I'll be customizing a Midori build and booting off the external flash card.

Re:No Storage... wrong.

[Eil]

If you really wanted to be cool, you could add yet a third drive by opening it up and swapping out that one 32MB CF memory card that the OS is held on. From there it would be trivial to copy the OS over to the microdrive and enable the saving of data to the internal hard drive itself.

3G seems like it would be fun for a web pad. :) Store an X-Files episode for on the go!

Cost

[Denito]

Interesting device..
The review doesn't seem to say anything about cost, but Aquapad.org are selling Linux version for 700 bucks. (plus access point if you don't have one)
One thing I don't understand is why it cant view hotmail.com. They say it must be a mozilla problem, but aren't you Mozilla users able to get to Hotmail?

lol

[Zanek]

Has Trasmeta actually produced anything to this day that rivaled the hype surrounding their appearance on the scene ?
No.
This aquapad sounds like it would make an excellent liner for my bird cage

Re:lol

[Eil]

Well tough guy, if you were around to witness it, you'd note that any hype generated by Transmeta was a side-effect of their NDA that applied to their employees and anybody who got to view the technology before release. They could NOT spend four years building their new processor from scratch while telling the world about it, or Intel would have simply thrown money at them (in the form of lawers or competition) to make them go away. That's called a trade secret. That's called business.

Second, Transmeta did not produce the AquaPad, a company called FIC did. But of course, one would have to actually read the article to find that out...

the conclusions...

[bob@dB.org]

if you have better things to do then to read 7 long pages of review...

We have presented a lot of information about a relatively simple device, and as there are not really any mobile devices on the market, we have largely been comparing the AquaPad against computing solutions consumers are likely to be using such as notebooks and desktops. In that regard, the Midori Linux based AquaPad has its limitations, but they are not unworkable. As a mobile platform to browse the web the AquaPad functions well - most major websites that deliver content, or news, are built using the most widely acceptable programing. With the exception of Hotmail, we had no difficulties exploring CNN, or TransmetaZone for example.

Multimedia or artistic websites that make use of Java or Shockwave present a hurdle for the AquaPad, so that is something to be aware of. However, support for RealAudio applications like streaming audio or video, and Flash5 is superb, so I guess it's a bit of a trade off.

With its 500MHz Crusoe processor, the AquaPad seemed well equipped to handle the variety of tasks we threw at it, and users who have never used Linux before will be comforted by the Windows-like user interface. The screen size is good for most of the websites on the web at the moment, but as webpages move away from the 800x600 pixel screen support to the larger and more common 1024x768 resolutions, the AquaPad may find itself outsized. For the moment, this is not a problem however.

Probably the neatest thing about the AquaPad was its ability to remotely update the OS over the internet. Battery life is good at just over 3 hours for average web surfing, but placing the DC power port (along with the USB and headphone jacks) behind the small door was awkward. I personally would have preferred to see these ports in a recessed area or along one edge protected by rubberized covers than the fold-down hard plastic port cover used.

The unit is comfortable to hold, and the magnesium alloy casing offers a tough alternative to what would otherwise be plastic. I especially like the little spot to hold the stylus, and found the on screen keyboard acceptable in terms of speed for entering in URL addresses.

Memory is one area I think FIC could improve upon. Including a Compact Flash card with the AquaPad would be one step in the right direction, but perhaps switching out the OS's CF card for an IBM microdrive would be even better, even with Linux. FIC tell us that the versions with Windows 98/ME/2000 make us of an internal microdrive however.

While we used the AquaPad extensively for web surfing and streaming audio playback during our evaluation, the problems gaining access into Hotmail limited its use to us a mobile platform for email. An integrated email client would be an interesting addition for the device to support, especially if the memory card was included.

There really is no one line summary that we can make about the AquaPad because its uses are so varied and depend on what each individual user requires. In terms of surfing, 80% of websites we tested it on had no problems and the pages were displayed correctly. Audio quality through the speaker was so so, but via the headphones excellent. The LCD panel was easy to read and bright enough for an office environment, and the touch screen is quite user friendly once you get accustomed to it. Whether or not the AquaPad is right for you, and your intended applications is up to you, but FIC definitely have something interesting here with this little blue magnesium device, and it is sure to turn heads!

2.5 lbs?

[jezzball]

How is this unit with an 8.4" screen 2.5 lbs?

And only 3.0 hours of battery life? Out of a Crusoe?

It seems as if this unit fits right into where no one would want one - a tablet that weighs as much as a light laptop, is smaller, can do less, and doesn't last any longer.

Am I missing something?

Midori Linux?

[ukryule]

Is this the only current device using Midori Linux?

It's all gone rather quite since Midori first was announced last year - and the In Use page on their website has only 2 broken links and this device.

It seems a bit odd that they seem to be ignoring the (large) potential PDA & Mobile phone market in favour of webpads.

Incidentally, the Familiar Project is chugging along quite nicely producing a decent Linux PDA OS (for the iPaq only ATM)

Re:Midori Linux?

[dublin]

Pre-production versions of the SonicBlue/FrontPath ProGear webpad ran Midori Linux, but that may have changed. (I tested one of the preproduction units and worked with the people doing the Linux work - I know they considered Slackware, too, and am not sure what they finally settled on.)

It was a nice unit in many ways: it even supported an internal 2.5" HD, so you could cram 20 GB or so into it if you wanted to. The major problem (at least with the early units) was that it was relatively fragile - not really tough enough to survive the treatment such a unit gets in the real world, and it nneded help on the input front, as most such Linux-based devices do. (Why the various companies working to do this don't pool their resources an do it RIGHT, I still don't know - as it is, everyone hacks up thier own pretty much useless rehash of bad on-screen keyboards and, if they're ambitious, text recognizers.)

Still, I want a webpad far more than I want a new laptop: The simple fact is that even a mediocre webpad is 10x more useful than a good laptop for the things most people do, especially if outfitted to provide "instant-on" access via wireless networking. (Sadly, the "instant-on" part is one area where CE has a decided advantage, even as totally brain-dead as it is...)

I think most of the problem here is that web pad manufacturers are trying to build devices that can be both a wireless browser *and* a laptop replacement, driving up costs and ensuring that they do neither job very well. A wireless, browser-only box (or even a remote Terminal Services box using Microsoft's RDP) would sell for those many of us that would like to treat the web more like a book and not be tied to a desk while reading. Sorry folks, but Microsoft's RDP is a FAR better protocol choice than something like VNC for a device like this. RDP is actually excellent, and it would be nice to see open source RDP servers and clients for other OSes. Try the two side by side, and you'll see what I mean. I've done just that with my Epods webpad: RDP is quite usable, while VNC is far slower than dialup (although in fairness the CE VNC client is pretty bad.)

Pricing? Midori Linux vs. WinCE?

[GregGardner]

I find it interesting that if you follow the link in the review to a place where you can preorder one of these devices: www.aquapad.org, the pricing is $700 for both the Midori Linux version and the WinCE version. Doesn't it cost money for the WinCE license? And does it not cost money for the Midori Linux license (GPL)?

I guess this is just one reseller's version of the pricing. Maybe they are just taking a bigger margin on the Linux version. Too bad they don't pass the savings onto the consumer.

Re:Pricing? Midori Linux vs. WinCE?

[_Sprocket_]

Pocket Word doesn't strike me as being all that amazing an application. I'll have to poke around with it more. But my initial impression was a slightly more featureful text editor... something along the lines of WordPad. I'll have to look at it again and pay closer attention.

The WinCE Aquapad also includes a third-party Excel and Powerpoint viewer. What it doesn't include is the more advanced handwriting recognition application(s).

The included PenPower application (also on the Midori Linux version) seemed very rudimentary to me. Although... again... I really need to play with it more to be fair.

Like you, I wonder if this affects the licensing cost.

hmm, sounds good for...

[supernova87a]

So you say the aquapad has no hard drive, or document storage system?

Sounds perfect for the busy Enron executive on the go...

Fujitsu's Pen Tables

[Redking]

Now, these machines look real nice!

Me,

What's the use?

[boopus]

I had to admit I didn't make it all the way through the review of this particular model, but... The question that always comes to mind is what people are actualy going to use these for. UPS uses a "web pad" of sorts, and it seems to work very well for them, but that's a single use machine. The only real use I can see for these is when they are going to be deployed to do one thing, and have custom applications designed to do their one thing well.

Why? Because there isn't any decent way to get text into them. You can tap out characters on a screen, but that isn't the same as typing, and gets frusterating quickly.

Would it be cool to grab your web pad out of it's charging cradle and relax on the couch? Yes. Untill you decide you want to respond to the guy badmouthing the whole webpad concept on slashdot and try to type a response.

That being said, the lack of storage seems like a good thing, as there really aren't any uses for these that don't involve a network, that's why they're called a webpad.

In the end the geek in me will win, and I'll probably own one... But not untill they're on tigerdirect/ebay for $150.

Re:What's the use?

[aussersterne]

...there isn't any decent way to get text into the them. You can tap out characters on a screen, but that isn't the same as typing, and gets frustrating quickly.

There are very nice handwriting recognition systems for other operating systems, just not for Linux. I used Calligrapher for Windows CE (now bought by Microsoft and renamed to Transcriber) and used it to take notes all through college. I was able to scribble fast enough to keep up with professors and accuracy was better than 90-95%, more than enough to make readable notes. When I got my BA, I had >300 printed pages of notes which had been written by hand and recognized in real-time into Pocket Word documents.

My current PDA is a Newton 2100, which I would say gets about 99.5% accuracy for me (it actually "learns" your handwriting as you use it, getting better over time) and I e-mail and post to Usenet with it all the time. I don't even think about it; I never have to bring up the tap-tap keyboard, even for punctuation or unusual symbols like umlauts in German.

For Linux, unfortunately, there isn't anything comparable to either of these handwriting recognizers. I owned a Fujitsu Stylistic and installed Linux+KDE on it on a 12GB drive for a brief moment. I thought I was going to use it as my main computer, only plugging a keyboard into the PS/2 port when I needed to to extensive data entry. Unfortunately, I gave up and sold it because the only Linux-based pen input I could find at all was xscribble, a horrible implementation of Palm's Graffiti, and much less helpful for serious use than Calligrapher/Transcriber under CE or Rosetta/Paragraph under Newton, meaning that with the Stylistic+Linux, I had to have the keyboard plugged in all the time to be useful.

Natural handwriting recognition exists, and it works, quickly and accurately. Just because Palm users or Linux users have never seen it doesn't mean it's not there.

"Vertical markets"

[psocccer]

I think they're right, for the most part webpads are ahead of their time in the consumer market. I know I'd like one, but I've also got 3 pc's and a wireless lan, not exactly average.

I do believe that their right on the mark though about the so called "Vertical Markets." I can think of many uses for this in industrial applications. I think it'd be great for things like physical inventory, instead of sending out hordes of people to count inventory and report back on sheets to be keyed in the main system to be reconciled, they could just walk the floor with these and eliminate the data punching. Or for replacing pick tickets for order fullfillment, no more printing and it could even show mass-overstock locations in a warehouse so if the shelf is empty the picker doesn't need to look up the overstock location.

Basically I could see it used anywhere there is a need for information on demand, allowing the users to be untied from their PC connection to the mainframe system, so they can get the info they want when they need it, instead of going back and forth. If priced right, it could easily show an ROI quickly in reduced labor and increased productivity. Especially good in times like this where the economy is bad and things like hardware distribution are already low-margin businesses at best.

Since it's basically a computer with not harddrive, all that's needed is a little gateway programming, and if done right that could spill easily into enabling things like the SPT-1700 wireless scanning palm pilots. The webpad could be used for more interactive applications where the added screen space would benefit, and the SPT-1700 could fill in where scanning and minor keypunching is needed, especially receiving product on the docks. No more keying item codes, just scan barcodes and the system can automatically do the recieving!

I can't wait until these things start coming down in price and commodity so they become a viable option for medium sized business.

GPS!

[Perdo]

This thing is dieing for GPS. Current GPS handheld's maps are too small and no on likes to mount their laptop to the dash. Imagine Taxis, UPS, and Fire/Police with these including the connection so dispatchers could remotely tag the drivers map.

How about an Aquapad vs Mira review?

[BrookHarty]

Microsoft has a computer pad called the Mira, its not really a PC, but uses winxp's built in terminal services to allow you to view video/audio and surf the web. Heres a link for the Mira

I think the kids could use a Aqua as a seperate computer, they could use it for IM, Email, Web, maybe attach a keyboard or some kind of docking station when they need to use it for more indepth work. If the prices where right, and could beat a 300-400 dollar computer system from pricewatch then I could see myself buying it. Unless its a geek impluse buy for myself. :)

Even thou people are working on portable hardware, the remote desktop control is either TightVNC or MS Remote Desktop. And M$ Remote desktop is much quicker, plays video, audio and games over a lan network. Not knocking tightvnc, I use it on my unix and solaris boxes. Good thing the Aquapad runs WinXP, that will secure some good sales in the non-linux markets.

-
If I had to sum up in one word what makes a good manager, I'd say decisiveness. You can use the fanciest computers to gather the numbers, but in the end you have to set a timetable and act. - Lee Iacocca

Writing a flame hard, pushing a button easy

[stud9920]

Would it be cool to grab your web pad out of it's charging cradle and relax on the couch? Yes. Untill you decide you want to respond to the guy badmouthing the whole webpad concept on slashdot and try to type a response.

Modding you down using my Aquapad ain't that hard, though.

Re:32MB ROM, 128MB RAM??

[MisterBlister]

This one caught my eye. My first question is: Why would the device need 128MB RAM, four times the amount of ROM? Does Midori Linux really need that much room to maneuver? Just seems a bit excessive, to me, since Mac OS X is about 20 times larger, yet requires significantly less that 128MB (without pageouts) with a bunch of apps open.

The Midori, like most palm-type systems, doesn't have a harddrive (yes, you can add one of those IBM MicroDrives via the PCMCIA port, but its not standard). So where do you think your apps (other than those bundled in the ROM) are going to live? What about your data (mp3s, text files, whatever you use the pad to create)?

Probably in that 128MB of RAM.

Possible Uses

[Selanit]

This could be very useful in a large networked environment, for monitoring system status on your servers remotely. It wouldn't even require modification of the system, if your server has "statu page" accessible by web browser. Alternatively, you could use VNC and get the added benefit of not only monitoring your server remotely, but being able to perform system maintenance remotely.

I suppose the VNC scenario would depend on a couple of things:

1. Input problems. Can that stylus/on-screen keyboard be used quickly enough once you get used to them? Having to carry around a USB keyboard all the time would put a serious dent in its usefulness for remote administration.
2. Using the VNC server's built-in web server, which has permission to serve up one single page containing a Java applet that hooks into VNC to allow web-based control, might be a problem. Looks like the review had a hard time getting Java to work properly in Mozilla.
3. Using VNC like this might open up some security concerns, particularly if you're a large company. Under ordinary circumstances, you can tunnel VNC through SSH to increase its security, but I don't think that would work in this case without modifying the aquapad in such a way that Mozilla could understand SSH. Still, if you have the know-how that can be done -- ain't open-source great?

If you're a bit more daring, I bet you could modify this in such a way as to make it a nice, portable media outlet. It's got an MP3 player already. It'd take some doing, but you could make it capable of streaming movies over the network also. 802.11b's 11-megabit pipe is fine for DivX-encoded movies. (Note: the thing's OS is flash-based. If you try making modifications and screw it up . . . it wasn't my idea! Unless you are a Linux Guru, capable of causing device drivers to rewrite themselves by sheer force of will, it's probably best to leave well enough alone.)

One hopes that future versions might include 1) a hard drive, for example an IBM microdrive, which would make fiddling with the OS's guts a lot simpler and safer. Note that the article says the Windows CE version already uses a microdrive -- so maybe you could get a windows version, wipe it, and install Linux? 2) USB 2.0 instead of 1.1. 3) *Integrated* 802.11b, so you could use that PCMCIA slot for something else.

Finally -- that green-haired chick that serves as Midori's emblem is cool. I wonder what she's looking at. Perhaps she is looking down at Tux, and wondering how it is that she came to be co-starring with a penguin.

Re:Possible Uses

[_Sprocket_]

One hopes that future versions might include 1) a hard drive, for example an IBM microdrive, which would make fiddling with the OS's guts a lot simpler and safer. Note that the article says the Windows CE version already uses a microdrive -- so maybe you could get a windows version, wipe it, and install Linux?

The WinCE aquapad that I have doesn't include a microdrive. I think that's a reference to Win9x/XP versions. Having said that... both the WinCE and Midori Linux devices happily use compact flash. Buy your own microdrive.

3) *Integrated* 802.11b, so you could use that PCMCIA slot for something else.

I completely agree there. Sure, the aquapad is fine using a microdrive or CF card. But they really shine one they're hanging off a wireless network.

You can use USB disk drives with this!

[tftp]

The device has USB ports, and usb-storage module is fairly stable. The USB 1.1 is not very fast, but 1 MBps should be enough for this little webpad...

They also say that you can connect keyboard and mouse through the USB too; this makes it a decent portable system, not a notebook but something like Palm Pilot with cradle, keyboard, charger etc. etc.

This surely can be used in vertical markets, but no vertical market will want this *consumer* device. In real world (on factory floor, in shipping etc.) the portable terminals must be much more rugged to survive the abuse. This one has *no chance*, and I worked in that industry. A terminal usually must survive 10 hours fully submerged in water (while turned on and working), or work after 4 feet drop on concrete, or work at minus temperatures for freezer use, etc.

The most likely user I can think of is a lazy geek who ate so much pizza that he can't get to his computer!

What you fail to appreciate ...

[King Of Chat]

... is that these things are for performing useful tasks. They are for managers/executives to produce on trains, at conferences etc. - anywhere where they might impress someone. I've seen my previous manager on a half-hour train journey get out his laptop, PDA and cellphone. Saldy, he's completely incapable of using any of them.

(bukkake)

Re:What you fail to appreciate ...

[King Of Chat]

Bugger. I missed out a "not" - as in "these things are not for performing useful tasks".

That's what comes of trying to get a quick post in before a meeting.

Since when?

[Agent Green]

An Anonymous Coward writes: "Remember when dot.com's were profitable...

Where was I when this was happening???

Re:Since when?

[Geoff]

Where was I when this [profitable dotcoms] was happening???

I believe it's a typo. The quote should read: "Remember when speculating in dotcoms was profitable?"

Compare Midori Linux/Transmeta to WinXP tablet PC

[PhrozenF]

If any of you happen to have seen Microsoft's announcement and demo of Windows XP (Tablet PC Edition), you would easily be able to figure out why this..the Aquapad won't be succesful, when compared to Windows XP tablet PC...All small mistakes...

In all portable devices, three things matter the most on the usability side...

"data exchangeability"...
"binaries/Software availability"....
"Data Input methods/GUI"....

And these three matter the most on the "Device feasibility" side..

"size/weight"...
"battery life"....
"variety/installed base".....

Now...looking at the midori/transmeta combo, sure..it has x86 Linux binary compatibility...nice...but what Tablet PC type apps are there on Linux.....is there a single office suite specifically modified for that purpose? Any proper handwriting recognition tool? Any Ink manager? All these apps/APIs will have to be built and standardized before you expect such a device/platform to become popular.

As apps that run on the Tablet PC edition are exactly the same that run on the PCs, and add support fot he INK API that runs as a service on WinXP tablet PC (handwriting recognition), the data generated is exactly compatible to the one on PC apps..full compatibility...

Look at the advantages the Crusoe offers....the whole platform offers around 20% of battery life saving over others..but at the cost of a 40% performance hit..as proved by many benchmarks all around....

Building a simple 600 MHz PIII mobile platform for a tablet PC, is just fine to defeat the crusoe...as it runs almost as long as the crusoe...provides much more power...and is a more commonplace platform with widely adopted production base....making it easier for OEMs to start on that track....and make TabletPC devices...

Size...same.....variety...LOADS....everybody will be making them.....

My advice...first make proper software..then think of hardware to put it onto...not the other way around......

Hardware can be modded to suit specs more easily than software nowadays....OEMS and fabricators offer you the capability to do all that for much lower costs than you had to invest in the past....

Who do you think makes PDAs for Handspring...? Not them....it's a company called Flextronics....the same guys who make the XBOX for microsoft...

I don't understand the point...

[FastT]

I don't understand why manufacturers spend so much time and effort making bad design choices with pad-type mobile computers. Why not just take a standard high-end laptop, put a touch screen where the keyboard is, and bundle a top-flight handwriting recognition package with it? Why is it any more complicated than this? I see great opportunities for people who are in the laptop market to buy such a variant--it makes much more sense if the machine will be used in social situations, or in vertical markets.

Web pads for that time of the month

[Ukab the Great]

The perfect name for a web pad powered by free software: the StayFree Pad.

Unfortunately I think there might be a few too many copyright issues involved.

build your own

[Lumpy]

Go to ebay, search for tablet pc or pen pc.

get one of the toshiba models 1000,2200 perferabaly
install linux
install a 802.11b card.

get the same thing for less than 1/2 the price of this webpad, and run kde with an aqua theme.

you now have something better, more configurablem and massively cheaper.

sorry but webpads are never going to sell until they can get one in my hands for less than $199.00 and no service charges, works with your own home network.

and we all know that will never happen.

Re:Cool, but..

[HeUnique]

They stopped making it - there wasn't any demand for it - sure, it looks cool, but if it doesn't sell well - whats the point?

You can still buy them at eBay...

Profitable?!?

[Amigori]

Were dot.coms really profitable? Or are you just remembering the days were VC's were making poor investments in very, very risky, long-term business plans.

Re:Profitable?!?

[geekoid]

Bt profitable, they mean able to pay there employess salaries, and lunch, and cokes, and foosball table, and a fleet of company cars, and let them play quake for half the day.
And yet, there where suprised when they couldn't get Another 20million out of a VC.
The only thing that pisses me off is I couldn't get a piece of that action, I could of poduced something that made no money just as well as the next guy!

Re:Web pads will never be as good as the real thin

[jgerman]

With jokes like that, somehow I doubt you're getting women to your real pad. jk ;)

No use for southpaws

[notfancy]

Pray tell me just how do you use it if you are left-handed?

So simple: design it so it's direction-neutral, add a pair of accelerometers to detect the direction in which you're holding it, and modify the display driver to swap the screen accordingly. Voilà! Plus, you have portrait- and landscape-mode for free.

There's no mercy for us lefties in this world...

--Matías

Re:3-hour is impressive

[Enry]

Rrrright. My IBM Thinkpad T20 gets at least 90 minutes on battery with the wireless card in it, but if I close the lid and fire up an MP3 player (for plane flights) I can get 3 hours out of it. Two batteries gets me cross-country.

A similar Dell I had got me 60 minutes on battery no matter what I did. Similar specs, except the Dell was 100Mhz faster (800 instead of 700Mhz).

Flash != storage??

[Invisible Agent]

"...looks kind of cool but only uses flash memory, so no storage"

Um, so what is flash memory if not storage? The site is currently Slashdotted, so I can't read the review, but flash memory is useful only as storage (excepting flash ICs that support execute-in-place).

Do you mean that it doesn't have very much flash?

Re:Flash != storage??

[Royster]

It means that the flash is cramfs which is mounted read-only. Sure you can write an entire new disk image by reflashing the device (and the article, had you taken the time to read it, tells how they did that) but you can't mount it R/W and expect it to work.

General use niche product

[_Sprocket_]

I was interested in the device as it offers the right interface for data entry to our medical practice data automation project. But then... that's more of the niche application that you were refering to.

But that's not to say having a couple of Aquapads to kick around hasn't been fun. It is really a great form factor for browsing web pages from the couch. I tossed the device to my wife with a set of headphones and she curled up on the couch listening to streams from mp3.com. I'll have to try watching some movies next (off of my own server). And perhapse some simple email management.

Sure. The input is a bit limited. It took me a few clicks to get used to pulling up the keyboard or writing app (and the PenPower app included with both WinCE and Linux seems almost useless - but to be fair, I haven't tried it too much). But then, that's the form factor. And maybe that's the key. A webpad is a niche product even in general use.

Webpads are about portable access to data - and more about consuming data than generating it. Desktops provide the best bang for the buck in general computing. Laptops provide good portable general computing. PDAs provide even more portability of data (though not very suitable devices for general computing). Webpads weigh in somewhere between the laptop and the PDA.

I give that thing 3 months life

[pinkpineapple]

Pretty useless stuff as many people have already pointed out.

When I think about graphic tablet, I wonder how people deal with finger prints all over the screen. It is funny because the photo advertising this useless device has even finger prints on it. Bad photographer, bad!

PPA, the girl next door.

Re:good for meetings - especially with WLAN

[SomeOtherGuy]

>> ). I just wonder how long the batteries last before they need recharging....

Well the company advertises a battery life of 3 hours. So my best bet would be anything over 2 1/2 hours would be an act of nature, a miracle for all to see....Hell, I have a guy here who swears that the same AA has been powering his wall clock for 30 20 Years :)

Anyway -- Even at 3 hours, thats a long way from being really usable.

Not useless

[geekoid]

I can think of a dozen good uses off the top of my head, the real problem is cost. The cost vs usefullnes ration is about 150 -200 dollars.
Its probably not possible to do at that price, but thats what it needs to sell for.

Aquapad is a platform, not a product.

[_Sprocket_]

If any of you happen to have seen Microsoft's announcement and demo of Windows XP (Tablet PC Edition), you would easily be able to figure out why this..the Aquapad won't be succesful, when compared to Windows XP tablet PC...

Of course... you're assuming the Aquapad can't run Windows XP, Tablet PC Edition. If it runs on an x86 platform, it can run on the Aquapad. Stating that the Aquapad will be a failure because of Windows is simular to claiming all FIC's motherboards will fail because you saw one being used to run Linux.

FIC is producing a white box tablet PC. They have no intention of selling them to the public. Instead, they want to produce a platform on which OEMs can brand their own product. Those products may include WinCE, WinXP, Linux... or something completely new.

One other point - Crusoe's performance hit isn't likely to be as bit an issue as you portray. So far, its managed to keep up with all the tasks I would expect out of a web pad. I don't expect to do a lot of compiling or 3D gaming / modeling with one. And its managing to run a lot cooler than my modern laptop.

Exploding toys...

[Art Tatum]

Remember when dot.com's were profitable and webpads were these cool little toys that were going to explode?

You mean, like trick cigars?