Incredible Shrinking PC

Lawrence_Bird writes "Reuters is reporting that IBM is set to announce next week a prototype PC called a 'metapad' 5"x3"x0.75". 128Mb Ram, 10GB, and an 800 Mhz cpu. Understand this is a module that can be plugged into other devices, such as a LCD screen or docking station. "

Comments

A 10-gigaBIT hard drive?

[pomakis]

The article actually claims that the unit has a 10-gigaBIT hard drive. I wonder if that was a mistake, or an intentional marketing ploy to make it sound more impressive than it actually is.

Bizarre article, interesting device

[PhotoGuy]

I think this is an excellent idea. I move back and forth between work daily, and it always seems wasteful to carry a laptop, when all I really need is my data/os/environment moved, and not all the peripherals, screen, keyboard. I'm not using them in the car.

I realize this was for Yahoo Finance, and not exactly aimed at the SlashDot crowd, but seriously:

that runs at 800 megahertz, or 800 million cycles per second.

Sheeesh. Like explaining that 800 megahertz is 800 million cycles per second is going to clue folks in with such valuable information. "Gawrsh, that's a lot of cycles per second." :-)

And IBM's statements seem weird:

Ocheltree said IBM doesn't have specific plans to sell the prototype, which could be ready for market in few years.

Ready for the market in a few years??? In a few years, this thing should be *way* obsolete, with tiny pocket computers more powerful than our desktops of today. This thing would be useful and interesting today, not a year from now.

IBM is talking to computer makers and customers about how it could be used, he said.
``We're trying to understand how people would use it and interact with it,'' Ocheltree said.

I thought IBM had top notch people in usability, market research, laptop design, and so on. It seems strange to hear them say "we have this cool technology, but we're not sure how people would use it." I can think of a dozen ways it could be turned into a useful product. I guess it's good that they're asking the industry, but it sounds like these guys are a bit directionless, and will end up deliverying too little, way too late.

Too bad, I'd likely buy one of these if it were available today.

-me

Where are *your* priorities?

[Tenebrious1]

Bah, that's a load of BS. Where are your priorties? If you want to spend more time with your kids, then do so, don't sit there and complain about being too busy.

I get paid way less than I should because I turn my pager off on weekends. I don't put in any overtime unless it's critical. Yeah, I'm not living the high life, and not going to have much when it comes to retirement funds, but the important thing to me is that I enjoy my time with my son, NOW. Once he's grown, I'll probably have to work much harder and longer to make up for lost time, but that's just money. You can't make up lost time with your kids.

I don't have a GHz computer at home, I don't drive a Benz, I don't own a big house, I can't buy the latest gadets. But I do take my son out hiking and camping on weekends. That's where my priorites are. Think about yours...