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Fully-functional Miniature Notebook Planned

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the better-faster-smaller dept.

florin writes "Check out this upcoming extremely cool micro-sized notebook from Microsoft-cofounder Paul Allen's company Vulcan (who were previously mentioned on Slashdot some time ago). Despite being small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, this is a fully blown x86-compatible computer capable of running Windows XP - or, presumably, a Unix of one's choice. Featuring an 800x480 pixel display, 256 MB of memory, sound, USB2, WLAN and optional Bluetooth, GPRS/CDMA or Firewire, this is far more than just another PDA, yet still small enough to carry with you at all times." Looks really cool, but I wouldn't plan on using full typing speed on it's tiny keys.

3 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Dunno... by isaace · · Score: 5, Informative
    From a USA Today article on the Vulcan:

    "Though pricing will be left to the companies that ultimately put their name on the device, Vulcan estimates its cost at $1,200 to $1,500."

    Full article available here.

  2. IBM already did it by soupforare · · Score: 5, Informative

    Bow down to your one and true Master, fellow nerds
    The PC110 was, and until this M$ thingee comes out, is the smallest laptop ever made.
    Now, they go for insane amounts of money on ebay. As a 486, she goes for more cash than the pentium Librettos do
    I'm a huge palmtop fan (HPLX/Amity/Libretto/etc), and if this new thing is priced right, I'd be interested... but it'll probably suck :/

    Yet more proof that anything anyone has ever done, IBM did first

    --
    --- Do you believe in the day?
  3. As a former Psion 5mx owner... by OwnerOfWhinyCat · · Score: 5, Informative

    I can state for a fact it is possible to learn to touch-type on these little keyboards, but this is greatly affected by keyboard travel and the keyshapes giving good positioning feedback.

    On a regular keyboard I can break 80 words per minute pretty easily (up until about 2 a.m.), and on the Psion I was able to average about 25 w.p.m. with some considerable practice. The Psion however was designed with good keytravel, and the chopped pyramid keystyle gave comfortable tactile feedback as to how my hands were positioned.

    The essential ingredient to getting the speed up was increase one's (right to left) hand tilt to about 45 degrees and learn to stike the keys a little more with the outside edges of your fingers. The extra tilt works like the arms of an old manual typwriter letting typing elements that are normally to fat for the space they have to share swing into each other's flight paths to share (in the typewriter case a single spot) a smaller space.

    I would strongly caution anyone who needs typing speed against purchasing this online. Go to whatever computer store might stock such a thing and make sure that the tactile and positioning feedbacks are going to be sufficient for your needs. This will probably be at least a $1000 toy, so no-one is going to begrudge you a few 30 minute sessions standing in their store playing with it.