Slashdot Mirror
Hand-Sized Antelope Windows PC To Debut
securitas writes "CNet's Michael Kanellos reports on start-up Antelope Technologies' plans to launch its Modular Computing Core (MCC) next week. The 'full-fledged Windows [XP] computer that measures 3 inches by 5 inches' is based on the IBM Meta Pad, which Antelope Technologies licensed from IBM. Priced at $3,970, it's expected that the MCC will be primarily for corporate fleets, where mobility is a requirement. Antelope's MCC was previously mentioned on Slashdot, and it seems that the company has beat competitor OQO to real product status. Will the Nimbel V5 be next?"
The 'full-fledged Windows [XP] computer that measures 3 inches by 5 inches
That'd be the world's smallest space heater.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
How big is an Antelope's Hand? Just a little bigger than a jackalope's buttock?
CTRL-ALT-DEL
I thought we were going metric. First they start measuring storage in Libraries of Congress (LoC), now they're measuring PC sizes in antelope hands. And here I thought they had hooves. Anyway, what would an antelope need a PC for?
You have this small box thing which you put in a cradle to connect to a monitor -> This is your desktop. To become mobile you insert the small box into a PDA shaped thingie -> This is your notebook/palmtop. Why the hell did they not just integrate the small box into their PDA receptacle, making it probably overall smaller and then run the PDA in a cradle as your Desktop PC???
I have been following this off and on for a few months now. It is still a little immature for it to truely make big gains in the market (at least in my opinion). The system throttles performance of the processor down to pda speeds when on battery (i.e. about 400mHz). When on battery, it still only has an expected battery life of 3-4 hours. Laptops get easily as much battery power and they have a huge display as well as run at usually around 800 mHz or faster while on battery. Now grant it mHz doesn't mean everything in terms of performance, but a laptop's CPU is easily on par performance wise to the CPU in the Antelope, and the laptop's are running easily 2-4 times the clock speed.
So on the high end, if you are looking for performance, a laptop blows this away. If you are looking for portability, a PDA easily wins. PDA's will give you easily 4-5 hours on battery as well as WiFi and/or Bluetooth wireless access. As well as cost 1/8 the price.
I just don't see the market for this device at this time. It isn't very small, or very powerfull. And it is very expensive especially considering you can get a high end laptop AND a high end PDA for the same price (or less!) then an Antelope.
We were all warned a long time ago that MS products sucked, remember the Magic 8 Ball said, "Outlook not so good"
Seriously though, it's a good idea if it catches on. People are starting to accumulate data they want or need to carry around and use in different places in different machines. I'd much rather have people plug their own machine into a docking station at my house than constantly bug me "Can I use your computer to check my mail?" and have to worry about them screwing up my machine.
The main obstacle is getting enough power and storage without losing portability and compatability. PDAs seem to have a problem with the latter, most are very limited in what they can run. Laptops seem to have problems with the former. To get a decent battery life and features you often wind up having to haul around 5lbs more hardware.
The big problem I can see with it is there's no standard for the docking bay design. Which means proprietary systems that are no good. There needs to be a standard design for this kind of thing so they all work in each other's docks and you can just plug your base unit into anyone's keyboard, monitor, cd drive, sound system etc.
Introducing the new Occam Fusion! Now with sqrt(-1) fewer blades!