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Due Next Year: Dell's 19-inch Laptop
WheelRunner writes "Engadget is running a story about Dell's new 19-inch laptop. Sadly, it's too late for the only lap that could hold it, Marlon Brando's." Maybe if Apple would put a keyboard-containing lid (and a briefcase-style handle) on the 20" iMac, a market for car-battery backpacks would emerge.
If you must post fat jokes to the front page, could you at least make sure they're funny?
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
Imagine some cretin in the cattle-class seats on a jet trying to open one of these things up.
"Excuse me, mind if I take over some of your very limited personal space?"
"No, mind if my baby pukes on you keyboard?"
At some point I expect these things to come with telescoping legs so you could actually use it as a portable desk.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I don't think you'll see many road warriors adopting 19-inch laptops any time soon, but that's not the intended market.
This laptop is designed for people who need casual portability, like taking the machine home with you at night or on a weekend.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
I only hope they make a carrying case large enough to haul this monster around in.
A 19" laptop...a laptop computer that may violate the size requirements for aircraft carry-on luggage...not that's progress!
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Dell doesn't do design work, they do integration work. This pretty much proves it, though I'm sure the 5 or so that will be sold (all to CEOs and CIOs) will make excellent conversation pieces. :-)
The heat from below can burn your eyes out
Oy. How much is that beast of a machine going to weigh? The article calls it a "backbreaking monster." No kidding!
http://nerdfortress.com/
made in India for 200$ or less?
or is it just tech-supported there?
I am sure that they will sell a few, however. One classmate lugs an 8lb PC laptop with 30min of battery life to class every day and plugs it into his wall outlet. He always sets his laptop on his desk, never on his lap. I'm sure he could do the same with this one.
I guess the age of the luggables has returned...
When Apple does it, it ROXORS! When DELL does it, it sucks.
The massive laptop is actually part of a new chipset design by Intel - with the success of the small and light Centrino design, Intel wants to persue the larger laptop market as well. The new chipset, the Overcompenson is expected to do well among groups that purchase expensive sports cars, Hummer H2s, and respond positively to Enzyte commercials.
Here is a friend's prediction of 2007's Powerbook 30"
TGIK got rid of his 17" powerbook after a few months. It was too damned big. It was no longer a convieniently portible device. it was a mobile workstation.
I think it's awesome that tech has come to the point of making machines like this. But how long is it before more people that don't need/want/know how to upgrade their machiens have these instead of real desktops at thier desk, in mass numbers? Think how much easier in a corporate environment it would be to move someone from one cubical to another, if all they had was a 'laptop' and personal effects!
Pretty Pictures!
I have a 15.4" widescreen (dell) laptop. That's more or less the ideal size if you're going to carry it around all day. I found the 17" version too big to use. The nice thing about their screens, though, is that they offer high resolution screens (like 1680x1050), while many other manufacturers are stuck in the 1024x768 range.
see a Text Widget
I thought the idea of a "laptop" or "notebook PC" was so that it was portable.
Isn't this sort of thing the reason docking stations were invented? portability for on-the-go and a way to simulate a regular desktop when you are in the office?? I mean, reallly!!
-PONA-
+that's funny...I don't FEEL tardy.+
When I bought my first laptop, a GRiDCase III Plus, it was ten and a half pounds, and was a featherweight compared to the ~30lb. luggables then available (Compaq, Otrona, &c.)
G GERBLK/
e en=PROD&Product_Code=TB0351
Apple even had a carrying case for the 128K Mac when it first came out, which tradition is carried on in:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/LTA%20Projects/ILU
And there's even one for the Mac Mini:
http://www.tombihn.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Scr
The thing I'm faintly surprised / disappointed at is that no one has mad a combination carrying case and battery pack for a Mac Mini _and_ Wacom Cintiq (LCD integrated w/ a graphics tablet) which would get one a Tablet Mac w/o waiting for Apple to build one.
William
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
I think Dell's going by the military's definition of "portable" which is any piece of equipment that can be moved by two soldiers. It's also sometimes used to refer to any piece of equipment that can be moved by a HMMT. You know, like a portable PATRIOT launcher.
It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
... the luggable is back.
sigs, as if you care.
Nothing builds character like a heavy duty Sun workstation carefully balanced on one's lap. To say nothing of more resilient balls.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
Seriously, I used to carry around a big-arse artist's portfolio case with a three-foot wide drafting board and giant pads to do design sketches back in high school and the total weight was close to thirty pounds with everything in the case.
Someone makes a three-foot wide laptop with screen to match, I am soooo there. Full size keyboard, graphics tablet, and folding joystick right in front of me, big-arse 32" or so screen in front of me, maybe even fold-out flat speakers. How is this too big? I'm sick of chiclet keyboards, undersized screens, cramming all that power into too small a space and creating an upside down hot plate to scortch my crotch with.
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
This recent development underscores the main problem with miniturazation...that while we can continue to make things smaller and smaller, their interfaces (input - keyboard/mouse, output - screen/speakers) must remain large enough to be useful, and the larger, the better. Even if you totally discount other problems like removable data storage, the main problem of user interfaces will continue to stand in the way of true miniaturization.
I'm wondering why we haven't seen a laptop marketed with a roll-up keyboard, fingertip mouse, and VR glasses? Freed of these constraints, the actual laptop could easily be made small enough to be wearable.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Umm... http://the-def.de/uploads/pro-noob.jpg
To prevent this day from getting worse, I'll just read ERROR as GOOD TH
Sincerely, the American Association of Chiropractors.
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
Think about it, in the PC world of today people:
A laptop with a 19" would fit perfectly here. Remember, Dell isn't where it is because its dumb. It does its research, and if its coming up with a 19" laptop, its because there is a market for it. Don't be fooled, airplane junkies won't be using this kind of laptop, they'll want something ultra compact with a long battery life.
"Excuse me, mind if I take over some of your very limited personal space?"
"No, mind if my baby pukes on you keyboard?"
It's especially fun to recline your seat when someone has one of those open behind you and is going on about how important he is.
Crunch.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
The number refers to the diagonal of the screen. Most 17" notebooks have the 17" widescreen in the 1440x900 range.
You want the 4:3 aspect ratio of a conventional ("normal") monitor.
It just depends on the work you do. For some work (spreadsheets, video) the wider format is nioce because you can get more columns or longer timelines on the screen without having to scroll. But many programmers are going to favor the taller format because code is generally formatted vertically so the extra area to the side is unused.
Also, long thin rectangles are generally easier to travel with compared to square-ish objects.
Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
Everybody is screaming about 19" being "too big". Am I the only member of Slashdot who can lift something heavier than a book? I mean, Jezus people... if you're too wimpy to carry around a tiny little thing like this, get yourself to a gym (or a doctor) immediately. I, for one, would *love* to get a few of these things if I could justify the $$.
I don't respond to AC's.
Depends on how you program-- the extra space can be filled quite easily with a man page.
I'm gettin' the Kaypro and Osborne out of the basement. They're obviously worth something again!
:
But seriously, we're really getting back to "portable computers" and "laptops" again, as opposed to "notebook computers."
I guess the easiest way to shrink these things down again is to
1. swap the LCD for a projection device that displays onto your glasses.
I imagine we're not quite there yet -- unless you want to look like "Lawnmower Man."
2. Without that pesky monitor in the way, your nearly full-sized keyboard can fold in half for storage.
--- Dan
I have a pivoting monitor and I can assure you that the computer screen was meant to be vertical, not horizontal. I assume you were going that way with your comment...
So yeah, a screen that is even more horizontal is of little use. The problem is the presumed convergence of all things electronic. Now maybe convergence is actually happening, but most computer software and movie DVDs have vastly different demands on screen size.
I love reading websites as if they were a vertical page of newsprint. Other stuff looks great that way too: digital comic books, MS Reader texts, PDFs, etc.
Composing documents with a full page view is really nice too. If I were still doing legal research and writing, I'd probably find it indispensable - as it is it's really nice anyway. Horizontal never made any sense, it just meant lots of scrolling or pages too small to view in their entirety.
And the problem will remain with us: movies look good in a wide landscape frame, reading is easier if the lines are narrower. No compromise except via pivoting screens.
I really think we should all start to reject the diagonal as a way of measuring TV sets and monitors.
I don't know how many people I've seen who see an ad for a "40 inch widescreen" and say "wow, that must be HUGE," when in fact it's about the same height their old 32" 4:3 TV set, and most US TV broadcasts will be just about exactly the same size on it.
Diagonal measurment has always been an obfuscating tactic by TV and monitor makers, even before widescreen systems started showing up. I think "width x height" should always be given, so you can know exactly what you are buying without having to figure out square roots in your head.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
How heavy might this sucker be? To get some perspective, consider the laptop I'm using right now, an Acer Aspire 1710. It has a 17 inch diagonal screen (not a widescreen), a full-size keyboard (with keypad) and standard desktop PC components (CPU, memory, and hard-drive). It barely fits into the Targus case I bought for it (it's kinda thick on one end), and weighs in at a hefty 16 pounds. It's great when I need to take a full-blown workstation with me to a client, because I don't have to play around with a more anemic beast (e.g., I have the luxury of a fast 250 Gig hard drive)
Now, consider how much heavier a 19 inch machine might be. The screen alone would add significant poundage. Dell might use smaller and lighter components inside to shave some weight off, but you also need to look at the sheer size of the thing. If it ended up no heavier than my machine, the weight isn't a problem (IMHO), but I don't know about the size.
"My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." --Senator Carl Schurz (1872)
I can see this model being a success for those who:
:P
1 - Are graphics folks and want the extra screen room. I work with some hardcore architecture faculty and students who can use all the display they can get.
2 - Power users who prioritize power and features above design and weight.
If you want something light and pretty, go get a Etch-A-Sketch, wuss.
Now, if I only had enough in the budget to get one...
For the sake of all that is held dear by geekdom, please stop complaining about how large it is. If it is too large for you, don't use it. For many people the size is just right. It slides right into place, and gets the job done better than a smaller one would. For some people, bigger is better.
If you can't accomodate the size, don't buy it. If it looks like handling it would be uncomfortable, don't try to force it to fit. You won't be happy with the results.
Some of us NEED something bigger to satisfy our needs. Those small 15 inchers just don't pass muster. Of course, it may not be appropriate to haul around out in public, but we don't care. It may not fit on the plane, so what. Somebody talked about not being able to use something this large in the hull of a tanker. That isn't the first place that comes to mind when I think of this gorgeous 19 inches of bliss. I think the office or home is more appropriate. I need 19" to meet my needs, so I would buy one. ;-)
Seriously, though, this is not meant as a traditional portable laptop. It is meant to take advantage of the burgeoning laptop market, by taking the relative advantages of a laptop on to the desktop. Think of people living in smaller homes, or people who move, by car, between a couple of locations, but need the screen real estate. I believe there is a market for this, and I will buy one, if the $$$$ is right.
At the time of writing this, there are about 150 comments to this article, and most of them are composed of people who complains about the big size, the lack of portability, the weight etc... But hey, some people want a laptop with a big monitor, and this fits the ticket. Other people want a feather weight laptop with a 12" screen, and there are laptops for those guys too. Why complain about the size of the new Dell when there is ample choice in the market place?
That's not true. Orson Welles could also have supported Dell's 19incher.
I want a 19 inch in my laptop, running Debian Woody.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
I think there's a big market for these 'desktop replacement' machines in cities where the majority of people live in small apartments. Don't underestimate the clutter of connections, cables, powerstrips, and peripherals necessary for a desktop pc.
Also, you may not want to tote a 19 inch laptop on a plane, but you might drag it around the apartment or to the neighborhood starbucks.
Imposing Libertarian views on everyone online since 1992.
When TVs were only 4:3, then the diagonal told you exactly both the height and width. All you need is the diagonal when there is a fixed aspect ratio.
Diagonal measurement never obfuscated anything before widescreens.
Pre-widescreen, you would get the height and width exactly for all the 4:3 TVs, using the following:
Height = 3/5 * Diagonal
Width = 4/5 * Diagonal
There are similar easy equations for the widescreen TVs, you just have to know the fixed aspect ratio and the diagonal. Nothing is obfuscated if you know the diagonal and the aspect ratio.