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Best Wi-Fi Portable Browsing Device?
foxxo writes "I'm a library worker, so I get lots of questions about our collection when I'm out in the stacks. I'd love to be able to access our online catalog and give patrons more comprehensive guidance without directing them to the reference desk. What options are available for a portable device with Wi-Fi connectivity, full-featured Web browsing, and (most importantly) no cellphone-style activation and service fees? Size is important, too; I need something I can carry in my pocket, not a micro-notebook with full keyboard. (And I am a library worker, so low cost is key!)" One device that sounds interesting in this category is the GiiNii Movit (not yet released, but shown off at CES). What can you recommend that's out there now?
Not sure if you've been to many library web sites... but they tend not to be heavy on Flash.
Web surfing and particularly flash web surfing takes up a bit of CPU, so I reckon this is why ipod tough etc. don't have flash. How does the N810/800 go with flash games etc.? I reckon the Kindle would crumble before most web pages when the bloody flashing adds start playing.
like phosphorescent desert buttons singing one familiar song
A librarian is probably querying a lot, not just pulling up information from predefined bookmarks. I'm sure a keyboard will be greatly appreciated.
I don't think "niche market" means what you think it means.
What you mean to say is that the Nokia devices aren't well known or used by many people. It is QUITE easy to use the the N810 is excellent. I have one. The N800, however, uses memory cards that are more compatible. Both have bluetooth which means a folding bluetooth keyboard can be used on either device. N810 has GPS built in... but I am going off on a tangent. The N8x0 is very easy to use and a lot more web standards compliant than the ipod touch.
> Not sure if you've been to many library web sites... but they tend not to be heavy on Flash.
I dunno about that, we used to not have a lot of javascript crap on em either. The 'web designers' are killing the internet I tell ya. And you kids get off my lawn!
The point being if you do much Internet searching you are bound to hit Flash, Java, etc. And the i* products aren't designed for real Internet access, just the stuff Apple wants you to do on them. The same locked experience as any other browser on a phone, only more from being locked and less from being lame and crufty.
Compare to the Nokia I mentioned which runs a Mozilla based product with a real Adobe ARM port of Flash 9 on a display good enough (800x480) to display real web pages instead of a 'mobile phone' experience that often totally fails unless the site has a special reduced 'mobile' version. Sorry, Apple's stuff looks pretty but the tech is always second rate.
Democrat delenda est
if there is one device that has absolutely nailed the portable web browsing category, it's the iPhone. I've used Blackberry devices, Windows Mobile smartphones, a bit of Symbian and Palm, and nothing could render most of the web as good as Portable Safari has been able to.
Additionally, they can be found for under $200.
No, but it's usage is exactly the same functions as ipod touch. It does more than ipod touch, but otherwise they are extremely comparable devices. A niche market is one that fits a limited range of use or purpose that isn't necessarily mainstream.
I think the iPod touch keyboard is really bad. Trying to enter an search string in iPod touch would be a nightmare.
I think one of those slide phones with querty keyboard would be much better. I'm sure there are ones with wifi.
I'm surprised no one's suggested Kindle yet. From what I've read, it would fit a few use cases.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
> I still don't get why anyone would design a media browser that doesn't play flash.
Because Flash has enough functionality that, if it were the only way, people could write whole apps with it. And since the iPhone is a totally locked platform it had to go to close off that possibility. Because people would have done it, Apple was correct in their assessment of the risk to the App Store's monopoly. With Apple products you have to realize control is more important than being useful. It just has to look pretty, the Reality Distortion Field will sell the product regardless how many features are missing or how expensive it is.
Democrat delenda est
While it is true that no on-screen keyboard can ever match a physical keyboard in ease of use, I know of a lot of people who are quite fast and accurate at typing on their iPhones, I'm not a big fan of them either, but when you get used to them you can type decently
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Erroneus, despite your name, you're right. There's a difference between "niche" which means it can only appeal to a small audience (whether by design or inherent limitations) and "obscure" which implies it could appeal to a larger audience, but is not well known. Kinda like noise music vs. the MC5!
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Sorry you took such offense. I do feel the need to defend myself by pointing out that the G1 functions just fine without a sim card and is more than happy to connect to a WAP. Secondly, you can pick up a gently used G1 on ebay for about the cost of an iPod touch and it's an open platform which is something I think most people on slashdot would approve of. Finally, the poster said "no cellphone-style activation and service fees" which simply means that they don't want a contract, just a wap device and most of the devices discussed here are within the 300-400 dollar range anyway so I guess I don't see why it was necessary to be so rude.
Our greatest enemy is neither a single man, nor is it a nation, it is, as it has always been, our own greed.
... that bugs.
It's this habit that the anti-fanbois -- a population much more rabid and present on Slashdot than actual strawman fanbois bandied about here -- have of insulting anybody who has decided the Apple products meet their needs best.
Apple Fan: I really like my iProduct! It fits
AntiFanbois: Pshaw. *MY* favorite product had the features I prefer two years earlier! I see no value in iProduct! People who buy it are stupid and easily distracted by shiny things!
Apple Fan: You're kindof a jerk.
AntiFanbois: See? Apple Fans can't take well-reasoned criticism of their beloved products! It's a cult!
Apple Fan: I'm not sure we can be friends.
AntiFanbois: See? They isolate you socially! Totally a cult!
Tweet, tweet.
I think the problem is that we have two strongly conflicting design criteria here. The device needs to be both small enough to put in a pocket (ie. around the size of one of your hands) while simultaneously being big enough to type on (ie. at least as wide as both of your hands put together with fingers slightly spread).
Maybe a rollup keyboard would be suitable but the third constraint (that of convenience) kinda dictates that the device not be multiple parts that you have to assemble. Until we have an e-paper plus rolly keyboard arrangement for a fully flexible subnotebook-sized device that rolls up to fit in a pocket, it's going to be hard to fit the bill.
Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
lol, that's the first time I've heard the iphone's massive price tag spun as a plus!
I'm glad it costs so much! I can get a bigger tax refund this way!
... because, unlike the Nokia, you probably know someone who owns a touch or an iPhone and you can test it before buying! Or, if the online resources are web-accessible (as opposed to only available in the library) you can just go to an Apple store (if there's one nearby) and check one out there. Not that I have anything against the Nokia, but there's no reason to buy something sight-unseen if you don't have to. If it looks like the iPod won't work for you, you can consider alternatives. The Nokia tablets have larger screens but the iPod's pan-and-zoom system works pretty well and its small size is great.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Bonus 2: Can easily carry multiple micro-SD cards on you - normal SD cards are too bulky.
What the hell do you mean, SD cards are too bulky? I mean, FUCK! I know that the micro-SD cards are smaller, but even the normal SD cards aren't exactly massive.
What else don't you carry because they are too bulky? Wallet? Car keys?
Seriously, grow some balls mate!
I am not stubborn. I am right!
"I'm a library worker, so I get lots of questions about our collection when I'm out in the stacks. I'd love to be able to access our online catalog and give patrons more comprehensive guidance without directing them to the reference desk."
Okay, but how does your supervisor feel about that idea?
A reference librarian's entire job is to help patrons find relevant information, and they had to earn a graduate degree in the field in order to get that job. A "library worker", who has been tasked with re-shelving books in the stacks, is not a capable substitute. Even if he/she has a wifi-enabled PDA.
I've worked as a page myself, I know that patrons will always approach the first member of the library staff they spot. But when somebody has a reference question, the only appropriate response is to direct them to a reference librarian for assistance