Ultramobile PC To Make a Comeback?

jfruhlinger writes "Remember the Oqo and other 'ultra-mobile PCs' — full-fledged Windows machines in a cell phone form factor, pushed without success in the early-to-mid '00s? Well, Japan's NTT DoCoMo thinks that they could still catch on, making plans for a Windows 7 computer with a 4-inch, 1024-by-600 screen."

Comments

I already have one...

[milbournosphere]

and it's the android phone in my pocket. It does everything that I'd ever want to do on a device with a 4" screen. For everything else, I have a laptop that has a full size keyboard.

Re:I already have one...

[m50d]

I have a wonderful netbook with the same screen size (Vye S18) - it's got a perfectly usable keyboard (far more than the touchscreen on my android), and the processor and screen are up to watching videos and playing my large collection of older PC games. Also little things like normal connectivity (USB host, VGA out, ethernet). It's perfect for e.g. train journeys if I don't want to lug my full-sized laptop around. So I think there's value in this kind of form factor.

Re:I already have one...

[SlashdotOgre]

More importantly, Android applications are all designed with a touch based user interface in mind. One of the major issues with previous generations of tablets was that they relied on traditional applications which could work with a touch interface, but they were never designed for it. This made using the device for non-basic functions a headache. I remember the Oqo quite well, and as a geek I wanted one (or a Sharp Zarus...). However as an engineer and end user, I knew it was never practical and would be primarily an expensive toy.

purpose

[metalmaster]

what niche would this fill that isnt already handled by current smartphones, tablets or IMT devices?

I considered buying a Nokia N810 once upon a time, but I went with something from Archos instead, because i only needed web browsing and multimedia. This was a time before iDevices or Android devices became a PC in your pocket.

Pics

[Ceriel Nosforit]

Hey guise, I found a picture! It runs Debian Linux!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Nokia_N900-1.jpg/788px-Nokia_N900-1.jpg

Why Windows 7?

[rsborg]

I can see no reason why a hardware manufacturer would put so much effort into what, in this past decade, has proven a complete failure: putting a desktop OS into a mobile form factor.

Given that Android source exists, why would a mobile device manufacturer even consider a non-free, licensed OS which has proved unsuccessful so far? Perhaps it's because of Microsoft's patent warchest (and their willingness to use it)?

Re:Why Windows 7?

[rabun_bike]

Microsoft is aggressively marketing Windows on the mobile ARM architecture after sitting it out on the sidelines for years (Windows CE was available but a weak option for most purposes). It was not until recently that Microsoft agreed to even compile a version of Windows other than CE to the ARM RISC chip set. They see that they cannot simply hide behind their Intel partnership if they want to be relevant in the future. The future is looking more like ARM will be dominate in the personal space and Microsoft wants to be a player. To do so they are going to make offer some very sweet deals for certain manufactures such as Nokia.

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/jan11/01-05socsupport.mspx
http://gigaom.com/mobile/with-nokia-dating-microsoft-intel-was-just-stood-up/

Re:Why Windows 7?

[Lonewolf666]

The Windows user interface as it is today does not work well with touchscreens.
I'm currently working on a project that uses a Windows tablet (time constraints won't allow a port to a different OS) and while our application is doing reasonably well by now, working with Windows itself is a major pain in the ass.
Maybe Windows 8 will fix that, but for now I can't recommend using a Windows tablet as general purpose PC. If you need to run only one specific software and the software vendor knows what he is doing, it may be OK though.

Re:Why Windows 7?

[JackDW]

Before Android and iOS, those "millions and millions of people" were using regular cellphones without "app stores" or touch screens. Nobody cared about app stores a decade ago, when even the idea of putting a camera on a phone would lead to "Why? What for? But I already have a camera!"

If some new sort of smartphone could introduce a new killer feature, like (for instance) the ability to run all desktop PC software, then that might well leave Android and iOS behind, just as the non-smart cellphones have been left behind. That is, PC compatibility could become a must-have feature like "app stores", "touch screens" or "cameras".

Then again, PC compatibility might be a genuinely unimportant feature for a cellphone. Like WAP or IrDA.

The fact is, we just don't know. Nobody has made a PC compatible cellphone... yet. I personally think it would be pretty useful. I wouldn't need to carry a laptop - I would have a tiny x86/Windows netbook in my pocket. One less heavy thing to lug around... and one that gives me access to an even larger (and potentially more useful) app ecosystem than iOS/Android.

Re:Wrong Brand

[iamhassi]

"The device is made by Fujitsu "

And Fujitsu has been making ultramobile PCs for years, the u810 came out in 2007. I have a 2 lbs Fujitsu UMPC running Windows 7 with a 9" touchscreen at 1280x768. It's worth about $200 used.

How is this newsworthy?

Magnify

[DigiShaman]

Does it also include a pop-out magnifying glass? With all the latest phones be released with such as a small screen to resolution ratio, there comes a point where it's just too painful to read the text unless sitting absolutely still. Will someone please think of the eyes for once? They do have a limitations.

Re:Magnify

[fleebait]

Back around 1949, or 1950, My dad bought a portable Zenith TV. It weighed about 50 pounds, had 60 tubes, and a 2" screen. A year or so later, he purchased a magnifying lens for the for the set -- it was about 8", sat on a metal stand in front of the TV and made it almost watchable. (At least for me, a 7 year old at the time), sitting about 3 or 4 ft away. A year or two later, we got a 15" Black and White Philco, which was a definite improvement.

So, are we going the same route with cell phones and computers? Small screens with 10 pound chunk of glass for a magnifier to see the tiny hi-res graphics.. And of course a full size keyboard and mouse -- a year or two later, they will be wireless, after enough complain about the rats nest of cables hooked to the cell phone.

But does it turn into a robot?

[NitzJaaron]

I mean, it's from Japan, right? It's gotta turn into a robot, or some kind of odd anime device that does indescribably naughty thing to girls in sailor uniforms.

The Fujitsu U series has advantages.

[Lashat]

I own one and when I corporate traveled it was my constant companion.

The most significant advantage is that the physically small and compact machine that runs your full desktop.
Plug it into the docking station and...abracadabra... you have full size monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Travel without the docking station? You can still use the tiny dongle to attach to ethernet and VGA while using the USB keyboard mouse.
Battery life SMOKES most smartphones I have owned since 2007.

I can't say it applies to all Ultras, but I still use my Fujistu for the occasional travel.

A Great Idea!

[MarkvW]

A computer that could be plugged into a more powerful computer, where it would either use the more powerful comuter's resources or just the more powerful computer's display and input features.

That would be very cool.

Re:Limited use

[oakgrove]

The idea, I believe, is that it has enough processing power to be used as a main computing device

According to the spec sheet, it has a 1.2 GHz Atom that "always runs at half speed", i.e., 600 MHz. And by 600 MHz, I mean Atom 600 MHz. Not, for example, Core Solo. Bear in mind also, this is with Windows 7. Do you really think that's enough power to be used as anything more than a novelty?

Re:Whats the need?

[Intrepid imaginaut]

Fewer people use PCs in Japan than elsewhere, I think because of commute times. Phones are more often used to do all sorts of tasks. Trying to extend that beyond Japan ignores a lot of cultural factors however.

Comeback?

[gstoddart]

Making a 'comeback'? You keep using that word, but I am not sure it means what you think it means.

Seriously, if almost nobody ever bought an 'ultramobile' computer, and if it was a flop ... this isn't a comeback, this is a second attempt at becoming something people care about.

And, as lots of people have pointed out already ... it sounds an awful lot like current smartphones.

Could you dock it?

[yarnosh]

If I could "dock" it and use it like a laptop for work, I'd buy something like that. Though not with Windows. An iPhone with full OS X, more RAM, decent storage (~100GB would be fine), and DVI/HDMI out would rock. Otherwise, there's no point in running a full desktop OS on a phone. Androids and iPhones are doing just fine.