The Penalty Box

Since I’m not in school, my use for a laptop has shrunk to about zero.  Carrying a 5 pound computer around in a semi-large to large bag doesn’t really fit my needs.  As such, I’ve been looking at the burgeoning netbook/UMPC/MID market.  Something lightweight, reasonably small, Linux-based and long battery life are the things I’m interested in.  Bonus items would be stuff like GPS and pocketable size (for a MID) or tablet format (netbook).  At this point, a few people I know would be screaming, “YOU SHOULD GET AN IPHONE! STEVE JOBS CAN HAVE MY BABIES!” (Okay, the last part might be disingenuous…they might say “manbabies” if they’re not female).  There are several reasons why I do not want an iPhone, some have been mentioned by Greg, another being that I’m on a contract with Bell and do not wish to pay the cancellation fees.

The Asus EeePC looked promising, particularly the 901 (please ignore the cheesy posed picture on the website).  However, the crappy battery life (3 hours) meant it can’t be an all-day away from a plug device, and a bigger battery means more weight.  Tack on a price that doesn’t yield any advantages over a traditional laptop (what happened to the $200 price tag, Asus?) and that falls quickly out of favour.

The Fujitsu U810 has the features I want, along with the tablet format, but the $1400 price tag puts it into “regular laptop” range.  Considering there’s no Linux option either and that means this, too, falls into the “do not want” pile.

The Nokia n810 proved intriguing though (apologies for the Flash).  GPS, Linux-based, pocketable in a cargo pants pocket and even a slide-out keyboard.  I’m not a fan of touchpad typing, as I’ve tried out Bishnu’s iPhone, so the tactile feedback of a slideout keyboard would be pretty good.  Price is reasonable; NCIX and DirectBuy both price it sub-$400.  Battery life isn’t super awesome, but it’s good enough to be an all-day device.  Rumours of a price drop to the $300 range had me holding off on it for now, plus there was some slim possibility of other netbooks like the MSI Wind or the Acer Aspire One that might knock my socks off (they didn’t).

It was then during my regular web browsing that I came across these two puppies, both from Viliv: the S5 and the S7.  Details aren’t fully fleshed out yet, as they are scheduled to be available to buy in Q4 2008 and Q1 2009 respectively.  Just from specs though, the S5 is pocketable, runs at least 6 hours, can function as a PMP and has Bluetooth/GPS options.  Coming in at around 1 pound, it looks pretty sweet.  Plus, there are plans to have a cradle with ports for monitor/keyboard/mouse so you can plug in the S5 and it can function like a desktop.  The S7 is a 7″ tablet, is under 2 pounds, runs for 10 hours and has Bluetooth/GPS.  Both will have Windows XP with possible Vista, and there will be some Linux distro on it (I’m guessing probably Ubuntu Mobile or something Maemo-like).  I’m leaning more towards the S5 at the moment, especially if it has GPS.  Definitely something on the WANT list and worth keeping up on.

To make this post geeky in the nostalgic way rather than techy, check out this awesome Mario medley…on bassoons.  Look for the beatboxing around minute 3.