CCC Week. Challenges 16-17

I’ve been trying to work out what the most popular device would be to serve all the CCC requests I’ve had but it’s really hard. If I was an OEM designing a UMPC, MID or Notebook I’d be pushed to come up with a design that would suit even 30% of the people wanting a solution.  Take these two for example…

CCC 16. Fredrik

Fredrik has a request for a campus solution. Price range: up to $1000. Form factor: Mini notebook Usage: Haul around campus. Top three apps: just basic: Browsing, Office, E-mail. Requirements: Fulls size (or near full size) keyboard is extremely important, good battery life at least 4 hours with basic use according to the above and weight – as low as possible, maximum 1,5kg.

Sounds like a job for a netbook to me! For devices with good keyboards, look at the MSI Wind, the Samsung NC10, the HP 2133 and the ASUS Eee PC 1000. Any of those will serve your needs as long as you make sure you get it with the extended battery. The Eee PC 1000 comes with the 6-cell battery and people are really loving it but there’s still something special about the high quality build of the HP2133. It was built with ruggedness in mind so although it might not be built around the latest and greatest CPU, it could still be worth looking at, especially as it appears to be discounted a lot these days. The NC10 is a bit of an unknown at the moment but could be worth waiting for. Recent news suggests they might put a high quality 6-cell battery in it which would return over 5 hours of real-world usage. The MSI Wind is almost a guaranteed good purchase. With the 6-cell battery you just can’t go wrong. If you need to make a purchase this week, keep a look out for MSI Wind and Eee PC 1000H offers and you’ll be very happy. Especially with $500 change in your pocket!

CCC 17. Jay

Jay comes up with the ultimate quandary. Portability Vs Productivity?

I’ve been using an IBM ThinkPad X31 (which I like), but i’m looking for something more portable for use around town. That said, I’ll also use the machine for
overnight or two night stay for business travel, so I don’t want to stare
at a 4-inch screen. The SC3 size seemed ideal; something larger like the Wind makes me think I should just carry my ThinkPad instead. I need XP for a few XP-specific apps.

It truly is a tough decision. You want to work comfortably but want to travel comfortably too. Trying to balance those requirements while having to keep productivity levels high is difficult. Here’s a few general comfort and productivity notes based on screen size (which largely determines weight and overall volume.) and my experience.

• 4.8" Smallest for comfortable 800×480 hand-held work. Poor typing speed on most keyboards at this size but comfortable thumbing experience on sliders.
• 5.6" Good handheld size for 1024×600 screen. Also works as an emergency table-top device. Thumbing still comfortable in most cases.
• 7" Still small enough for handheld use but also useable for up to an hour on a tabletop. A tablet device allows you to go handheld when needed and then add a BT or USB keyboard for more comfort on the table. Probably the size limit for extended one-handed use with a touch-screen until components shrink to allow bigger screens for the same, circa 700gm, weight.
• 8.9" Starting to get comfortable on a table for extended periods. 1hr + is easy. At this size, weights are usually about 1KG which makes single handed use or even two-handed use difficult over longer periods.
• 10" Very comfortable tabletop experience. Arguably the best size for travel and productivity work on a tabletop. 1.3-1.5KG is common though so its not a device you’ll be using in one or two hands.

The 7" Kohjinsha SC3 has a wonderful form factor. At 800gms it can be used in one hand but its quite difficult to ‘thumb’ on it and the keyboard is really cramped. It’s also a Vista-only device and has poor battery life. Raon Digital have done an excellent job of enlarging the important alpha keys on the Note which makes it more comfortable for table-top use. You’ll also get the advantage of the extra CPU power when using it in the hotel but again, its not fantastic on battery life due to the tiny standard battery. I was going to mention the Eee PC 901 XP but it’s got a small split-partition SSD which I feel is too restrictive for XP users. I’d rather see a 901 with a 60GB HDD which would be a closer fit for the average user. The Eee PC 900HA is probably the answer for a basic but highly portable netbook though (if you’re in the U.S.) It only has a 4-cell battery but returns a reasonable 4-hours battery life. Its under 1KG too! Apart from the 900HA and the Everun note I really should mention the Q1 Ultra with XP. Its more expensive than most at around $1000 but if you get the Q1 Keyboard thrown in its a great 700gm device for everything but laps and with the extended battery you’ll have 6hrs of battery life. If you’re adventurous and find a good deal, go for the Q1 Ultra but if you prefer a regular laptop style device and want to save quite a few hundred dollars, look for the 900HA. If you don’t need much storage, look for the Eee PC 901 12G with XP. Good luck Jay!

To view all the customer challenges, see this page.