UltraPersonal Computer
The all-in-one-computer is for people tired of leaving information on the office hard drive when they need it at home or vice-versa. The Ultrapersonal is about the size of a deck of playing cards, just 10cm tall and a scant 250g. On its own, it acts as a PDA for addresses, a calendar and note-taker.
It also fits into a dock on a desk-top computer (made to be used with the UltraPersonal) and becomes the brains of the computer, and its memory. All the information on the UltraPersonal becomes available on the big screen. No more syncing information from a Palm Pilot onto a PC, just slip the UltraPersonal into its dock and it's ready to go.
It runs Microsoft Windows XP and is controlled by touch screen or on a keypad in PDA form. Now the UltraPersonal might be perfect for a number of things, Microsoft Office, even watching movies on a PC, etc -- but it would not make the ideal computer for a gamer or music lover.
At 10 gigabytes, the hard drive is probably too small for someone downloading a lot of music, pictures, movies or other information off the Internet and far better CPUs exists on the market, which for today's computer game lovers, is one of the keys to speed.
Perhaps the company will see its way to add additional hard drive space into the "docking station," for music lovers and film aficionados. It will retail for under US$1,500.
Keep in mind, however, that in Taipei, a computer with the latest Intel Pentium 4 running at 2.53 GHZ can be had for under US$1,000. The person buying an UltraPersonal would need the digital assistant functions and portability to make up for paying more.
Tablet PC
Microsoft is teaming up with a slew of companies to offer computers called Tablet PCs, which can be carried around and used like a clipboard, with a lot of touch-screen functions like note-taking. The company has developed a version of Windows XP for the Tablet PC and hopes to launch a full cast of Tablets from companies like Fujitsu, Dell Computer, and others on Nov. 7.
A Tablet PC is about the same size and weight as a notebook computer screen that has been ripped off the keyboard. Microsoft envisions nurses and insurance agents walking around with these 2.5cm-thick, 1kg tablets and using them for reading, writing notes and reports while on the move.
Writing notes on a computer screen and having that translated into a Word document would be extremely helpful, but many PDAs already have such functions and are much smaller and easier to carry around. The advantage a Tablet PC has over a PDA is computing power and information storage space.
Faster computing and a screen big enough to view full size "sheets" of paper and reports are advantageous, but up to the consumer as to exactly how much better for the money. The cost of a high-end PDA is around US$650 for a complete setup, including modem, keypad and other add-ons. Tablet PCs are expected to be priced at around US$1,000.
PaceBook
The makers of the PaceBook have found a novel way to combine two products in one for the price of a high-end notebook computer, about US$2,095. Just make the notebook with a detachable screen, and you have the Pacebook, a Tablet PC/notebook computer.
This new gadget is made for those on the move, and fits the new model of computing: combining many functions all in one gadget to centralize information (where's that phone list?). It's Tablet PC functions are the same as those listed above.
The idea for PaceBook is sound, though consumers will have to test and decide if it is right for them. The device is not cheap, especially considering its microprocessor runs at only 600 megahertz, a far cry from the 2 gigahertz that can be had in a notebook computer today. Speed is not everything, certainly 600 megahertz will deliver a nice experience, but check it out first. What do you want to use it for and is it fast enough to do the job? One cool feature of the PaceBook is that when the screen is removed, it can be placed on a stand to be like a desktop computer, looking up instead of down at the screen.
Again, there are a lot of products on the market, PDAs, notebook computers, even notebook computers made to be used as an at-home space-saver, with the top processor added and the battery taken out.
There is something out there to fit every need and nearly every budget and they all promise to revolutionize your life, which is just marketing fantasy. Make sure anything you buy works for you.
The new buzzword for the computer age today is "pervasive" computing, as mobile phones, PDAs, notebooks and other gadgets connect people to the Net all the time. Unless you can keep it in check, this new age can easily become "invasive" computing.
A survey of CEOs by US-based IOgear, a computer manufacturer, found that while on vacation most of them spend time every day checking up via e-mail and mobile phone.
In fact, the digital world has us spending more time on mobiles, answering e-mails and searching for information, music, pictures and other stuff online, not less.
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