Blurring the Line Between Laptops and Desktops 176
bart_scriv writes "BusinessWeek looks at the latest offerings in ultra-portable PCs, offering up some specs and pictures. Some of the highlinghts: removeable 19-20 inch LCD dispays, dual NVIDIA cards and customizable exteriors. On the downside, some of these machines weigh almost 20 pounds and all of them sport a pretty high price tag — they probably won't be replacing desktops or laptops anytime soon."
weigh 20 punds? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:5, Funny)
I bet that really sucked carrying up a hill both ways too.
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:4, Funny)
(I actually do have an old Zenith 8088 laptop that weighs at least 12 pounds.)
Re:weigh 20 pounds? (Score:2)
Had to carry compaq 18 lb monster, thru o'hare airport, thru snow, to our destination for an engineering test.
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:4, Insightful)
that's one thing that hasn't changed, but the excuse has
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:4, Interesting)
You ain't lived until you've had 15 minutes to get from one side of the Atlanta airport (Or Heathrow if you're on that side of the pond) lugging all that crap along. Fortunately that was a more innocent time. If you tried that sprint today the TSA would probably shoot you.
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100_lin
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
The sad part is that I'm still in school.
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd love to be able to carry, or cheaply ship a real computer to sites when I have to travel, or even set it up back at the hotel rooms so I can squash bugs, compile, and do database stuff on a *real* computer.
It really sucks trying to do some sort of data manipulation involving millions of records, tens of gigabytes at a time, on a pentium M laptop with 512 megs of ram and one of its rinky-dink little hard drives. And many times the space is so tight on the clients server, I really have no choice during an upgrade to migrate the whole thing to the laptop (or usb drive) and watch the poor thing suffer overnight.
I've been trying to talk the boss into letting me put together a high-specced shuttle cube PC that I could ship out with a 15' LCD for just such an occasion. Once I had them overnight my office desktop to me, because it was apparent that my laptop just couldnt cut it.
So, like plenty of technologies, just because it's not useful to YOU doesn't mean it isnt useful to anyone.
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:4, Insightful)
Plus.. making the point that this isn't really portable is still valid. My SFF is a desktop just like anyone else's.. yet it's a lot lighter than this hybrid they are referring to. What's the purpose? I think the innovation is great, but it needs work.
Why are you so ornery? Is there something wrong with making valid points?
Not just disk performance (Score:2)
Re:Not just disk performance (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not just disk performance (Score:2)
Re:Not just disk performance (Score:2)
A) Haul their desktop to a LAN party
or
B) Use a laptop that's not their primary machine.
Besides, since LAN parties can be as much about E-Peen rigs as the actual gaming, most gamers just go for the desktop. Only when you literally need to be able to pull out a computer and game for a few minutes at a time in varying locations is a laptop worthwhile.
Re:Not just disk performance (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Can you setup SSH aka putty and just log remotely into a real machine for work?
If its a unix or linux box you can even do X11 remote port forwarding if you want a desktop.
Manipulating mass pieces of data is unusual for a portable system designed to get powerpoint presentations and read email?
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Not much help when you're on the move of course, unless you want to pay the insane connection fees most places ask for WiFi nowadays...
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:4, Informative)
It is all I need in a computer, really.
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:3, Funny)
With a 20lb laptop you should have no troubles squashing any size bugs in your Hotel, granted if you have to squash bugs, maybe you should find a new hotel?
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2)
I did that a few years ago - put together a surprisingly cheap dual CPU machine with a pile of ram and a couple of 200GB disks in a small tower case with an LCD screen and a UPS, then had a wooden shipping crate made for it and packed it off to Africa for a couple of months. All went well until Fedex lost the customs paperwork on the way back and refused to take any responsibility - now we're hit with six figure dep
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:2, Insightful)
That's not a portable! My laptop is heavy at 8lbs and it sucks to carry around with all of the gadgets and gizmos. Heck... even my SFF is lighter than 20 pounds. I love the concept but the weight has to improve big time.
Methinks you are missing the point of TFA. They're comparing apples-to-oranges; like comparing Compaq Portable PC, or luggable [oldcomputers.net], to the laptops (or "ultra-portibles") of the time. I can't cite specific articles, but I do remember reading about the luggable-portable debates in early issue
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a lot more portable than the case, kb, mouse, monitor, and speakers I have attached to it. Gotta put it into perspective. Some people read 'portable' as "I don't mind flying across the country with it", and some read it as "I can fold it up and take it to the office".
Re:weigh 20 punds? (Score:5, Informative)
Try "luggable" (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Try "luggable" (Score:4, Insightful)
Simple. (Score:4, Funny)
Well (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Well (Score:2)
Prior art (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prior art (Score:2)
Ultra-portable? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Ultra-portable? (Score:3, Interesting)
That being said, I'm sure that since the margins for these things are higher it will soon become unfashionable to carry around a lightweight computer and have an absence of lower back problems. Long live marketing!
Two words: pen drive (Score:2)
2Gb Pen drive. 4 ounces vs 25 pounds.
I agree with your sentiment. These luggables are a solution in search of a problem.
Re:Two words: pen drive (Score:2)
maybe good for offices and the like (Score:3)
Depends on the use (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course knowing that didn't stop me from cursing about how heavy my bag was while lugging it around the subway on the way to the clients!
The Market for This? (Score:5, Insightful)
Okay, now how many people are looking for a sub-5 lb. machine in a laptop form factor that can run basic productivity software with excellent battery life priced at less than $800 USD?
Why are there so few options for the latter scenario? And an even better question: why are there so many options for the former scenario!?
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
Sony have some nice portables. If only they had a decent operating system...
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
And decent management. I refuse to buy any Sony equipment due to the Rootkit fiasco.
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2, Funny)
If you define "Portable" as "Fits in your pants pocket", I have a whole lot of books that are not portable. I think that's a fairly silly definition.
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
Re:The Market for This? (Score:3, Interesting)
My stepfather just bought one. I don't know if it weights 15 lbs, but it's a beast by portable standards. It's purpose isn't really desktop replacement, but to showoff their cpu-intensive software to customers with a setup that is relatively easy to take on a plane. It is not intended to be used while on the plane. I'm pretty sure this is a fairly uncommon requirement.
Okay, now how many people are lookin
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
Oops, I got that backwards. Hopefully it was clear that I meant that the margins are higher on the expensive desktop replacements.
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
Re:The Market for This? (Score:2)
You just answered your own question; obviously more people care about high performance than super light weight. My manager has both a tiny, light laptop and a pretty big honkin fast one. He travels all the time, and he seems to use his larger laptop a lot more. I think he just likes the full-sized keyboard and big screen, and it's a pain moving data back and forth to
Good and bad parts (Score:2, Informative)
2. Adopted in developing countries, where power is much more unstable or harder to get - easier to recharge this from solar cells or power that's only on a few hours a day.
3. Reminds me of the old "luggable" portables one hated having to lug around, especially give the 20 lb weights.
4. Might be good for someone off the grid, with a portable high-speed connection (satellite dish or long-range WiFi?)
5. Might also be good for someone who is retired and moves in
Hardware Upgrades (Score:3, Insightful)
Frome TFA: 'LIMITED CAPACITY TO CUSTOMIZE'
Agreed! The one thing that makes me still want a tower PC at times is that it is much cheaper and easier to upgrade a tower PC with the latest gadgets. Try upgrading the graphics card in a laptop computer, or installing a TV card... Ugh!
Re:Hardware Upgrades (Score:2)
If you start sticking external devices into a laptop, you lose portability, which is one of the key advantages of a laptop. Without portability, you might as well get a tower PC.
If you bought the laptop for gaming (about the only reason you'd ever need to update the graphics card)
So I can assume that you have never heard of XGL [wikipedia.org]?
Actually I have both a laptop and a tower PC because they both have their advantages and disadvantages, but if there was a laptop th
Re:Hardware Upgrades (Score:2)
Luggables? (Score:2)
You hauled around a big honking box which had the monitor and everything built it. They were utterly immense.
A 20lb 'laptop' is kind of a scary thought.
Re:Luggables? (Score:2)
Re:Luggables? (Score:2)
scoliosis on the rise? (Score:2)
Excuse me? What's that word again? "ULTRA-portable?" Compared to what, exactly, a steam powered Babbage Difference Engine? That's 20 pounds PLUS the weight of the bag PLUS all the shit you carry around with it including a charger, probably an extra battery (if battery life is as bad as the article says), CDs, mouse, books, etc.
Who would this appeal to? I just don't get it.
Re:scoliosis on the rise? (Score:2)
Or you have the folks who want a simple, slick shiney package for the home/office, without giving up functionality.
I like the concept. One plug to AC power, one to the 'net (if no wireless available), built-in UPS, and a small footprint.
Re:scoliosis on the rise? (Score:2)
Re:scoliosis on the rise? (Score:2)
ULTRA portable? (Score:5, Funny)
That's like saying Windows is Ultra Stable or Linux is Ultra Simple!
Tom "Ultra Brilliant" Caudron
http://tom.digitalelite.com/ [digitalelite.com]
Re:ULTRA portable? (Score:3, Insightful)
Forgot Mac (Score:2)
Good flames, but for the win you need to insult Windows, Linux and Mac all in one sentence. You only managed two out of three.
Re:Forgot Mac (Score:2)
Re:Forgot Mac (Score:2)
Good flames, but for the win you need to insult Windows, Linux and Mac all in one sentence. You only managed two out of three.
Easy. Add: "... or Macs are Ultra Cheap!!!" (or "Ultra Powerful")
To return perfunctorily to the topic... these things are for the same brainiacs who think bigger is better everywhere else and buy Ford Excursions to drive Super-Size combos home to their empty 6000-square-foot McMansions in wherever the newest, biggest suburb is. Somehow in America we're afflicted with a dispropor
I used to gripe about these things (Score:2)
Re:I used to gripe about these things (Score:2)
Re:I used to gripe about these things (Score:2)
The only thing missing is a decent way to carry it - it needs a cover that folds over the screen and some kind of rubber bumpers or some goddamn thing on it to make it at least vaguely durable while in transit.
Re:I used to gripe about these things (Score:2)
Heh. You haven't seen the USB hubs and resulting cable rat-nests and the additional monitor and external speakers and the cat5 Ethernet and the firewire iSight attached to my 12" iBook right here.
(That purple thing is the most expensive USB device in the picture, btw. It's a dongle for Lightwave [newtek-europe.com].)
if only it were blurred in a different direction.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Here is what I'd like to buy: a laptop, but without the keyboard, monitor, touchpad, speakers, and optical drive. Basically a little brick I could carry back and forth between work/home and drop into a docking station that's hooked up to a full-size keyboard, mouse and 21" LCD monitor. If you ditch all the human I/O devices (keyboard, touchpad, monitor, speakers) and commit to using an external optical drive, the thing shouldn't be much bigger/heavier than a portable hard drive.
Alternately, I'd be happy with a "very fast" portable hard drive that has an elegant plugin interface to a desktop box. Then I could install everything on that drive and just lug it back and forth. The issue there is that I'd need to have "very similar" hardware in the two locations.
Re:if only it were blurred in a different directio (Score:2)
OK, so it's got an optica
Re:if only it were blurred in a different directio (Score:2)
you dont realy need that much similar hardware, but licencing issues will show up when going windows...
in windows you can set up diffrent hardware profiles, and linux never have a big problem detecting and loading the right drivers at boot-time.
btw, i belive i spotted a entry on engadget where some company was planing a imac-clone with a replaceable hardware box. the har
Re:if only it were blurred in a different directio (Score:2)
Re:if only it were blurred in a different directio (Score:2)
Re:if only it were blurred in a different directio (Score:2)
Neither's exactly right. The mini isn't designed to be portable, so there's no docking interface. It's also bigger and heavier than some ultra-ligth laptops, and it has fans. Because it's not designed to be portable, the ergonomics aren't 360 degrees. Turn the thing upside down and that's obvious. I was imagining something like this [geekstuff4u.com], but without the display, keyboard, touchpad and battery. It weighs 2.2lb with all that stuff, so fiture maybe 1.5lb without.
A USB drive would work, except that the USB i
Re:if only it were blurred in a different directio (Score:2)
Shuttle PCs weight less, use standard parts (Score:3, Interesting)
My calculations say Shuttle weighs much more... (Score:2)
I agree that Shuttle SFFs are more upgradable, but they weigh much more and are not nearly as portable.
A light dual-core Shuttle SFF like the G5 2000 Series [shuttle.com] weighs 3.2kg net
Re:Shuttle PCs weight less, use standard parts (Score:2)
iMac G5/Intel (Score:2)
I took it carry-on on a flight to Hawaii (for work) and had no problems, TSA was way interested, oohs and ahhs.
Fan noise (Score:3, Insightful)
IMHO, a notebook sitting on my wheezing high-pitched hot air at me is annoying. I'd rather have a deskside CPU box, with a larger, quieter fan.
I wonder if there are any desktop replacement notebooks that don't have fans? (Or, if they do, have very quiet fans...)
As far as I know, all the Dell notebooks have fans. Sure, when the machine is idle, the fans don't run. But, once you start doing some amount of work, expect the "wheeeeeeeee".
Re:Fan noise (Score:2)
My idea for a portable desktop (Score:2)
The big news is the detachable LCD screen (Score:2, Insightful)
Consider the potential options:
- LCD dies -- go buy a replacement screen instead of sending in your entire notebook for repair
- keep a backup LCD
- Laptop motherboard dies - keep the screen and buy the notebook without the LCD, saving $100's
- buy a lower resolution LCD screen and upgrade later
- Detach and use on a stand for a more ergnomic fit -- or use 2 LCD screens.
- keep two screens at home and work. tr
Portable? Really? (Score:2)
Ah, the Nostalgia! (Score:3, Funny)
Except it's probably a billion times faster, has way more colors (the Model 4P just had green), and boots slower!
Re:PowerBooks (Score:5, Informative)
my 12" powerbook normally sites on my desk with a USB keyboard and mouse plugged and on the keyboard tray and a 19" LCD off to the side. I can use both displays at the same time(a feature found in all OS's now a days) and the hot swap mini dvi port means i can unplug the 19"lcd and plug in my 27" tv, sit back and watch a dvd. Both displays automatically switch to the settings I like for each.
Then when i do travel I just have to carry a 4.5 pound notebook, and a light case containing a couple of cords a USB travel mouse. Most of the time while traveling i don't even both with carrying a power supply because I have 4 hours of wireless web surfing, and more if i turn off the wireless card.
That's called the best of both worlds. And as I stated you can do that with XP or linux as well(not sure about hot swap monitors for either, but that's relatively minor)
Re:PowerBooks (Score:2)
There are small PC laptops available, of course, but apparently most people haven't seen them, because I very frequently get comments on how small my laptop is (plus it's white and has a
Re:PowerBooks (Score:3, Interesting)
given that most of the games available for a Powerbook were designed 3-4 years ago, i can totally believe that you haven't seen it choke on a single game yet. Nethack only takes so much juice to play :)
seriously though, i wouldn't take my Powerbook anywhere near a 40-person raid encounter in WoW
Re:PowerBooks (Score:2)
Can I run Visual Studio
It runs Java (you know, that
I was a software developer on Windows for 10 years and happily switched to Unix/Mac. You wa
Re:PowerBooks (Score:2)
It's called "Server" for a reason.
Re:PowerBooks (Wow, someone DOES need a hug...) (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow. I guess this guy doesn't get out much. Apparently the world doesn't need MS Office, Final Cut Pro, iLife, Doom 3, MySQL, C++, and a multitude of other applications, programming languages, and games that are available. I guess since this guy's so smart, perhaps he can tell me how these companies somehow make a
Re:The Osborne 1 (Score:2)
Modern day, maybe the "l