Handtops, UMPC - FlipStart Future As They State It

FlipStart Future As They State It
handtops.com forums : FlipStart PC : talk about the FlipStart PC

page 2 | 47 posts new topic new blog Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

thread starter

03/15/08 + cnewtonne

I purchased my FS from Vulcan directly and I was probably the last one who did. I called their support site and asked about the reason behind their sudden price drop. The support person seemed very knowledgeable about the company and product. He stated there is a new FS in the works for which he declined to provide any details. He thought it might be available in 2008. I asked him specifically if the company is going out of business, but he adamantly invalidated the idea. He thought the company is doing good and is here to stay.

This is what he told me, for whatever it is worth.

Thank you

Replies

edited: Mar 18 2008 + 2disbetter

I'm afraid i have to agree big time with kamodt. The Eee is not a "serious" device. It's a toy. While you might be able to through up specs of the flipstart with the Eee and make it look close, there are several things that are NOT as similar.

For one, video processing, sound processing, do you think the Eee will play WoW? While this might seem trivial, this is a good indicator of it's abilities.

Admitely I've ignored the Eee since it was announced. I don't find it interesting at all.

It's like buying a Pinto, being upset with how slow it is (base Eee), so you decide to throw a big V8 in it, and then brag about how fast it is. It's still a Pinto.

A computer is not one part defines all, it's the sum of it's parts.

This is why the 01 and in part the 02 have not seen the success waiting for them. Processor and video power is what is missing in both of those packages.

The Sony UX has that, but lacks the finese of the OQO.

The Asus Eee is a cheap knock off, and no matter how much you mod it, if you are striving to have a competent machine you'd be better off just buying a proper UMPC.

2d

03/18/08 + rr0123

Isn't the EEE Asus' top selling laptop of all time, or something like that? Call it what you like, it is a strong indicator of what people want in a small form factor: something inexpensive and capable of doing all the basics, and not a replacement for a full size laptop. I'm hopeful that it will usher in a wave of Linux-based handtops.

03/18/08 + Nobody99

Until the eeepc has a serious amount of storage space and resolution that is not a joke, I won't even look at it. A new model with only 12GB on board storage? You have got to be having a laugh.

03/18/08 + tnkgrl

@2disbetter, clearly, you've never used an Asus Eee... There's nothing cheap about it other than the price!

It's significantly faster than the OQO Model 01/01+ - would you call the Model 01/01+ a toy?

It's a well engineered and manufactured device, and as @rr0123 mentioned, it's selling extremely well (and not to children, apparently, but to adults).

I've used my Asus Eee as my primary device while traveling and the only major drawback at times was the small screen size (but that was also a problem for me with the OQO Model 01/02).

And yes, you can play WoW on the Asus Eee: link

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

edited: Mar 18 2008 + 2disbetter

tnkgrl said: "@2disbetter, clearly, you've never used an Asus Eee... "

This is true, I have never used one, as I mentioned in my previous response.

tnkgrl said: "It's significantly faster than the OQO Model 01/01+ - would you call the Model 01/01+ a toy?"

That's like saying a Core Duo is faster than an 8088. Newer technology should be faster.

tnkgrl said: "It's a well engineered and manufactured device, and as @rr0123 mentioned, it's selling extremely well (and not to children, apparently, but to adults).

I've used my Asus Eee as my primary device while traveling and the only major drawback at times was the small screen size (but that was also a problem for me with the OQO Model 01/02).

And yes, you can play WoW on the Asus Eee: link"

Nice points, but would you develop on it? The screen looks cheap to me. Why not have the screen fill out the whole lid?
And using how much the device has sold doesn't mean that it's a bonified UMPC replacement. It just means there are a lot of people out there who woudl like to see if it is. We'll see how much the more expensive Eee sells. Build qaulity does not mean competence as a computer. Everyone i've talked to wants nothing to do with it.

That being said I will concede that nothing currently exist that can really claim to be a full desktop replacement. The Eee excells at what it was designed to do. And if it ushers in a growth in the Linux (open development) area that woudl be great.

I guess my biggest thing here, is that I don't want a device to just do the basics, I wanted one that can do it all.

2d

03/18/08 + wodin

rr0123 said: "Isn't the EEE Asus' top selling laptop of all time, or something like that? Call it what you like, it is a strong indicator of what people want in a small form factor: something inexpensive and capable of doing all the basics, and not a replacement for a full size laptop. I'm hopeful that it will usher in a wave of Linux-based handtops."

Why, after the mega-discount, that's exactly what my FS is.

03/18/08 + tnkgrl

@2disbetter There's an Asus Eee with a full 9" screen (1024x600)- it's called the Eee 900...

The reason the Asus Eee is so affordable is because Asus manufactures computers for almost all the major brands (including Apple) - they have the expertise to keep quality high and price low, they know how to get volume discounts on parts.

Everyone I know loves the Eee - it's a blogger's dream machine!

For development I use my MacBook Air, mostly because of the bigger screen, and because of OS X.

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

03/18/08 + rr0123

I don't view the EEE as a UMPC replacement, it's more of a coffee shop device. For travel, I take with me a full UMPC, usually the OQO. But when I take my kid to tennis lessons and know I will have access to a tabletop, I take the EEE to do some surfing and casual email. For serious work, I would take the P1610.

I do wish the EEE had bluetooth, and I hope that will be included in the new 9" model.

03/18/08 + johnnyboy

The flipstart isn't going down. Its the ONLY umpc with a great keyboard!! It doesn't have a klutsy touchscreen. It runs full bore without issues. Its light and easy to pack. Worth 3 or 4 times the 699 price.

03/20/08 + 2disbetter

tnkgrl said: "@2disbetter ...

Everyone I know loves the Eee - it's a blogger's dream machine!

For development I use my MacBook Air, mostly because of the bigger screen, and because of OS X."

This is what I'm saying. Blogging can be done technically on your iPhone. The Asus Eee is not doing anything new for that, just makes it easier.

link

That looks like a decent Eee clone.

Still I want a UMPC I can do hardcore stuff on too, not just recreational things, and that is my biggest gripe with the Eee.

2d

03/20/08 + heavyharmoni

(I would post this as a new topic, but the board won't let newbies start new topics, yay.)

I've been researching all of the UMPCs and subnotebooks, trying to find "the perfect device" for weeks now, scouring all of the mobile blogs and forums, and watching video reports and reviews on Youtube by the dozen. Every single device seems to have its tradeoffs; there is no single "perfect" device.

I spent some time working with a Vye S37 (Kohjinsha SH8) and while I liked the unit, it had overheating issues and the performance wasn't all that spry. I also found myself using the tablet/inking features less than I thought I would. LOVED the screen through.

I considered buying the Asus EEE 8G + 2G RAM + 16G SDHC card, but ultimately decided that the 800x480 screen was a dealkiller for me.

I considered the Sony UX models, but dang, that screen is TINY, and also unprotected.

I like the form factor of the Fujitsu U810 (and ultimately I may still get one at some point to play with) but there have been reports that (1) performance can be subpar, and (2) entirely too many keyboard remappings rather than dedicated keys.

I preordered a Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium based on the initial reviews of the performance of the Core Solo and the 7+ hour battery life... the split thumboard seemed a bit bizarre though.

It's extremely tough to sort through all the options without a hands-on trial period (ideally, simultaneous usage). I find myself changing my mind as to which device to try to work with.

Then the announcement about Dynamism's blowout sale on all the Flipstart accessories... I'm thinking to myself that this would ultimately save a TON of cash. Regardless of what device I would ever buy, I would want to get (1) a decent case, (2) a spare battery, (3) a second AC adapter for my office, and (4) an auto power adapter to keep in my car. So I reconsider the FlipStart.

But...

Like an idiot, I had procrastinated and missed out on the Dynamism liquidation, and it doesn't appear that there are any other vendors out there. But I lucked out on eBay and snagged one yesterday.

I'm looking forward to using the unit.

Pros and Cons as I perceive them (without any hands-on use, going strictly from others' reviews):

Pros:

1. Rugged. Screen is very well protected.

2. Phenomenal performance, given that there's only 512MB of RAM

3. Usable thumbboard (unlike the Q1)

4. Multiple mouse options (pointer and trackpad)

5. Vibrant screen

Cons:

1. Heavy for its size (Color me simple, but it weighs less than the SH8 I was using...)

2. Not sleek (who gives a darn, you're not buying a Gucci purse)

3. No touchscreen (I guess it depends on what you're used to using)

4. RAM not upgradeable (as long as #2 above remains true, not an issue; I'm an XP user, not a Vista user anyway)

5. Hard drive not upgradeable (too bad, would like to put a SSD 32/64GB in there)

6. Can't touch type if you have big hands (s'ok, I can't touch type anyway)

7. This is the one thing that has me concerned: No SD card slot, so there is no way to expand storage at all. I will be using the FS with a Novatel U727 Verizon broadband modem, which will occupy the USB port, so using the USB slot for a thumb drive is not an option (although the U727 has a micro-SD slot, but it's limited to 4GB capacity).

At the end of the day, the pros outweighed the cons in terms of their importance to me, especially in light of the price.

One thing that swayed me as I did more research was that when taking into account the source of the review/report, the FlipStart has very few detractors, outside of having an issue with the original price. Those who have rated the FS poorly tend to have been those who don't "get" UMPC-sized devices to begin with. They're trying to equate the FS with a Dell Inspiron and are thus complaining about the size of the screen and the keyboard. Well DUH! That's the problem I have with the vast majority of mainstream media reviews of UMPC-like devices... they have no clue as to the intended use of these machines.

If some of the components were user-upgradeable, this device would have serious potential and wider appeal!

03/20/08 + Nobody99

The Flipstart hard disk is upgradeable, I will be upgrading mine to 60GB when it arrives, you can connect a tiny USB multi card reader to read all SD/CF/MMC cards or a powered USB Hub to do more but of course having a built in SD or CF drive would be more convenient. I have found that I do not need a touchscreen because the mouse pad / stub is excellent and you can adjust all of its settings.

I use the port replicator on mine to connect a tiny Nano keyboard for longer typing periods and a USB Mouse. You can always use wireless versions of these too and some of the Mouse have built in SD card readers.

The performanceof the Flipstart is great but with further XP tweaking you can get even more out of it, for example disabling performance counters, changing CPU profiles and turning of unnecessary services. I also get more out of my 30GB HDD from enabling XP NTFS compression.

03/20/08 + mhoepfin

Nice writeup, heavyharmoni...

I can't remember if Verizon now allows Sprint devices on it's network, but if it does you can also use the built-in Sprint Rev A EVDO WWAN.

It's nice with sprint because it's very easy to switch service back and forth between the FS and my Sprint USB modem.

03/20/08 + heavyharmoni

I thought there were issues with upgrading the hard drive due to the height of the drives (stock drive is 5mm, but higher capacity drives are 8mm)?

Does the FS 30GB drive come partitioned in any way? I've always been told that you don't want to enable disc compression on a system drive because there's a performance hit. Is that still the case? I figured I would make a 10-15GB uncompressed system partition, and then the remainder as a data partition compressed.

If the performance decrease is negligible, I might as well compress the whole drive, but performance is more important to me than disk space.

I'd love to use Sprint rather than Verizon, but here in the sticks, Sprint does not offer broadband service, whereas the Verizon broadband coverage here is excellent.

03/20/08 + tnkgrl

Just FYI the largest 1.8" 5 mm (single platter) PATA HDD is currently 80 GB - the largest 1.8" 5 mm PATA SSD is currently 64 GB.

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

You must be a member to reply or post. signup or login