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Still holding out for the FlipStart
StoreTags: vaporware, FlipStart
Viewed 11208 times. 8 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
Handtops.com was largely inspired by the announcement of the FlipStart many years back. So it should come as no surprise that in spite of all the delays, I'm still waiting. There've been some noble attempts, but they all fall a bit flat in my eyes.
The OQO was truly a great start with its innovative slide-out keyboard, touchscreen and recently updated models. My dissapointment with the OQO was the heat which made holding hte device uncomfortable for extended periods of time and the tiny keys were dissapointing and rubbery.
Sony VGN series was good, great form factor, lightweight, cool to hold, but who wants to carry along an extra keyboard and all the wires associated with that? The recent UX series is a step in the right direction, especially with an updated resolution, but from reports, the keyboard sounds pathetic.
If the FlipStart does eventually come out in a light form factor, with comfortable keyboard keys and EDGE connectivity then it's truly going to shake things up.
Has your interested in the FS waned or dissapeared? Or are you still patient and optimistic?
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06/30/06
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Stephen
I left out that I wanted a 7 inch wide screen
07/04/06
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Flenser
MeanSquare said: "I decided some time ago that, if I waited for the perfect device, I'd be waiting forever. Whatever I think the perfect device would be now will have morphed upward by the time someone develops what I think is perfect now. This philosphopy means that I make certain concessions, but I have the use of a device that does some of what I want right now." The perfect device for me would be *much* more powerfull than the Flipstart (i.e. 3GHz, 2GB RAM, 100GB GB HD etc) but I see the Flipstart (or something that will be released soon with similar specs and price point) as the first device that is the optimum solution for my needs. Others have found the OQO and now the UX a "Local Optimum" at the current time, but since I'm not in a hurry, prefer a more powerfull machine and can't be bothered with the hastle of migrating to a new system more than once in the next few years I'll continue to wait.
12:26am
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Stephen
Flenser,
I agree. I will continue to wait.
12:09pm
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jimscraft
For me the best screen size for a portable unit would be between 6.2 to 7.2 inches. The overall size of the unit would need to be about 7 inches long and 4.25 inches wide and less than an inch thick closed. I'd like a clamshell device, as I ocassionally work on a fictional novel that may or may never be finished, so I would rather have a nice keyboard, even if it were not full size (I began my novel on a Psion Series 5 pda, and that keyboard had a good feel). I would like a 1.6 ghz processor, but that would not be a deal killer if it were a bit less. 60-100 gb hard drive, 1 gb ram and various ports would help too (several usb, slots for SD and CF cards, etc). Weight is the last issue for me- I would like something around 1 pound, but difiinitely less than a pound and a half. Anything close to this out there anywhere?
07/08/06
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chippy
This is a nice thread. You all seem to know exactly what you want and its suprisingly uniform. (Although I guess you're all here becuase you want a handtop right!!)
When I defined my ideal device, I came up with something similar to teh flipstart too. (The Carrypad concept device)
The only thing i'd like to see on the flipstart, having now used a UMPC, is a touch screen. As an input mechanism it really does have advantages. I'd also like to see a dock so that the device can be used as a desktop.
The OQO and UX series are soooooooo close to my ideal but the screen size is too small. 6-7" is my ideal. The keyboard should be detachable for sofa browsing.
Regards
Steve.
07/08/06
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Stephen
I agree with all of that. We will wait and see.
10/25/06
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primaz
I agree with most here that while it looks nice the size is all wrong. What we want is a simple easy to use computer with a touch type keyboard (NOT any variation of thumb input) that still fits in a jacket pocket. Thus it should be the size of the HP Jornada 728 or Psion 5mx about 7 or 7.5" by 3.5" by 1" or so. To be anything with a thumb input is a band aid on a poor form factor design. Here is a recent article that really captures what most seem to be wanting and dreaming of:
link
12/26/06
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gadjitfreek
The Flipstart is THE machine I have been waiting for since my HP200LX. The OQO was interesting (sold it a week after I bought it), but the Flipstart is the realization of a dream. If only it would become a reality...
edited: Jan 14 2007
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jlp
The closest to a pocketable yet large screen device I've seen is the Arima/Medion MD RIM 1000 UMPC, only drawback is the weight at 1.6 lbs/720g. Also the keyboard is meant for thumbtyping while holding the device with 2 hands, not touch typing of any sort.
However it's arguably quite pocketable for a device with a 6.5" screen; it's the size (minus almost an inch in length) of the Newton MP 2000/2100 that I used to carry in my jacket pocket.
link
link (that's in French but the specs are very readable)
link
02/05/07
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doctordun
Is there even a chance that the flipstart will ever see the light of day? I'd be right in line should it ever happen, but after a couple years with no new information, one starts to wonder.
03/01/07
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Kirby
I do not mean to be rude, but what is the FlipStart? Is it small enough for fitting in a purse, yet have a comfortable keyboard (not a thumb keyboard)? Is that my understanding? If so, count me in!
-Kirby
03/02/07
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GreatDane
Hi Kirby,
The Flipstart was a pocket-able clamshell design with a 5.6" WSVGA screen, thumb keyboard and 1 GHz CPU announced about the same time as the original OQO. Prototypes turned up in 2004, and everyone was excited that this might be another watershed design. The unit was originally supposed to go into production in 2004, and that is where it stopped. Nothing happened. The next time the site was updated was about a month ago, and that was with a teaser. So at the moment, nobody in the general public knows whether the Flipstart will in fact be released, is so, when, and more importantly, what it is going to be.
I contacted Vulcan back in 2004 about the keyboard, which was originally not too dissimilar to the original OQO keyboard with a touch-pad, and they were at that point determined to stick with a thumb type keyboard, probably due to the size of the unit. I imagine that a new Flipstart will still have some sort of thumb keyboard, although, who knows!
The spec's of the 2004 unit are below, but again, I doubt if the new unit will still be the same, and I have no idea what, if anything, it will be.
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional operating system
Dimensions: 5.8" x 4" x 1" (148mm x 101mm x 26mm)
Weighs 1lb (450g)
1 GHz processor
256MB system RAM
30GB internal hard drive
3D graphics w/ 8MB video RAM
Full-function, QWERTY thumb keyboard w/ hotkeys for commonly used commands
5.6" HDTV-quality display (1024 x 600)
Lithium-ion Polymer battery (2-6 hours battery life)
Integrated 802.11b (11 Mbps) /g (54 Mbps) Wi-Fi
USB 2.0 port
Internal microphone/speaker with headphones and ear bud jacks
Integrated 1.3MP digital camera
Optional - Low-Power Interactive Display (LID) module
Optional - Bluetooth®
Optional - Wide area networking
Optional - Ethernet (10/100Mbit)
Optional - Support for external VGA
Optional - NTSC TV Output
Optional - Additional USB 2.0 ports
Optional - External DVD-CD/RW drive
03/02/07
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Kirby
Thank you, GreatDane. I am currious to see what will come out this year. Big changes, I'm sure in store.
Long live the clam shell!
Sincerely,
Kirby
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