WOT: Cool New Handtop PCs

[Alfred1]

I'm eventually going to need a portable PC to tune the Kit Carlson F/I system - maybe one of these.

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PluggedIn: 'Handtop' PCs Set to Hit Mobile Market

Sun Jun 20, 3:40 PM ET Add Technology - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Reed Stevenson

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Want a more powerful computer in your hand without having to settle for a personal digital assistant? New fully functional Windows-based "handtop" computers will make their debut later this year.

The new class of personal computing device is nothing short of an attempt to pack in the hardware and software capabilities of a PC into a small rectangular box that can be slipped into a pocket, albeit a rather generous-sized one.

"Consumers will no longer have to compromise," said Jory Bell, chief executive of OQO, a San Francisco-based company that is aiming to launch its mini-computers this fall.

"Now you can get the full capabilities that you would get with a desktop or a laptop computer in a portable form factor," said Bell, who previously worked at Apple Computer Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news) on its Titanium Powerbook laptop line.

Handtop PC makers say their devices have several advantages over PDAs, which typically run more simplified software with fewer application programs. Unlike PDAs, they are meant to be used as a full-fledged PC, rather than as an extension of one that needs to be synchronized.

In addition to OQO, two other PC developers are betting that strong consumer demand for powerful handheld computing devices will fuel a new mobile computing market segment.

Seattle-based FlipStart, owned and operated by Vulcan Inc., the investment arm of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) co-founder Paul Allen, is also aiming to launch its own handtop PC later this year.

Consumer electronics giant Sony Corp (news - web sites). (6758.T) has already started selling a handtop PC, although only in its home country of Japan.

All of these PCs are about the size of a U.S. paperback book, equipped with a 1 gigahertz or 900 megahertz microprocessor, a 20-gigabyte or 30-gigabyte hard drive, wireless networking, USB ports and a screen in the 5-inch diagonal range.

While the OQO and FlipStart handtops will have a built-in keyboard, Sony has opted to do away with the keyboard altogether for its VAIO U50, letting users operate the handtop via a touchscreen and trackpoint.

Most significantly, however, all of these mini-laptops run Windows XP (news - web sites), allowing users to load any software from the vast library of available Windows-based programs.

WITHIN REACH

Prices for handtop computers are expected to be about $1,300 to $2,000, on a par with prices for the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market today. In Tokyo, the retail price for the VAIO U50, which has a 900 megahertz chip, is about 152,000 yen ($1,380). Another version, the U70, which has a 1 gigahertz processor, is not yet in stores.

The biggest challenge in designing these ultra-small PCs, say developers, is making sure that the small screen is capable of displaying enough information with adequate resolution and clarity to avoid user eye strain. In most cases, the screen is the most expensive component of the device.

"If you're bringing someone the performance of Windows, then they have to be able to see it and use it," said Rod Fleck, director of engineering at FlipStart.

OQO and FlipStart have the same Toshiba Corp. (6502.T) 1.8-inch hard drive used by Apple's popular iPod digital music player, while Sony has not disclosed what kind of hard drive is used in the U50 and U70.

Another hurdle was in deciding how to integrate the keyboard and provide an easy way to control the mouse.

All three handtops come with a stick-type mouse controller although the FlipStart also has a trackpad. All have docking stations and can easily attach to external keyboards, mice, displays and other peripherals.

Some will come with software for synchronizing with desktop PCs, although executives at the companies say that the handtops are designed to be used as primary computers rather than as supplemental devices requiring synchronization.