Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Will there ever be a new PictureBook?

I guess you wonder what this post will be all about? With good reason, as most of you may never have heard about the Sony PictureBook laptop. Go search for it on google (just use the search box over there at the right) - it was a great ultratiny laptop in its time (think 2000ish). In some respects it is flat out the best notebook I ever had. The list of laptops I have had the pleasure of using in the past currently contains:
  • IBM ThinkPad 570
  • Sony PictureBook C1VFK
  • Fujitsu P2120
  • IBM ThinkPad T41p
  • Fujitsu Siemens P1510D
  • Apple MacBook Pro 17"
These are computers I have used from 1998 until today.

All these was or is great computers, but also very different. Adding Sharp Zaurus C860 and HTC TyTN, which are more PDAs than laptops, and you have my complete list of carryable computers. But as a system administrator I have also been involved in setting up a lot of other models as well, including most X and T models from IBM, different Dells, Fujitsu Siemens, Acer and Asus. So I have quite some background here. When I say that the PictureBook is the best, of course I have to define in what sense it's the best. Sure, it is not a good desktop replacement because it is slow. But I don't need a desktop replacement as I want to keep the desktop computer. The PictureBook is the best notetaking, travel, meeting, watching-tv, sitting-in-the-livingroom-with-the-computer-on-the-lap computer.
The most important thing with the PictureBook is not the size or weight, but the formfactor. Smaller computers exist, and lighter as well. Sony did the smart thing making a small computer that is somewhat wide, but not very deep. By fitting a display with the unusual resolution 1024x480, the display is wide enough for all applications, but you need to scroll vertically. To make that easy, a jog-wheel was put on the right edge, very easy accessible. The width cater for a good keyboard - to this day the keyboard on the PictureBook C1VFK is one of the best I have ever used; on par with the IBM 570. So even though the computer is not tiny to the extreem, it is easy to carry around, weight is just 1kg and because of the short depth, it is very easy to stick into some bag or under your arm or just hold with one hand. Again because of the short depth, you can always use it on plane or bus, even in the cheapest seats. And because of the good keyboard, you can keep typing for hours.
My wish is therefore: Look at the Sony PictureBook, you guys out there creating notebooks. Make something similar, maybe with a 1280x600 display or something like that. Stick a Core duo cpu into it as well as the connectivity, disk and memory of today. Computers like the Oqo O2 are too small to be useable and too big to carry everywhere (we have cellphones/pdas for that). The keyboard on the new small Sony thing, UX50/90/180, is just terrible and highly unusable (yes, I have tested one). Computers like the Fujitsu Siemens P1610D does not have a keyboard in the same league, and the bigger irons we can save for the desktop. Please, give me a good carry-around computer! 1kg is ok, the cellphone is what I carry everywhere. And the size of the PictureBook is also ok. Give us tools we can actually feel good with!