I love the idea of this new EM One device made by Sharp. Its so close to being my old Carrypad dream that I have to write some of my personal thoughts and first impressions down if only just to clear my head!
What immediately strikes me as odd and remains my main outstanding query is Windows Mobile 5 running on 800×480. This is something that the DualCor cPC was supposed to be able to do but no-one ever really got enough information on it to know if it would work with 3rd party applications. I need to find out more about this. Putting this issue to one side for one moment, lets talk about the other specifications and features and then compare it to similar devices in the market.
Read on….
Processing power. This is a 520Mhz XScale device with graphics acceleration so immediately we know it’s aimed at the high end of the Pocket PC market. Its going to be good enough for video. MPEG-4 variants and WMV9 should all work at speeds under 2Mbps giving a very good quality experience on the 4.1 ” screen. Audio of course will be no problem and you’ve have the advantage of a huge library of WM5 media software to choose from. At this processing power, Skype will also be OK so, although there’s no cellular voice capability, if there’s a mic input, Bluetooth headphone support or even just a built-in mic, there should be no problem getting voice working over WiFi or even 3 or 3.5G data assuming you have a suitable data plan. The high-end processing and graphics capability will also enable good quality gaming in fact its arguable that gaming on a PocketPC is going to be better than on a ultra mobile PC because the games are written for the small screen and lower-processing capabilities. Name one modern game that was written with UMPCs in mind! I’m not a gaming fan but I’ve read some of the game reports on Judies Gear Diary and I’m more attracted to WM gaming than I am ultra mobile PC gaming.
Sticking with software for a minute, what about the most important aspect of this device – its browsing capability. You’ll have the choice of pocket IE and the java-based Opera Mini pre-installed but there’s also Opera 8.6 available. Unfortunately, the modern benchmark, YouTube flash videos, is still a problem for WM5 devices but Adobe are promising developments this year. Flash Lite 3 could bring the WM5/WM6 standards closer to that of full desktop browsers. Some testing is needed here as this is an important aspect.
There’s obviously no shortage of software for the WM5 platform so I can say with some certainty that whatever you want to do on a WM5 device, you’ll probably find an application somewhere that will do it. The question is, will it run on 800×480 and will it be up to the standards that you need. When you compare the software choice with that available for Windows XP, obviously the choice is less but with XP applications you have other issues to consider. Is the software written for small screen and low-processing power. Often, its not.
Touchscreen. This is going to enable some nice in-car action. 4.1″ is a big enough screen for navigation but what about the media player? Is there a good in-car skin for WMP10? The touchscreen will also enable text input via handwriting or graffiti and traditional stylus select methods.
Memory. The 512MB flash is pretty good but if you’re going to be thinking about films, a Mini-SD card is going to be needed. 4GB cards are available now so I don’t see this as a problem. I’d rather have the ability to add non-volatile memory as needed than to pay for an 8GB rotating disk inside.
Docking station. This looks like it might only be a charging dock with TV-out and USB because the RGB output seems to be on the left had side of the device. If you can enable RGB via the docking station and work in 800×480 on a large screen with a normal keyboard its going to make in interesting portable workstation.
Keyboard. This is obviously a thumbboard which, on a 4.1″ screen device is really all that’s going to be possible. Its going to really help with emails, IM, URLS, short notes and blogs and it will set the device apart from other Pocket PCs. Its also a style feature.
Navigation. There’s no GPS on the device but there’s a great choice of navigation software for the WM5 platform. Its better than the choice for UMPCs, that’s for sure. GPS over Bluetooth should work OK. This should make a very very nice navigation solution assuming the software works under 800×480.
Connectivity. One could argue that there’s too much connectivity on this device. Do you really need to pay for a 3.5G radio when you have a Bluetooth-enabled cellular modem with you most of the time anyway. What this does bring is the chance for the device to be sold under a subsidy model. That is, you commit to 2 years of data charges and you get the device for 40% of the cost. In Europe, 3.5G is here now and its easier to use than WiFi. Its also cheaper as nearly all the WiFi hotspots are for contract use only. Even using the free hotspots brings problems of set-up and security worries. One other thing I like about the 3.5G and WiFi capability is that this device could be used as a 3.5G gateway. If you have the right connection sharing software you can use it as a 3.5G/WiFi hotspot.
Controls. How about that! A mouse-like pointer, scroll wheel and directional pad. A keyboard and touchscreen with quick access buttons on the frame. Could it get any better? There a possible 10/10 to be had here if the feel and feedback is good on those controls.
Desktop / Master unit. WM5 always was and probably always will be a client / companion operating system. The applications and synchronization software are written with this in mind and due to the limited storage capacity, using a WM5 device as your main data store is almost impossible. UMPC’s on the other hand use desktop software and have large storage capacity. Keeping your master documents on a ultra mobile PC makes sense. There’s no need to syncronise data and change formats and you can even run server software to enable the device to syncronise smaller devices like mobile phones. The EM One is not a device that you would or should use as a master data store.
Battery Life. 4 hours battery life is quoted on the press release which on first-glance isn’t that impressive. But take a closer look. The standard battery is 4.5W/hr. That’s about 1/6th of the capacity of a ultra mobile PC battery. Lets assume that the device only runs for 2 hours under use of the HSDPA or WiFi modules. You’re still only looking at 2W of drain. You could quite easily power this device using a solar panel. This solar setup, for example, should allow you to run the device 24/7 non-stop given a full day of sun. You also get the option of a large battery pack which will give you over 6 hours of battery life. This is seriously low power technology and a benchmark that x86 based systems will take many years to reach.
Style. I’d give it 8/10 on the style scale. The industrial design is near 10/10 from this limited (no hands-on!) standpoint and when closed it has a lovely simple fascia. Very good. Desirable. More so than the Nokia N800.
Size. Its pocketable which will appeal to many many people. However, the screen size means that the DPI will be very high. It’s the same as the N800. Take a look at these images of my high-quality paper cut-out (!)which give some sort of idea of the size of the device.
The AA battery and my hands give an idea of size.
Others. Camera and 1-seg capability should not be overlooked. If they can squeeze a TV receiver in there then would it be possible to swap this out for a DVB-H receiver in Europe? In addition, RGB-out and TV-out enable presentations, photos and video playback on large screens.
Availability. Of course this is the major problem for most of us. This device just isn’t available to anyone outside Japan. You might even ask why I’m even bothering to write about it. What I’m hoping to do by analysing it is to provide Sharp with feedback that says ‘Yes we want it,’ to provide myself with a clear view about all aspects of the device and to provide readers with some thought processes that may trigger their own decisions about what they need in an Ultra Mobile Device.
Comparisons. The obvious comparison due to the dimension is the Nokia N800. The screen is exactly the same size and resolution however, the comparisons between the rest of these two devices are not easy to make. The EM One is an expensive high-end fully functional device. The N800, a low-priced development exercise by Nokia that will mature over time. If you, the reader, ever get to compare these devices and have them on your shortlist, you should question exactly what your requirements are.
The nearest comparison is probably the HTC Advantage. It to is a WM5 device with a keyboard and large-format screen. It also has the high-end Xscale processor. However, it doesn’t have the 800 wide screen which is going to make it less attractive for web browsing. The Advantage also has an 8GB hard drive, GPS and a higher price.
The I-Mate Ultimate 7150 is another Windows Mobile device that is similar. Again it has a keyboard and the HSDPA support. It also has a VGA screen just like the HTC Advantage. In the case of the I-Mate though its a clamshell convertible which could be more useful than the magnetically attached keyboard on the HTC. The I-Mate also ships with Windows Mobile 6 which could give it an advantage for the future. Pricing for the I-Mate looks similar to the HTC unit.
The Nokia E90 is a worth considering. It has the 800 wide screen and a reasonably powerful processor. Communications features match the EM One but the E90 adds a GPS receiver and a high-end camera. The E90 is slightly smaller though and runs the Series 60 OS. This is one that should be right next to the EM One if you ever get them on a shortlist of possible purchases.
Moving up to Windows XP devices, there are two that need to be considered. Firstly the Raon Digital Vega. This is a 4.5″ device with a slightly bulkier build. You get the advantage of a full desktop operating system without many limitations. You have a hard drive and full USB device support. What you don’t get on the Raon Digital Vega though is any wireless connectivity option or any form of keyboard. Raon Digital are, apparently, working on a new device which we guess will include WiFi and Bluetooth but nothing is known about this device at the moment.
The second windows XP device is the Samsung SPH-P9000. This is a Transmeta powered device with a fold-out keyboard and Wi-Max connectivity. Like the EM One it is designed to be sold through cellular carriers. Whether this device should be on your shortlist depends totally on whether its available and whether you have Wi-Max connectivity available in your country. At the moment in most of the world, the SPH-P9000 is not an option that you need to consider.
All the EM One specifications, images and links are available on the Datasheet.
Summary. After analysing the WM One I still love it. I think I can call this the ‘Carrypad’ that I’ve been looking for for over a year although I really should hold back until I’ve had some hands-on. Its got all the elements of design and capability that allow it to sit comfortably between the mobile phone and notebook PC as a Personal Ultra Mobile computing device. My only worries are the browser functionality, flash capability and 3rd party applications on an 800×480 screen.
The EM One makes me wonder whether we will start to see the re-invention of the Pocket PC as a low end ultra mobile computing device that can function as a navigation unit, PMP, mobile browser and Internet communicator. If consumers can buy these devices at $330 with an Internet access contract from their local mobile provider its going look like a very compelling package when compared to UMPC’s that are bigger, heavier, more expensive and have half the battery life.
Sharp will be at CeBit in March. They will be hearing only one line from me. ‘Please please bring this wonderful device to Europe.’
