Mobile computing Customer challenge #4 – Meet Mr Convergence.

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A few weeks ago I had an email from Derrick asking for help on choosing a device. His problem is that he doesn’t have much time to research the sector but know’s what he wants. He list his requirements and summarised by saying ‘James Bond style.’ I couldn’t resist!

Great site and very informative, i wish i had time to dive into devices, especially now in this tech advancing age. I am currently looking to purchase any device that provides or at least comes close to providing the following criteria:
Note: Compact discreetly portable with the most gadgets and accessories – james bond style if you will ;-)

1. Camcorder
2. PDF Reader (mostly Adobe created)
3. videos, mp3’s, video games etc
4. Lots of memory and CPU
5. Browse internet
6. develop simple software scripts

I would like it for the following reasons (remember, it will mostly be used during travelling):

1. To read pdf documents
2. watch movies (for my kids ;-D)
3. play video games (for my kids ;-D)
4. write code (winbatch, vista cert appz etc)
5. Record video and audio eg: family videos on the fly but in good quality for at least 1+ hours, use in court etc
6. i need alot of storage space and the fastest CPU and processing i can get
7. it needs to be conveniently, discretely portable and light weight
Thus far, I have looked at the Archos 705 wifi and i am not certain it can camcord – but the accessories list for the 404 camcorder states that the helmet cam is compatible with the 705 – does this mean it takes video to???
I hope you can aid me in this search and I thank you for your time and patience.

Derrick

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‘Discreetly portable’ is the key expression there and I’m sure it’s something that many people will be nodding their heads too. If you look at the list of requirements there you’ll see Derrick talking about things that you really might only see in a James Bond movie right now! The problem is that we’re looking at the last uncharted territory of mobile computing. Small devices with high processing power just aren’t possible right now but there are definitely devices that get close. Other things to note here are that the device needs to be portable and will be used during traveling.

My immediate thoughts are:

• Traveling – Security of data. Heat. (playback when in pocket) GPS could be useful.
• Browse Internet
• Watch movies – Kids don’t need HD content so we’re probably talking about a fairly simple requirement. He doesn’t mention what format the source videos are in.
• Storage – Appears to be important. 60GB minimum i’d say.
• Write code – Keyboard, comfortable screen res. Derrick is writing windows/x86 code.
• Has looked at Archos 705 so he considers a 7″ screen to be acceptable.
• Video recording. My first thought is – don’t! Look at your mobile phone and try and move the video recording element there because the quality of UMPC-based cameras and recording software is terrible.
• No budget limit.

Main requirements: 7″ Screen, good keyboard. Large storage. Memory upgrade.

I’m immediately thinking of the Kohjinsha SH8 or Vye V37. This device (two brands) is the only one that can be supplied with a big disk and 2GB of RAM. It also has a great screen and keyboard. Because of the Intel processor and GPU, video playback support is good (it will go way beyond what your kids will need Derrick!) and it has some nice expansion possibilities (CF card, SD card.) If you really want to do video recording on it, you can. It’s got a swivel screen and 1.3mp cam. One issue to be aware of is the max 2-hour battery life on the small battery. The extended battery adds size and weight but returns 4-4.5 hours of use. 2nd choice in my list would be a P1610 or P1620. Again its a very capable device with a more powerful processor than the V37. Its bigger and more expensive though.

3rd choice would be a combination device – The Q1 Ultra and organiser pack. The Q1 Ultra uses the same Intel platform as the V37 but comes without a keyboard. There is a 1.3mp camera on the back of the device, a very nice screen and the organiser pack provides travel protection and a better keyboard/mouse option than the above two. The disadvantage is that its not a device that can be used with a keyboard on the lap. It needs a hard surface.

Notice that I haven’t mentioned the Archos. I use a 605 Wifi at home as a video, audio and image playback device but I wouldn’t rely on it for portable Internet activities. Maybe if they upgrade to Opera 9.5 in future firmware upgrades it would be better but at the moment, I don’t recommend it.

Two more things to mention before I finish. Firstly, when traveling, take a USB hard drive for backing up data. Loosing a trips worth of photo’s is a horrible experience. I lost a CF card full of photos in Asia once while I was holidaying with a friend. It still annoys me now! Secondly, for video recording, I recommend moving the function onto a mobile phone. A number of phones provide VGA-resolution 30fps recording with good optics now and as I often say to friends who are looking into digital cameras, in most cases its better to have a medium quality video than no video at all. For static recording, a small, good quality web-cam would be an option. I have a Logitech (pro 5000) and Philips (SPC-900NC) web cam but I’ve always found the Philips one to be better. The drivers are ‘slimmer’ (less CPU required) and the quality at low light is much better.

So there are my recommendations for Mr Convergance. If you have thoughts, feel free to add them below. I’m sure Derrick will be pleased to see them.