What would happen if you handed someone $50,000 and told them to make you the ultimate portable computing device? Let’s say the device was built to your exact needs and could fit in your pocket. Great, the perfect device, but with such a great cost, can one really call it portable?
This question popped into my head while I was testing the VAIO P [Portal page]. The P was incredibly small compared to most other notebooks, and even netbooks. It is light as a feather and thin yet still manages to pack a decent amount of power, but I was much more reluctant to take it out of the house with me even though it is so portable. One of the biggest reasons for this is because it is an expensive machine. The VAIO P might ‘start’ at $899, but the top end unit is pushing the $2000 envelope. With a price level so high compared to some of the other options out there (in terms of size), the VAIO P may have weighed twice as much and been twice as large. When using an expensive device, one tends to be much more cautious with it. For example, I’ve tossed the HP Mini 1000 into a drawstring bag with the AC adapter and a few accessories as an easy way to transport it, but I would never do that with the VAIO P because of its monetary value. I probably transport the VAIO P without a nice padded pocket for it to reside in.
How about you dear readers? Does a price make a mobile device feel ‘less portable’ than if it only cost, say, only $50 to replace?
New article: How does price affect the perceived portability of a device? http://cli.gs/WjJs3W
Well, my OQO is allways hanging from my belt.
I think regardless of price, I’d keep it in a nice padded bag. Just because a umpc or netbook is $500 doesn’t mean that I’d fling it around like a rag doll.
It depends on your bag (or the pocket, if the device is small enough). I tend to protect any non-rugged device from the elements so a padded cover is preferred in any case. I would not lug around a 2000 euro device like I do my phone and my 901 Go on a daily basis. Properly protected, the limit may be around 5-600 euros… But consider if you lost all your devices at once!
If I was a car-driving businessman with a suit and all, I would dare travel with more expensive devices, but the rigors of more mundane life and lower budgets set the risk I can take somewhat lower. I could still keep a 3G Viliv S5 in my jacket pocket or on the belt, but not a high-end Vaio P in my backpack.
BEN,
Is this a spinoff from your initial impressions? [“One thing that none of us have factored into our definitions of pocketable or portable, is price.†> http://www.umpcportal.com/2009/03/initial-hardware-impressions-%e2%80%93-sony-vaio-p ]
Price–value is definitely a factor, but I would agree with DK that “regardless of price, I’d keep it in a nice padded bag. Just because a umpc or netbook is $500 doesn’t mean†that it’s value is not many times the hardware cost: you have to figure in possible loss of data [I just read that JK does video editing on the run. Imagine the value of an unrecoverable edited movie (backing tracks and all)!], backup recovery costs, loss of business in hot pursuit, and general aggravation.
I still think that “the crucial factor you will have to consider is shock protection, or ‘mobility [might not] translate to more fun and flexibility.’ I’m not talking of rugged UMPCs, but of devices that are mobile enough to get there. Breaking two Psion 5 screens—one on the downhill bike, the other on snowboard—convinced me to always carry a hard case: but it adds to the pocket-size requirements, and has to be figured in when adjudicating on portability.
This brings us again to the pivotal question on VAIO P’s poratability: does the VAIO’s extra width [I’ll make a wild guess that screen breaking propensity is an exponential function of its size.], combined with its sleek profile, translate into unacceptable screen-cracking risk (of an expensive screen at that)—or the need for extra hard/bulky cases—crippling thus its mobility potential?
If it has the same quality and spec, definitly.
But if they have different sizes and shapes I don’t know
I kind of treat my MP3P better than my
(know gone) PMP but it was only half the price.
I guess that was because my PMP had a metal cover which is quite reliable.
But people travel with regular sized laptops all the time and they can cost as much as $2000 too. Neither the expense nor the size hasn’t exactly stopped people from taking laptops with them where ever they go. (It has spawned a cottage industry of padded bags and such though.)
Yes, it does. What really stopped me from taking my OQO with me everywhere, though, was the thought of all the hassle, time and expense of having to send it halfway around the world to have it repaired. A locally available device (or local repair facilities as with my Nokia E90 bought from England) would make a huge difference.
this is easy. the cheaper, the more satisfied i am. this is not only a technology thing, but with everything in my life. why would a t-shirt which costs 100 euro make me more happy than a t-shirt bought for 5 euros? only the latter one would make me happy as the fact to purchase something you want for a cheaper price makes me happy and proud. a mobile device which does what i like and costs me 199 euros makes me more happy than a device which costs 1999 euros and has just a feature or function which does not bother me at all. for me it’s not a question of budget but a question of what i get for the price. i got my asus 901 for 240 euros, while you can have a samsung nc10 or others for nearly double of the price, the differences for me are not worth spending double of the price. keyboard is a fraction bigger and won’t make it 250 euros better. battery is the same for me, i can get also 8 hours on my 901. the fact that it’s as powerful but smaller and nearly half the price makes it better – simple as that.
oops…and portability..yeah, easy too: the smaller the better. which is obvious. while a 17inch laptop is portable, i guess you won’t take it with you everyday. a umpc is smaller and more portable, but if i had to pay double of the 17inch laptop, where in MY case would be the advantage? the umpc is way less powerful and won’t let me do everything, so i have to chose between full computer productivity and power but less portable and not very powerful, need still other hardware to make it possible to work 8 hours per day and pay double for everything? portability is a question of price, definitely, but in my case i would not spend a cent more just to make it smaller
I know this is something I say all the time, but for me price is more important than “raw capability” because even though I travel with the device in a padded bag and take reasonable care, in use the device is still “vulnerable”. If I’m in a coffee shop I’ll very, very occasionally knock over my coffee, but one knock is all it takes. Likewise, even the padded bag gets knocked about sometimes on the bus. I’m reasonably sure that it was one time I tripped over and fell on top of the bag containing my old, big expensive laptop that dented part of the case and b******d up the internal CD drive. (I didn’t actually try to use it for a month or so so I’m not categorical.)
I actually plan for something to probably happen to wreck the device after about a year so, so for me the price point is one that I can afford to replace after about 1 year. (Having relatives who work as insurance claims assessors I’m disinclined to think that insurance would cover the kind of damage I’m envisinoing, particularly in the current economic climate.)
well, I wouldn’t consider that is only the price that factors in the “value” of the device, I guess it depends on the needs and degree of reliance on the respective device. Taking an extreme example, think of the mobility of the chair of Stephen Hawkings. Or, how much did Obama’s BlackBerry cost (probably a lot less that 50,000)? I would absolutely take a Sony Vaio P in my slacks pocket, without any regard for the safety of the thing, if it allows me to be “connected” all the time (I don’t have one because it actually doesn’t fit).
In the end, it’s a balance of needs, risks and affordability.
Hi All,
I tend to agree with the general sentiment; but I wanted to share my own experiences. When I bought my WiBrain B1 from Dynamism as soon as they hit the US market, I tried to convince my wife (CFO of my personal empire as it were) that the cost of an Otterbox to protect it would be worthwhile.
Fast forward to about a month before the warranty was to expire and the darned power button got pressed in by a can of soup in my backpack on the way to work and broke off. $300.00 and two months later I get it back from WiBrain and she lets me get the Otterbox for it. Now I have even carried it to the jungles of a third-world country without concern.
Bottom line, no matter the cost of the device, protect it as long as the means to do so is less than the repair/replacement cost. By the way, the Otterbox is waterproof and can be safely run over by most non-commercial cars and trucks and is available from http://www.otterbox.com/
Regards,
Jamie
Expensive is in the eye of the beholder. However there does seem to be a consistent thought about portability no matter what the product. I have friends who own Bentleys and Ferraris. They are portable however the owners tend not to drive them to the grocery store for fear of the damage a clueless person might inflict, being dinged by doors in the tight parking spaces. They bought the cars to be seen in suitable settings however the cost of repairs prohibits daily use. Many wives have expensive jewelry, they only wear to fancy parties. It is certainly portable however the cost of lose or damage restricts daily enjoyment.
The Vario P can be seen in this same light. People pay the high price because they want to be seen with a special product that people recognize as expensive. (There are certainly equally functional netbooks for less than half the price.) If a lady keeps it safe in her purse or a guy in his brief case then daily use is possible because it is safe from damage. Shoving it onto your belt or stuffing it in your back pack would be the equivalent to parking the Bentley in the grocery store parking lot, dangerous and potentially expensive. So yes, I think price affects portability.
My mid is not at high price (N810) but I did not take it with me outdoors often. Any mid with touch screen is more or less useless under the sun beams.
I always laugh at UMPC’s and the issue about price. It is not really the price per say but the problem of all of them not providing the right type of input method people expect and want from a full PC. People do not see a pen input, thumb input or anything other than a touch type input to be what they really want. That is the basic flaw of UMPC’s is that without a touch type keyboard then they are not very useful and can not be your stand alone only PC you own. Most people do not want to own multipe PC’s.
UMPC’s to be successful and popular must differentiate from laptops and sub notebooks. Yes they must have a touch type keyboard just to be considered useful. The Sony P and netbooks are useful. But the netbooks only sell due to price and the Sony P due to kind of being portable. The Sony P still is a bit too large to be the mobile PC most would want.
UMPC’s should provide more of a modern clamshell design like the old handhelds like the HP Jornada and Psion 5mx. Those sold millions a year yet UMPC’s have yet to even surpass a few hundred K a year. Price is an issue for them as they are all more toys and can not be your only PC for most people. If any of them created a touch type keyboard pocket PC using any of the UMPC’s current prices, price would not be a problem selling millions.
AMEN for touch typing! Without it , it might as well be a smartphone.
That is a great summary of the UMPC industry. I completely agree with Al and Realty without a keyboard you would have to be a total fool not to buy a smartphone. I did use a Psion years ago and they still bring back the most enjoyable mobile experience I have had. The reason is simple, they had the best keyboard and it would fit in a pocket so easily with such a natural feel.
Ben is mentioning two different issues. First of all, Vaio P is not portable enough to be carried freely in terms of its physical size. Only MID with smaller than 5-inch screen can be called truly portable. In addition, a touchscreen machine without keyboard or as a tablet, or something like Aigo MID form factor, can be called portable.
Price only affects how much protection you want to put on the machine, but should not affect your likelihood to take it with you, otherwise you won’t need to be portable. For instance, you can buy a truly expensive watch, but you will use it or to show off. You won’t take it out unless you are a collector.
For $50,000 the damn thing better pass all the military tests that the panasonic tough books have to pass .
It should be noted that price alone may not make something to valuable to carry around on a daily basis. Heirlooms may be portable and not very valuable but because of emotional / sentimental attachments, too priceless to carry with you every day. In a UMPC it could be important data that you cant afford to lose which might stop you from shoving it into a backback. (Laptops tend to be carried around in cases, so in transit damage is less likely.)
Chippy travels quit a bit. Id like to hear how he handles data backup while on the road or does he hold his breath and hope he and his UMPCs makes it back home without losing important data? I imagine that there are times during a show that his UMPC, stuffed with the latest pictures, movies, potential advertisers contact info and notes, may be the most valuable thing he owns, until he can get the data backed up. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be to valuable to lose.
I’m laughing out loud at Al’s post. I can still remember the older palms – which did exceptionally well in the square mile (london) in the mid to late 90’s. The older Psions, and the newer HP iPaq portables (standard issue for government employees). Unfortunately people with short memories (circa 5 years ago) or from the ‘smartphone age’ just lack perspective on the whole issue. You’re probably one of the people that forget that sms msg was free in the early 90s because telcos didn’t think ppl would go for msgs of only 140 chars. The key problems for mobile devices (for those of us with perspective) haven’t really changed. They are device use (this I admit is changing), size, weight and battery life. I thought ppl would quit their whinning about input after the iphone’s success, to see my mother typing out emails shows me that even old dogs are willing to learn new tricks if the device works properly. Price, plays a factor – but in my view, a small one. If you see how corporate types who have been “given” a blackberry or laptop treat them, its completely different to the consumer. More importantly, it changes over time… I bought my Q1 a couple of years ago for around £700, my first year was the only time it cossetted then life for it changed as it was thrown into my cycling gear bag with the rest of my kit… I suppose if I owned a Viao P which psychologically at least occupies the same price bracket… gentle treatment for the 1st month, then it has to be put to work!!!
I have had fond memories of my old Psion clamshell. I do miss a computer like that as I own a blackberry and live with it but do not like it. I would rather have a modern Psion that I could run all of my Windows applications and use it to replace my needs for a laptop. Then I would rather get rid of the blackberry and get the sleekest mobile phone instead.
I must say that ever since I got my first netbook (Eee PC 701) – my MacBook has done a lot less traveling. Now I have a MacBook, an iPod Touch, and an MSI Wind triple-booter. And the Touch goes with me almost everywhere (Less than $150 to replace – it’s a first generation), the MSI Wind ($300 to replace) is what I grab if I think I might need to do anything more than just check my email or look something up on Google, and the MacBook ($999 to replace) never leaves the house – unless I’m going on a business trip – even then, it’s not a sure thing that I’ll take it.
So, yes, I’d have to say the cost to replace does factor in. Now, if my MSI Wind would fit in my pocket as easily as a Touch – I’d probably never leave the house without it. (And I’d likely sell my Touch.)
I think it is more the size and how well it does the job of a computer that makes is more portable. Price is not typically a limiting factor for buying any computer if it does the job well. If it is a computer that say is limited like many of the UMPC’s which have no keyboard then it would be both percieved as pricey for what it does and maybe not as important to carry it all of the time.