I had to head out of the door this morning for a short 1.5hr appointment and my biggest worry was choosing a device to take with me. I’m having this issue a lot now. When you’ve got a number of devices that you really get on well with it becomes a problem. A luxury problem.
N82 + U2010 was my final choice. What would yours be?
New article: My Luxury Problem (Pic.) http://bit.ly/4iUf6E
My Luxury Problem (Pic.) | UMPCPortal – Ultra Mobile Personal … http://bit.ly/1XKhWQ
Same. Minimum amount of devices for maximum possibilities.
But I would have chosen other devices in the first place ;)
Get rid of this Samsung toy – it won’t ever be better than N82 and Archos 5.
The ideal 5″ ARM device with hardware keyboard (convertible maybe?) is yet to come ;)
The Samsung is better than the N82+A5 if you dont have/want a bag and it’s not dark. In general though, i alsways have a bag so N82+MID/UMPC is better for me.
Ha, as my mother would say “it’s a good problem to have” :) I agree with rustle, minimum devices for maximum flexibility, though I might’ve taken the Omnia rather than the Nokia. That’s just a phone OS preference for me, however :)
when i’m choosing, the choice often depends on which one i’ve remembered to charge…
Actually a very good point that links up with my wish for docking stations for every mobile device3.
Preferably using inductive charging, a la Palm Pre Touchstone, so you can just dump gadgets onto the “smart stand” and not even have to dock them properly :)
Yep, I’m *that* lazy.
I prefer a simple mini-USB client port for charging. That way, every computer I use/own is a charging station.
Though, a device had both a mini-USB client port, and a docking station port, or something along those lines, wouldn’t bother me. Esp. if the docking station makes it easier to hook everything up to my KVM (including my phone).
I use the u820 docking station a lot for usb charging
http://www.flickr.com/photos/umpcportal/4085583804/
The Motorola Droid! I’m loving this thing. It’s a convergence device. From your selection, I probably would’ve gone with what you picked.
Id love someone with UMPC/MID exposure to write something about their Droid experiences.
same problem to…. mostly when i have to go away for the weekend too ;)
it also depends on which bag i´ll bring with me, the small one or the big one with all the cables and DC chargers……
anyway the fujitsu (U1010 for me) is terrrrible as an efficient portable device;)
my ¨luxury¨ problem :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpmatrix/4083019434/
;)
That’s why I’m looking for a 5″ android phone, with NO integrated keyboard but compatible with an external BT one.
5″ is not too big to use as a phone, OK for an ereader, and bearable (barely) for emergency use as an MID+netbook.
i would have gone for the N82 + U2010 as well due to productivity, although it’s not the perfect ultra mobile solution in my opinion, because the U2010 is too big to be pocketable, whereas the N82 is pocketable, but has a lot of functions you probably don’t need, because you’ve got the UMPC with you. Therefore i prefer a small pocketable UMPC/MID (looking forward to the M2…) and a really small and simple cell phone, which serves its main purpose (i.e. making phone calls…)…
:D
So something like the Dell Streak plus basic mobile phone?
not really. i prefer x86 and a HW-keyboard. the dell streak looks like a promising device though. i actually expect it to be voice enabled, so it’s going to be another convergence experiment in certain respects.
I’m pretty sure the umid m2 will be my next umpc. as a basic mobile phone i use a black (no red or blue bars) nokia 5310 xpress music. a great little phone in my opinion. only 9mm thick and a great mp3 player. and that’s actually all i do with it: phone calls and music. but there are lots of other small and/or thin mobile phones. i remember that crazy 6.9mm thin samsung phone. almost a razorblade :D
anyways, i think that’s the best strategy for ultra mobility. you also have more battery life.
I’d take the Aigo MID with my old scratched up Moto RAZR V3xx. I get frustrated with certain smartphones while driving; I just want to make a call :-) Shortly after that I need a web-connected device for reliable navigation and some web-connected applications.
Looking at that image, same choice.
But ya, lol, sometimes depends what type of bag i’m brining or jacket I plan to wear.
No such luxury problem for me ;)
I would take ALL my mobile devices: a (basic) mobile phone, and the UMID M1.
When I wear a jacket or a coat I don’t need a bag.
Its a luxury problem indeed
i never noticed your invaluable Mifi device.
I know, Chippy never leaves home without it..
I would have taken the N82 for calls, Archos 5 android for entertainment, blogging, emails, etc and Mifi for connectivity. A nice light load. No bag needed.
You never know, i may need to test a device or two while in that 1.5 hour meeting.
the today phone problem is that it is very difficult to find a phone which only act as a *gsm* phone :)))
and smartphones always used to have battery and OS stability problem….one example, this morning, i take my phone out, i launch iGo for GPS navigation and PSHHHOOUUF : phone hanged :(
one friend of mine used to reboot his smartphone every morning…just in case of….
i wonder if xpphone would enable us to carry less devices……
you always get back to this ….
This is part of the reason why I only want to have 1 mid-range (UMPC/Netbook/Tablet) and 1 pocketable (phone/MID). No need to choose. Put my phone in my pocket. If I need more than just a pocketable, grab my gadget bag. Then I’m out the door.
The problem is: finding the actual ideal mid-range device, and pocketable device. I’m _close_, but not yet there. I’m hoping the MOTO AMP 10 fits the bill, on the mid-range device, once it (hopefully) reaches the market. That or the Entourage eDGe. For a pocketable, the N900 is almost here (needs a bigger screen, bigger keyboard, and sync to google contacts/calendar).
Similar choice here:
Fujitsu U2010 + SE K850i
Still thinking about a new cell phone though, the K850i is getting old…
Chippy, what did you carry the Fujitsu in? I have a U810 but not sure what to carry it in without looking like a gadget geek.
I carry my gadgets in an armed courier bag. :-)
The main compartment for carrying a concealed firearm … holds my folding USB keyboard. The next pocket over (also capable of carrying a concealed firearm) holds my netbook.
I’m more worried about looking like a target of opportunity (“hey, he’s got an armed courier’s bag, so, he must be an armed courier. That means he must have something valuable, and a gun. In order to get whatever valuable thing he has, we’ll have to shoot him.”) than a gadget geek ;-)
On the other hand, I don’t consider looking like a gadget geek to be a bad thing. Better than looking like a suit :-)
Unfortunately sometimes I look like both :)
gary,
for my U1010, i have a bag from Micromania french shop:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpmatrix/3401195249/
at first it was for my PSP, but now i take it as my work bag and i can put the U1010 with bluetooth mouse, some cables, the MiFi, etc.. without any problem.
design is just perfect, at least people would think you only carry your portable game device in it, and not a full featured ultraportable computer ;)
My two gadget bags are the Maxpedition Colossus and the Maxpedition Sitka.
I prefer the Colosses mostly, but it’s just slightly too small to carry _everything_. Though, the Sitka gets a little heavy/bulky sometimes. But, in winter, I really need it for the “just in case” gear (cap, gloves, collapsed umbrella, rain poncho, etc.). But, if they made a slightly bigger version of the Colossus, I’d probably stick to that.
I often use this bag.
http://www.umpcportal.com/2008/04/out-for-spot-of-umpc-photo-blogging/
Sony Xperia X2
Why?
Because:
Screen Resolution
8.1 MP CAM
Physical Qwerty Keyboard
MS Office
If I would be in Chippy’s shoes I would take only Omnia. Especially for a short meeting I doubt you need anything more.
Of course I do that most of the time with my Touch Pro2 so you could say I’m biased.
Great task! Finding the best package! Does U2010’s battery keep up a day of medium work? Why didn’t you choose Viliv S7 over U2010(other than the S7’s flashy white color which I myself don’t like much)?
Depends where I’d go.
If I need a big screen I’d go with the U2010 and the Omnia Pro, otherwise only the Omnia Pro.
I know it’s not easy to find a smartphone that takes good pictures even in low light conditions. This is where N82’s xenon flash really rocks!!
The only phone I’m thinking about to replace my N82 is the Sony-Ericsson Satio. Unfortunately it’s too expensive for the present. Opera Mobile 10 would be very good with touch screen.
Have you considered the N86?
I have. N86 is also a good camera smartphone with powerful dual led flash and wide angle optics. But this time actually I’d rather like to try a touchscreen device for better mobile web experience and faster typing. Or do you think it’s better to go with two devices? For example N82 + A5? Having said that 3,5″ relatively hi-res screen isn’t enough to read texts without zoom, I’m also interested in HTC Touch HD2. Could be great all in one device. Very considerable! Hope you’ll test one soon… ;)
I’m in a similar position to you. I want slightly larger screen.
I’ve been testing the N82 vs the Omnia Pro camera today. Actually i’m really impressed with the OP. It’s cheap now too. (Under 400 Euros)
(My Omnia Pro testing is at http://www.myomniapro.com The camera article will be posted sometime tomorrow.)
I make almost the same choice every day: U820 for everything (integrated HSDPA) + cheap featurephone for calling/texting (and very occasional Opera Mini / Skype). This covers all my needs. To carry it I use an Eastpak “The One”, which fits it quite snugly (even with the fat battery) but with enough space to carry a 2.5 in hard disk, a TV tuner, login tokens, BT headphones and a compact umbrella. Alternatively I can use my jacket pockets on my winter coat. I have a charger at my office and at home so I easily get by on the slim battery.