Finding paradise in a miniature Win2K Pro desktop
As a techno-snob, I often bypass products or technologies that I believe will be quickly usurped by more robust and usable versions. But I wasn't always that way. Consider my experience with PDAs. When Palm devices first appeared on the scene, I quickly ran out and purchased a U.S. Robotics PalmPilot, complete with all the peripheral and accessory trappings. The new technology was irresistibly enticing and played to my visions of mobile-computing nirvana—a handheld device on which I could run all my crucial day-to-day applications.
Although the original PalmPilot was a nifty little device—and admittedly sparked an industry revolution—I quickly found that it was more of a toy than a computer, at least as far as my needs were concerned. At the time, the device offered a limited number of applications and its capability to synchronize with Windows NT and popular Windows applications was inadequate. (Third-party synchronization software was both mandatory and rife with bugs.) The device's limited capabilities simply weren't compelling enough to convince me to use it for my everyday tasks.
Then, in 1997, I picked up a Compaq Handheld PC (H/PC) at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference. This early Windows CE–based device sported a miniature keyboard and a black-and-white display. Although the H/PC offered more impressive compatibility and synchronization than the original PalmPilot did, it didn't provide usable equivalents of regular business-productivity applications—for example, remotecontrol and contact-management software.
As a consultant, I require continual access to my contact-management and customer-support database, as well as remote access and remote control software to support my clients. Although I could have bought special Windows CE–specific versions of applications such as Symantec's pcAnywhere and Interact Commerce's ACT!, these versions offered significantly reduced functionality when compared with their original Win32 versions. The H/PC's squat screen further limited the applications' usefulness.
Despite these shortcomings, the device's compatibility with Microsoft Outlook convinced me to start using the H/PC regularly—at least until one fateful day when I involuntarily tested whether the unit's display was shatterproof. (Note to self: Avoid placing PDA on top of magazine in one hand while feeding parking meter with other hand.)
Most people would have immediately replaced the broken H/PC with another, but I held off. Palm devices had gradually evolved from cool gizmo to force of nature in the PDA market, while Windows CE–based devices struggled to find acceptance (not to mention applications). However, I knew my ideal handheld device would be based on a Windows OS, so I decided to wait until Palm units evolved into more Windows-friendly devices or Windows CE matured into a more useful OS.
My wait stretched into years. Although the introduction of the Pocket PC resulted in a marked increase in the number of Windows CE devices and manufacturers, these devices—although improved—still weren't quite what I was looking for.
My idea of a usable PDA wasn't a glorified electronic planner with 2MB of RAM, no keyboard or hard disk, and expensive proprietary add-ons that provided "extra" functionality such as a modem or the ability to use CompactFlash (CF) add-on cards. I was looking for a device that was more "ultra-portable PC" than PDA—with decent I/O, RAM, and storage; a readable color display; a usable keyboard; and a full-strength OS (e.g., Windows 2000 Professional) that would let me run all my crucial applications. These requirements led me away from the current crop of PDAs and into the realm of subnotebooks.
My introduction to subnotebooks occurred at a Windows 2000 Magazine conference, at which a fellow contributing editor showed me his Sony VAIO C1 PictureBook. I was instantly fascinated with the system's impressive array of features, which included a variable-speed 600MHz Transmeta Crusoe CPU, a whopping 128MB of RAM, a 12GB hard disk, USB and FireWire ports, and a built-in miniature video camera. At 2.2 pounds, and with a 1" * 9.8" * 6" form factor, it certainly wasn't something you'd clip to your belt, but the unit struck a good balance between a PDA's convenience and a notebook's power. The built-in camera provided bonus features such as the capability to record conference presentations and participate in Internet videoconferencing. Best of all, the PictureBook supported Win2K—after some clever hacking.