Help MobilityGuru Redesign Psion's Iconic, Ultrasmall 5mx :
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: help, mobilityguru, design, a, tiny, modern, psion, 5mx
Check out our slideshow that includes a tribute to the Psion 5mx, a discussion of the modern version of the 5mx we're designing and a request for your help in finalizing the design. After viewing the slideshow, to help with our design of the ultrasmall Psion 20xx fantasy computer, click on the author names above to send email or visit the forum for this article by clicking on the link at the end of this page.
History and Modern Technology Support Design of a Tiny Highly Functional Mobile Computer
This article is based on input from MobilityGuru reader Alan Pong. Got an idea for something new in mobile computing? Send us your ideas and you may bet to drive a design project.
Over the last 14 years the ultrasmall to super-ultrasmall computer form factor has been in continual flux. Here is a selective list of the products we've seen, some of which just got here, others of which have hung around for a while and some of which have left us forever.
Apple Newton Palm PDA Microsoft's Windows CE PDA Psion 5mx and Revo HP Jornada RIM Blackberry Windows Mobile Pocket PC Tablet PC Microsoft Ultra-Mobile PC Sony Micro PC Nokia 770 Internet Tablet Sony mylo Internet Communicator
Technology should enhance functionality and make our lives easier. Computer designers seem to have forgotten this basic premise. They have designed mobile computers that are either too small or too large. They have created pen-input devices that require people to learn a new way of writing. They brought to this earth those confounded thumb keyboards good only for entering a line or two of text and certainly not for creating documents. And, though their voice input technologies are getting better, they're still not consistent enough for use in noisy environments or for producing long documents.
In addition to form factor and input methods, operating systems have made the quest for the ultimate small mobile computer difficult. Though Apple and Linux operating systems have found their places, Microsoft's Windows is the dominant OS and the operating system that mobile computers need to collaborate with. Hardware companies now have to design around operating system restrictions such as screen proportions and sizes, input methods and hardware support limitations.
Microsoft provided Windows CE to support early clamshell computers like HP's Jornadas. Some time passed before Windows CE became stable. Just as that happened, the company abandoned the clamshell form factor to focus on competing with Palm and its PDAs. This made all clamshell devices obsolete as we moved into the era of the Pocket PC, Blackberry, Treo, etc. Those devices have not satisfied most mobile business users in part because they lack good keyboards for touch-typing.
Now, with PDAs losing market share to smaller, less complicated smart phones and even basic cell phones, Microsoft has created yet another platform, the Ultra-Mobile PC. UMPCs are much too large for real mobility and so far they have not gotten many raves from users or reviewers.
What the newest hardware and software designs have proved is that the current technology is there to create a pocket size touch type keyboard based computer running an operating system that enables mobile users to interact directly with laptops, notebooks and desktops.
Few recognize that there is a form factor ideally suited to modern, highly functional mobile computing. We believe that form factor is best represented by the eight year old Psion 5mx.
Created in the period 1998-1999 many feel the 5mx is the most ergonomic, slim and lightweight clamshell computer ever designed. It could easily fit into a jacket pocket or rear pants pocket with ease. And it had a keyboard that moved outward with a display that simultaneously tilted back when the device was opened, allowing for fast touch typing and easy viewing of the display. The only real flaw was the 5mx's proprietary operating system. Check out Netogram.com for a pictorial history of Psion models.
We do not need to wait for a major new technological breakthrough. The technology is here now to redesign a bright color version of the Psion 5mx that would run windows XP or Windows Mobile, have standard expansion slots, USB ports, wireless networking, Bluetooth and even optional pen input. Many business users have been waiting for a device like this and would adopt it right now. People are accustomed to and enjoy the functionality of laptop computers. They would love to have a small version of a laptop that could fit in their pants pockets at 6.5" to 7.5" long, 3.5" wide and around 1" high.
If you haven't done so already check out our slideshow that includes a tribute to the Psion 5mx, a discussion of the modern version of the 5mx we're designing and a request for your help in finalizing the design. After viewing the slideshow, to help with our design of the ultrasmall Psion 20xx fantasy computer, click on the author names at the top of this page to send email or visit the forum for this article by clicking on the link below.
