Can a laptop be too small?

2006-02-28 10:09

Betsy Schiffman

New York - Nobody wants to lug around a 4.5kg laptop anymore, but while computer makers scramble to roll out models that are ever smaller and lighter, nobody has stopped to ask just how small is too small.

Dialogue Technology Corp's Flybook and Fujitsu Ltd's Lifebook P1500 are two purse-size tablet computers that beg the question. Each has 22.5cm displays and weighs less than 1.3kg.

I was fully prepared to fall for the Flybook. It's immeasurably cooler, with an array of flashy colours such as "Purple Red" and "Yellow Cab". The design is so gorgeous, you almost want to take a bite out of it. The silver Lifebook, by contrast, feels more like an older, mousy sister - mature and responsible, but not as much fun.

I believe the Lifebook has more mainstream appeal. There's a slot for Secure Digital (SD), memory cards common in digital cameras. Just plug it in and upload your photos, all without the hassle of synching your camera to the computer or using a separate card reader.

Celebrity endorsements peculiar

Frequent business travellers will especially appreciate the biometric sensor that can identify your fingerprint and log you on to the computer.

Another big plus for the Lifebook P1500: There are four configurations, with prices starting at $1 399, and the computer is available through a number of resellers.

The Flybook, by comparison, is marketed as a fashion accessory, and it is far too rarefied to be found in your nearby electronics store.

Celebrity endorsements of computers seem as absurd as wine recommendations from garbage collectors - not that they have no taste in wine, but they're not known as connoisseurs. Likewise, Hollywood celebrities aren't known for their technological expertise, so it's somewhat suspect that Heather Graham, Rosario Dawson and Elijah Wood are all Flybook fans - or at the very least, they've been photographed with the computer.

To be sure, the tiny tablet PC, manufactured in Taiwan and Italy, has all sorts of neat-o features, including built-in Bluetooth, tri-band GPRS and GPS antennas.

You can insert your phone's subscriber identity module (SIM) card for getting you on your wireless network and start making calls from the Flybook just as you would on a speakerphone. Who knows if it's useful, but it's at least novel.

The "wow" factor gets cancelled out by some truly annoying features, though.

The downside

I found the Flybook's mouse functions in possibly the most inconvenient places imaginable. The pointing stick used to move your on-screen cursor is above and to the right of the keyboard, not smack in the center as it is on most laptops. And the click buttons are on the upper left hand corner above the keyboard.

To make matters worse, the stick is stiff and difficult to use, so you either need to use a mouse, or use the tablet with a stylus.

On the Lifebook, the pointing stick works like a charm, and the click buttons are, happily, located just below the keyboard, where you would expect them to be.

The battery life on both computers is sorely lacking.

Both come with lithium ion batteries that last roughly three hours, more or less, though Lifebook lets you upgrade to an extended, seven-hour battery for an additional $45, or you can buy a new one for $116.

As for size, both are annoying - unless you're a hobbit. The keyboards are irritatingly small, and while the resolution on the monitors are fine, you have to hunch to see the screen. Over extended periods of time, they're bound to drive anyone batty.

But if you really want an impracticably small notebook, the more elegant solution may be Fujitsu's P1500. It's not as cute as the Flybook, but the price is right, and the keyboard layout more intuitive.

It's a solid, reliable machine.

- AP