NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Your Thoughts On Dual-Screen Notebooks
Posted in Notebook PC | August 31, 2009 8am

Over the course of my tenure contributing here on the WePC site, I've spend most of my time blathering on about what I'd like to see in a notebook. I've written about various docking station possibilities, storage options, input device features, form factors, gaming notebooks, and most recently dual-screens. For this post, however, I'd like to do something just a little bit different.
The WePC website is all about getting input and feedback from you, the reader, on what you'd like to see in the notebook. But I'd like to engage you all more directly and ask some specific questions about dual-screen notebooks, about how you'd use a dual-screen notebook, or if you'd even use one at all...

The gScreen Spacebook sports a pair of 15.6" LCDs
I guess, first and foremost I should ask how important having a dual screen is to you? Would you say it's very important, somewhat important, not important, or are you indifferent to the subject? Personally, I'd really dig a dual-screen laptop implemented properly--the upcoming gScreen Spacebook, which features a pair of sliding 15.6" screens could be a candidate.
If you would be interested in a dual-screen notebook, how would you use it? And in what ways do you think in could enhance your computing needs? I know the increased desktop real-estate would certainly help me when working in applications like Photoshop or Excel.
Finally, What is your ideal size, weight and thickness for a dual-screen notebook?  What screen size do you think would work best?  Obviously, incorporating an addition LCD is going to as some weight and thickness to the notebook.  At what point would you consider the notebook to be too thick? Or too heavy? For me, the thickness of the machine is less important than its weight.  I suspect many of you are like me, in that you absolutely love the look and sleekness of ultra-thin notebooks, but short of the aesthetic appeal, thinness isn't really a necessity.  A comfortable to carry weight, however, is extremely important--lugging around 13lbs+ of dead weight doesn't appeal to me in the least. Under 8lbs though, that I could live with.  How about you?
Once you've formulated your thoughts in regard to dual or even multi-screen notebooks, I'd also suggest checking out the WePC Contest page. Answer a few questions there as well and you could win some very cool prizes.

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

The Incredible Shrinking Netbook
Posted in Netbook PC | May 11, 2009 12pm

When viable netbooks first hit the scene a couple of years back, Sony's SVP of the company's Information Technology Products Division in the U.S. was quoted as saying netbooks represented a "race to the bottom". The point he was trying to get across was that smaller, less powerful, systems could potentially have a detrimental impact on the overall PC market, due to the somewhat degraded user experience offered by the machines in comparison to more powerful, full-blown notebooks.
Of course, the market has spoken since then, and netbooks are an undeniable success. But that's partly because the more prolific and nimble netbook manufactures took a detour on that supposed race to the bottom.
If you remember back to the release of the original Asus Eee PC, the machines had a miniscule amount of storage and small 7" screens. They were still quite popular as secondary or tertiary mobile PCs, but a funny thing happened once consumers got their hands on the tiny systems in mass quantities. Despite the relatively low prices a large contingent of users expected more, even though they many of them went into the purchase knowing full well that a netbook wouldn't offer the same kind of computing experience as a notebook. Netbook manufacturers seems to listen to consumers closely, however.  Take Asus, for example. Over time, the Eee PC line expanded to the point where the most sought after models featured larger screens, faster processors, better keyboards, and standard mobile hard drives--just like more powerful notebooks.
Instead of racing to the bottom, netbooks have generally climbed up a few rungs on the evolutionary ladder. The market didn't become filled with smaller, cheaper, lighter netbooks, but rather the machines morphed into slightly larger, more sophisticated machines than their early predecessors. That's a great development, and one that I hope continues. As much as I can appreciate and understand the appeal of an inexpensive, ultra mobile netbook, I feel consumers are better served by the slightly larger more refined products available today. There is a point where a netbook become too small, and it hinders the experience. Where that point is will obviously differ from user to  user, but I think the vast majority of us can agree that low resolution screens smaller than 8.9" - 10.1" and keyboards so small it's difficult for an adult to push a single key at a time are pushing the limits of usefulness.

NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

It's Not Just A Docking Station Anymore
Posted in Notebook PC | July 26, 2009 5pm

The vast majority of notebook docking stations have traditionally been nothing more than port replicators or breakout docks that give users the ability to quickly connect their portable computers to desktop-bound accessories, like keyboards, mice, and monitors. Sure, there have been some hybrid docking stations that have allowed for increased expansion options on some notebooks, but they are the exceptions, not the norm.
I think it's time for that to change. Notebook sales have been outpacing desktops for quite some time now, but that doesn't mean all of those notebook buyers have chosen a portable machine over a desktop. Some of them, perhaps most of them, bought a notebook as a compliment to a desktop PC. Regardless of the convenience of a notebook, for some there's just no substituting for a large screen, quality input devices, and the performance of a desktop PC. With that in mind, I think it's time to take the notebook docking station concept up a notch to better appease these users, and equip the devices with capabilities that can morph the notebook into something much more powerful, while also offering additional functionality to other PC users in the home (or office).
A number of current notebooks offer hybrid graphics subsystems that give users the ability to switch between low-power integrated graphics and higher-performing discreet solutions.  The technology already exists to allow for switchable graphics, so why not integrate the higher-performing discreet graphics into a docking station--which will be connected to a larger screen--to allow for higher performance when connected? That way, when users are on the go, the notebook can benefit from the low-power IGP, but when home, users can enjoy the benefits of discreet graphics, for things like high-resolution gaming and video encoding. A design like this could also allow OEMs to produce a single notebook model that appeals to a broader range of consumers--users who don't need the discreet graphics or dock don't need to buy them. But users that want it all can opt for the whole enchilada and enjoy the benefits of a thinner and lighter notebook and a desktop replacement machine.
Due to the fact that docking stations usually stay in one place, the opportunity is also there to integrated other functionality, not historically associated with a dock.  For example, why not integrate a hard drive and NAS functionality so that other users in the home or office can access and store files on the dock? There's no reason the docking station should offer benefits to just a single notebook alone. Integrating NAS functionality would allow an easy means to all users to share files without having to connect another device to the network. It could also be used to download files without the notebook being connected, or even host files so the mobile users could access them on the road.
There are a number of other interesting ideas that could also work as part of a notebook docking station, like wireless HDMI, for example. But that enough from me.  What do you all think?  What other features and functionality would you like to see integrated into a docking station? Now's the time to tell--Asus and Intel are listening.

NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Enhancing The Notebook Computing Experience
Posted in Notebook PC | May 9, 2009 8am

In a previous post here on the WePC site, I presented some thoughts about notebook performance. In the post, I explained that a notebook's software configuration can be almost as important as the hardware that powers the system, in terms of its overall performance and usability. The simple fact of the matter is a clean, streamlined, up to date  software installation complete with current drivers can have an enormous impact on performance and ultimately the end-user experience.
I'd like to write about another oft neglected aspect of notebook computing that also greatly affects the end-user experience in this post--the keyboard. Unfortunately, there have been some negative trends in the design of notebook keyboards as of late. A couple of major players in the notebook space, who shall remain nameless, have begun placing more importance on form over function. And now, we're beginning to see absolutely horrible rubber membrane / rubber dome keyboards in some machines, that are completely flat, with nary a thought given to ergonomics, comfort, or usability. I can only hope consumers speak with their wallets and leave these machines with terrible input devices sitting on store shelves collecting dust.
I am a bit of keyboard aficionado and prefer high-quality, heavy keyboards equipped with mechanical key switches. Of course, it isn't realistic to expect notebook manufacturers to begin using some of the more popular mechanical key switch technologies currently on the market, but that doesn't mean there aren't suitable alternatives to the rubber membrane keyboards that pollute many modern notebooks. Quality scissor-type switches, which are a significant step up from rubber membranes for example, offer excellent durability and the low profile and low weight necessary for most notebook designs. In fact, scissor switches are already in use on many notebooks. They used to be much more pervasive, however. Using quality scissor switches, with more durable, and properly shaped keycaps would significantly improve a notebook keyboard's reliability and usability. I'd also like to see better materials used in the manufacture of the keycaps to prevent lettering from rubbing off and to eliminate the "shininess" that usually appears on plastics after extended use.  And putting more thought into the key layout would be good too--there's no reason function or other proprietary keys need to be in positions normally reserved for CTRL, Shift, etc.
These may seem like unimportant requests to some of you, but as someone who makes a living behind a computer, I have grown to appreciate the benefits of a quality keyboard. A good keyboard can reduce fatigue, minimize the risks of RSI, and help you get work done faster. I'm all set on my desktop machine--thanks Filco--but my notebook leaves something to be desired. I'd like that remedied and suspect many of you out there would too.