Form Factor - Handheld Pc, Or Zaurus-style?

[Da_Blitz]

actually for someone who dosent want to sync anything yourve been very helpful on the syncing frount, if i can think of a program we need to do the syncincg or a framework ill dedicate it to you

perhaps i should clarify the url mount, when i mean url i dont mean http url identifiers i mean url as in domain name system so we arent talking about
http://yourserver.com (note the http bit)
we are talking about /andrew/yourcomp.yourdomain.com/home/you/stuff.txt

however what you export is up to you.

still think that keeping the machines in sync is a problem, you might not want to sync with the home PC but i can bet that you want the mail messages on your phone to also be avalible to your PC and the other way around

security wise you might need a vpn to secure the andrewfs transfer as the files are not encrypted, its assumed that you will be on a trusted wired lan (you know how rare those are these days) but does use kerebros to do login and password management so at least that part is secure

[zeigerpuppy]

Not sure if this is what you mean by syncing, but I have been trying to use my Zaurus as a net enabled "window" into a more powerful enviroment, based on a linux server and my OS X based client at home.  The major bonus of the zaurus is the flexibilty of using web based apps, X based apps and common file formats (Lyx is a favourite!)

The most important things for me are:
- the size (pouchable/pocketable)
- network transparency (ie: being able to connect anywhere at max speed)
- good suspend/resume - pdaXrom is pretty good with this

How do I manage data?  Well, I run an IMAP mail server, an iCal based calendar server (shich I sync with kopi) and VNC.  I also run ftp over https. Oh, and I use Zwiki with WYSIWYG interface compatible with thunderbird.
This allows me to use the SAME DATA behind corporate firewalls etc.. So that if I have access to a fast client/network, I can leverage it's power but the syncing of data is simplified.
How do I connect?  I use bluetooth and a 3G phone as a modem - $30 a month for 100MB, $50 month for 300MB. and it's fats enough for VOIP etc... At home I use wifi.

Personally, I hate laptops, anything that requires a separate bag, can't be pulled out on the fly and needs a power source after a couple of hours is NOT portable!
By portable, I mean something that you can take with you or a week anywhere (overseas, camping etc), doesn't weigh you down and can get connectivity in a variety of locations.

I quite like the watch idea, but even a bluetooth remote is probably enough, something that can resume the device and be used as a basic interface - (how about "read my new mail" - text to speech engine!)

Anyway, diverging here...

[Da_Blitz]

this is going to be painful, im typing this at 100% net, disk,cpu and mem (mostly cache) usage so spelling mistakes will be higher than normal. funny thing is the system is still running and apart from a tiny delay its usable  linux at its best

anyway. the terminal idea is great when you are near the server. problem is with the idea i envision each device needs to support a detached mode where it cannot acsess the others. how to do that is the key

doing it at an app level sounds like the way to go, and btw ftp over https? is that sftp or ftp over ssl?

i think the portability is addressed in several ways, hence the diffrent models. portable means diffrent things to diffrent people (talked to someone today about it, i said i was looking at getting a nice new portable pc, they said a laptop? to which i replied, think smaller than a tape)

imap seems to be the way to go for mail replecation. i think at this stage when it comes to files you dont need to be able to replicate large files  but instead have them avalible over nfs or simmilar when the laptop/server model is turned on

i have been thinking about this a bit and if you have a server with mail and other stuff set up then you can do some funky stuff. perhaps roll a distro (or modify) with some tweaks (ive been looking into sysfs performance hacks for small mem and battery powered devices again and found a gem or two) and then provide some hosted services to tie it all up

any way thinking way to far ahead, lets see what they say about the software first. should find out tomorrow

[zeigerpuppy]

I am actually quite interested in providing a mobile data suite for users of portable devices.  It's one of the main reasons I have been using the Zaurus, to get to a practical understanding of the limits of mobile computing.  
The main thing that I think is essential for this sort of thing to work is really good security and disconnected data access.  It's a tough problem.
Have you seen http://www.lustre.org/ for an intersting file system...
Anyone for a grid network of PocketPenguins?

FTP over HTTPS? yeah it's ftp over ssl, just a response to the problem of getting FTP access behind corporate firewalls (blocking port 21) in a reasonably secure manner, I use net2ftp, see my installation at:
https://greenant.net/net2ftp/

[Da_Blitz]

yeah if i remeber luster was the comercial fork of the competitor to andrewfs

just implementaition details really, the tech is cool. its best descirbed as unionfs + nfs without having to mount each server

why not use sftp instead, if you have a lin box with ssh on it its pratcially free, but if yourve done it already then there is not much point and i suppose bieng able to use a webbrwser in a pinch is handy

must say i like your site , very clean and lean

[speculatrix]

I put up some size comparisons here:
http://www.zaurus.org.uk/sizes.html

click on link under photos for enlargements.

sorry the page isn't too tidy, I need to redo the scaling as they're a bit uneven.

the points I want to make are
- that the TX2 is about as small as its possible to make a laptop before the keyboard and display become too small for all day use, and yet it's too big to take with me all the time as I do with my Z and T3. I have considered selling the T2 and going back to a larger laptop (I previously had a Dell Latitude C410 with 14.3 UXGA which I now think has better ergonomics, but then would tend to stay at home more).
- the T3 is actually quite thick, but hides the bulk well due to its tapered sides
- the C3100 could really go on a diet, its very much more chunky than my previous 860, and the wifi doesn't help too much. When I put it into my leather PDAIR case it's really too much. I wonder if a C1000 is better

hence I like the idea of the pocketpenguin having a docking station, to make it pocketable/handheld and also a mini-laptop substitute.

[Snappy]

AFAIK, a c1000 is the same size as the other c3x00.

Makes me wonder. Besides the 'faster' pxa270cpu, is there any diff between the c760, c860 and the c1000

[Da_Blitz]

not really

form factor has been a big thing for me as of late, i have been doing some intense thinking about it and what best suites me, thats why i said several diffrent models

somtimes i only need notification (watch), somtimes i want a bit more storage and the ability to write notes (the Z) somtimes i want to type for longer or need more storage/graphical grunt (umpc) somtimes i need to be independent of the home PC for days (mini laptop/laptop)

hopefully these will all be based of the same chipset, sure its underpowered but if you ran this bouard off of a laptop battery there would be no reason for suspend to ram as the thing would run for days. not te mention the board bieng so small you could have a large flat batery

anyway off topic there, sumed up its several models, diffrent form factor. ideal tool for the job type of thing.

still a 1 cm thick laptop form factor PC would sell well

[speculatrix]

AFAIK, a c1000 is the same size as the other c3x00.

Makes me wonder. Besides the 'faster' pxa270cpu, is there any diff between the c760, c860 and the c1000
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the C1000 & 3x00 have the same PCB, the latter have the internal CF connector and chips.

This PCB has, apparently, space for bluetooth module.

700/750/760 had the PXA250 & 255... the PXA25~ were discontinued forcing sharp to upgrade.  The new PXA270 is faster both on instruction execution and possible clock speed. Note the 3200 can't be overclocked as much. USB host came via the new CPU.

CPU is different. RAM and ROM are I think simply newer variants which are ROHS ("lead free).

Keyboards are different too. I think the only common thing is battery and display.

The lesson, to try and get back on target, is to try and be sure that whatever CPU and rom/ram are used for the PP have multiple sources and are going to be available for at least 4 years, and/or have upgrade path without losing (much) backward compatibility.

Nokia N770 are a tad bitter about being left behind for a while. At least Zaurus 760/860 users can run 97% of the s/w for the 1000/3x00 (only the accelerated video drivers were a problem).

[Snappy]

AFAIK, a c1000 is the same size as the other c3x00.

Makes me wonder. Besides the 'faster' pxa270cpu, is there any diff between the c760, c860 and the c1000
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the C1000 & 3x00 have the same PCB, the latter have the internal CF connector and chips.

This PCB has, apparently, space for bluetooth module.

700/750/760 had the PXA250 & 255... the PXA25~ were discontinued forcing sharp to upgrade.  The new PXA270 is faster both on instruction execution and possible clock speed. Note the 3200 can't be overclocked as much. USB host came via the new CPU.

CPU is different. RAM and ROM are I think simply newer variants which are ROHS ("lead free).

Keyboards are different too. I think the only common thing is battery and display.

The lesson, to try and get back on target, is to try and be sure that whatever CPU and rom/ram are used for the PP have multiple sources and are going to be available for at least 4 years, and/or have upgrade path without losing (much) backward compatibility.

Nokia N770 are a tad bitter about being left behind for a while. At least Zaurus 760/860 users can run 97% of the s/w for the 1000/3x00 (only the accelerated video drivers were a problem).
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Hmmm ... I should have asked this question before I got my c1000 last year, as it seem like a 760 or 860 would have fitted my needs nicely already. In any case, a new c1000 seem to be just a bit more exp than a used c860, so I think the c1000 is still a good deal, while a 760 is quite a bit cheaper ... but only as used.

You mean 770 users cannot use the same apps that come with n800??  That's sad! But last I check, Nokia is still actively supporting and developing apps and the OS for 770, in parallel with the n800. Well, any form of support is still better than SHARP I guess!

[uMP2k]

Sorry if this one has already been posted on, but for me this UMPC would be just about the perfect form factor.

[Da_Blitz]

im considering that for the laptop/umpc version, my current design looks like a cross between the sony umpc and the classic Z, folding screen (except instead of a twist it slides and folds) in a thinner sony umpc format.

[speculatrix]

it occurs to me that an interesting form factor would be a dual screen device with the screens side by side (I use twin-head cinerama at work with 19" 4:3 and 20" 16:9 displays at work!), and then you could fold up the PP into one third of its active area. One of the screens could be folded so its either facing inwards or outwards. I'll have to do a diagram!

[uMP2k]

im considering that for the laptop/umpc version, my current design looks like a cross between the sony umpc and the classic Z, folding screen (except instead of a twist it slides and folds) in a thinner sony umpc format.
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Sounds like a very interesting concept.  

Really hoping something comes of the Pocket Penguin project.  I have gone back to using my Axim Pocket PC quite a bit lately, but the many compromises caused by the form factor and lack of "workspace" (because of Windows Mobile giving me a virtual qvga workspace even though the axim has a vga screen) is driving me nuts!

[Da_Blitz]

actually i found the australian resseller of the software i want to use is within 1Km of my house, coincedence, i think not