I mostly agree about the comparison, and the Z's shortcomings. and the possible advantages of the flipstart. The z's limits for my use are more that something which fits in a pocket will always leave a lot to be desired for wordprocessing due to the size of the keyboard and to an extent, the screen. I try to use ssh to get more powerful computers to handle anything significant where possible, so the processing speed doesn't bug me much--though memory does sometimes. My mentioning the price wasn't by way of complaint, is was more by way of saying that the flipstart at 1500 would be really pushing the price/perfomance ratio for me. The Z package is:
portability
versatility
efficiency
affordability
.
think about it this way: 1500 might be a neo, a 12-14" modest (but much more powerful than a flipstart, Koshinja, umpc) laptop and enough change to buy a new mobo/cpu with serious power (or a zaurus, for that matter). Or a neo, a Kosh. and enough change to pay for about a year of unlimted gprs.
which is the better solution for most of us?
When I bought my laptop last year, I bought one that cost twice as much for half the features. I almost didn't, but it was probably a very good choice for me. I currently carry 2 Zs (one on Cacko, one on pdaXii13) and my libretto every day. If I had the Vulcan, I could eliminate all three of them.
For the most part, the Z is pretty good for portablility. You still have to factor in carrying around a case filled with memory cards, wireless cards, and power adapters.
Versatility and efficiency depend on each other, and the requirements of the user at the time. If you use it like a PDA with the convenience of a keyboard, it performs pretty well. It even makes a pretty good surfing platform if you can stand the wireless card jutting out the side (Which I can't). OTOH, if you try and use it more like a computer, which is possible, you soon run into performance issues like waiting over five minutes for a search and replace to finish. Efficiency goes down as versatility increases due to limitations of the platform. Serious work can be done, so long as you're willing to wait on it.
Affordability is somewhat questionable, as the Z is rather expensive for what you get. Less so now than when they came out, though - they're now closer to $500 than $750. Also consider that it's not really easy or particularily cheap to get CF Wi-fi cards or USB host cables. We don't have a working CF 802.11g card for the Z yet, and the 802.11b cards are harder to find.
Now, don't get me wrong - I still love the Z. I own everything from an early production 5000D to a 3100, but we're running into walls on both the hardware and software, and I'm getting just old enough not to have time to play with it anymore.
I've looked for years, and spent a lot of money, on trying to find the best in portable computing. I think the Z is the ultimate formfactor, but limitations in memory and connectivity sour the experience.
btw I seem pretty hung up on the neo these days, don't I?
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Well, I was thinking about the Neo, then the iPhone. Since the iPhone is going to be too locked down and the Neo is actually going to have BT, I'll probably get a Neo. It does look like a very nice piece of kit
