Will a UMPC/Smartphone function as my laptop?

King Boo Hoo

I'm going to get a device at the end of the summer in order to take notes during class and surf the web. I want to have this device with me most of the time, but I don't want to wear a backpack.
This leaves me with 2 options, far as I can tell: Ultra Mobile PC's (which as far as I can tell are just PDAs with more features, but they insist on a new name so as to not get sucked into the 'PDAs are dying' thing), and Smartphones.

So any Smartphone covered by Verizon, or any UMPC smaller than 8 inches by 5 inches (fairly small even by UMPC standards). I need the device to have some Word-like program so I can take notes, some method of plugging in or Bluetoothing a keyboard to it, Internet, and a decent Internet browser. I plan to buy one of those nifty roll-up fabric keyboards and that way I should be able to fit both into one large pocket.

One UMPC that looks particularly nice is:
Asus R50A (which is on the verge of release as far as I can tell):
No keyboard (fine since I plan to plug one in), 5.6 inch screen, runs Windows Vista, and in general will have a lot more power than the Smartphones (maybe I can even run Photoshop in it? Who knows). It has Wifi.

On the Smartphone side I see 3 interesting ones:
All 3 have: Verizon Internet service, Windows Mobile 6 Professional, Internet Explorer, can attach a keyboard, 2.8 inch screen

XV6800 also has:
QWERTY keyboard (good for texting since unlike UMPC, this'll be my phone), Wifi
XV6900 also has:
Touchflo navigation (very cool).
Samsung SCH-i760 also has:
QWERTY keyboard (good for texting since unlike UMPC, this'll be my phone), Wifi

Now here's the parts I'm not sure about.

-I'm currently in a University with free Wifi everywhere but I'll be gone in a year and still using this. What's the outlook on Wifi in the next few years? With that new technology emerging that can broadcast Wifi over an entire city part of me wants to think I won't need to pay Verizon way too much money to use their Internet and I can instead use city-wide Wifi either free or for much cheaper. On the other hand, if that's not true, than one of the Smartphones may be a better option so I don't get stuck Internetless.

-UMPC has a 5.6 inch screen, the cell phones have half that, 2.8 inch screens. Is 2.8 inches big enough to see the notes I'm taking without holding it 3 inches away from my face? I don't generally text with my phone 2-3 feet away after all, but even 2.8 inches is a big step up from my current cell phone so I don't know.

-Is watching movies on a 2.8 inch screen, while holding it up to your face, viable? Can Smartphones handle playing a movie without lagging? The smartphones have 240x320 resolution, is that enough? The UMPC has 1024x600 resolution.

-What do you guys think of the plan in general? Doesn't seem too conventional but it makes sense to me. However I'm still cautious... if others aren't doing this, perhaps there's a reason I'm foolishly overlooking. I don't need to play TF2 on these devices or anything, that's what I have a home PC for. I'm just looking for Internet useability, note taking, IM chatting, and possibly even movie watching.

Help :-) Please and Thanks!

Dehumanized

What're your thoughts on a mininotebook, like the Eee?

It's slightly larger than the UMPCs and smartphones you're looking at, but ought to be much more practical for notetaking and such. Also, it's small enough that you won't have to carry a backpack around. Just the purse-sized carrying case, at most.

King Boo Hoo

Dehumanized wrote: »

What're your thoughts on a mininotebook, like the Eee?

It's slightly larger than the UMPCs and smartphones you're looking at, but ought to be much more practical for notetaking and such. Also, it's small enough that you won't have to carry a backpack around. Just the purse-sized carrying case, at most.

I'm sorry, the whole Hruka thing is a fairly gender ambiguous name I imagine... I'm not carrying around a purse.

Really though, my goal is to carry nothing with me. If I planned to have to lug something around, I'd just get a normal laptop and throw it in a backpack. Once we've entered lugging-around-territory, size doesn't really matter for me. Hell, I have a nice dSLR I rarely use simply because I don't want to carry a camera around on my shoulder all day.
Nah, we're looking for pocketable objects.

Improvolone

How the hell do you plan on pocketing a keyboard? You can get those roll up ones, but I've never read a decent review of it.
Unless you plan on typing notes on a Blackberry, Treo, or iPhone, or you have Baggin Saggin Barry sized pockets, you're going to need a bag.
How many classes do you think you'll take that won't need books?

Ego

Taken a look at the Samsung Q1?

http://www.expansys.com/zoompic.aspx?type=item&i=137764

Might actually be practical for what you want.

Otherwise I'd go subnotebook. Is lugging around a keyboard much better than 'lugging' around an EEE pc?

King Boo Hoo

Ego wrote: »

Taken a look at the Samsung Q1?

http://www.expansys.com/zoompic.aspx?type=item&i=137764

Might actually be practical for what you want.

Otherwise I'd go subnotebook. Is lugging around a keyboard much better than 'lugging' around an EEE pc?

That's a really cool site you linked to. It's going to take a while for me to browse through all it, thanks!
As to the keyboard dilemma: Elekson's Fabric Keyboard (click picture):

Improvolone

If I recall, typing on it has no give like a real keyboard, it's more like typing directly on a hard surface; it both hurts and sucks.
While you might be able to find enough components to fit them in your pockets, it's going to be absurd (at best) in actual use.

Ego

Glad the site is helpful, I can't take much credit though as I only found it because I was looking for a picture of the Q1 (and it seemed like a bit of jackassery to link to the image instead of the page in which the image was contained, given that the site itself didn't look bad.)

While I've found I have trouble with super-portable keyboards (except for fold-in-half mechanical ones,) the only person who'll be able to tell if that fabric keyboard is acceptable is you. Given the investment involved in a UMPC, however, I'd make sure you find a way to physically test whichever keyboards you're interested in before you shell out the cash on it. No other way realistically to tell how you'll be able to use the thing in a class-room situation.

Treeloot

I'd just stick with a notebook and pen for taking notes in class. If you're taking any math, science, or econ related classes you'll have a horrible time drawing graphs and write formulas on any keyboard. In something like English where the notes are straight forward, you won't have to take so many notes that you'll need a keyboard to type all of them.

I'd get a full size keyboard for my room, and not bother getting a roll up keyboard for class. The full size keyboard will most likely be cheaper and a lot easier to use.

Spoit

Yeah, neither is well suited for taking notes, and 320x240 WM devices are terrible for webbrowsing.

Airan

Gigabyte's M912 is a tablet subnotebook that's due out soon. You might want to have a look at that for a functioning keyboard and tablet features (the Vista version has superior handwriting recognition, I've read). Obviously it's larger than a UMPC or Smartphone, and you may need to carry a charger too.

In my experience with a PSP (which has a fairly large screen), viewing movies on a small screen will either induce eye strain, cause neck pain from looking down or will leave your arm numb from holding the device up for too long. Granted, smartphones are lighter, but I'd still wouldn't recommend it.

stigweard

You could go with something like the Advantage (5" 640x480 screen) or other larger smartphone, or get something like the Redfly to sync with a wm phone and use it as a umpc that way. I wouldn't use just a regular sized smartphone for classes though, you'll look like some uninterested punk who is playing with his phone to the profs.

King Boo Hoo

stigweard wrote: »

You could go with something like the Advantage (5" 640x480 screen) or other larger smartphone, or get something like the Redfly to sync with a wm phone and use it as a umpc that way. I wouldn't use just a regular sized smartphone for classes though, you'll look like some uninterested punk who is playing with his phone to the profs.

Well, normally I look like some uninterested punk who is doing a crossword in the front row and sitting there with no notebook, so it's not like it'll be that big of a change. Besides, I usually talk to professors and explain to them why they should be okay with my doing crosswords sitting in the front row anyway, and then they usually get to like me quite a bit. So it'll be the same idea with a smartphone except even easier to explain

RawrBear

I've got a Sony UX that I use quite often, though not for taking notes.

I've watched movies on it before and its fine for web surfing, although the small text can be a bit of a strain on my eyes. I mostly use it for playing older games, and sketching on the touchscreen, it runs vista and the performance for web browsing/regular windows stuff is great.

I'm not sure I'd want to take notes on it, although if you had an actual keyboard it would probably be alright.

I haven't set up hand writing recognition at all, but the screen is a bit to small to use the touchscreen for writing notes by hand I think, every time I've tried writing something out my letters end up way to big for the tiny screen. My biggest concern would be eye strain while taking notes. I find that games/movies dont cause as much eye strain for me though, probably because I don't have to focus on little tiny letters the whole time.

I've never used a smart phone, or pda so I don't have much to share on that side of things.

wunderbar

get a netbook. UMPC's are dead, and netbooks are really replacing them as the devices they should have been. you can get one of the 100 EEE models, an Acer AspireOne, Dell has one coming out soon, the MSI wind.

You're never, ever going to get by without carrying a backpack/bag in school. between text books, notebooks, handouts, wallet, keys, cell phone, and whatever, there's just no way.

Ronen

For my first two years of college (2001-2003) I carried an old as hell HP Jornada and a fold up keyboard around as my laptop. The thing got over 8 hours of battery life (granted, it didn't have wireless internet, but I didn't need it then) and the keyboard was actually pretty comfortable (and the same size as the Jornada when folded up).

I'm about to start grad school and for the first month of class, I'm going to try a Bluetooth keyboard + my new Nokia E71. Right now I don't see why I'd have any problems with it.

King Boo Hoo

wunderbar wrote: »

get a netbook. UMPC's are dead, and netbooks are really replacing them as the devices they should have been. you can get one of the 100 EEE models, an Acer AspireOne, Dell has one coming out soon, the MSI wind.

You're never, ever going to get by without carrying a backpack/bag in school. between text books, notebooks, handouts, wallet, keys, cell phone, and whatever, there's just no way.

I'm in my 4th year of college now and I haven't felt a need for a backpack yet...
I wouldn't bring a textbook to class, that's silly. Other than that, handouts, wallet, keys, cell-phone? You can't fit those in your pocket? And there would be no notebook, that's the whole idea behind this cell phone idea of mine.

I went to a Verizon store and tried out the VX6800 yesterday and it seems quite nice. I was actually surprised how fast I could type on a qwerty keyboard, although I'll probably still get a fold-up/roll-up keyboard for faster notetaking.

The models you just named are all too big to fit in a pocket by the way. And once more, if I'm not getting something to pocket, and instead getting something to fit in a backpack, I honestly can't see why I care what size it is, provided it's not the ridiculously big size.

Improvolone

You've had the most unique four year college experience that I've ever heard of.

If you do get something to put in a backpack, the reason size is important is because of how much of a strain and a pain it becomes to carry it around. I don't know what you consider "ridiculously big", but my laptops big enough and heavy enough that it's not worth it to bring with me to class. If you're trying to hard to limit how much you have to carry, I can't beleive you don't see the advantage in this. Unless you're built like a giant, and big laptops are like a hat for you.

King Boo Hoo

Improvolone wrote: »

You've had the most unique four year college experience that I've ever heard of.

If you do get something to put in a backpack, the reason size is important is because of how much of a strain and a pain it becomes to carry it around. I don't know what you consider "ridiculously big", but my laptops big enough and heavy enough that it's not worth it to bring with me to class. If you're trying to hard to limit how much you have to carry, I can't beleive you don't see the advantage in this. Unless you're built like a giant, and big laptops are like a hat for you.

Shrug, to me the inconvenience of having something hanging around on my back everywhere I go is a bigger issue than the weight of the object. I don't think my experience is particularly unique, a lot of people i see walking around campus have no backpack, just a notebook and newspaper in their hand.

Ronen

Hruka (Piglet) wrote: »

Improvolone wrote: »

You've had the most unique four year college experience that I've ever heard of.

If you do get something to put in a backpack, the reason size is important is because of how much of a strain and a pain it becomes to carry it around. I don't know what you consider "ridiculously big", but my laptops big enough and heavy enough that it's not worth it to bring with me to class. If you're trying to hard to limit how much you have to carry, I can't beleive you don't see the advantage in this. Unless you're built like a giant, and big laptops are like a hat for you.

Shrug, to me the inconvenience of having something hanging around on my back everywhere I go is a bigger issue than the weight of the object. I don't think my experience is particularly unique, a lot of people i see walking around campus have no backpack, just a notebook and newspaper in their hand.

It's not that uncommon. When I used my Jornada and fold up keyboard, I carried a bag so small that it would barely fit a 12" laptop (read: man purse). It was awesome.

You've actually inspired me to look into this again... after a bit of research, it looks like you can use Apple's aluminum wireless keyboard with most Nokia S60 phones, which is totally what I'm going to do once I get my E71. It's a larger keyboard to carry, sure, but it's also a lot more comfortable than the tiny fold up ones. I'm going to have a bag this time anyway, so I'll just throw the keyboard in the bag when I'm not using it.