Shiny Toys
Jan. 12th, 2008 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ffuturesI went along to the BETT show today; a big educational technology event that's held in London every year and generally features lots of nice kit nobody can actually afford. Last year, for example, the "Wow" toy was a globe that was actually a computer display - I assume it worked by a projector in the base and some optical system that projected the image onto the entire 360 degrees. You could use it for things like animated weather maps - I never really got into the software on offer for it because the thing cost £5000 at the discounted show price, and I knew there was no way we could afford it. For some reason they didn't seem to be around this year, although the show is big enough that I could have missed them.
This year the shiny toy everyone seemed to have was a lot more affordable; the Asus eee PC. I must have seen a couple of dozen of them on stands around the place, all of them running the standard Asus software suite. There didn't seem to be any educational software written specifically for them yet, but you can bet it'll come.
I'm still trying to make up my mind on going for an Asus - I can afford one, but I'm not sure I'd actually use it enough to justify buying it. The size is the problem for me - it's too big for a pocket, which means that when I'm riding a bike it would have to go in the panniers or a shoulder bag, both recipes for problems. I'm still not 100% convinced I would use it away from home in circumstances where I wouldn't have my laptop with me.
None of this really explains why my existing sub-notebook, the Jornada 710, doesn't seem to get a lot of use - it easily fits my pocket. But that may be because it's fairly limited in its capacities compared to the Asus. I think I'll probably dither a while longer then end up buying one - they look to be a lot of fun, which is always a plus with new toys.
Talking of toys, the Lego stand had some amazing models - the big hit for me was a robotic scorpion, built out of Mindstorms kit, that was programmed to spot a hand moving in front of it and manoeuvre to sting it with its tail. What impressed me most was its striking speed, pretty damn fast. Wonder how long it'll be before someone puts together some of this kit to make real robot assassins...
This year the shiny toy everyone seemed to have was a lot more affordable; the Asus eee PC. I must have seen a couple of dozen of them on stands around the place, all of them running the standard Asus software suite. There didn't seem to be any educational software written specifically for them yet, but you can bet it'll come.
I'm still trying to make up my mind on going for an Asus - I can afford one, but I'm not sure I'd actually use it enough to justify buying it. The size is the problem for me - it's too big for a pocket, which means that when I'm riding a bike it would have to go in the panniers or a shoulder bag, both recipes for problems. I'm still not 100% convinced I would use it away from home in circumstances where I wouldn't have my laptop with me.
None of this really explains why my existing sub-notebook, the Jornada 710, doesn't seem to get a lot of use - it easily fits my pocket. But that may be because it's fairly limited in its capacities compared to the Asus. I think I'll probably dither a while longer then end up buying one - they look to be a lot of fun, which is always a plus with new toys.
Talking of toys, the Lego stand had some amazing models - the big hit for me was a robotic scorpion, built out of Mindstorms kit, that was programmed to spot a hand moving in front of it and manoeuvre to sting it with its tail. What impressed me most was its striking speed, pretty damn fast. Wonder how long it'll be before someone puts together some of this kit to make real robot assassins...
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 08:01 pm (UTC)Firstly, the current Eee range have 512-1024Mb of RAM and 2, 4, or 8Gb SSDs.
Secondly, they also have a 800x480 pixel display.
By the second quarter, Asus are due to rev the range to 1-2Gb of RAM, and 2-16Gb of SSD -- and they've preannounced (a) a 1024x600 display and (b) a built-in 3G data modem.
A 2/16Gb Eee with a 1024x600 display and always-on 3G data service would be a killer machine, and it probably won't cost much more than the current Eees.
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Date: 2008-01-12 09:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-13 02:37 pm (UTC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xandros#ASUS_Eee_PC
There are Windows drivers available too, so you can run XP on it if you want (and have paid for a Windows license on top of the cost of the Eee):
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/07/eb_eee_pc_with_xp/
Apparently Mac OS sort of works too, if you struggle a bit.
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/16/man_installs_osx_on_eee_pc/
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Date: 2008-01-13 09:20 pm (UTC)Running OS/X on the Eee is a stunt. Fun, but don't try to sell it to anybody as a viable mac replacement!
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Date: 2008-01-12 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 09:22 pm (UTC)Any advice? Someone suggested an HP pocket PC, but I have no idea what pocket PCs are like.
My computers are all Macs, so anything I get will need to sync with a Mac.
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Date: 2008-01-12 09:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 10:13 pm (UTC)The general pocket pc specification is for PDA-style machines, no keyboard, such as the HP / Compaq ipaq. There's also things like the HP Jornada, with proper keyboards, but they're mostly fairly old and pretty limited compared to anything recent. They run a version of Windows ME. Don't know the software you want to use at all, I'm afraid, but I'll tale a look at the site.
The Asus is a linux machine with full keyboard, smallish but very clear screen, built in wifi etc., lightweight and very solidly built, with several gigs of storage, very cheap compared to a laptop but bigger than any normal pocket.
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Date: 2008-01-12 10:18 pm (UTC)I just noticed the Mac bit - forget the pocket PCs, you will probably need to look at Palms etc, AFAIK there is no good software for linking a Mac and a Pocket PC
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Date: 2008-01-12 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 10:50 pm (UTC)Sigh. I'd really like a pocket computer with a keyboard, but it looks like they don't make them anymore.
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Date: 2008-01-12 11:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-13 02:12 am (UTC)Jornada
Date: 2008-01-13 11:50 am (UTC)Re: Jornada
Date: 2008-01-13 12:37 pm (UTC)With regards to size, the thing is that I already have a laptop, and while the Asus is small, it isn't nearly small enough to be a "carry all the time" gizmo. The 3G web access in the next generation machines does sound useful though, if it's cheap; one of the problems with taking my existing laptop to hotels etc. is that there's usually a big charge for WiFi.
I'm tempted to go for it anyway, on the "shiny fun toy" basis, but I can wait until they get the right combination of features, provided the price doesn't go up too much.
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Date: 2008-01-14 01:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 01:58 pm (UTC)http://www.arcscience.com/
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Date: 2008-01-14 02:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 02:07 pm (UTC)That's fascinating. Now to get them to start sending marketing materials to my office...
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Date: 2008-01-14 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 03:59 pm (UTC)