Comments on: Ahhh Yes, the cPC http://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/ Everyone can understand technology; sometimes it just takes a little translating. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:00:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Judiehttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-201 Judie Fri, 06 Oct 2006 04:58:56 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-201 I actually have a Sprint Vision account for my voice calls and occasional BT link surfing when in an EVDO area, and a T-Mobile unlimited Internet plan for my regular data device. It sounds weird, but I can manage just about every coverage scenario this way. :-P

]]> By: dougomhttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-199 dougom Fri, 06 Oct 2006 04:46:17 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-199 "Doug, even when I carry the cPC, the Universal, or these days the Hermes, I always carry a separate mobile phone. I basically use the PPC as a data device with the option of occasional calls, and I use my Samsung A900 (Blade) as my main phone. I am all for convergence, but I actually prefer a two separate devices." So do you have two separate SIM cards and two separate accounts (one for data, one for voice on your cell), or have you somehow finagled it so that you can have two SIM cards with the same phone number? Doug “Doug, even when I carry the cPC, the Universal, or these days the Hermes, I always carry a separate mobile phone. I basically use the PPC as a data device with the option of occasional calls, and I use my Samsung A900 (Blade) as my main phone. I am all for convergence, but I actually prefer a two separate devices.”

So do you have two separate SIM cards and two separate accounts (one for data, one for voice on your cell), or have you somehow finagled it so that you can have two SIM cards with the same phone number?

Doug

]]> By: Chuckhttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-195 Chuck Fri, 06 Oct 2006 02:49:38 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-195 Judie - great information - keep the comments coming. I really hope you can get Dynamism to find you a raon digital Vega to compare against the cPc. (I don't know of anyone else who could :) ) I'd really like to know if you think WM5 and 1.5GHz processor are worth double the price for the cPc. They are about the same size. Judie – great information – keep the comments coming. I really hope you can get Dynamism to find you a raon digital Vega to compare against the cPc. (I don’t know of anyone else who could :) ) I’d really like to know if you think WM5 and 1.5GHz processor are worth double the price for the cPc. They are about the same size.

]]> By: netsydhttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-183 netsyd Thu, 05 Oct 2006 21:18:35 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-183 Great read ... thanks for keeping my dream alive that one day this whole cPC thing will actually become a reality. The ux looks like a great device and I'd love a chance to try one out, but the thought of a WM5 device with some really good speed and a huge screen is a dream. Great read … thanks for keeping my dream alive that one day this whole cPC thing will actually become a reality. The ux looks like a great device and I’d love a chance to try one out, but the thought of a WM5 device with some really good speed and a huge screen is a dream.

]]> By: mariohttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-175 mario Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:32:28 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-175 Mmm… i think i´ll love to have that sony unit… but it´s too expensive. Also, there are the smaller vaios wich are not much bigger and have full size keyboards… so it depends only on price to me.

]]> By: Judiehttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-170 Judie Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:40:15 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-170 Doug, even when I carry the cPC, the Universal, or these days the Hermes, I always carry a separate mobile phone. I basically use the PPC as a data device with the option of occasional calls, and I use my Samsung A900 (Blade) as my main phone. I am all for convergence, but I actually prefer a two separate devices. I realize I am in the minority and that’s quite all right with me. ;-)

Let me try to answer some of your questions:

“So my questions to you are: is the lack of a keyboard/keypad in the cPC a bummer (as opposed to the VAIO UX, say)??”
It can be. When I am in WM5, there are no issues whatsoever, I am so spoiled by Block Recognizer/Graffiti that I can enter text very quickly. When I flip to XP I usually use the soft keyboard that pops up on the bottom of the screen. It can be a bit tedious, but it works. I can post pictures if you need them.

“Is it a drag to have a separate device that you need to use as a phone?”
Nope…but remember what I said about carrying a bag. A lot of guys have issues with carrying a gear bag, thinking it is a man-purse. There’s no need to think like that, guys! You do not need to stuff your whole existence into a couple of cargo pockets…get a bag! Carry it proudly! ;-)

“How is the weight when you are using the device as an eBook reader? Too heavy? (I find the Universal to get a little heavy at night when I’m laying in bed trying to read, and the cPC is even heavier.)”
It is heavy, and I feel the weight more depending upon where I am when reading. If I’m lying in bed, the cPC might be on chest or propped on a pillow; I’ll page down with the left mouse button and it is quite comfortable. Reading while seated is most comfortable with two hands and the cPC either resting on a table or my lap. Pillows are always a helpful prop, too.

“Can it be handled one hand for comfortable reading?”
It can be, but not for long. It weighs a little over a pound, and that can put unusual stress on my wrist over a period of time.

“(The Zodiac, with it’s shoulder buttons, was just *perfect* for one-handed reading.)”
I totally agree. That was an under-appreciated device whose hardware (though not its OS) was ahead of its time.

“How is it for movie viewing, or have you tried?”
It works pretty well in WM5; playback and size of the movie on screen depend upon the quality of the movie copy, which is a reasonable caveat. I tried it with TCPMP (which I recently downloaded) and liked the results. Playback in XP was a bit choppy, but that may have been the fault of the video I was watching.

“So anyway, thanks for revisiting the device for me!”
My pleasure! :-)

I’ll add more soon, promise!

OH, and I heard from BoxWave today…screen protectors are on the way, so a review will be forthcoming! :-D

]]> By: dougomhttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-87 dougom Wed, 04 Oct 2006 18:04:39 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-87 Thanks for the info on the cPC, Judie; I appreciate it. I'm trying to decide about these devices myself. I am really liking the Universal, but it has a phone as part of the package. If I go with something like the ASUS or the cPC, will I need to start carrying around my Motorola v180 again? And if so, will I care? (I carry a bag with me all the time, and the Universal has dropped my devices in it by two: a camera for emergencies, and a phone.) Would something like the Vega be better, even with the lack of wireless and Bluetooth? I dunno. I use my PDA (and now my Universal) for a couple of main functions: eBook reading, and watching movies. I am also finding it *incredibly* convenient to have Web access through the Universal, so that I can read Web sites while eating lunch or whatever. And it is very nice to have a phone in the same package. So my questions to you are: is the lack of a keyboard/keypad in the cPC a bummer (as opposed to the VAIO UX, say)? Is it a drag to have a separate device that you need to use as a phone? How is the weight when you are using the device as an eBook reader? Too heavy? (I find the Universal to get a little heavy at night when I'm laying in bed trying to read, and the cPC is even heavier.) Can it be handled one hand for comfortable reading? (The Zodiac, with it's shoulder buttons, was just *perfect* for one-handed reading.) How is it for movie viewing, or have you tried? So anyway, thanks for revisiting the device for me! Thanks for the info on the cPC, Judie; I appreciate it.

I’m trying to decide about these devices myself. I am really liking the Universal, but it has a phone as part of the package. If I go with something like the ASUS or the cPC, will I need to start carrying around my Motorola v180 again? And if so, will I care? (I carry a bag with me all the time, and the Universal has dropped my devices in it by two: a camera for emergencies, and a phone.) Would something like the Vega be better, even with the lack of wireless and Bluetooth? I dunno.

I use my PDA (and now my Universal) for a couple of main functions: eBook reading, and watching movies. I am also finding it *incredibly* convenient to have Web access through the Universal, so that I can read Web sites while eating lunch or whatever. And it is very nice to have a phone in the same package.

So my questions to you are: is the lack of a keyboard/keypad in the cPC a bummer (as opposed to the VAIO UX, say)? Is it a drag to have a separate device that you need to use as a phone? How is the weight when you are using the device as an eBook reader? Too heavy? (I find the Universal to get a little heavy at night when I’m laying in bed trying to read, and the cPC is even heavier.) Can it be handled one hand for comfortable reading? (The Zodiac, with it’s shoulder buttons, was just *perfect* for one-handed reading.) How is it for movie viewing, or have you tried?

So anyway, thanks for revisiting the device for me!

]]> By: Judiehttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-76 Judie Wed, 04 Oct 2006 14:47:27 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-76 Actually that may be my next step! The JasJar protector was supposed to be a stop-gap measure, and it has been on there far too long. :-P Funny Story: A group of us ate lunch at the hotel's pizza place on the last day of Mobius. One of those at the table was Horace Luke, a brilliant researcher and designer with Microsoft. So he picked up the cPC and he said, "this is pitiful!" looking at the protector, "my brother in law owns BoxWave, they can make you one." I was almost embarrassed to admit it, but I did it! I said, "Horace, I sent them measurements and scans of the cPC...I'm still waiting!" Small world, huh?! He told me I should invoke his name, but I really hate to do that. Hopefully they (or the company I had first asked) will eventually make me one. Actually that may be my next step! The JasJar protector was supposed to be a stop-gap measure, and it has been on there far too long. :-P

Funny Story: A group of us ate lunch at the hotel’s pizza place on the last day of Mobius. One of those at the table was Horace Luke, a brilliant researcher and designer with Microsoft. So he picked up the cPC and he said, “this is pitiful!” looking at the protector, “my brother in law owns BoxWave, they can make you one.”

I was almost embarrassed to admit it, but I did it! I said, “Horace, I sent them measurements and scans of the cPC…I’m still waiting!”

Small world, huh?!

He told me I should invoke his name, but I really hate to do that. Hopefully they (or the company I had first asked) will eventually make me one.

]]> By: MitchellOhttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-73 MitchellO Wed, 04 Oct 2006 14:08:49 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-73 Hey Judie, regarding the screen protector for the cPC, maybe you should look at getting one of those tablet PC screen protectors off eBay and cutting one down to size. They are pretty cheap, and cutting one to size would be very easy. Not to mention it would protect the whole screen, and get rid of the "cheap and ugly" look to it. http://cgi.ebay.com/SCREEN-PROTECTOR-OVERLAY-15-Tablet-PC-Laptop-PDA-9x12_W0QQitemZ170033296030QQihZ007QQcategoryZ31534QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Cheers!! Hey Judie, regarding the screen protector for the cPC, maybe you should look at getting one of those tablet PC screen protectors off eBay and cutting one down to size. They are pretty cheap, and cutting one to size would be very easy. Not to mention it would protect the whole screen, and get rid of the “cheap and ugly” look to it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SCREEN-PROTECTOR-OVERLAY-15-Tablet-PC-Laptop-PDA-9x12_W0QQitemZ170033296030QQihZ007QQcategoryZ31534QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Cheers!!

]]> By: Judiehttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-45 Judie Wed, 04 Oct 2006 03:32:20 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-45 Hi Jimmie, thanks! You are in my links, too. :-) My email is judie.hughes@gmail.com Hi Jimmie, thanks! You are in my links, too. :-)

My email is judie.hughes@gmail.com

]]> By: jimmie geddeshttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-44 jimmie geddes Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:53:48 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-44 Judie, How can I contact you? I just added you to my links, and posted this about your new site. I hope it's cool with you:) http://gadgetsonthego.net/2006/10/check-out-my-favorite-new-tech-site.html My email is Jeg815@mac.com Jimmie Geddes Judie,
How can I contact you? I just added you to my links, and posted this about your new site. I hope it’s cool with you:)

http://gadgetsonthego.net/2006/10/check-out-my-favorite-new-tech-site.html

My email is Jeg815@mac.com

Jimmie Geddes

]]> By: jimmie geddeshttp://www.geardiary.com/2006/10/03/ahhh-yes-the-cpc/#comment-40 jimmie geddes Tue, 03 Oct 2006 23:02:49 +0000 http://geardiary.com/?p=32#comment-40 Hi Judie, I've been a big fan of yours for years, best of luck with the new site!! I'm not sure about the whole UMPC thing as well, you put it perfectly with the manufacturer's and one giant software company:) I have the Samsung Q1, and while it's pretty cool, it's definitely a niche market.I love gadgets, and don't want any shortage, so keep 'em coming. Great site!! Jimmie Geddes, Editor http://www.gadgetsonthego.net Hi Judie,
I’ve been a big fan of yours for years, best of luck with the new site!! I’m not sure about the whole UMPC thing as well, you put it perfectly with the manufacturer’s and one giant software company:) I have the Samsung Q1, and while it’s pretty cool, it’s definitely a niche market.I love gadgets, and don’t want any shortage, so keep ‘em coming. Great site!!

Jimmie Geddes, Editor http://www.gadgetsonthego.net

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