Sneak Peek: The FlipStart Clamshell PC
FlipStart, a super-compact PC from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's
Vulcan Portals, got a public demo earlier this week.
Matt Hamblen, Computerworld
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 11:00 AM GMT-08:00

FlipStart, a super-compact PC from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's
Vulcan Portals Inc., won't officially be announced until Wednesday.
But it got a public demonstration Monday before a dozen IT
professionals at a mobile conference in Indian Wells, California.

Weighing in at just 1.5 pounds, the FlipStart is a clamshell-design
Windows-based PC that features a 5.6-inch display, said Keith Amodt,
senior product manager for FlipStart Labs, a technology incubator that
is a division of Vulcan in Seattle. It is slated to ship March 27 and
retail for US$1,999. Users can choose Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista
Business operating systems.

Similar to a small laptop, it features a QWERTY keyboard when the
clamshell is opened. The keys are too small for people to touch type
on but can be typed on with one finger or "thumbed" similar to other
small devices, Amodt said.

The FlipStart offers an unusual new feature: a small InfoPane on the
outside of the closed device that can display Outlook e-mail, calendar
and contacts and is controlled by a wheel on the side similar to
navigation wheels seen on some BlackBerry devices, he said.

Wireless access will be provided by a single carrier, yet to be named,
using the EVDO Rev. A network, Amodt said. WiFi functionality over
802.11 b/g is also provided.

Robin Budd, a senior director at FlipStart, said the product will be
aimed at prosumers, or professional consumers. But several IT managers
on hand for the short demonstration of the FlipStart last night were
not sure how the product would be received -- or who the target market
would really be.

"I think it's going to be a couple of years before we know where this
kind of device fits," said Kerry Sedwick, director of technical
architecture at American Express Technologies in Phoenix. He said it
might be a device that American Express agents would use on visits to
retailers, since they need a fully functioning PC, but "don't want to
crate around a heavy thing.

"People will love the small size and weight, but won't like the small
keyboard and how hard on the eyes it can be," Sedwick said.

Because the font is small in one setting, Sedwick and several other IT
managers said the device might be best aimed at an "under 40" crowd of
users not yet wearing reading glasses. FlipStart has anticipated
various reading needs, Amodt said, and provides a nine-level zoom
feature to drill down on a screen or window for more detail.

George McQuillister, senior product manage for mobile services at
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in San Francisco, said he is unsure how
quickly the FlipStart or similar devices such as the announced OQO PC
might catch on with workers. "When one sees somebody using it, others
will want it," he said. "Certain individuals, like my teenage son,
would love it" especially because it can run sophisticated computer
games.

Gerry Purdy, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan that sponsored the Mobile
& Wireless Enterprise conference here, said the FlipStart and other
devices represent "an interesting new category" of mini-portables. He
said that he can see the current 30GB hard drive in the FlipStart
growing to 100GB in future generations, with the standard 512MB RAM
growing to 4GB.

Budd said that an earlier version of the FlipStart, unveiled in 2004,
had to be re-designed so it would dissipate heat better. Battery life
has not been officially tested, she said, but FlipStart's spec sheet
rates the slimline battery as being good for 1 to 3 hours of use with
an extended life battery offering up to four hours of power. FlipStart
uses a 1.1GHz Intel Pentium M processor, which designed for ultra-low
voltage.

Multimedia features include dual built-in microphones, a built-in
speaker and an internal VGA camera.

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