The Road Computer I Want

Paul Allyn — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:22:14 -0700

I know the reason I can’t have the road computer I want is because I am too demanding and cheap. But that won’t keep me from demanding it anyway.

First off, even though I love my MacBook Pro, it’s a non-starter. Have you ever tried to open your laptop on an airplane when the moron in front of you has his seat back all the way back – all the time? (I have no scruples about using his seat back to help me get out of the seat to use the rest room – pulling it as far back as physics allow and then letting it snap forward.)

Anyway, I want something that’s about the size of a Kindle (which sux and I don’t care if they only charge a dime to convert a PDF to their format, I don’t want my documents being processed through their computers.) but work like an iPod Touch. I think I’ll call it an iRoad for now.

It has to have some port for flash memory. Come on, if I can put 16Gb of memory in shirt pocket camera, the iRoad should’ought’a be able to do it.

It needs to have two usb ports – they can be miniaturized.

It needs to have an external antenna port. Sometimes you just need a farther reach.

It needs to have an external battery pack. It’s OK if it’s an accessory. When I board an 8 hour flight, I want to have a flight bag full of AA batteries so I can keep the iRoad going.

Oh, yeah! I am going to use one of the USB ports to hook up a FrogPad. If you haven’t seen one, it’s a one handed keyboard. So when the aforementioned moron puts his seat back back, I can set the FrogPad on the seat tray and hold my iRoad anywhere I want and type away.

Other bits that go almost without saying…

wifi
bluetooth
virtual keyboard to use in extremis. And it should NOT be QWERTY! For crying out loud, if I have to type with two thumbs or two fingers, how about a layout with a little more optimization.
a real OS – not a Kindle-esk lock-me-into-what-you-want-to-sell-me system.

grace and peace
Paul+

The Wandering Anglican: The Road Computer I Want

The Road Computer I Want