Paul Allen debuts a mini computer
Cory Bergman March 7th, 2007
Two decades after leaving Microsoft, Paul Allen is taking the wraps off Flipstart, a computer that’s bigger than a Blackberry but smaller than a laptop. It runs Windows, has a 30-gig hard drive, built-in Wifi and costs… $2,000.
Michael adds in comments: “Devices like this will never be practical for anybody outside a few niche audiences. It’s too expensive for the casual user, to big to take with you everywhere you go, and too small to do any real work on. Most users are better served by a smart phone and/or a laptop.”
15 Comments Add your own
1. The Tony | March 7th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Welcome, friends, to the Age of the Needlessly-Expensive Gizmo!
Playstation 3, iPhone? Meet Flipstart! He’s your new buddy.
“Cool” is, increasingly, only attainable by the Haves.
2. joe | March 7th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
this would have been cool if it came out in 2003 like it was supposed to. i’ll just use my cell phone to do what this computer does. thanks.
3. Michael Chastain | March 7th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Devices like this will never be practical for anybody outside a few niche audiences. It’s too expensive for the casual user, to big to take with you everywhere you go, and too small to do any real work on.
Most users are better served by a smart phone and/or a laptop.
4. Amanda | March 7th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
If that thing has USB, it would be great for network and wireless testing devices instead of dragging a full-sized laptop around.
5. JR | March 7th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
A coworker has a beta unit. Not really practical but he does some video editing on it. Kinda cool… but not my bag. I’d rather it be implanted in my body so I don’t have any baggage to carry around. Kidding… sort of.
6. thomas | March 7th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
If it doesn’t fit in my pocket then it has no real advantages over a traditional laptop. Sure a laptop is slightly larger than this thing but at least I can have a normal screen resolution and keyboard as well as a cd/dvd rom drive. I have a feeling this will be as successful as the whole ESPN Cell Phone deal a while back.
7. flotsam | March 7th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
How many times have we heard “will never be practical” only to see the price become competitive and then it is–practical and adopted.
That’s the danger with “never.” It is such a long time and in all the years that make up “never,” there is so much time to be proven wrong.
As we all have been.
8. Z | March 7th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
I remember this from before…when it was an HP Jornada 820.
I can’t deal with a Blackberry keyboard, so this would be worthless to me.
9. Charles | March 7th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
If only they had the Apple name brand on it…. Then people would think it’s cool!
10. thetorontochannel | March 8th, 2007 at 6:43 am
if it ran jobs’ware instead of gates’ware they could charge an extra g.
11. The Tony | March 8th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Maccies would want it, though.
Charles makes a bold and refreshing point.
I
12. The Tony | March 8th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
…
I
13. The Tony | March 8th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
(Last try for last line.)
I love Apple, and would probably be drooling over this thing if it were shiny, white and presented by Lord Jobs. As it stands, it’s just another dirty PC thing I don’t want to waste my money on, when I could be buying Slurpees and Moon Pies.
14. Anonymous | May 7th, 2007 at 7:29 am
Perfect-tired of lugging around laptops!
15. The Man Who Posted Here | November 10th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
This would be usefull, if the price goes down more people will get and it will as more competitors jump in. like the ps3 wich went from 600 dollars to 399 dollars. i will buy if it has a cd rom thing and can play Word of Warcr/\ft or Hellgate
Lo/\/don.
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