Computerworld has an interesting article, "Why the FlipStart will fail, or why History is important" that sounds like a bad review of the Vulcan FlipStart, but it isn’t. In fact, it’s not about the FlipStart at all rather a harsh look at the ultra-portable device category in general. The author points out that we’ve had small clamshell mobile devices (handheld PCs) for 20 years and he states his case that the form factor didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now.
While I don’t agree with everything he said there are some things that resonate with me. I recently made a brash statement that I don’t think there will ever be a mainstream mobile device because everybody wants something different. Mobile devices are very personal devices and as such there is never going to be any one device that appeals to the masses. I think this is what the Computerworld author was trying to get at when he mentions that we should remember the history of mobile devices. While the technology has certainly improved in the mobile devices of today like UMPCs and even the FlipStart, there are a lot of people who will never use a computer this small. That’s not a bad thing, rather the way it is. Me, I love the little guys. :)
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