Matthew

@MagnetMan
I mean, I understand that the growing pains of a small company, especially when you do things like relocating HQ, changing ODMs, et cetera, and the Tegra 2 + PixelQi + custom Android apps are something of new territory... But it just sounds like mismanagement at every level, and a small company being pushed around by the money really drowned these guys.

It's sad, too, since the prototype looked half decent. Let's hope they/someone else eventually gets this to market.

Pbbbbbbbbbbt. Boo.

@alphabuild
Or until Charbax makes an overly enthusiastic video about the new 'Ahhhhhhchos 32'.

@JayVe
Wait, the OQOs have active digitizers? In all sincerity, is it really comfortable writing on such a small screen? 'Cause it seems like the minimum amount of screen I would need to write a sentence would be the entire surface. Or do you use Palm Graffiti-type input? I guess it just seems like after menus and tool bars, it would be like writing an essay on a post-it note.

I only ask because I love the idea of an active digitizer on a 7-10" device (something smaller than a convertible like the x200t), but 5" just seems way too small.

@Poppajonzz

Whenever possible, I take my cues from xkcd:
http://xkcd.com/747/

Paul's dilemma doesn't necessarily fall under the strict purview of the strip, but taken out of the 'geek vs nerd' argument, we can argue that 'if Paul is concerned about his standing as a geek, he is likely a geek'.

@DefPoet
I don't think that the distinction between gadget lover vs geek lies in personality, but rather in interests and livelihood. You could have a very detail-oriented, geeky architect who has a above-average interest in tech and likes his or her iPhone apps. I think the geek you're thinking of is one that is strictly limited to the world of computers and consumer technology. But geeks exist all over the plane, but not all of them express themselves through computers.

@Paul
Deferring to the OED has been interesting. From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, geek meant 'A person, a fellow, esp. one who is regarded as foolish, offensive, worthless, etc'. Kerouac is cited as using the first less pejorative definition: 'An overly diligent, unsociable student; any unsociable person obsessively devoted to a particular pursuit (usually specified in a preceding attrib. noun)'.

And interestingly enough, geek also seems to mean 'A performer at a carnival or circus whose show consists of bizarre or grotesque acts, such as biting the head off a live animal,' with the word being used this way until the 21st century.

tl;dr? Paul is a geek and he bites the heads off of live animals.

@Bowsa
Reminded me more of Dr. Steve Bruhle.

In all seriousness, the OLED screen worries me--given the lighting system used in such displays, they generally rely on GUIs with black backgrounds (and they have). As a result, that thing is going to be marred with fingerprints all the time...

Also, Z530? Why not go with Moorestown, or at least mention intentions of using it? Menlow kinda flopped, so this would be a good proof-of-concept to showcase the new chipset.

In the end, it's a concept piece--I just hope that this thing reaches the market in a more efficient form. I wouldn't mind pay a little extra since the idea and implementation are already pretty solid.

@ai4281
I agree, but I would love to see this come to Korea for my own sake. I am so sick and tired of Korean dumbphones. I don't need DMB (I really cannot stand Korean broadcast television. Maudlin, slapstick, or nationalistic: pick your poison), and Cyworld/Daum/Naver are navigational nightmares. Korean sites seem to be stuck in Yahoo! circa 2000--trying to fit every bit of information possible onto a single page. Let's just hope that they don't cripple the ability to download apps or price it prohibitively.

Besides, I'm sure there must be at least a handful of Koreans who feel similarly. I haven't met any yet, but.. crossing my fingers.

@Abe
Perhaps, but remember that the (rumored) tablet is in the 7"-10" range, and this has a 4.8" display. Screen size and resolution has a big impact on battery life--my CULV machine has a 1366x768 display, and that's the main reason why I get a similar rundown time as my 16" Vaio FW...

@Matthew
And come to think of it, depending on the way the tablet was connected to the laptop, you might not even need to fully shut down Win7. Given the fact that the laptop processor would be housed in the keyboard, if it were connected via mini HDMI (or some other display equivalent), it would be like disconnecting a monitor from a computer.

@Ducman69
Think about the way this device will be used, though. You don't really need a seamless transition between the two, because if you're carrying around the full device, you're in an environment (e.g., the office or in a lecture hall) where you'd need full processing power and a keyboard. Keeping in mind that most mobile OSs can stay in standby with little affect on battery life, once you're done and on the road (e.g., heading to the subway or couch), you could shut down Win7 and wake the mobile OS from standby for web browsing and light document viewing/editing. The real kicker would be the ability to save to and access the SSD while in Win7, and hopefully one would be able to mount it like an SD card. I can't really imagine a situation where you'd need to jump between the two OSs immediately. With an SSD and its lack of spinning platters, there would be little affect to the battery life (hopefully). Two form factors for two separate needs, with the ability to access common data in both. Granted, there's a little speculation here, but it doesn't seem too far fetched.

If anything, this sort of device is a preemptive strike against the Apple Tablet. Perfect if you're in the market for a new laptop and a tablet, and like it or not, the possibly upcoming iSlate will create that desire (look at the Apple TV: despite being a flop, it definitely brought to life the nascent HTPC market). Unless if you're looking at a convertible with a Wacom digitizer to use for art or accurate handwriting recognition, which the market has shown to be a niche market at best, it seems like two separate devices is the way to go until tech can successfully bring us the accuracy of a capacitive multitouch screen for finger navigation and Wacom for accurate pen-based input at a consumer friendly price point.

That being said, all my dreams would be answered would Lenovo bring down the price of the X200s MT to under $1000. Yessir, they would.