The
Vulcan Flipstart is one of those products that just gets you juiced up about gadgets, because really, what's more gadgety than a full-fledged computer that you can slide into a coat pocket? There was a short while there (2003 to 2007) when we thought that the Flipstart would never make it out of vaporware hell; all that trepidation disappeared, however, when not one but two of the little XP-powered clamshells got delivered to our doorstep. Having already played around with both OQOs, several UMPCs, and countless smartphones, we had a pretty good idea of what we were expecting from this device, and from our preliminary evaluation, it does not disappoint. From the polished, slightly-heavy body to the port replicator to the geeky hip pouch, everything feels solidly built -- as we would hope for a product that's been in development for several years. Boot-up occurs fairly quickly, and you're up and running within the minute, with most applications performing adequately on a Pentium M CPU backed by 512MB of RAM. Input is also fairly painless; although touch-typing is a non-starter on the tiny thumb board, those used to their Treos will catch on quickly, and the dual methods for pointer control (touchpad and nubbin) felt responsive and precise. Another nice feature is the auxiliary external display, which although not powered by Slideshow, nonetheless offers PIM entries and media control in a very convenient manner. We'll have more impressions for you once we take our two new toys for a longer spin, but for now you can pass the time by checking out the loaded gallery below, complete with the all important Flipstart vs. Flipstart comparative shots.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Juan @ Mar 7th 2007 12:38PM
Need a better idea of the size of this thing; the pictures don't show scale well.
How about showing it next to a pencil, ruler, or held in the hand?
Paul @ Mar 7th 2007 12:44PM
I was just coming in here to say the same thing.
Without some frame of reference its really hard to get an idea of the scale of this device.
MiniMe2000 @ Mar 7th 2007 12:48PM
Wow that thing is UGLY. Looks like an old school Motorola texting pager from the mid 90's. And to boot, those are some of the worst pictures from an Engadget review, ever.
Brian @ Mar 7th 2007 1:26PM
Looks juicy, or is that just my drool. I agree about the size reference. How about a few shots of someone holding this handheld gadget?
f00 @ Mar 7th 2007 1:33PM
The "ctrl-alt-del" button makes this an instant winner!
Larry @ Mar 7th 2007 1:37PM
This was definitely hit with the ugly stick but it is good someone is still working with the clamshell approach. I do like my Toshiba Libretto better than the OQO I sold. Hopefully, Sony will take notice and make a clamshell version of the UX (I'm not holding my breath though).
F1ghter @ Mar 7th 2007 1:41PM
Other than the clamshell design, how is this any better than the Samsung Q2 you guys showed earlier? I would much rather have a touch screen than a tiny keyboard, so if it the screen can't fold down to make it a tablet pc, it's a definite no-go for me. Also, I'd like some sort of size comparison between this and the Q2.
From what I know of the two, the Q2 seems the better option.
Chris @ Mar 7th 2007 2:01PM
Great job, Vulcan...only took you 3+ years to make a device that appears to be a step below and much bulkier than my Toshiba Libretto U105.
This is the same Libretto that Toshiba *released* almost two years ago, the one that includes a detachable DVD burner and a PC Card slot to add EVDO Rev. A, the one that has a standard-layout keyboard and TrackPoint (no "chiclet" keys)
The FlipStart faces some serious competition now, not only from the UMPC and Palmtop crowd, but from the more powerful Smartphone crowd, as well...
fondomatic @ Mar 7th 2007 2:22PM
But will it run Ubuntu? *grin*
James @ Mar 7th 2007 2:38PM
Its for Vulcans!
seems to be running Vista though
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http://www.WindowsVistaUserGuide.com
PJE @ Mar 7th 2007 2:46PM
It's a shame there are no USB ports without the expansion dock...
It would make a nice on-site programming device, but I need one or two USB ports for serial interfaces.
ichihua @ Mar 7th 2007 4:04PM
it's a shame. i actually worked on this project a number of years back. this is a project that fell under the category "development hell". i believe that in its current state, it's been in dvelopment for nearly 5 years now.
the design i worked on looked more unique and was much smaller in size. it originally ran on the transmeta crusoe chip. but i guess problems with transmeta caused them to switch to an intel chip which had a greater cooling requirement and thus added to the overall size. i can say that it was smart of vulcan to go with a larger display since the overall volume of the handheld got larger.
anyhow, the design change for the worse in my opinion. it's too bad too. when i left the project, the handheld was quite nice and it looked like it was well on it's way to being produced. that was over 2.5 years ago...
twoback @ Mar 7th 2007 4:39PM
Looks like a Brother labelmaker with a full color screen.
Ryan Libson @ Mar 7th 2007 4:41PM
Congratulations you made a fat ugly flybook....were so proud of you...yes we are...arent we.
I guess the design resources must have been diverted away to the Seahawks ill fated superbowl run.
bob @ Mar 7th 2007 5:13PM
I thought the picture of the two cardboard boxes was excellent. Do all of these computers come with two banged up Corporate Express boxes? Was the one on the left inside the one on the right? If so, can we see video of the box being unboxed? Next time, please take a pic of the guy who delivered the boxes as well.
And I agree: please take a pic of someone holding the two boxes so we can tell how big they are.
TinMan @ Mar 7th 2007 11:12PM
But will it blend?
I'd buy it to run Linux on it.
Michael @ Mar 8th 2007 3:41PM
Obviously not aimed at photographers then?
Deckard @ Mar 9th 2007 10:05AM
Er no thanks - this thing is a joke right?
I'll take a Nokia N800 at 200 grams and $400. Then I'll spend the $1600 I've saved on this joke of a product on something far more worthwhile (strippers, booze, etc.)
john @ Mar 17th 2008 10:05AM
For everyones information, this machine costs $699, not $2000 like many of you are saying. And it does have a usb, and it runs windows vista fine.
Except for the wibrain, which is a totally different style of umpc, nothing gives so much value for the money. I own one now and could not be happier .
Van Minh @ Jul 9th 2007 12:26PM
It's wonderful to have one but regreat for me because I know it so late. I can't do anything to have it (I'm vietnamese)
Dan Spikowski @ Feb 8th 2008 5:39PM
I have one now, and we are going to be selling them to Garden Centers that need a line buster or remote nursery sales outside the store. I love how they work, easy to use with two hands and our screens we designed. This is as good as the OQO at 1/3 the price. Very rugged and bright screens. We will sell a lot of these guys.