http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/ Engadget Comments for Wibrain's B1 UMPC unboxed, still mystifying from all angles http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Feb 26th 2008 1:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 8:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 8:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 8:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 8:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 8:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 9:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 9:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 9:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/
And I can def recommend this keypad style to anyone - it allows the device's center of gravity to take a lot of pressure off the wrists, balancing it naturally (leading to, yes, faster thumb-typing speeds). ]]>Dec 3rd 2007 1:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 9:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Too bad it runs windows.
]]>Dec 3rd 2007 11:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/ Yeah, I has hoping for OS/2 as well...Narf!]]>Dec 3rd 2007 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/Dec 3rd 2007 11:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/
(actually, I have one for real work; my Nokia N800; but I still keep track of what's out there)

If there's a version of Linux that will run on it out of the box, taking advantage of all of the device's hardware, great. Even better if there's one that wibrain directly supports (documentation, etc.). Even better if they _officially_ support it.

Without one of those 3, I wouldn't consider that to actually be a usable, real work, linux solution.]]>Dec 3rd 2007 1:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/01/wibrains-b1-upmc-gets-redesigned-retargeted/]]>Dec 3rd 2007 11:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/I've been thinking about the wibrain since early this year. I wonder if I'd prefer the Samsung Q1's original keyboard solution: Make the touchscreen take up the entire front of the device, and have virtual/translucent/floating keyboard inputs that appear on the screen when you want them.

So, imagine the split qwerty keyboard, the dpad, and the trackpad all being translucent windows that pop-up when you need them... and the screen goes the full length of the wibrain.

The good:
I think it would look less busy and ugly, and it would be more flexible in capabilities (customized pop-up inputs; ability to use that screen area for things other than dedicated input).

The bad:
Even with proposed technology tactile feedback in touch screens, I have a feeling it wouldn't be as comfortable and fast to use as physical keys. And some people wouldn't want to use it no matter how good the tactile feedback got.

I just think it's an interesting thing to experiment with. I also wonder if that's going to be what the rumored newton2 is going to be like.
]]>Dec 3rd 2007 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/wibrains-b1-umpc-unboxed-still-mystifying-from-all-angles/It's on fire!
I really like it.
I just need UNIX (In all probability, that means Linux). Cyg/NT5 is OK, but awkwardly slow on a low-end desktop, much less on this.

@John
I think that'd be nice, but:
Nokia's internet tablets (770, N800, N810) have (practically) full-panel touchscreens, and the on-screen keyboard's not translucent, despite major user feedback that it should be.
The iPhone and iPod touch both have full-panel touchscreens, and they don't have translucent keyboards.
The Q1 had a full-panel touch screen, and translucent keypads, and they changed it.
I haven't used a Q1, so IDK, but maybe this idea has been tested and found to just not work as well as it looks? (Then again, maybe this just shows that concept testers are out of touch with real users. Or maybe that keyboard production costs of keypads are lower than touchscreens per square inch.)]]>Dec 3rd 2007 1:19PM