I want an eMate-like notebook

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I often need to access email, or do some light work, on the road. At the same time, I hate lugging around my iBook to do it. It would connect to the internet with built-in bluetooth through a cell phone (like my Palm Tungsten does).



It would be fantastic if Apple made a kind of eMate-like sub-notebook, without an optical drive, perhaps a 7" screen running Mac OS X at 800x600 resolution, a keyboard (like the eMate), and easy to carry. Price should not be higher than $699. I'd pick one up in an instant as a secondary, "on the road" laptop.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    cubistcubist Posts: 954member
    This has been discussed many times (may be active threads still). Basically, small subnotebooks are popular in Japan, are surprisingly expensive due to component costs, and if Apple makes one, it'll be in the Powerbook line and cost a lot more than $699.
  • Reply 2 of 20
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Robin Hood

    I often need to access email, or do some light work, on the road. At the same time, I hate lugging around my iBook to do it. It would connect to the internet with built-in bluetooth through a cell phone (like my Palm Tungsten does).



    It would be fantastic if Apple made a kind of eMate-like sub-notebook, without an optical drive, perhaps a 7" screen running Mac OS X at 800x600 resolution, a keyboard (like the eMate), and easy to carry. Price should not be higher than $699. I'd pick one up in an instant as a secondary, "on the road" laptop.




    This is something you might be interested in as Apple will never release anything remotely what you were asking, no market anymore except for vertical;



    http://www.pepper.com







    The Pepper wireless pad is the ideal way to experience everything your broadband connection has to offer. With an innovative design that combines mobility with an optimal viewing experience, the pad offers a host of benefits for consumers:



    Web Browser-Directly access the Web with our Mozilla? based browser. Keep and organize your bookmarks and Web page clippings (for offline viewing)



    E-mail-Send and receive e-mail using the virus and spyware resistant Mail application. Mail keeps all your messages until you delete them, remembers every address you have sent mail to, and automatically completes known addresses. Includes POP3, IMAP4 and AOL® Inbox support



    IM client-A completely integrated AOL® Instant Messenger ? compatible IM client with tabbed session management.



    Music, video and photo libraries-Collect, organize and watch (or listen to) your favorite MP3s, MPEGs and digital photos.



    Remote control-Control your TV and stereo equipment



    Journal-Store your thoughts, plans and ideas. Web clippings and a rich text editor let you format the pages of your journal to make them uniquely yours.



    Internet Radio-Listen to your favorite streaming radio stations.



    Games-Improve your hand-eye coordination (oh, who are we kidding? Just have fun) with our entertaining, ad-free games-quick, simple and always a hoot.



    8.4 inch color display with touchscreen (800 X 600 ), making your online experience more enjoyable



    QWERTY keypad, for fast and easy typing



    Rugged and water-resistant design for those occasional mishaps



    20-bit stereo CODEC for excellent sound



    SD/MMC card for future expansion



    802.11b Wi-Fi, so you can carry the pad to any room in the house or on the road for instant-on Internet



    Bluetooth device support, which lets the Pepper pad "talk" to your other high tech products, such as a full-size keyboard and/or mouse



    Only 2.3 lbs, and small enough 12.1" x 6.6" x 0.8" (309x175x20mm) to fit into a briefcase, backpack or purse



    Instant-on capabilities-no more waiting to boot up and the Web is always ready when you are



    Intuitive Pepper software and applications that make sharing and organizing your digital files a snap



    Intel XScale PXA270 (624 Mhz) processor



    20 GB disk drive-that's hundreds of photos and videos you can store



    Two rechargeable lithium batteries offering hours of use, plus smart power management



    I called the company and the price should be 799.00, 950.00 with extra battery.
  • Reply 3 of 20
    rhumgodrhumgod Posts: 1,289member
    You're comparing the eMate to the iBook, yet the eMate was actually larger ( 12" x 11.4" x 2" ) and weighed 4.9lbs. The iBook is ( 11.2" x 9.06" x 1.35" ) and weighs in at the same 4.9lbs. So you want something larger?



    My guess is you want something smaller but with a crappy shrunken keyboard and an eye-straining LCD.



    No, I think for all-around function, the iBook (or 12" PowerBook) is about as small as Apple will venture. If it's just email/web you're after use the cell phone for that. All-around function is limited to keyboard usability and thus, is restricted in size, unless you have child-hands.
  • Reply 4 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Rhumgod

    You're comparing the eMate to the iBook, yet the eMate was actually larger ( 12" x 11.4" x 2" ) and weighed 4.9lbs. The iBook is ( 11.2" x 9.06" x 1.35" ) and weighs in at the same 4.9lbs. So you want something larger?



    Good point. But the one thing the eMate had going for it was an exceptionally rugged design. I would like to see something I could let my kids get at without hovering nervously nearby like I do with my ibook--lest anything get broken.



    Then again, I loved my Psion 5 until it broke--and always wished I could find something in it's form factor these days. I have small fingers, and it's keyboard was perfect.
  • Reply 5 of 20
    The psions still exist, just as Nokia Cell phones now. 9xxx series I believe.
  • Reply 6 of 20
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Robin Hood

    I often need to access email, or do some light work, on the road. At the same time, I hate lugging around my iBook to do it. It would connect to the internet with built-in bluetooth through a cell phone (like my Palm Tungsten does).



    It would be fantastic if Apple made a kind of eMate-like sub-notebook, without an optical drive, perhaps a 7" screen running Mac OS X at 800x600 resolution, a keyboard (like the eMate), and easy to carry. Price should not be higher than $699. I'd pick one up in an instant as a secondary, "on the road" laptop.




    I wonder what the threshold of "lugging" is.



    For instance, that iBook that's breaking your back is about 5 lbs. It's hard to imagine a subnotebook with any functionality at all coming in at less than 2 lbs., so 3 pounds is the difference between "I hate having to lug this around" and "I hardly know it's there".



    Is that most people's experience? Is there really a generally agreed upon "I am happy to take it anywhere" form factor/weight?



    I know some people feel like the full sized iPod is "cumbersome" having gotten used to the mini, and I guess the shuffle makes the mini seem like a brick, so even if Apple made a 2 lb. sub, wouldn't that just commence the next level of "God, if only they would give us the .5 lb beauty of my dreams so I didn't have to haul that big-ass minibook around......"
  • Reply 7 of 20
    rhumgodrhumgod Posts: 1,289member
    The only thing I would like to see (and there were a few threads on this about a year or two ago) would be a tablet-style computer with a detached keyboard - make it a foldable wireless keyboard (ala HP's bluetooth foldable keyboard ) - if anyone can design such a thing, Apple can. I just don't think the market is there for such a thing.
  • Reply 8 of 20
    To be honest I'm amazed people find the 7 pound 17"PowerBook a burden.
  • Reply 9 of 20
    rhumgodrhumgod Posts: 1,289member
    I used to have one and sold it for a 12" PowerBook and docking station. It was just too big (wide) to carry around. It almost seemed wide enough where it began to bend in the middle. The weight wasn't the drawback for me, it was the width.



    But if I were using this for true mobile computing and moving around during the day (rather than just at the beginning and end of the day) I would definitely look for something as light as possible.



    <rant> That being said, I find it a bit discouraging if I am on the "customer"-end of a transaction or business dealing with a person who is asking me stuff and trying to "pen-it-into" a PDA or the like. Christ, I can write longhand faster than that - why not just write it on a pad to paper, and enter it into a real computer later, and spare me the agony of you fumbling with the horrid interface and asking me to spell my name 4 times because the first 3 you f---ed up. </rant>
  • Reply 10 of 20
    celcocelco Posts: 211member
    Yeah well I want a pony. No really. The E mate sucked. thats why Apple doesnt make them anymore. So every week theres someone else with a want for a pda/ laptop cross. GTFOI. Steve's radar is in HD land. Think Different.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ChevalierMalFet

    To be honest I'm amazed people find the 7 pound 17"PowerBook a burden.



    Dude, I can't pull it out in a moments notice and check my flight schedule, I can't walk and use it without looking like a tool, seven pounds belongs on a desk not my arms.
  • Reply 12 of 20
    Trying to walk around using any laptop of any size, in my opinion, makes you look like a tool. 10, 12, 15, 17" inclusive. As far as flight schedules, I've never once run into that issue since I generally have etickets.



    I've also never had a problem using it on a plane, in the car, etc.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    robin hoodrobin hood Posts: 513member
    Just FYI, when posting I did realize that the eMate was quite bulky, about the size of the current iBook if not slightly larger. The reason I used the eMate is due to several features that it does have, like a proper keyboard and a smaller screen.



    PDA's are dead. They were always just a gadget really. That is why I dont' think Apple should make a PDA, but what they should make is a form of cut down laptop, that is (sort of) a cross between a PDA and a fully featured laptop.



    As far as PDA's being dead, they were never that useful in the first place, and these days if you need PDA-like features, you just get a cell phone that has what you need instead!
  • Reply 14 of 20
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Sounds like you need an wireless iPaq or a T5 and a wireless keyboard.
  • Reply 15 of 20
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    It sounds like what you need is to switch platforms to Windows or Linux as there are a plethora of products that meet your needs, from the OQO to Japanese subnotebooks.
  • Reply 16 of 20
    Why not get a Newton on ebay? You can even get an 802.11b card for it. Then you can do email, web and you can also get a fax card for it, or a dial-up card for cellular use. Great for getting maps on the road. Bad for watching movies, though. You can get a decent one for < $150, + any "extras".
  • Reply 17 of 20
    It sounds good, except for the mini-me keyboard. I've got a death grudge against any non-standard sized keyboard.



    How about a "sub-notebook" from Apple? It would be a Powerbook, but smaller than the 12 incher - basically as small as Apple could build it while retaining a full-sized keyboard. I dunno, without looking I'm not sure, but it already seems like the 12 incher is at the lower size limit for a real-sized keyboard. Maybe a little narrower, and less deep, and you've got your sub-notebook.



    Another thing I hate about these devices between a PDA and a laptop, besides the Mickey Mouse keyboards, is that they cost a hell of a lot, yet have dubious functionality. Usually they're just PDAs with a little more power and a little more functionality. If I'm going to lug around something 2/3 the size of a Powerbook, at 2/3 the cost, then why not just lug the Powerbook and have full functionality?



    Oh, the phone idea sounds cool. Apple should definitely add cell phone capability to some of the Powerbooks. That would just rule to be able to dial in from ANYWHERE, and it shouldn't cost much to add this functionality. The antenna might be a problem because of Apple's style fetish, but I'm sure Ives could come up with a lickable solution.
  • Reply 18 of 20
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ChevalierMalFet

    Trying to walk around using any laptop of any size, in my opinion, makes you look like a tool. 10, 12, 15, 17" inclusive. As far as flight schedules, I've never once run into that issue since I generally have etickets.



    I've also never had a problem using it on a plane, in the car, etc.




    If you're worried about looking like a tool, you better not let anyone know you contribute to a future Apple hardware internet discussion forum!



    Maybe it's the area you're in. In a university town, I see people lugging laptops all over, especially to cafes, and they don't look like tools. In fact the ones carrying Macs look pretty damn cool. If I see a woman with a laptop, I often end up imagining her on MY laptop.



    The only gadgets I find annoying are those headset phones that I see people wearing, who exhibit verbal diarrhea everywhere they go. I think "tool" when I see these cyborgs, but that's probably just me, since lots of people evidently want to talk to them (more-so than to me).
  • Reply 19 of 20
    trtamtrtam Posts: 111member
    i bet many have said this...



    but what happened to inkwell and the whole tablet writing thing? touchscreen maybe?
  • Reply 20 of 20
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    Nobody who has used an emate would ever want a new Mac laptop with that form factor and keyboard. The device was a novelty, and while cute and somewhat functional, it had its problems.



    I agree with some of the posts above though... A modern emate-esque laptop would likely be surprisingly expensive. To keep the size and cost down, the optical drive would have to be external and maybe a separate purchase. Expect stylus based input? Not likely.



    I don't expect a PowerBook subnotebook anytime soon.
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