Comments for A New, Now Netbook You Can Actually Buy: PsiXpda

A New, Now Netbook You Can Actually Buy: PsiXpda

2009-12-04T11:45:01Z

The dirt is still fresh on the grave of the CrunchPad; we ought to feel guilty for writing this post.

But our good friends have been working with a few cohorts on a stealth-mode startup for quite some time - working on the problem of the lightweight, portable, web-friendly device. Only their product is smaller in size and larger in spirit than any netbook or notepad yet seen - perhaps there is a balm in Gilead after all.

But you didn't come here for literature; you came to see pics and read specs. So here we go.

]]> The name of the gadget geek's new muse is the PsiXpda (pronounced sigh ex PDA). It measures 174mm by 95mm by 25mm, and it looks like this:

Specifications

The device is a hardware nerd's dream, described as "very techy and hackable" by one of the minds behind the project, Ewan Spence. It's smaller than netbooks, roughly 2/3 in length and 1/2 the width. It weighs 430 grams, around 15 ounces.

In the closed position, the screen is on the outside. There's no accelerometer, but there are key commands for rotating the screen. The keyboard is backlit - perfect for conference whores, said Spence. It has a VGA webcam and 2-4 hours of battery life, depending on CPU usage. It's got a USB port and a VGA port on the optional docking cradle.

It's a full-strength computer with a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard. The first units will ship with Windows XP preloaded. Spence expects that hackers will get Android and Chrome OS running on it fairly quickly, as well.

As for the web, the PsiXpda will feature bluetooth, WiFi and 3G connectivity. Users will be able to blog, run web apps, play Flash-based games or just browse their hearts out on the browser of their choice.

A Pearl of Great Price

The drawback? "Well, we're not going to put it in Best Buy," said Spence.

This beauty is a pearl of great price for the most discerning only. With a very limited pre-holiday drop and a list price of $830 US (£500) - slightly cheaper than an out-of-contract iPhone - the PsiXpda aims to be the Lamborghini of the notepad/netbook/PDA 2.0 set.

"If you look back to the '80s," said Spence, "to the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrums, they were small manufactuers doing a couple thousand machines to see if it worked or not.

"One of the benefits of not having a huge staff and a huge VC investment is that we don't have to have unrealistic goals for unit sales," Spence continued.

There will be lots of support for those who want to hack the device. Any needed third-party programs or drivers needed will be made available as soon as possible.

"I am very interested to see what hackers do," said Spence. "Because of the numbers involved, if you have 10 guys and gals that start going crazy over these things, that's probably going to take us to capacity for the first drop."

Provenance & Use Cases

The device is the heir apparent to the Psion, which enjoyed an extended love affair with European techies. In the States, those devices were forced to compete with Palm, and lost. You can read an extended history of Psions, or you can take our word for it that Psion Series 5 still commands a dedicated fanbase in Europe. "We were doing this while you guys [Americans] were making the Palm Pilot," said Spence.

But now, in the States and elsewhere, the PDA has gone the way of the pager, and consumers are clamoring for technologically lightweight, physically small, ultimately agile devices. The Apple tablet is a fable, and the CrunchPad is, even we are sad to report, the year's most disappointing vaporware.

The PsiXpda has appeared on the scene to meet consumer demand at just the right time.

"One of the places that's shown interest is someplace like a hospital," said Spence, "just drop it in a doctor's coat. Also, because of the size, it's very non-threatening for looking up information, so it'd work for salespeople. And it's wonderful on a ten-hour flight from London to L.A."

In other words, it might be small, but it's by no means a browser-on-a-stick piece of hardware. This beauty was made for people who like to sit on the couch and browse the web, yes; but it also takes into consideration that most people need and want to have a read/write experience online.

The machines will be for sale next week. Stay tuned for videos of the review unit.

Comment from DD on 2010-01-13

2010-01-13T09:34:14Z

How come the price is so steep when the slightly better spec'd E-King S515 can be had for £400 plus delivery (ok from the states)?
http://uk.dynamism.com/#Product=eking_s515

Comment from Scooby on 2010-01-04

2010-01-05T05:54:18Z

I'll give you three guesses, Harold. Especially if one of them is "power cord." It's the same reason my AAO150 with the three-cell battery is great for using at my desk at work for 8 hours a day. Cheers.

Comment from Harold Fuchs on 2009-12-14

2009-12-15T01:23:00Z

Errm. If it has "2-4 hours of battery life", how come "it's wonderful on a ten-hour flight from London to L.A."?

Comment from Andrew Cook on 2009-12-12

2009-12-12T19:11:07Z

P.S. Whatever OS people tweak ... everyone needs to make BEST USE of the screen display staying on the outside when 'closed'.

Running XP ... this is definately NOT what a Psion was best at IMHO. Maybe keep it simpler / push Chrome OS / Android etc ?

U.I. > This is going to make or break this product, especially as the outside is NOT a phone interface too. I have a Nokia E90 (which I love) ... also my 1st ever non Psion / Symbian / Nokia phone: HTC HD ... I hated the U.I. until I recently downloaded SPB Mobile Shell ... Now I can easily access all the most used features of the phone. Before some settings were buried so deep within the Windows Mobile OS, that it was a pain to practice being so 'geeky'. Still miss a few simple REAL buttons - that I see on the new Touch HD2.

Comment from Andrew Cook on 2009-12-12

2009-12-12T19:00:21Z

As a Psion user since the 80s - I am somewhat pleased to see this.I go back to pre 3 series Psions through to MC218 (5mx) and Netbook - which I still use form time to time (shame the screen is so dim now + useless outside).
* Battery life needs to be WAY better (or be able to receive charge via USB)
* Docking station needs to be KILLER (good picture on a docked larger screen will totally MAKE this product)
* Needs to have very 'bare bones' XP install (and all graphic settings etc set to lowest as DEFAULT ... to help speed and battery life)
* Excited by touchscreen XP - but would have been even better with a Psion Netbook (or between that and 5mx size) screen.
* My EPOC 'Netbook' is STILL awesome - I would STILL pay handsomely for an upgrade transflective type display to replace my existing one.

>> Good luck + get working on that better mAH battery NOW !

Comment from tim j on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T21:44:46Z

I travel a lot for my job and right now I use a netbook. I work in restaurant management and I have a large district with lots of restaurants. Something like this product would be ideal because it would be barebones and quick to access with our own data that we need. Right now the netbook is doing fine, but I can definitely see people in my field using this in order to quickly look at sales trends, inventories, performance -- as well as fill out audits, calibrations, etc on the places that I travel to.

Comment from midtoad on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T17:19:39Z

"2-4 hours battery life"? I'll bet it's 2 hours. What good is a portable device if the farthest you can travel with it is to the end of your power cord? Fail.

Comment from Cas on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T16:34:43Z

All these beautifully chosen words describing just a 800x480 screen driven by an Intel Atom Z510 and GMA500 graphics chip will not cut it.
This is twice the size and price of a Motorola Droid, which even has a slightly larger screen (854x480). On their website the unit looks good (photoshopped), but the pictures above suggest something out of the VTech (kids computers) catalog (too-shiny plastics).
To me this is as desirable as the first 7" netbooks are today, and they can be had on ebay for 25% of this price easily. They are effectively 2 years too late.

Comment from Ewan Spence on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T15:51:20Z

Darren,

Thanks for the note on the MID price comparison. Hopefully over time we can get enough feedback and reviews from people and sites you trust that you'll consider us in the future?

And if Apple come in with a PDA clamshell device, that's going to validate the market. With so much noise, they're likely to go for a more mass market tablet though, would you not think?

Comment from Darren on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T15:41:02Z

I think comparing it to whats on the market now for mid's the price is pretty competitive especially with 3g built in(most makers hike the price by £100 just for this).

I would love to buy one but am not willing to bet on an unknown brand at that price. If they could get the price down by 50% then they would be massive.

This is a pretty crowded market already and if apple comes in cheaper then its game over.

Comment from Ewan Spence on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T15:04:01Z

Liz, Tim,

Indeed it's not going to be a machine for everyone but for those that it's suited for (as Tim points out) the increased functionality and potential outweights the small price premium over the more mass market devices.

Comment from Liz Cornwell on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T14:49:57Z

Sounds nice, but too pricy. And tim j is right, it's not a gadget for the everyday consumer.

Comment from tim j on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T14:39:42Z

I like this, but I don't think that being a gadget for the everyday consumer is really where this will go. Where Spence said that there was interest from hospitals -- that's where a really lucrative market for this will be. He's spot on w/this being ideal for salespeople, doctors, etc. I see this as more of an industry-specific device (and thus, the openness of its OS can allow customization for an industry-specific OS or programs) because that's a niche that would find actual benefit from this -- not consumers.

Comment from Ewan Spence on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T14:29:11Z

Alan,

Great thoughts, and you won't be the last to suggest these ideas. Let me throw a similar idea to you - the automobile market. Lots of cars out there, many of them very similar to each other. But each has benefits to people in certain groups. For the majority of people, devices like the Archos5 are great units - but for those that need a Qwerty device, that's incredibly portable, that does what they need it do then they need something more specialised. Which is where we will come in.

Comment from Alan Wilensky on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T14:16:14Z

I don't see the distinguishing factor between this and the raft of MIDs that are in the android release stable, the new gen 10" netbooks, the upcoming xxple tablet, the stolen and resurrected Crunchpad, the Sholes, shall I keep going.

Creative, Archos, Nokia, China Inc, Apple, throw in Lenovo eventually, Clearwire sponsored devices....

I am all for bucking strategic wisdom and I am not a poo poo-er, good on you for sticking it out, there. And by the way, who was that ridiculous little company that brought out an XP based palmtop for 2000$$$$$

More?

I have a feeling the the pocket-able internet device will be, increasingly a phone, or a little cheap Archos device.

Keep the dreams coming.

Comment from Ewan Spence on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T12:38:45Z

Emad, thanks for the comments. The price point on any niche hardware is always goign to be higher than a consumer device which can order in the millions - it's the nature of the beast, but we've done our best to keep it as low as possible.

Comment from Dan on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T12:36:00Z

This sounds like a nice device, but the price is a bit too steep for it to catch on, I suspect.

Comment from Emad on 2009-12-04

2009-12-04T12:19:23Z

Seems to be a great product for gadget lovers but price is too high and from pictures the finishing looks a bit down.

Thanks and regards,
Emad Ud Din