Re: Tiny Talking Computer

In case the computer voice is unintelligible, here's the text:

what is that big suction cup looking thing on the back of your computer?

It looks like an accessory for spider-man

how much, may I ask, does such a computer cost?

Also, does it have a battery or two? Does it hold its charge for more than 2 hours?

I have this dream of seeing the industru put out a portable computer, a stripped down gizmo that is for writing only. You know, for poets and authors. And the dream includes it being really cheap.

Yours is probably not really cheap.

When I say really cheap, I mean $200 or less. Really, such a computer should not have to cost more than $50.

I mean industry not industru [sounded bad without pauses, so I typed the following:]

I mean "industry" not "industru"

La la la

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• small
• computers

[EnglandBeat]

I had the same dream as you about a computer for us writers, and then I found the Jornada 728. 80 bucks on eBay, amazing condition. I got used to the keyboard in no time. 76% full. Now I have a computer that is cheaper and more portable than a laptop. I can pull it out of my bag and use it anywhere. It boots in a millisecond and is quite unique. I get asked about it a lot. :D It's also got a lot of nice features besides a word processor that keep me entertained.

[therockyjones]

What type of storage media does it take? (flash drive, SmartMedia, etc.)

[shinymetalbrain]

Portable word processors are really awesome and useful, but for some reason they've never had much visibility outside school settings (where they are popular in classes to teach kids typing, since they don't cost as much as regular laptops) and communities of writers and journalists who do a lot of writing "on the road". They aren't really heavily advertised so few people even know they exist. But they're great little machines for people who just want basic writing functionality.

[therockyjones]

Wow. Thanks for all the info. If I hadn't just bought a drum today, maybe that's what I would have spent the plastic on. I once wrote to one of the contacts at One Laptop Per Child suggesting there would be a market for an adult version. OOH -hey, how does your 'puter and others you mentioned do in summer-day light? Most laptop screens aren't visible.

[535stimuli]

Sure, those will work too.

[ausuomi]

what about, can you use cf to sd converters?? theyre not to hard to find. and sd card are cheaper than cf, and are also easier to find

[535stimuli]

Only through a Compact Flash-to-USB adapter, and they're very hard to find and expensive.

[ausuomi]

is it possible to get a usb input some how??

[535stimuli]

It's far more than a portable word processor. You can browse the Web on it, listen to MP3s, watch videos, create spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, and lots of other things. There's even a new piece of software out there that allows you to run Windows Mobile 2003 programs on it. (Search "RedGear" for a video on this site.)

[535stimuli]

There's a Compact Flash slot and a PCMCIA slot, but it can also read many other cards (Secure Digital/MultiMedia cards, SmartMedia cards, etc) through a PCMCIA adapter.

[FraterO]

hahahahalol @ the end ;D

[shinymetalbrain]

The Jornada (the computer in my video) has good visibility in a variety of lighting conditions. It has "indoor" and "outdoor" settings, as well as individual controls for brightness and contrast. The other portable word processors (as far as I know) don't have backlights, but there might be some that do. My Laser PC6 isn't backlit, but so far I've found that the only lighting condition that's a problem in is total darkness, and I'm not generally typing in total darkness.