When small is too big

Kevin over at jkOnTheRun is currently taking his web-only challenge. His goal to see how long he can go without using a full client application on his Mac or his UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC).

Now there have been a large number of UMPC devices launched in the last few months starting with the Asus EeePC. Of course these devices to date are quite limited in performance but this compromise is accepted as the pay back is the portability and low cost.

But we are now seeing the manufacturers trying to squeeze more and more power out of these devices but do we really need it?

So Kevin is trying to conduct his entire life "inside the browser" in which case the machine he is using only needs to be powerful enough to run Internet Explorer or Firefox and little more.

Now my mobile phone runs this today and has a fraction of the power of even the EeePC 701. My phone has a battery life far in excess of the UMPC and also runs cut down "fat client" versions of Word, Excel and even Outlook.

So maybe what we want is a device the size of the EeePC 701 with the same 4GB solid state disk and a 10" screen but running Windows Mobile and an embedded operating system.

You would end up with a very portable and light device but with a 10 hour battery life. In other words, something that would be truly mobile. You would have instant on capability and a high level of security that comes as standard when you embed your operating system. You could even install additional applications onto the device.

All of this exists today but in a small form factor designed for the pocket. Where it has been tried, the result falls short on all counts. The HTC Advantage for example runs Windows Mobile but only has a 5" screen and comes in at £650!

So if we can just make it a bit bigger and sell for mobile phone money, I will be at the front of the queue.