What could durable mean?

1. It's ruggedized. Targeted at industrial, military or harsh
environments.
2. It can withstand normal but constant daily wear and tear in a professional setting
a. Office Worker would be the best. A replacement for the
standard 8.5x11 notepad in a portfolio. 2.5lb. That would
be awesome in that is exactly what I really want and I'm
sure I'm not alone.
3. It's waterproof. It's a vertical tablet for underwater
researchers... Ok, maybe too vertical
4. A tablet for waiters and waitresses...Not, that doesn't work with our other clue concerning its size.

Need to call David or find a medium and talk to Johny... I'll be back after the consults.

Am I at the right website? I'm looking for gottabeamasochist.com.

I guess it is a ruggedized device after all. If so, I'm sad, as I was looking for an under 12" device and would consider Motion. But I don't need a ruggedized device, except maybe to use against people who torture me with hints about upcoming Tablet PCs.

We don't want to hear about a freaking toughbook like device, uh unless it is thin and light. Just kidding. I don't think Rob would get us excited about something that is so for from consumer level. He is more in touch than that.

ices - be sure to read my first article on this - I indicated that it wasn't a consumer or broad business line computer.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/Something+New+Coming+From+Motion+Computing.aspx

Rob; How soon before the embargo ends? The suspense is killing us.

Personally, all I want Motion to do is come out with a revamped / updated LS800 that's CHEAPER.

All I've ever wanted was a bigger than a UMPC but smaller than a 12 inch tablet slate.

The high cost always kept me from the LS800 and wish manufacturers would really embrace the companion/secondary device concept as anything other than a full desktop or full tablet/notebook and price it accordingly.

I am willing to get a secondary system (or in my case, third since I already have a desktop and tablet PC) but I am not willing to pay premium prices for it.

I bet if manufacturers did an honest study, they'd realize most people already have a desktop and laptop and shouldn't be aiming to have what they hope to be the consumers third device cost more than the first two combined.

2 Hints:
a 1960s US jet fighter produced for export by Northrop
or a photo-reconnaissance version of the P-38 Lightning

I would bet it looks like The WebDT 360 as their web site looks a lot like Motion http://www.dtresearch.com/product/wt360/index.htm

<<...a 1960s US jet fighter produced for export by Northrop
or a photo-reconnaissance version of the P-38 Lightning...>>

...The "60's Northrop export fighter" would have been the F-5A/B (and possibly the C/D) Tiger. By 1970, Northrop was working on the F-5E/F and the F-5G, which became the F-20 TigerShark (named for its then uniquely-shaped flattened nose).

The "Photo-reconn P-38" was the F-4.

Except for one clever and unrevealing thing, I don't see the intended connection here.

Opps! Sorry Rob. I didn't see your comment posted before I posted my comments.

I can now completely ignore whatever Motion is doing since it is no longer relevant to me as a consumer or business person.

Steve S, maybe the hint by Anonymous (Rob?) is that the new tablet will be called the F4 or F5. I prefer F7 because I like spell check, though I'd probably get more benefit from F1 because I need help. But F4 or F5 would follow a naming convention similar to Motion's C5, and would be named after an airplane, unlike the C5 which is named after a high explosive. Not sure what a name like F4 or F5 tells us though. Hopefully Anonymous will drop some more hints. In the meantime, we wait ...

Rugged/durable:
He dropped it and it still works.....
LOL

Pity the LS800 was put to rest, with no replacement in sight. Maybe a fly-over by a nice vintage Northrop would be a nice tribute for such a fine machine.

I have the LS 800. The fact it's at EOL doesn't mean it can't still be used. I now have a 32 GB SSD and 2 GB of RAM and it performs well. However, the processor is anemic; my guess is the Core 2 Duo would be an improvement. But Rob's interview of Motion's CEO at Las Vegas CES makes clear that isn't the direction Motion is going. Apparently Motion feels the market for small slates isn't sufficient. Sigh.

Steve, excellent knowledge of History. I used Wikipedia (wink wink).

>Except for one clever

Thanks

>and unrevealing thing,

is too

>I don't see the intended connection here.

Ah, but what's in a name.

Anyone know what the "C" in the C5 is for? Maybe it stands for something.

The LS800 display is sometimes too small, the x61 display is too big. If only there was an option in between, anyone know of a company that makes Tablets like that?

1. C = Clinical?

2. C5 has a 10.4" screen. (I think Fujitsu also has a few 10" screen options but those devices are as large as the 12" ones).

3. F = Financial? I dunno.

4. Anonymous = Rob. Or in C++, Anonymous == Rob.

5. Why am I playing along with this torture?

Anonymous definitely isn't me...:-)

Rob

OK. I'm wrong on 4.

Probably wrong on 3 also. F = Flying or Flight?

Anyway, I've had it. I'm hitting the F-reeway to go teach. My computer science class definitely is amused by all this.

1. Ah, I see.
2. Really?
3. You made the leap, great, but you're getting colder.
4. No.
5. Ok, I'll stop the hints... in just a sec.

Rob did say it was rugged, a rugged device would probably be good in the <connection lost>

Anonymous definitely is me... :-)

Anonymous

<<...Steve, excellent knowledge of History...>>

Anonymous: Actually, I lived it. I was an aerodynamicist on the F-5 program; Project Aerodynamicist on the RF-5E (interestingly, the photo-reconn version of the F-5) and the Iranian F-5E/F (...if we only knew then what we know now...) and one of the design team on the F-5G / F-20. I went on to manage aspects of the B-2, YF/F-23 and a few other interesting aircraft.

<<...and unrevealing thing,...>>
<<...is too...>>

...Is not...

<<...F4 or F5 would follow a naming convention similar to Motion's C5...unlike the C5 which is named after a high explosive...>>

Genghis: Interesting thought. On this side of the Pond, we think of C4. However, I prefer AFX.

Steve: Very cool past. You keep mentioning one aircraft more than the others. Something you're trying to tell us?

Is too. I didn't say it was huge.

<<...Something you're trying to tell us?...>>

...Nope. It's just that the F-5 had more varients, being a simpler airplane. The F-23 was my personal favorite.

<<...Is too...>>

...Is not.

There you go again. Must be something significant.

>...Is not.

I'm simply Talking over options

It looks like Mr. Alltp over at Tablet PC Buzz had also had his mittens on the new Motion Tablet. Check out the Buzz Home page.

Doug

And Mr. Alltp's hints are (1) better and (2) visual. Anonymous, you better improve if you ever want to make a name for yourself. Oh I forgot, you're anonymous!

I gave all the same hints as John over at the Buzz. He upped me on the Wide Area Wireless bit, I was planning to play with that one today. I couldn't reveal all though, wouldn't be fair for the boys under NDA, who are dying to tell.

Besides, John's are obvious, no sport. And Steve told us the name here, thanks Steve.

Now the question we all want answered.

Even if its ruggedized, if it is 2.5lb and the specs are good, could it be used in similar use cases to the P1620 even if not targeted specifically for us consulting professionals?

I wasnt' sure if the burgers depicted on the buzz where regular or quarter pounders. If quarter pounders, then it will be too heavy. If regular, could be just right.

Someone give us some hints along these lines so we don't wait on buying a P1620 for nothing!!!

Yes.

Grrrrr ... anonymous better join the witness protection program if this torture continues much longer :-) Seriously anonymous, what kind of burgers are they?

Genghis, I was going to comment on the burgers, but Rockville said "the question we all want answered". I thought the only one needed was his, "could it be used in similar use" question.

I thought there would be many more questions, but since there is only "the question" then I guess I'm done.

Witness protection 'eh? Why are you picking on me? Steve is the one who named it for us, I haven't said a thing. I think Steve is holding information back.

Rob, you looked pretty tired at CES, lugging that OQO around and all. Yes, we met briefly at CES, that should narrow down who I am... to about 10,000 people. I was the guy with the badge around my neck. Not that you care in the least.

Anonymous, a 1000 pardons, please enlighten us on the burgers. I may have other questions, but the weight is the proverbial $64 question. Show some mercy on us, the unenlightened. Let your brilliance be a beacon to shine a path for us through the darkness of our ignorance. Hopefully I've humbled if not humiliated myself enough to get a useful answer.

Genghis, no need for all that. No worries mate.
Brilliance... yes, very bright display.
darkness... well yeah, it works in the dark.
shine... well it would have to work well on shiny days otherwise, it would not be too useful for the Village People that Alltp pictured.

About the burgers, that does sound good and I'm hungry. Gotta run to McD's for a couple, there's a promotion right now, 2 cheeseburgers for 1.5 Euro. I almost forgot about that, thanks.

This is like dealing with a sadistic Oracle of Delphi. Anyway, per http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html, a McDonald's cheeseburger is 4 ounces. There are 13 1/2 burgers at http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36765. This translates to about 3.375 pounds. I can't believe I'm doing this. Anyway, oh great anonymous one, we humbly beseech your response.

This thread is hilarious.

Doug, alas, it only means that some of us, me in particular, need to get a life.

Back from Dinner now. It was pretty chilly walking to McD's, but it was getting warmer on the way home. I can't believe what a great price for those burgers.

Hmmm ... I think I'm finally getting in sync with the great anonymous oracle. Unfortunately, I can't think of more questions before I have to leave to go teach my class tonight. So I'll leave it to Rockville or others to pick up the slack while I'm gone.

Genghis, I used to teach too. Ever have your class not see something right in front of them?

I have to admit... This really is hysterical...

Ok, so we've got a ruggedized slate called the F-5 that weights 1.5lbs. It has a 10" outdoor viewable screen.

Give us a hint on battery life... like, um.. will the hamburgers keep me full for at least, say.... 5 hours?

Oh yeah, real important. Condiments. Do I get those burgers with lettuce (active) and tomatoes (passive) or just tomatoes? I like both. :-)

Hungry... so hungry....

F for Field?

What resolutions do 10.4" screens come in? XGA and..?

3.375 pounds...3+ pounds would probably kill off most non-vertical market interest in the device.

Oh yeah, I reverse myself on the weight issue. It's 3.3 lbs. like Genghis said. Same weight as the C5. Hmmmm.

Oh yeah, and lettuce and tomatoes are not condiments (we need edit buttons for these posts) ;-) so tell me what toppings I get. LOL. I'm holding out for both, but I'm thinking I'm asking for too much...

Back from teaching. I see from Rob's latest post ("My Customers Are Liking the New Motion Tablet PC") we're providing comic relief. I guess F = Field, but I'm not sure I care. It's a slate that's a pound heavier than the Fujitsu P1620 convertible. Unless it has a killer feature like DuoSense (or a lesser advantage like a 965M rather than 945M graphic chipset) I'm not sure why I'd prefer it over the P1620 that James on JkOnTheRun is giving good initial reviews (as did Sean in his excellent review on the GBM forum). I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow being Friday, maybe there'll be an announcement that will end this torture.

A ruggedized, slightly smaller version of the C5? Make it black instead of C5 white and round the corners some for field work.

"Pity the LS800 was put to rest, with no replacement in sight. Maybe a fly-over by a nice vintage Northrop would be a nice tribute for such a fine machine." -Anonymous

With these comments referencing "vintage" aircraft, my first thought was that maybe Motion had decided to bring back something classic to the tablet world that it hadn't seen in a while. Then, as I was asking myself what would fit that description (classic, but no longer around), I saw the clues about the screensize being between the LS800 and the x61 and instantaneously thought of the TC1100. I know, I know, that was an HP machine, but they seem to have abandoned it and we all wish they'd bring it back; maybe Motion was reviving the general concept/design?

But alas, given the more recent clues from Anonymous and the fact that it's not a consumer-targeted device, I think my briefly boosted hopes were in vain.

So Anonymous, Rob can't tell us anything about when this thing is going to be officially announced...any clues?

The burger test indicates a higher weight than the P1620, which is a huge factor for me. I would prefer the webcam built in and the active screen because I do like to hover around on my M200, but James is doing his normal great job in reviewing it as is Sean and while not perfect the only thing holding me back at the second is the price. When all is selected, the $3,300 is quite high.

I do believe in the on-site warranty. I've always bought them for my laptops and almost every time within a 2-3 year window, I end up using it to have someone quickly come and replace a motherboard or display. My M200 went 2.5 years before needing a visit to replace the motherboard. I called one day and they came the next. Couldn't ask for more. By the way, the next day was a saturday!

Back to our quandry, given today is friday, let's hope for an announcement so we can each make a final determination. If it is 3 pounds +, the decision is simple... Go to the 1620

Rockville, unless Anonymous is feeding us some mad cow burgers, I think the weight issue already is resolved. I'm still holding off on the P1620 though because I don't know if the F5 will have some killer feature that will set it apart from the P1620. Since the announcement likely will be quite soon, though alas probably not today, I'll wait just so I won't kick myself by buying the P1620 and then thinking I should have bought the F5 instead. I know you can wait forever for the next latest and greatest tablet, but here the wait likely is quite modest.

I'm back. I feel like I -OVER ATE- at McD's again tonight. Seems I didn't APPLY the price correctly with regard to how hungry I was. Keep that up and I could end up weighing too much. Seems warm outside, pity it hasn't warmed up more.

The torture continues ... Well, good news that the weight may be less than 3.375 pounds. Rockville and others, I need some help in making it warmer for Anonymous. Right now my mental hard drive is at a low RPM.

BTW: Posted from McDonalds in Helsinki, across the street (and down about a half block) from Stockmann. A few people have really been interested in the Tablet that I'm posting with, "Wow, that is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" One even took a picture of it. He asked me where he could order one, so I told him it's available... Now! Yes, you heard that right.

Just go to http://www.

oops, looks like I slipped with the pen and sent before I finished the post. Sorry about that, here you go.

motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_

Oops, did it again. I better finish my coffee and wake up, making too many math mistakes tonight.

Oh bugger, it's an asp page, the link won't work. (Unintentional honest)
Well that's a kick in the shins. I hate when sites do that.

!@#$%^&* Anonymous! I tried f4, f5, c4, afx and no dice. Well Anonymous, before we go to war with Finland, your turn.

Hey, don't attack Finland, I'm just visiting.

Ok, here is the full link, I found one that works. I really love this Tablet, and it's been serving me well. I don't know how many are available right now, but there are some.

Here you go.
http://www.motioncomputing.com/buy/buy_ls800.asp

Did I mention I use an LS800? Absolutely love it.
You weren't thinking something else were you?

Gotta walk back to my hotel, wonder if it's warming up outside yet or not. Back in a bit.

Genghis, See my last clue starting with "I'm back." above. You're warm, are you in Florida?

My associate back home sent me an SMS saying the LS800 ruse was just plain evil. I meant it to be tongue in cheek, not evil. Sorry mates.

Anonymous, hello from Los Angeles. It's sunny here, so I'm warm. At least I think my "The torture continues" reply to your "I'm back" clue is warm.

As for your cruel LS 800 ruse, you are forgiven ... conditionally. Atonement requires at least one useful further hint. We await ... and in the meantime I will play with *my* LS 800.

Genghis, I said you were warm.

Understood. But that's just that the weight is less than first thought. So throw us another bone, OK? Otherwise I think we're stalled.

Trackback: http://blogs.genghiskhent.com/?p=14

Well folks, it's time to head home. I've finished training my European partners on something new, which now sets some things in motion. Besides, it's bloody cold here. Next stop Austin. No more hints for now, maybe more when I land.

It occurs to me that some of you may wonder about hidden meaning above; such as is the training for a European launch of something interesting? You may also be wondering since I'm headed to Austin, if I may be a Motion employee. In fact, I make no such claims, implied or otherwise. But not being evil (I'm now reformed), I would not want to leave you hanging. So to set your minds at rest, I do not work for Motion.

Genghis - No worries mate, enjoy the warm weather where you live, nice weather without getting too hot 'eh?

Something rugged this way comes.




(Oops, that just slipped out. I guess I'm pretty excited to see what's coming, have you seen the posts by Rob at GBM and John over at AllTP? Sounds cool)

Nothing new from Mr. Rob, though Mr. Alltp has posted a few more pictures on TabletPCBuzz, but they don't add much to what we already have been given. Yeah, we know it is a 10" ruggedized slate that weighs 2 or 3 pounds, YBWMV (your burger weight may vary). Anyway, Anonymous, have a safe trip. Those intercontinental flights are long. Plenty of time to think of some more hints when you land. In the meantime, if anyone wants to comment on this issue to my blog post to which I've posted a trackback (http://blogs.genghiskhent.com/?p=14), please feel free. It's lonely there :-(

I hate to bring another tablet into the mix (not really) but I discovered (though some of you already may know about it) the LG P100, which is a refresh of the LG C1 that I also didn't know about. The P100 is a 10.6" screen, similar to the F5? I've posted a brief (though perhaps not 100% accurate) comparison of the P100 to the Fujitsu 1620 at http://blogs.genghiskhent.com/?p=19. I can't compare the P100 to the F5 because Anonymous hasn't come through for us yet!