Around the world, PC buyers have different needs and expectations. Manufacturers continually try to develop products that match customer preferences but in the arena for PDAs and mini-laptops, they have come up with a monster of a puzzle.

Nobody is sure about what can be regarded as the ‘ideal’ or ‘standard’ dimensions and features in a mini laptop. “Not so small that it would be called a PDA”, “Not so big as in a laptop”, “More portability” and “more applications than a mobile”, “more compatibility”…

With Apple leading the pack, many PC makers have attempted to capture this nascent market with models like Palm’s Foleo, Celio’s Redfly, IMOVO’s iKit, the speculated Olo from AIM and various others. None has matched market expectations to the fullest. However, iPhone maker Apple may still have a headstart in producing a device that takes the largest market share eventually.

Palm Foleo – a mini-laptop idea that didn’t quite cut it

Foleo was announced in May 2007 as a subnotebook concept. The device would allow Internet browsing using the Bluetooth and WiFi connection on Palm smartphones. It would have a Linux-based kernel, Palm O/S, 256MB Flash memory, e-mail client, generic office applications, ‘Opera’ browser and could be used seconds after switching it on.

Its $499 intended price tag was considered “too expensive” in a test-launch. It was doomed to failure also because it could be used only with Palm phones; besides, it couldn’t run the mobile’s applications.
It was an attempt by inventor Jeff Hawkins to combine laptop features with mobile phones. In September 2007, Palm announced cancellation of all further development on the model.

The Olo – a concept notebook from AIM

Although the notebook market is fast expanding and willing to lap up any laptop coming its way, the company Active Innovation Management is playing it very safe. Sources say, the company plans to launch a mini-laptop with which users can surf the net after docking an iPhone to the device.

The iPhone’s processor and applications would be used by the Olo. In effect, the iPhone would serve as the brain of the Olo. Random images available on the Web show the notebook-like device with an iPhone nestling in a docking cradle that replaces the tracking pad in conventional laptops.

What next from Apple? The ‘Netbook’?

Although the iPhone itself can be regarded as a prototype for a subnotebook or “netbook” as Apple would like to call it, it still falls short of the meeting point between a laptop and a mobile phone. Users expect a keypad/keyboard, one that is large enough to enable ‘typing’ or keying in text as in conventional laptops.

In a recent statement company head Steve Jobs said that their product development team is currently working on some exciting ideas for a mini computer. The statement was enough to fire the imagination of techies and Apple users around the world. Some picture a MacBook with a removable docking pad for the iPhone, replacing the current trackpad.

Celio Redfly – a mini-laptop to go with your smartphone

A bigger keyboard, bigger screen, compatibility with Windows Mobile smartphones and the option to access content from the mobile phone. A recent user-preference survey has revealed these as ‘basic requirements’ for a more portable laptop on which they can browse the Net or send email. And these are the features offered by the Celio Redfly with its current price tag of $399: an 8in screen, a trackpad and keyboard very nearly as big as in a common laptop. It can be hitched to a phone using a USB cable or Bluetooth. With the Redfly, users can also look up the phone diary on their mobile and dial a chosen number.

Is ‘small’ really big in PDAs? IMOVO tries to answer with iKit

At $175, the iKit may appear attractive as a mini notebook. Some see it as a palm-top or pocket-sized PDA, with which one can do basic web browsing. This Linux-powered device is packed with a Web browser, a QWERTY keyboard, email application and instant messaging. But the keyboard is a tad difficult to operate. Its set of features includes 0.3 megapixel webcam, 64MB RAM, micro SD support of 8GB and 2.6-inch QVGA display.

On the downside: users have complained of no proper headphone jack. It has a USB port. Battery life too is below standard at 4 hours while playing Java games. The Internet can be accessed through the phone via Bluetooth or WiFi.