Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Smart Display great for sofa surfing

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 19:42:43 -0500

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/computing/20030102-0826-techtest-smartdisplay.html

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Product review: Smart Display great for sofa surfing

By Matthew Fordahl

ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 2, 2003

Associated Press

Above, is the ViewSonic AirPanel, the first Smart Display marketed for home use.

Hyped as the next step in the evolution of computer monitors, Smart Displays offer most of the features of desktop PCs crammed into wireless, touch-sensitive screens light enough to carry around the house.

Unlike pricier Tablet PCs, Smart Displays are not standalone computers. They relay visual information from a host PC, the behind-the-curtain wizard that handles the computational heavy lifting.

Even though Smart Displays are in effect dumb clients, they open up the world of sofa surfing in the living room, checking e-mail from bed and playing computer solitaire on the porch.

I borrowed ViewSonic Corp.'s AirPanel V110, a 10.4-inch smart screen that's set to go on sale this month for $999. Microsoft Corp., which is a big pusher of the technology, says more companies will launch products soon.

The AirPanel is impressive for first-generation technology. The screen is sharp and responsive to taps by either a stylus or fingers. It sets up easily and elegantly handled errors such as dropped connections.

But I would not spend nearly $1,000 when a light, wireless-capable laptop with a larger screen costs only a few hundred dollars more.

The AirPanel V110 weighs just 2.9 pounds – less than most notebooks. And it's shaped in such a way to make it easy to grasp even while resting on a couch.

A larger AirPanel, the V150, has a 15-inch screen and could be used as the computer's primary monitor. It will retail for $1,299, or about $800 more than the least expensive wired flat-panel displays.

AirPanels ship with a WiFi access point to establish a "cloud" of wireless connectivity. Their rechargeable battery lasts for about four hours of continuous use.

The V110 was a lot of fun to use while surfing the Web or checking (but not writing) e-mail. Since it mirrors everything on the host PC, all programs and bookmarks were just a tap away.

Just about every program that runs on the desktop works on the Smart Display. Even music on the PC can be played on the AirPanel's small speaker, though video posed too much of a challenge for the wireless connection.

But for most tasks – particularly those requiring text input – I found it easier to use my WiFi capable laptop.

A button on the AirPanel launches a virtual keyboard from which letters can be entered using the stylus or fingers. Certain phrases can be entered quickly, such as "www."; or ".com" and "msn.com."

Smart Displays also can recognize handwriting, but not reliably enough to be useful. Unlike Tablet PCs, the AirPanel was confused when my wrist touched the screen as I attempted to write with the stylus.

The AirPanel does have two universal serial bus ports for a keyboard and a mouse, but it's awkward at best without the rigid clamshell of a laptop to keep things together. (ViewSonic also is selling a $149 docking station that supports the panel and alleviates the keyboard-mouse juggling problem.)

But there are other annoyances beyond text input.

The host PC, for instance, must be running Windows XP Professional, which is marketed at businesses. Windows XP Home does not support the necessary remote-control features.

Fortunately, ViewSonic includes an operating system upgrade.

There's also a problem of trying to use the host PC while someone is using a Smart Display. It's impossible – the host just displays a screen indicating the machine is locked.

It's more of an issue when a remote session is activated while someone is working on the main computer. The user of the primary machine is knocked off without warning.

It happened to me one night as I was working on my main PC. My wife, who was in another room, logged onto the AirPanel. My work vanished without warning.

Microsoft says it's working on a solution that would allow simultaneous local and remote use of a machine. In the meantime, the problem can be avoided with better communication at home.

The quirks are relatively minor. The big issue remains the fact that the price is nearly as much as a full laptop.

The AirPanel would be truly revolutionary if priced below $500.

On the Net:

www.viewsonic.com

ww.microsoft.com

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