Ask me my opinion in a survey and I’ll usually decline, knowing that there’s some sales pitch attached, or my name and personal information will go into some deep repository to receive never-ending spam.
Are customers more likely to interact with tablet PCs?
But there was something about the smiley faces on the tablet PC at the EVA Airlines customer service counter in Macau that made me want to interact with it. That’s the nature of tablets. They’re friendly. They’re light. They invite touching. Maybe that’s why one in four people expect to replace their laptop with a tablet, according to a recent Zogby International survey. The simple elegance of an integrated device with a clear friendly screen increases one’s likelihood to use it.
Tablets are very touchable in a way that a computer screen and keyboard could never be. The absence of a keyboard and wires coupled with a sleek design put apps and usability center stage, not the technology. So when EVA Airlines posed a series of questions about our satisfaction with EVA’s service associated with smiley or frowney faces while we checked in, we tapped the screen. All positives, by the way.
The ferociously creative Shanzai developers in China are at it again and this time they’ve outcuted themselves.
Courtesy of Shanzai.com, this photo shows an adorable, yet functional handbag that is actually a netbook complete with an X86 processor (either a VIA C7 or Intel Atom).
As you know, VIA is a yearly sponsor of Lunch at Piero’s and every year surprises us with the tiny yet highly functional devices using their VIA X86 processor or ARM processors from the company’s WonderMedia division.
This rhinestone encrusted handbag cum netbook houses a screen, keyboard, 1Gb of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and offers WiFi and Ethernet connectivity. Add a little spending money, a credit card and a driver’s license sparingly, because it does not look like there’s much room for bulk inside.
The price is $300. Over the top you might say, but I’ll be there’s a pair of Jimmy Choos or Stuart Weizmans that will match this bag perfectly and make its price seem like pocket change in comparison.
Want a mobile PC with a CPU that provides long battery life, a great price point, fashionable sleek style, is light weight yet sports a screen and keyboard that are just the right size? Then you’re talking about the new NetNote form factor with a VIA Nano CPU inside. Wired Magazine’s Computer of the Year the Samsung NC20, and the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 will be on display at Lunch at Piero’s with other VIA-based mobile PCs.
Every year VIA has delighted and amazed journalists visiting Lunch at Piero’s with low power consuming, small form factor devices based on VIA processors and chipsets. This January 2010 will be no different: VIA will launch its newest Nano 3000 series processor and a yet-to-be announced chipset with superb Blu-ray playback and hardware acceleration of the most demanding video codecs. Stay tuned for more video that will unveil the latest VIA platforms and and VIA-based products.
