Topic: very little computer - looks perfect for taping

[Ed.]

i saw this on dat-heads, maybe its already been talked about but i've been kinda absent lately.

it looks a bit pricey at the moment, but considering the price of the sound devices hdd recorders, this doesn't look all that bad.  give it a bit of time and i bet the price will drop a ton.  oooh, i'm excited 

[C.Clark]

i got a blank msn page

[John Kelly]

It's an article about the new U50 and U70 palmtop PCs out now in Japan.  Can't get them in the states though, unless you go through an importer (according to the article, they're just under $3k and there's a waiting list for imports).

[Ed.]

yeah, what he said. +t

the price is a little steep at the second, but give them a little time and the price will drop and they'll be just as regular as pda's.  i'd say it means good things for taping.  already its way smaller than an sd722, granted you still need a preamp/adc - but most of us would still be using external preamps and adc's anyway.  plus i like the fact that i can do more than just record on it.  while i wait in line i can play solitaire or do my taxes, or whatever the hell.

[Tenn Man]

Here is a link:

http://www.dynamism.com/u70/

[JasonSobel]

this thing has me excited.  Sure it's a bit costly now, but that will come down in the near future.  It runs windows XP, and clearly is powerful enough for extended periods of recording.  it's got USB 2.0 ports, which would work with the MiniMe or ua5.  and it also has a CF slot, so, in theory, it should work with Core Sounds PDaudio, which would mean 24/96 without all the trouble of a pda (i.e. not enough storage, quirky setups)...  Can anyone confirm or deny if Len has a working windows driver yet? 

it makes me wonder, is the future of 24/96 recording going to be dedicated machines like the sd722?  or just tiny computers like this?

[John Kelly]

it makes me wonder, is the future of 24/96 recording going to be dedicated machines like the sd722?  or just tiny computers like this?

I'm guessing the tiny computer can't take a fall from more than 6 inches.  The SD722, however, if it's anything like the rest of SD's products, could probably be run over by a truck and still work.

[Ed.]

i'd imagine that they'd be somewhat durable, maybe not run over by a truck durable, but durable nonetheless.

i really like sd's stuff and the idea behind it.  more so than buying compact flash and gettng a pda, however, i think i'd go with this over all of the future products just because its a full blown computer in the palm of your hand.  seems much more versatile than the sd722.

[John Kelly]

i'd imagine that they'd be somewhat durable, maybe not run over by a truck durable, but durable nonetheless.

i really like sd's stuff and the idea behind it.  more so than buying compact flash and gettng a pda, however, i think i'd go with this over all of the future products just because its a full blown computer in the palm of your hand.  seems much more versatile than the sd722.

I'd much rather have a machine dedicated to recording than a tiny computer that tried to do it all...  Seems to me that the hard drive recorders will probably always be cheaper than these computers - they can use larger parts (the hard drive in that computer is probably a 1.8" drive, considerably more expensive than the standard 2.5" laptop drive) and require no Windows licensing fees.

I dunno, I've seen promises of "palmtop" computers for years now.  They just seem completely impractical.

[greenone]

I agree with SpeshulEd - if I'm manufacturing a portable computer, especially one THIS portable, one of the things I'd plan on is users dropping it.

As for dedicated machine vs. do-it-all machine...I would imagine that eventually you could configure one of these to be (virtually) nothing but a recording machine, just like some tapers build machines today for that purpose...

[John Kelly]

I agree with SpeshulEd - if I'm manufacturing a portable computer, especially one THIS portable, one of the things I'd plan on is users dropping it.

You'd be surprised. 

[greenone]

Oops...meant to include this in the previous post...note that I said if *I* were manufacturing a portable computer. Still, though...six inches? I wonder if anyone's ever dropped a JB3 - seems like that plastic would crack pretty easily...

[Ed.]

to me the pdaudio thing just seems impractical...too much going on there.  I like the idea of the sd722 and was looking at it and planning on buying one someday.  however, last i knew the msrp was way above the $2000 they originally said.  things might have changed now, i haven't been following, its summer and message boards take back burner when theres stuff to do outside.

I guess if i'm dropping $2k on something i want it to be something great.  The sd722 definitely looks like it will be something great, however, from the looks of it, this thing can do everything a laptop can do and fit into the cargo pocket of my pants...or my crotch for that matter.  the sd722 can't do that...easily.

Not to mention, when i'm on the road i can use it to check my email and not have to bring along my laptop.  it seems pretty multifuctional.  when travelling i could watch movies on it.  hook it up to the tv and stream movies.  hook it up to the stereo and play mp3s, flac's, whatever.  all the versatility of a laptop and so much more.

i guess i'm looking at it as more than just a recorder.  it has all these other functions plus it can record just as well as any hdd recorder and is far smaller than the others.

*shrug*

technology does nothing but come down in price, and i'm pretty sure that when more manufacturers are making these they'll be down below the $2k mark in no time.

[John Kelly]

i guess i'm looking at it as more than just a recorder.  it has all these other functions plus it can record just as well as any hdd recorder and is far smaller than the others.

Problem is when you try and build a device that does everything you end up cutting corners.  The whole is usually lesser than the sum of its parts.

For instance, with this device you're limited to USB for recording.  That seriously limits your options for input devices.  There's also no indication of battery life...

But I digress.  I'm not saying it's going to suck.  I'm saying don't get your hopes up.  Devices such as these have been promised for years and not once has one lived up to the hype.  Remember tablet PCs?

[Ed.]

very true.  yeah, i'm definitely going to be patient and see what happens.