Sneak peek: The FlipStart clamshell PC

Computerworld - INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- FlipStart, a supercompact PC from Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen's Vulcan Portals Inc., won't officially be announced until tomorrow. But it got a public demonstration last night before a dozen IT professionals at a mobile conference here.

Weighing in at just 1.5 pounds, the FlipStart is a clamshell-design Windows-based PC that features a 5.6-in. display, said Keith Amodt, senior product manager at FlipStart Labs, a technology incubator that is a division of Vulcan in Seattle. It is slated to ship March 27 and retail for $1,999. Users can choose Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista Business operating systems.

Similar to a small laptop, the device features a QWERTY keyboard when the clamshell is opened. The keys are too small for people to touch type on but can be typed on with one finger or "thumbed" similar to other small devices, Amodt said.

The FlipStart clamshell PC

Wireless access will be provided by a single carrier, yet to be named, using the Evolution Data Optimized Rev. A network, Amodt said. Wi-Fi functionality over 802.11b/g is also provided.

Robin Budd, a senior director at Vulcan, said the product will be aimed at prosumers, or professional consumers. But several IT managers on hand for the short demonstration of the FlipStart last night were not sure how the product would be received -- or who the target market would really be.

"I think it's going to be a couple of years before we know where this kind of device fits," said Kerry Sedwick, director of technical architecture at American Express Technologies in Phoenix. He said it might be a device that American Express agents would use on visits to retailers, since they need a fully functioning PC but "don't want to crate around a heavy thing.

"People will love the small size and weight but won't like the small keyboard and how hard on the eyes it can be," Sedwick said.

Because the font is small in one setting, Sedwick and several other IT managers said the device might be best aimed at an "under-40" crowd of users not yet wearing reading glasses. FlipStart has anticipated various reading needs, Amodt said, and provides a nine-level zoom feature to drill down on a screen or window for more detail.

George McQuillister, senior product manage for mobile services at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in San Francisco, said he is unsure how quickly the FlipStart or similar devices such as the announced OQO Inc. PC might catch on with workers. "When one sees somebody using it, others will want it," he said. "Certain individuals, like my teenage son, would love it" especially because it can run sophisticated computer games, McQuillister said.