Review: Some will flip over the FlipStart PC; others will think it's a flop

Computerworld - Two tests can be applied to new mobile technology, and the FlipStart easily passes the first: Is the device cool?

The FlipStart is sized somewhere between a smart phone and an ultraportable laptop, weighs a bit more than 1.5 lb. with battery, and comes with your choice of Windows XP or Vista (our test device used Windows XP). It sports 512KB of RAM and a 1.1-Ghz Pentium M processor.

In other words, Vulcan Portals, the company started by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has stuffed a lot of power into this little clamshell device. So much power in such a tiny package is intrinsically cool, and some innovative and highly useful features make it even cooler.

The FlipStart clamshell PC

Usability a mixed bag

The inevitable trade-off when mobile devices shrink is usability. After all, when a device gets smaller, the amount of space for such niceties as keyboards and displays shrinks.

Overall, the FlipStart is the most usable device of this size we've seen, and Vulcan has performed some interesting tricks to increase usability, but it still gets mixed grades. Typical of these trade-offs and tricks is the FlipStart's 5.6-in. display, which runs, by default, at 1024 x 600. While the display is quite bright and sharp, it is still difficult to read text on a small screen with high resolution. We settled in at 800 x 600 resolution, and even then, reading glasses were a great benefit when using the FlipStart.

However, typical of the clever engineering applied to this device, the keyboard has a zoom key. Press the key and the part of the screen where the cursor is located zooms out to make the item appear larger and more readable.

Without doubt, the biggest hit to usability comes from the QWERTY keyboard. At first glance, it looks like a larger version of a smart-phone keyboard with extra space between the keys. That extra space makes it possible to type with index fingers, which we find easier than thumb-typing. That small advantage makes it somewhat simpler to write longer e-mail messages than most people are inclined to on a phone. But if you want to create extensive documents, you'll want to buy a portable keyboard.