OLPC Origins: US and Taiwan’s Hardware Lovechild
A deeper than expected history of the OLPC’s development. Part two of a three part series.

Gizmodo’s reporting the Nokia 770 is in customer’s hands and getting some buttons pushed. Now we’ve got Nokia and Pepper exploring this space. Where to next?

internet tablet, internet tablets, mike cane, nokia, nokia 770, pepper, pepper pad, portable computing, ultraportable, web pad

Via Engadget I found mention of the LeapFrog FLY, a pen with embedded computer that reads your handwriting. Need a calculator? Just write out “2 + 2 = ” and hear a response from the pen computer’s synthesized voice. Need to schedule something? Write out the date.

It’s targeted at kids, and the company has released it with a variety of tutoring applications and games (you guessed it: FLYware) appropriate for kids in 3rd to 8th grade. Gizmag has details.

It turns out that it requires special paper (FLY paper, of course), but it’s an interesting concept. I wonder how much more it would have cost to use accelerometers (eliminating the need for that special paper) instead of an optical sensor?

Big picture moment: The computing world of today is built around computers with keyboards and big screens, but what might it look like if this pen-computer takes off? What applications might we build for a networked FLY? The world is in search of a $100 laptop, but this pen is available now for that price.

computer, edutainment, embedded computer, fly, fly paper, handwriting, leapfrog, optical sensor, pen computer, pen-based, pentop, pentop computer, special paper, tutoring, ubicomp, ultraportable

• Pepper Computer
• Buying a Pepper Pad at Amazon
• Pepper Hacks
• Victor Rehorst has been blogging about his Pepper since he got it (a few days ago)
• Pepper Pad stories at TeleRead
• Other Pepper Pad stories here at MaisonBisson

tags: links, pepper, pepper computer, pepper links, pepper pad, portable computing, ubicomp, ultraportable

The Pepper Pad (available at Amazon) has a very clean out of box experience. There’s nothing to assemble and no questions about what order to do things in. Just open, unwrap, plug in, startup.

I attempted running through the configuration in my office, but the WiFi propagation is very weak there and Pepper Pad couldn’t catch a signal. The requirements listed on the box say only two things: “broadband” and “WiFi,” so it’s no surprise that the configuration application requires WiFi — or perhaps a BlueTooth phone it can connect through? Without a signal I was forced let it charge and make plans to explore it at home from the comfort of my couch.

Configuration was simple once it was charged and nearer an access point. One click to connect to my AP, a few prompts for my email configuration and registration, and I was ready to go. I started up the web browser, Mozilla, and was quickly surfing a few familiar sites to see how they displayed on the 800 x 600 screen. Text is clearly legible and comfortable to read. The screen is quite sharp, but the anti-aliasing on the text gives it a pleasing softness. Overall, the screen experience outclasses my Sony Clie TH55 (which does no anti-aliasing), and compares well with desktop displays.

As it turns out, the limited horizontal resolution is less of a problem than I imagined. Some horizontal scrolling is necessary on some websites, but they’re rarer than I thought (I’m among the worst offenders) and when scrolling is necessary, the d-pad on the left of the screen does the job easily and smartly. A scrollwheel on the right does the job for vertical scrolling, and it’s the only control you’ll need for browsing most sites.

The screen is bordered by a rubbery frame, the bottom of which has a molded clip to hold the stylus. The stylus and touch screen replace a mouse, though they’re not used for handwriting recognition (there is no HWR on the device). Using the touch screen is easy and it responds to both the stylus and finger taps, but it sometimes doesn’t respond as fast as I expect or give recognizable feedback to acknowledge the click. Scrolling the screen by dragging the stylus along the scrollbar can be frustrating on large web pages, but the problem mostly disappears on smaller pages.

Web browsing goes better with a soundtrack, and with a few quick taps I was listening to streaming MP3 radio using the bundled player. The stereo speakers are better than one might expect from their small size, though bass response is understandably limited.

One of the most distinguishing features is how comfortably it fits in your hands. Certainly, typing is a two-handed activity, but one can spend a lot of time using the Pad with only one hand — a necessary feature if you’re walking around the library with it or using it as a recipe book in the kitchen. The kick stand keeps it upright with the screen at about a 45 degree angle and the rubber edges and feet keep it from skittering across the desk or counter. Grabbing it from a table is an entirely different experience from trying to pickup a laptop, and it’s a positive example of how much farther we can go in terms of truly portable computing.

I found myself walking around the house, browsing the web and streaming music all the way. With a few more clicks I was streaming New Hampshire Public Radio and looking up interesting bits on the web. The Pepper Pad may be a little expensive to use only as a portable radio like that, but it’s at least a very satisfying one. Of course, it can do a lot more than play MP3s and streaming radio, it plays these silly K-Fee ads too.

I was at home, after all, and work could wait.

tags: computer, internet access, pepper, pepper computer, pepper pad, portable computer, portable computing, post pc, post pc device, ubicomp, ubiquitous computing, ultraportable, web access, web device, web pad

The Pepper Pad’s technical details — a lightweight Linux powered device with an 8.4-inch SVGA touchscreen, Wi-Fi auto-configuration, Bluetooth device support, multi-gigabyte disk, full QWERTY thumb-keypad, stereo speakers, and more — are already well reported. But I’ve been arguing that attention to such details runs counter to the purpose and intended use of the device. Many computer users can name (and point to) the CPU in their computer, but who of those can tell me what CPU or chipset drives their cellphone? How many of them can identify the operating system on their phone?

The Pepper Pad, I believe, is the type of device we need to drive information services into the mainstream. …To drive internet access well beyond the 100 million US subscribers who have at-home internet access today and start approaching the nearly 200 million US subscribers who carry cell phones. That’s why I’m interested in their applications in libraries, and that’s why I’m looking at the demo unit above.

More details after it finishes charging.

computer, internet access, pepper, pepper computer, pepper pad, portable computer, portable computing, post pc, post pc device, ubicomp, ubiquitous computing, ultraportable, web access, web device, web pad

David Rothman pointed me to Michael Lasky’s PC World review of the Pepper Pad. Lasky bangs on Pepper, saying he can’t recommend it.

Too often, I think, technology reviewers approach a new product without understanding it. Lasky tells us how the Pepper performs when playing music or videos before comparing it to “notebook computers available for the same or a lower price.” We wouldn’t let an automotive reviewer conclude a review of a Prius hybrid to a Chevy truck by saying the truck is the better deal because it has a bigger engine for the same money, so why let technology reviewers off so easy?

Lasky and others need to remember that Americans with mobile phones outnumber Americans with home internet access almost two to one. Clearly, PCs are missing the point, and I’m pretty certain price isn’t the issue. I’ve known too many people who’ve decided their PCs are too spyware, malware, and bloatware infested… too troublesome to continue using.

The Pepper Pad (and the Nokia 770, I like them both) may be able to open that market of more than 80 million Americans who find their cellphone an essential part of their lives, but don’t have the same feelings for Internet access.

tags: access, cluetrain, doesn’t get it, internet access, laptop, michael lasky, notebook computers, palmtop, pc world review, pcworld, pepper, pepper pad, pepper pad review, portable, portable computer, portable computing, post pc, post-pc, review, ultraportable

I’ve been babbling like a stoolie for Pepper here for the past couple weeks, but after some prodding by Roger Sperberg I’ve started to take a serious look at the Nokia 770 linux-based internet tablet. To get me started is Mike Cane’s hands on report from some time spent with it at LinuxWorld Expo. Nokia is pushing Maemo.org to support the developer/hacker community, and there’s already some interesting work being done. And Mike Cane is keeping things up to date at Mike Cane’s ersatz 770 blog.

The 770 has a lot to like, including a nice 800×480 screen, WiFi, and a much lower price than the Pepper Pad. But I’m concerned about its dependance on handwriting recognition and that its small size may actually be counterproductive for my purposes.

tags: electric forest, internet tablet, internet tablets, mike cane, nokia, nokia 770, pepper, pepper pad, portable computing, roger sperberg, teleread, ultraportable, web pad

The most amazing thing about the Pepper Pad is how easy it is to pick up and use, how easy it is to walk around with, and how it’s available when you want it and gone when you don’t.

The Pepper Pad’s portability goes far beyond that of laptops. I mentioned previously that laptops move from desk to desk and Bill Gates tells us how poorly laptops work in elevators. Unlike laptops, the Pepper Pad takes a number of cues from from some of the most successful (and profitable) portable computing devices to come before it: the Game Boy and Playstation Portable. It’s no toy, but like those devices, the Pepper Pad works better in your hands than on a table — though the folding stand will keep it upright if you do put it down.

The split QWERTY keyboard on the left and right of the screen are among the Pepper Pad’s most distinctive features, but its positioning is a genius stroke. It neatly sidesteps the annoyances of handwriting recognition, and its position allows it to be easily ‘thumbed’ while standing or from in your lap. Small keyboards look awkward, but they seem to be catching on, especially on smartphones. I found the little keyboard easy to master during my time with it. As easy as it was to find the keys, though, I have to agree with Zach’s request for more tactile feedback on the keypress.

These features are important because the use I have in mind requires a device that can be used without occupying the user’s full attention. Pepper’s Jon Melamut wants the Pepper Pad to be part of our lives, but not the object of our lives. He’s betting people will start thinking of web access like they do phones and TV remote controls — it’s best to have it in every room of the house.

Cell phones, in fact, may be a good model for Pepper. People don’t want phones, they want connectivity. Phone sales, unlike PC sales, are never based on the amount of RAM or CPU speed, and the phone’s operating system is rarely a factor. The Pepper Pad is designed for a post-PC world where a device’s ability to interact with various networks (web browsing, music streaming, instant messaging, VoIP (coming soon), etc) is more important than the details of the hardware or OS.

That said, it’s a good package. It’s got a bright 8.4 inch (800 x 600) touch screen, some good connectivity features (WiFi, Bluetooth, infrared, USB, audio in and out, composite video out, and a SD/MMC card slot), and the guts (624 Mhz CPU, 20GB HD, stereo speakers) and software (Linux, Mozilla, and a lot of Pepper-specific apps) that make it work all add up to a pretty attractive little device that weighs a little less than the latest Harry Potter (2.3 lbs). At 12.1“ x 6.6” x 0.8“ it’s large enough to be useful, but small enough to be unobtrusive and convenient.

Related: Zach blogged his reaction to the Pepper Pad over at NoSheep.net after our visit a week ago. Roger Sperberg has been writing about some related issues over at TeleRead.org, including this smart post about a computer you can use standing up. Also at TeleRead, David Rothman published some of my early reaction in a July 27th post. I wrote earlier about how I’d like to use the Pepper Pad in my library, and I’m interested in portable computing devices in general.

tags: game boy, laptop, laptops, obidos, pepper, pepper pad, playstation portable, portable computer, portable computing, post pc, post-pc, qwerty, ultraportable, web pad