Axiotron Forums - Should I buy?

I think I might be in the market for a ModBook. I have been using a Nokia N800 for a while now and love it: but sometimes it is just too small. None of the new smartphones - N900, iPhone - have big enough screens, and I don't see such anything being developed that offers a bigger screen and decent computer capabilities.

I probably don't need a smart-phone. A normal phone would be OK as long as I can sync the address book and use it in tethered mode to access the internet when there is no WiFi.

I would hope a ModBook could be my main computer. I have recently switched from Linux to a MacBook Pro and, although I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be, I still think that Mac OS/X is the way forward for me.

I have got to the stage where my MacBook is always on and always nearby, and there are times when the notebook form factor is not ideal. I have almost dropped it a few times by nodding off while watching a movie in bed!

My uses include:

Web browsing, email
Microsoft Office (or Open Office)
Presentations
Watching movies, listening to music
PIM stuff
ssh and VPN and remote desktop stuff
shell scripting
viewing and editing photos and graphics files
reading PDFs
note-taking
MATLAB
GIS (ArcGIS on Parallels/Windows XP)

I have checked out the Axiotron website and these forums and it seems to me that a ModBook - or the semi-mythical ModBook Pro - might fit the bill. I would apprecate any thoughts you might care to offer on the following:

Mac OS/X

Is the OS identical to that on MacBooks? I do quite a bit of shell scripting and command line stuff and the small differences between OS/X and Linux can be quite annoying. I don't want to have to deal with two versions of OS/X.

Outdoor Use and Ruggedness

Is the screen OK outdoors in bright light? The glossy screen on my MacBook Pro is a real pain at times.

How rugged is the ModBook? I don't expect it to be weatherproof, but does it mind rough handling?

Does anyone make a case that will improve its ruggedness?

Can it be used inside a clear plastic bag, eg Ziploc, to improve weatherproof-ness?

Desktop Replacement

With a keyboard and a mouse and some sort of stand to prop it up, is the ModBook as good as a laptop or a desktop?

On-Screen Keyboard

I understand that Snow Leopard already has an on-screen keyboard. How is this with the ModBook? Is it pen-only, or can I use my fingers? Can it be used when the screen is rotated into portrait mode?

Syncing with another Mac

Is it possible to keep the ModBook and another Mac perfectly in sync using a USB hard drive. I used to do this with two Linux PCs and found it to be a good way to work. (I live in a country where it is sometimes not a good idea to walk around with a laptop.)

Power supply, External Battery or 12V DC Power

Does the ModBook have the same Magsafe power connector as the MacBook Pro? If I end up with two Macs, I want to be able to use the same power supply with both.

Has anyone used a ModBook wth an external battery or with a power supply that uses 12V DC? I have seen these available for the MacBook Pro, so there should be no problems.

ModBook or ModBook Pro?

Will I be happy with a ModBook or should I wait for the ModBook Pro?

In the latter case, I really hope that I can give up my 13" MacBook Pro for conversion. The Axiotron website is a bit vague on this.

dormant Wrote:Is the OS identical to that on MacBooks?

Yes.

dormant Wrote:Is the screen OK outdoors in bright light? The glossy screen on my MacBook Pro is a real pain at times.

How rugged is the ModBook? I don't expect it to be weatherproof, but does it mind rough handling?

The Modbook display has roughly the same brightness as the MacBook Pro's with a non-glossy screen. It has similar durability as well.

dormant Wrote:Does anyone make a case that will improve its ruggedness?

Can it be used inside a clear plastic bag, eg Ziploc, to improve weatherproof-ness?

Any case that fits a MacBook will fit a Modbook, and, yes, Ziplocs work.

dormant Wrote:With a keyboard and a mouse and some sort of stand to prop it up, is the ModBook as good as a laptop or a desktop?

It is as good as the MacBook that it is made from.

dormant Wrote:I understand that Snow Leopard already has an on-screen keyboard. How is this with the ModBook? Is it pen-only, or can I use my fingers? Can it be used when the screen is rotated into portrait mode?

Axiotron's virtual keyboard (actually built by AssitiveWare) is much better than Apple's.

The Modbook is pen only; though the the unlikely-to-ever-exist Modbook Pro is rumored to have some touch capability. The display maybe rotated if the Modbook is built from a MacBook that uses NVIDIA graphics, namely, the 2.0 GHz Macbook (MB881LL/A) of January 2009 and 2.13 GHz Macbook (MC240LL/A) of May 2009.

dormant Wrote:Is it possible to keep the ModBook and another Mac perfectly in sync using a USB hard drive.

The ‘perfectly’ part may not be practical, as the Modbook is a tablet and the MacBook Pro is not. Some preferences will have to be different.

dormant Wrote:Does the ModBook have the same Magsafe power connector as the MacBook Pro?

Maybe. The Modbook uses the 60 Watt MacBook power supply, which the 13" MacBook Pros also use. The larger MacBook Pros use a larger power supply.

dormant Wrote:Will I be happy with a ModBook or should I wait for the ModBook Pro?

That is an interesting question. In Samuel Beckett's play “Waiting for Godot”, did Godot ever arrive?

dormant Wrote:In the latter case, I really hope that I can give up my 13" MacBook Pro for conversion.

Probably not. The nonsense used to describe the Modbook Pro up to this point has all involved the 15" MacBook Pro

EricN
Modbookish

Notwithstanding nitwit's answers to your specific questions I'd like to make the point that a tablet computer appeals to a certain type of user and their specific needs. Some of these are:

a) User requires frequent and heavy stylus input.

b) User does not require heavy and frequent keyboard input.

c) User needs portability within the parameters of the above.

If this is not you DO NOT BUY A TABLET COMPUTER. If you really want to lug around a stand, separate keyboard, and possibly a mouse then go for it. I love my modbook.

One last thing - if you fall asleep the modbook will still fall off the bed.

Thanks for info.

If I can't totally replace my MacBook Pro, it's a lot of money for a second computer.

nitwit Wrote:The Modbook is pen only; though the the unlikely-to-ever-exist Modbook Pro is rumored to have some touch capability.

Why so sceptical?

dormant Wrote:Thanks for info.

If I can't totally replace my MacBook Pro, it's a lot of money for a second computer.

nitwit Wrote:The Modbook is pen only; though the the unlikely-to-ever-exist Modbook Pro is rumored to have some touch capability.

Why so sceptical?

Simple. The modbook pro was first available for order then the orders were canceled then the belated release date was pushed again and now lastly the release date has been pushed another half year. Which all means that, IF it ever does arrive then that would MAYBE happen around the beginning of 2011, roughly two years after it was introduced as a prototype. Axiotron is in dire financial straights and would have to afford to develop the much more complicated machine than the current version. This is why most of us have become VERY skeptical indeed. But never the less most of us love our current machines and love to hate certain dilemmas with them as you have probably read through out the forums.

there you go!

good luck

felix b.

dormant Wrote:Thanks for info.

If I can't totally replace my MacBook Pro, it's a lot of money for a second computer.

nitwit Wrote:The Modbook is pen only; though the the unlikely-to-ever-exist Modbook Pro is rumored to have some touch capability.

Why so sceptical?

I find it hard to believe that axiotron is doing anything at all, based on the lack of support they fail to provide for non vapor-ware products.

Trent Wrote:... based on the lack of support they fail to provide for non vapor-ware products.

Is that a triple negative?

pod Wrote:
Trent Wrote:... based on the lack of support they fail to provide for non vapor-ware products.

Is that a triple negative?

It's amusing to me, when others care enough to point out these things.

Was this to make me blush, feel shamed, or stupid?

I'm not sure, my indifference leads me to think, you dedicate more time caring about things like this than I.

Just cracking a joke. My teensy little brain was momentarily stymied by your choice of words. I thought "Does failing to provide a lack of support constitute providing support?". Then I thought "Since vaporware is nonexistent, what does providing support for something that is non-nonexistent equate to? Is it akin to trying to prove some technological parallel to anti-matter?". See? No insult was intended. I was just having a little fun and hoping someone would pick up the ball. Believe me - I'm an easy target and garner more than my share of ribbing.

Whether you like Axiotron or not there is no other place I know of that any discussion of OSX capable tablets takes place. At least none that allow stylus input. Nitwit's site is done. The other site was so spammed up that no one went there anymore. Not much happens at Modbook Junction or the few other fan sites around. If all discussion stops then there is little chance that our interests will be catered to in the future - whether by Axiotron or someone else. The squeaky well getting the grease and all...

I do find it important (both professionally and casually) to express oneself accurately, though. I learned this after my first badly negotiated contract. It cost me $10K and more than two weeks of my time. Inflection in print is difficult to master and a source for misinterpretation that can have unintended consequences. My comment above is now a case in point. If that constitutes caring, well, perhaps I do care.

BTW... aloofness is usually just an attempt to hide the fact that you care. Thanks for the thinly-veiled insult.