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.

Yes.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.