Feb/101
Solar Powered PC for 2010 – Pt2
In my last post I wrote about the Viliv S10, a super-efficient Windows-based PC that would serve well for solar-powered work duties. Last week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona I tested out another interesting bit of kit. This one looks much the same but in terms of internals, it’s like chalk and cheese compared to the S10.
The Compaq AirLife 100 is basically a smartphone cased in a netbook housing with a 10″ touchscreen and an estimated 30wh battery. The operating system is Android which has a great browser (although not as good or fast as Firefox or Chrome would be on the S10) and the ability to run many Android applications. The build quality is good, the keyboard is good and with 3G and Wifi built-in, connectivity is also good but the fantastic thing about this one is that it can idle with the screen off for DAYS instead of hours. In theory (untested) this little baby could run, connected to GPRS data providing 30-second GPS (built-in) location updates and polling email or similar services for about 3 days on a single charge. To top it off, it’s even more efficient than the S10 when running at full steam AND it weighs about 25% LESS!
With a 16GB SSD topping off the specs you’ve got a great lightweight, semi-rugged possibility.
- Est. 10 hours connected use (screen on, 3G on)
- Est. 150 hours occasional automatic GPS location uploads via cellular data.
- Est. 20 hours low-backlight typing. (wifi, 3G off)
- Add a 60wh power pack and if you’re careful with back-light and connectivity, you’ll get a weeks work out of it….in about 1.3KG!
This isn’t going to be the fastest productivty device you’ve ever used but if efficiency is more important than processing speed, the Airlife 100 will take some beating.
The Airlife 100 is due in the Spring and i’m quite excited to test it out longer term.
Check out my hands-on with the device at MWC last week:
Jul/082
Spot the difference. (Technology moves on)
One year ago (see this post for details of the 2007 Solar UMPC tour kit,) I was using the setup below for my mobile blogging and tracking.
This year, its a lot simpler. And a lot more powerful. Notice how the phone, GPS tracker and Camera have merged into one device. Yes, the N82 is a real boon. The N82 camera is not as good as the S2 (as expected) but the ability to auto-tag while tracking and then post the images directly to a server over the Internet is a massive advantage.
You’ll also notice a change in UMPC. I’m now using the Samsung Q1 Ultra (with XP and HSDPA) which has an SD slot (negating the need for any cables for the camera) and a much brighter, higher resolution screen. I’ve also moved to SSD rather than the traditional, spinning hard drive. Its safer. The keyboard (A Samsung Q1 keyboard) remains the same as there’s still nothing out there that can beat it. You’ll also see the USB LED lamp. Still, a key part of the kit!
Now lets look at the solar setup. This is the setup I used a year ago.
And this is the setup i’m going to use over the next four days while I go work/camping.
[The Wife and Kid are off camping together and I was due to stay home and work but I've decided to come along and make a working holiday of it. Dads - this is the beauty of Ultra Mobile PC's!!!]
I’ve removed the lead acid battery from the kit and am now direct charging the Tablet Kiosk MP3400. It only charges during peak hours (one full charge per 100% sunny day here in mid-summer Germany) where the SLA battery charges during less sunny periods but the amount of energy you get in those few extra hours is minimal. I’ve chosen to drop the SLA battery and use the MP3400 direct on the Sunlinq 25W solar panel.
Here’s a post with more detail about using the two together. And a how-to video.
I’ll probably post a few solar computing thoughts while I’m away so stay tuned here for more. Weather is looking good!
Last year on the Solar UMPC tour.
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