Work toys

[captpackrat]

I just received a Vadem Clio to evaluate for use at work. These things are fantastic, it's like a small laptop with Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer, but even though the CPU is less than 100MHz, it is SOOOOO much faster than any modern PC.

At work we are trying to deploy a mobile work order system for our service techs. The only problem is most PDA's have no keyboard, which makes data entry rather tedious. The few PDA's that DO have a keyboard, like the Treo, have crappy quality and tiny tiny buttons. The mobile version of the software doesn't work on a normal Windows laptop, and laptops are bulky and take forever to boot. The Clio would be the perfect compromise, with a useable keyboard and a large screen, and with the instant-on capabilities of Windows CE.

There are only 3 possible problems. 1. Will the software work with a MIPS processor? 2. Can we get a cellular modem with drivers for Windows CE? 3. Can I find at least 12 more Clios?

It's too bad the Clio concept never went anywhere. I'd love to have one built with modern technology.

Comments

[rabitguy.livejournal.com]

Probably not a good choice due to lack of support in the US but Sharp's SLC-700 is a nice palmtop. It is Linux-based so you probably won't find any off-the-shelf packages to do what you are looking for, but with Python and PyQT (GUI-wrapper), it might be cheaper to write it yourself.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, we've already made an investment in the software, which only runs under Palm OS, Windows CE, and Symbian OS.

The Clio is a good deal bigger than that, with a keyboard nearly the size of a standard notebook. The size of the keyboard was the biggest complaint the techs had with the Treo.