Next ([i]FL/[i]FT90-> ???) generation compals - what would you like to see in them?

Hi!

So I've been wondering lately, the next generation of notebooks, the one release after FL/FT families, what would you like to see on those?

Drop some ideas. Maybe some compal people read here? I personally would like to see, in order of significance:

* DVI/HDMI-out.
* Better/Different LCD's (with better viewing angles along the horizontal axis (up-down), perhaphs a smaller resolution matte option)
* Hinges (perhaphs - dunno really how well the FL90 hingless setup works. The laptops are available for too short a period of time to check how it performs say after a year or two. I'm reasonably certain they've undergone some tests but nothing tests like the real-life usage ).
* A trackpoint.
* Blu-Ray/HD-DVD ODMs.

So much for that ) Please keep the thread clean and try to keep third-party related comments at minimum, pasting mostly just the wishes.

Cheers!

 

hotswap battery/second hard drive/dvd drive (Lenovo-esque) would be my number-one addition.

esata, hdmi, dvi

more matte screen options

nothing else off the top of my head (other than lower prices, and quicker availability :O)

 

Quicker shipments and a deadline.

 

Ok let's not get head over heels here. I meant the hardware itself not the spedition etc. As much as I obviously apreciate the seemingly valid suggestion and I understand it's rough waiting for ordered products although I have not experienced it personally, please, try and keep this thread hardware related only.

Regards,
//m.

 

A proper onboard keyboard perhaps?

 

Oh! I forgot about that one. Although, to be honest, it's mostly about mounting it. Anyway they're pretty cheap components so getting a bit better quality of it or so shouldn't hurt the price and improve overall quality, totally agreed.

I'd put it below hinges and above trackpoint. My main concern is how I get fingers caught under keys sometimes, the flex is not that terrible (EL80 from signature here), it's more of a mental displease.

 

DVI/HDMi, Blu-ray/HD-DVD. Magnesium alloy casing maybe. 9 Cell battery that doesn't stick out. Adjustuble fan speed (more software related). Docking station.

 

What would you plan on putting in the docking station that the FL90/EL80 currently don't have incorporated? These are pretty big laptops. It seems they have a lot of stuff already on the spot. I'd like perhaphs a docking station that would stand desktop-like, so I would have a desktop setup with it and an external monitor and all that... but not really, no, personally the 15,4" is good enough for me as a 'desktop' replacement. So far no worries at that. I'd rather see use for that on 12" etc notebooks with powerful graphics - then ofcourse, dockings are neat. The 9-cell is quite an interesting idea at that, tho I hear it's not that big a bother, but yes, proly wouldn't hurt to get it. Nothing I'd find too crucial at that tho.

Keep them coming!

 

Definitely DDR3 for sure, and definitely don't put the fn key there. Maybe include some temp monitoring app. I've also always wanted a slot loading cd drive, they are just perfect for laptops.

 

* trackpoint mouse controller
* 14" form factor
* 1440x1000 matte screen
* two disk drives (even if one is just for an internal flash-ram card, 16gb flash chips oughta be coming by then, right?)
* external gpu that would be user-upgradable, and every bit as fast as an internal dedicated gpu (a guy can dream)
* more than just two SODIMM slots

 

Oh, I hear those are interesting yes, but tend to dust very much and very easily, so it's a tight spot there - and so far as I can see, they're available as an option even currently, so no biggie I suppose. If you run your laptop mostly at home it's no bother but carry it in a bag with natural lint running about, well, you can catch my drift I suppose.

As regards the Fn key, noway! I love the fn key like that )) I know it can be a pain switching between different keyboards and the compal, but I definetly like the ctrl key where it is. One reason for that could be when I had my desktop, I too had a small keyboard attached to it, with the same fn/ctrl key setup Perhaphs as an option tho, yes, that probably shouldn't hurt, as long as the options are available everywhere and getting the fn on bottom left corner would be the default. I wouldn't want to pay extra for either one to be honest - also variety in parts sometimes lifts the overall price, unless they're available as 'extra' options you pay for (not 'free' choice).

Yeah, and as regards ddr, etc, I guess that will be dependant on whatever will be available technically on the market. I meant things that are somewhat time-independant, the only exception would be the DVI stuff but that's standards.. ok I guess you have a point ;-) But if there will be DDR4 by the time they make these, well, you know what I mean. The bluray/HDDVD I mentioned is more of a symbol as well - because perhaphs in some time the HD disc standard will also come together. So far afaik the bluray/hdvd are incompatible? Dunno ;]

Cheers!

 

maditude, there's already 14,1", called (i)FT00/01.

1440x900 is an option there, as it also is on some FL90s, tho I guess it's not matte - dunno. Definetly no official matte 1440x900 option for FL90 currently that I know of. More matte options are definetly interesting tho, as long as they don't change overall pricing much. There's a thread in here somewhere about some Matte films you can attach to your glossy screen, might be worth checking those out in a while. Those screens are pretty standard anyway so shouldn't be a bother - any reseller could get those in different forms as far as that's physically possible - so I suppose what compal could do would be giving a possibility of selling a screen-less barebone.

With more DDR slots, well, you never know what will come in the future that much as regards technology. But currently I find 2 slots very much enough, with the dual-channel tech and so on. More would probably rise the price a bit higher, that's something I'd expect on a bit higher-end or larger size-format machines at that (say ~17"+).

As regards the graphics, afaik they're on separate boards even now - so as long as the standard is there, that's only a matter of variety on the markets. I don't think compal would be planning on getting those out there, laptops seem mostly a one-wholesome solution, and all that mxm stuff seems like a good reason to charge a few extra to me, the fuss seems just not worth it. I'm very unlikely to get a new card for an older notebook, as the price itself also would probably be just as good almost as getting a newer machine with a newer card - rather just sell the whole thing. Also you have to remember because of the notebook build factor, with bigger/newer cards you might have to keep in mind the heating etc issues, so it could not be as simple as just chucking in a new pci-e card like on a desktop.

Cheers!

 

QFTMFT...

And for the laptop itself, i'd like it with a penryn cpu and a 8800gt... maybe next year, couse the current ifl90 is powerful enough for many people inlcuding me.

 

I've never seen a Macbook Pro user complain about their slot loading drives, they have little lint brush/flap things that keep all dust and lint out.

Speaking of the Macbook Pro, I'd LOVE an illuminated keyboard and a power cord that pops out like magsafe when tripped on. And I'm not sure if the FLs have this or not: Gigabit Ethernet would be nice. But I guess those are not necessary, but if it as the difference between my buying a sager or some other brand, its the little features that count for me.

I'd also say the keyboard needs a complete reworking, I've heard to many people say their is too much flex.

 

It's not the extra features the docking station might give that makes me want to have one, it's the ease to use the laptop with external hardware (mouse, keyboard, screen, audio). Just plug in your laptop and there you go. Now I have too connect too many cables each time I want to hook my laptop up to my TFT screen.

Saw it once for a Toshiba, looked real handy.

 

afaik it's the mounting again. well, it's just literally sort of hangin in the air, it should be either pinned down more to the notebook or have some stuff underneath it. dunno about the slot in, its just something I heard. never seen the power cord etc on the macbooks, but yeah, macs always have been a class of their own as far as I can tell, price-wise at that too

as regards giga ethernet, well, can notebook harddisks really cope? and anyway if my EL80 has giagbit I think that's already there in FL's too

as regards the illumination of the keyboard, yeah, a wee lamp or so next to the camera wouldn't hurt I guess, shedding some light on the keyboard at that... something along thinklight or perhaphs a keyboard with fluorescent stickers on it. could be an addon definetly the fluorescent stuff, if we're already reworking the keyboard

As regards the docking station, well yeah, okay, I suppose. Like I said tho, I hardly use this with extern screens as I find the WXGA/WSXGA to be a well good enough option for me, so I find the need for external hardware at all in smaller sized laptops. Whatever floats your boat

 

An illuminated keyboard would be nice, but it's not that useful for those of us that know how to type by touch and feel anyways. Slot loading drive would be sweet, that may reduce laptop thickness but who knows how thinly they can pack all the computer components in.

 

yeah I touch-type personally but it's worth it to have some light sometimes it seems, for having a corner look at the keyboard, if you take your hands off of it and then put them back on... a wee bit of the fluorescent stuff on the keystickers would be just the job methinks.

 

Slot loaded DVD
LED Lit screen
HDMI output (Hi res Video and multichannel audio in one cable!)
Better Keyboard
Better speakers (can they get a sub woofer in Like th 15 in Qosimo has?)

 

I'd like HDMI and E-SATA ports, option for blue-ray and LED screen - 5 hour battery life.

 

http://www.zepto.se/Shop/Config.aspx?configurationid=364&notebookid=674 <- you can get slot-in currently over here for example.

I knew I had seen it somewhere Dunno the quality but it seems as if it's supported than it can't be half bad. Personally I still like that as an option.

As regards speakers, I'm fairly content with my EL80s speaker quality. It's not superb when it comes to bass, but then again the less vibration the better as far as regards electronic, hell, most end-user appliances for that matter. You have to compromise certain things here and there I suppose when it comes to the laptop design as a whole Just keep in mind for example up till recently the 3d graphics in the mobile PC world was virtually nonexistant or well crippled and a lot behind compared to the standard desktop market. 7200rpm hd's is a good improvement too.

 

Most everything I can think of has already been mentioned.

* 1440 Matte Option
Eminently hugable.
* Trackpoint
Assuming they wouldn't get sued by Lenovo.
* External wifi antenna jack
Would be nice not to have to carve a hole in the laptop to hook it up to a directional antenna. Just a personal 'Ooo, neat!' thing for me.
* Spill resistant keyboard
More shameless Lenovo plagarism. Maybe I can get an IFL-90 and a T-61 to mate in captivity.
* External analog volume knob
Just cause I'm used to it. Would be kind of neat if they had a Fn/Fingerprint reader volume control. I suppose Fn/F7-F8 will have to do

Oh, and on the topic of Fn/Ctrl keys, isn't there some software out there that you can remap the keyboard with? My current 9yr. old gateway laptop has the same layout as the IFL-90, so it's no strech for me, but I'd imagine it'd be possible for those who are bothered by it to run a small mapping app, then pop the keys out and switch them. Heck, I can't count how many windows keys I've lost popping them out of a desktop keyboard to avoid hitting them while gaming. It's not an elegant solution, but at least it'd work.

Oh, and extra points for kicking off some upbeat discussion.

 

make it 1 dollar

 

Why don't you just buy a Lenovo laptop?

 

I don't think a trackpoint is a Lenovo only solution. Unless they have it patented now, since my previous (a Toshiba Tecra 9100) had a trackpoint.

Those external volume thingies are neat too - I had one on the said laptop as well and can't say I didn't like it. Tho I do admit I like the fn+f7/f8 as well if not more as that's just two extra keys one can program to do whatever the hell one wants with them

As regards spill resistance well sure wouldn't mind but I guess that's a bit of a different price range we're starting to talk here - similarly as the captain gadget non-trip power cord on the apple mentioned before

Cheers

 

Your illuminated keyboard suggestion got me thinking: how WOULD one go about making say, the outside edge of the keyboard glow in the dark? That wouldn't be as snazzy as the apple laptops, but it would be better than squat. Personally if I wanted the glow off, I would close the lid But yeah, how would you do that? how do you make things glow in the dark? This could be a fun mod.

 

you'd use something fluorescent. There's fluorescent markers and what not, leaving a fluorescent paint residue, fluorescent meaning, it accumulates energy from light to later give off a friendly greenish (or perhaphs other) glow. Think children's halloween stuff etc. and all those glow-in-the-dark object, glowsticks? Perhaphs too, but those are battery driven afaik since they run out after a while or chemically, which pretty much go the same, if not similar, path as battery.

Yeah, just get a fluorescent marker/paint and paint it above. Make sure it's not a dissolvent based one, so you want dissolve your plastic. And that it would withstand some wear etc. Personally I'd just like the keys to glow. If not all then at least 1,ctrl,+,f,j,cursors and maybe pause or something.

Might just as well give it some thought come to think about it

 

Yeah, but try tell me this wouldn't be cool on a non-mac:


Backlighting is where its at.

 

external gpu that would be user-upgradable
esata
dvi
better lcd

 

Seems like Apple put an individual LED under each key, but I'm doubting my hypothesis as that'll be a pain to manufacture.

Still pretty cool to have a glowing keyboard, but I think I wouldn't need it since I'm a pretty good typer anyways.

 

yeah so would I concider myself too but it's not always easy to find the keyboard as a whole sometimes in very dark environments, the lcd certainly does shed some light on the keys but then again ones like !@#$%^&*() etc well those I sometimes need to take a quick glimpse at. Frankly tho my keyboard tweak described in a neighbouring post not only makes the keyboard less flexy but also raises it a bit and it seems that raise also makes it closer to the lcd, shedding light at a better angle at it maybe I'm just heads over heels, but yeah, I'm thinking that nonetheless is nice tho with those leds under the keys... If its not patented, it could be placed there as an option - hell, as we know it, it could be out there right now, just the particular reseller/manufacturer has to put it in

I still think a small lamp next to the camera would do the trick - it's pretty useless in dark environments currently anyway. And yeah, I think, come back to the H/EL80 way, with a slide over the lens, I don't think it's a bad idea.

edit: also, one thing that I just remembered/realized as regards the slot-in drives - no business card sized CD/DVD! As far as I know, they only support full size. I know, I know, the small ones are not too common, but certainly aren't the uncommon one either as they do happen out there sometimes. something to think about

 

My son has a Wii with a slot drive and it handles the older gamecube games which are on the smaller format cds. Maybe its designed specifically for Nintendo though.

 

Perhaps. It would seem logical that someome had addressed this issue sooner or later.