by Sascha Segan, pcmagHere's a great idea, and one you may have had: the shape-shifting computer. It's a little box, the size of a pack of cigarettes, or maybe it looks just like an iPhone. Maybe it is an iPhone. Pop it into a big screen and keyboard, and pow, you have a netbook. Slide it out, and you've got a smart phone. Attach a slim, stylish handset with Bluetooth, and you have a fashion-oriented voice phone.
Why hasn't this happened yet? I'm asking because several people have recently asked me why they can't netbook-ize their smart phones, which nowadays have fast processors and gigabytes of storage. I'm not talking about "smartbooks," which are just netbooks running ARM processors. I'm talking about true shape-shifters where you can bring along a full keyboard and big screen, or not, as you choose.
It looks like over the past decade, the industry has gone backwards on this issue. There hasn't been a new Bluetooth keyboard for smartphones since 2006. Phones with video-out ports for large displays come and go without much notice. I'd love to write articles using one of my smart phones the same way I did on a Palm III in 1999, but the Palm III had better keyboard options.
Three companies have recently attempted to make smartphones convertible. Celio has had the most success with its REDFLY, a brainless $199 laptop that you connect to a Windows Mobile phone. It works, but without music or video support, and it's clunky. I-Mate showed me an elegant handheld back in February that slots into a laptop-style body, but I haven't heard from the company since. Modu has been showing off little CPU units that fit into various interchangeable phone bodies for two years now; they're rumored to be launching soon, but only in Israel.
So why can't smartphones give netbooks a run for their money? Let's take processing power off the table, as that won't be an issue within a year or so. Here are some ideas.
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