[cdotrun]

I/O: Keyboard, touchpad and display becomes multitouch display with tactile feedback. For old-fashioned typists a plastic add-on to typing area will do. Wireless connectivity to additional multitouch interfaces.
Storage: SSD for offline cache, once connected, automatic sync+remote access with storage at home & office. Replacing "C:/D:/..." with library!
OS: Kernel on a chip, kinda like BIOS+CMOS, a specialized CPU by itself, instant on. Everything else: the UI (taskbar/finder), themes, apps are customizable.
CPU: Variable speed, Multicore but does not have to be sqeezed into one central chip, need one for graphics, one for sound, one for data access, one for networking, one for I/O.
Apps: "Entity (Household/Organization) licensed". Run on home/office server side, kinda like Adobe AIR. Client side app powerful enought for essential functions if offline.
Power: Wired for quick charge, Wireless for portability. Display gets its own battery and power management, better!
Networking: Wire for high speed, wireless for portability, smarter protocol for security and seamless switching. Bridged for sharing.

Peripherals: Wireless, high speed for storage, low speed for other I/O, carry their own drivers! (Edit: no more separate CDs with drivers and optional bloatwares, just an embedded flashdrive with cross-platform driver, plus a URL to optional downloads)
Others: GPS, RFID.

[xtremeflyr]

Do not forget, the Ultimate Ultra-Portable Laptop needs to have life ever after, meaning a long laasting battery.

BTW, speaking of Windows 7, when can I expect "Gates One" to arrive? Another year after the deployment of "Windows 7"????

[nepper]

I agree with the comment about having a desktop and a laptop - seems weight would go up substantially with two monitors. Having said that, one thing that I'd like to see built in to a laptop is a projector! Probably not feasible yet, but one of the main reasons people in business haul laptops around is to give presentations, and that means carrying a projector around with you too, or asking the client to arrange one.
We're still a ways away from that given the heat that projectors throw off (and power draw - but plugging the laptop into ac for a presentation isn't a show stopper)- how about an LED laser array and lens built in?

[cdotrun]

How about making laptop components truly user customizable-- monitor, display adapter, mainboard, even the case itself included, just like a bare-bones desktop.

[otorpogo]

1. GENERIC POWER!
The Achilles heel of laptops is the proprietary portable power supply. This wasn't always the case. The classic Tandy 100 let you use AA cells. Later there were 386 laptops that allowed the use of "D" cells. But for the past 10 years or so, if your battery is dead, you'll be hunting for an expensive and possibly elusive replacement
2. Expandability/ upgradability, especially for CPU, video, and RAM.
3. DVD-RAM read/write support should be included in any ultimate laptop burner.
4. pen tablet support. I don't know whether "touchscreen" provides sufficient resolution for handwritten text, especially for Asian characters. If not, it should be provided in a special pen tablet on the keyboard.

[rcprimak]

Regarding "Generic Power!" comment : I could not agree more! This is why I chose my Winbook laptop (through the MicroCenter). It has very few proprietary drivers, very generic hardware, and the battery can be readily replaced with an off-the-shelf unit. As for the power supply, if that means the adapter, these are becoming more standardized every year. But with standards comes the temptation for vendors not to include the AC power adapter in the pricing of the laptop itself. Sort of like getting a toy with "batteries not included", only about $100.00 more expensive!

[abner12]

i hope that this 'Ultimate Laptop' would not be too heavy or too bulky to carry around. It would be nice if it was something that we could fit into our pockets. Maybe it's skin could be replaced anytime we like it, be used to view satelite channels, it's hardware could be upgraded in such a way, or maybe it could be powered by solar energy. The design is nice, so as this is a replacement for a desktop i assume that it would cost around the same as desktops.

[dwholmes41]

Interesting choice of hardware options. I would add one more. I have a company laptop for my work and a second laptop for prersonal use. I have two "bent"-keyboards at home, and one at my office -- avoiding wrist pain from typing for a living. I would really like a bent keyboard option for laptops. There is obviously enough room on your laptop design for the wider bent-keyboard design. A bit of popup tilt would be nice too, when you open the display panel the keyboard could rise a bit in the center. All this for proper wrist alignment when you do lots of typing.

But my two real issues relate to Windows LOGON and Windows LOGOFF.

LOGON. I am the only person who uses my laptops. I can see, in the grand scheme of things, that a desktop machine might be shared by many people and Windows assists in such shared use with its multiple user signon stuff. BUT, laptops are more often carried around by one person and used here or there for a while. I want a Windows LOGON feature that assumes it is me and greets me with "Hi, Doug. Where are we this time? And which network profile should we use?" I could have the profiles set up for MY WORK OFFICE (WIRED), WRIELESS AT WORK, MY HOME OFFICE (WIRED), WIRELESS AT HOME, and some temporary ones for the hotel I am staying in when I travel, or a client's office where I am working for a day or two, etc. Windows would pull up the correct profile and continue the logon, or allow me to build a new one after things get going. We would be all ready to go by the time LOGON is complete. I am almost there with new software from IBM that allows me to specify one of several profiles I have prebuilt, but this application software cannot run until LOGON has completed, so it delays startup by several minutes.

My second wish is for LOGOFF. I like to work until it is time to do something else. If the something else involves LOGOFF so I can take my laptop on a trip somewhere or go to bed, the whole process of LOGOFF is very annoying. Many times, some application won't quit or some stupid service I don't even understand the need for cannot get the message we are leaving. Why does Windows torment us with these messages? Were they important to some MS developer when he was working on shutdown? I do not want to know nor do I care that SvcTray cannot decide what to do and will not quit [OK]. I ask that Windows write these quaint concerns to a log file someplace and dump whatever was not responding. I remember to shut down MS Outlook and close my open MS Office documents. When I log off the laptop, Windows should send a standard signal to every open application and service telling them it is over. If they quit, fine. If they are still there in a bit, I don't want a message telling me they are not responding. Just send the message to the log file and rip them out. Sometimes I have to hold down the power button to get rid of Windows so I can go to work or meet someone for a meal.



And third, stop rebooting my machine to install software upgrades. I am content to allow downloads to occur in the background, and I am willing to allow installs, one at a time, but if Windows needs to complete installation of one before it can begin the next one, tough. It should wait until I log off and back on, and do this next one in the background, etc. I did not buy my laptops to install software upgrades. I bought them to do real functions for me and to assist me with my work. I do not like having my laptop ripped away from me while I am trying to work on my issues because it has to reboot to continue installations. Nor do I like it taking an extra half hour to install a bunch of upgrades when I tell it to LOGOFF.



thanks,

Doug

[Dogbreath077]

The ultimate laptop will have a universal memory slot that recognizes all types of memory up to say DDR5, and make a slot for the video memory so that upgrades are a snap. No more integrated-locked in video memory size. Also, give it a huge BIOS memory size, and an auto backup and restore for the BIOS in case a flash fails. These features will let an owner keep their laptop current, enabling quick and economical upgrades.

[Infoman]

I would go with three screens-2 that fold out from the center like how a double door would and 1 under them that would fold out to the back.the thing is all of the screens would be of same size. The 2 left and right sceens would be hinged on the back side so you could ajust them to meet the back screen for a combined super wide screen or you could ajust just the perfect angle for emersive game play with front left and right view.also a built in wireless mouse and bay. The bay would double as a recharge station for the mouse.the mouse would be rather flat with finger grips on both sides.or you could hook in an aditional standard mouse.

[Infoman]

I would also use the Macbook air screens or wait till the new ones come that can bend. B-)

[Evildave]

How about a HANDLE? A nice, durable, well-made HANDLE? On the hinge side.

So it can be carried like a SLIM BRIEFCASE. Make a strap and D-rings for it so it can be slung over the shoulder like a messenger bag, too.

Needless to say, make it durable enoug not to need a bag. Let me bash it against the odd door jamb and drop it on the curb without it popping open and receiving damage. Shock absorption and 'armor'/shielding for sensitive things. A display BUILT to 'take it'. No thin glass in mercury-filled flourescent tubes, please!

Maybe even make it a little fatter and give it a compartment to put 'stuff', like paperwork in. Instead of buying a bag to put the thing in, make it big enough for me to stick things in it. Maybe even have an optional accordion/collapsible bag that securely attaches behind the monitor and opens at the top (and conveniently detaches to re-stow) so my computer can be my only 'carry on', yet not be too bulky when I use it. Make sure it conforms to every airline standard.

Make sure the internal storage can be removed and mounted by other computers. In other words, use an ESATA drive with its own water-proof enclosure. If the computer DOES get trashed, it should be SIMPLE to yank the storage and get at it with another computer. As a silly example, consider an airliner emergency landing/ditch like we saw a few weeks back. You're not allowed to take your things with you when you evacuate the plane. It would be NICE to be able to pop out the storage media when you stow things preparing for the emergency landing, and stuff it in a pocket. Include a safety pin on the drive to keep it from sliding out if you have to scramble. Another example is just pocketing the media or storing it in a hotel vault when you leave your hotel room. Just in case the security and integrity of your data is important to you.

Integrate an optional security key in the drive so the bulk of the computer is useless without the hard drive, so thieves can't hawk them intact with a new hard drive if they steal them, either. A noisy, piercing, kidnap alarm for moving the computer so they can't be inconspicuously carried away, when armed would be nice to integrate inside its guts, too.

While we're making it bigger, give it a 24" WUXGA display and a REAL $&*(@ keyboard with 'million stroke' keys, and a place to stuff a REAL mouse for when I have a table. What's so hard about taking a NORMAL keyboard layout, and sawing the numeric keypad off of it? That's all I have EVER wanted in a 'compact' keyboard design. Instead, as soon as they start 'designing' a keyboard for a portable, the clueless dimwit 'designers' start moving things around, making the 'Insert' key HUGE and sideways, etc. Yes, go ahead and shrink that top row of function keys, but the position and shape of EVERY OTHER key is sacred to people who touch type. Make the keyboard configurable so the curvy-type and people who are used to the other dumb, new layouts are happy, too. If some mutant idiot wants a keypad, let them buy one. Most of us have no use for the numeric keypad whatsoever and shouldn't be saddled with learning 'new layouts' for every portable we touch just so you can make room for the stupid thing.

Why should I perch a notebook on a 'stand' on my desk and plug a keyboard and mouse into it? When I open it up, all I should NEED to do is plug it into an outlet. The keyboard and mouse (and whatever other user interface components) should be 'good enough' for daily/continuous use, unlike most of the brittle, lightweight crap they make these things with. The built-in cooling should be more than adequate to handle continuous use on a hot day with no A/C.

Make the MAINBOARD, BATTERY and other peripherals, even the housing conform to a STANDARD, so I can REPLACE IT to UPGRADE and keep using the same system. REUSE is far better than RECYCLE. These things are damned expensive, and I'll want to continue using it for TEN YEARS. None of this wasteful, stupid 'planned obsolescence' that makes $4000 notebooks with big displays a gimpy, over-sized curiosity as the sacred march of code bloat continues for 'popular' OSs and commercial software. So commit to keeping the same thing 'upgradeable' for TEN YEARS.

[Infoman]

First of all We are thinking more Along The line of A _LAPTOP TAKING THE PLACE OF A DESKTOP!!! I would say mabe you could put your laptop in a big purse or something if thats what you want and you need extra room for chewing gum or whatever lol. Hell why not make one into a fold out chair lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You Could Also take that purse and store a docking station for my idea to power the 3 screens longer :^0

[learning5me]

You asked for ideas for The Ultimate Ultra-Portable Laptop. Today, I received Popular Mechanics latest issue that shows Lenoco ThinkPad 700ds with a Double Display. This extra displays slides out to the right. In the magazine, this on page 27, April 2009 issue. Cost from $3660.

[cdotrun]

This MashUp [Ultraportable|t-50483]is much closer to what most of us have in mind hardware-wise. But much much more closer if the ultraportable is a detachable part of your own virtual office, that is, an access point to your own documents, apps and personalizations when you are connected to the net. When offline would function as a proxy to your own "cloud" (the current cloud is not even close).

I think the next MashUp should be software. Firstly, data storage should no longer organized by machines, drives and directories, to each user, just a library of everything that they have access or shared, and contents from removable media would attach or detatch from the cloud like pieces of jigsaw puzzles. The lines between desktop and web applications will be blurred, your office suite for work will be hosted at your headquarters, your games or media players in your home's basement. Websites will become applications or "widgets" depending on whether you are running it on your desktop or your phone.

[rnojonson]

Laptops to replace desktops is very simple. Rip the LCD off a laptop, call the thing with the keyboard a desktop and BAM!, no more knee banging, toe stubbing desktop furniture. You could even make the LCD re-attachable if you got to have a portable. Let the modders have the PC tower case. Without the LCD attached you will reduce lots of passive neck cartilage injuries. Laptops and bifocals don't mesh well.
Adding all sorts of tech tingle only adds cost most can't deal with and requires special software that locks you into one companies product, (Oh, that's the Linux in me talking!)
You should be able to outfit the base unit for your level of use office/graphics/games because the first question should have been "what kind of desktop?", then machine for the masses or customized for me? Check out Cybernet Technologies ZPC-GX31, it's pretty close.

[WinTard]

For practical reasons, I would get either of (probably both) these two alternatives:

illegal content removed
http://www.dell.com/...=dhs&ref=homepg
Glossy 8.9 inch backlit LED display (1024X600) That's cool! That's Green! No fluorescent (mercury) cold-cathode fragile tube backlighting.
Width: 9.13" (232mm)
Height: 1.07" (27.2mm) front / 1.25" (31.7mm) back
Depth: 6.77" (172mm)
Weight: Starting weight of 2.28 lbs.

On the cool side for when I go on vacation in the Caribbean, so my kid has is gaming rig:

$2200-$0.01 http://www.newegg.co...&Tpk=asus%20w90

http://www.itechnews...media-notebook/
Asus presents at the CES 2009 the W90, which Asus called the Ultimate Multimedia Notebook. The Asus W90 is powered by Intel?s Core 2 Duo T9600/T9400/P8600/P8400 processor, Intel X38 + ICH10R Chipset, up to 6GB of RAM, up to dual 500GB hard drive.

The W90 is available with choices of graphic cards including

?ATI CrossFireX technology with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 graphics, GDDR3 1024MB VRAM (W90Vp)
?NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS, GDDR3 1024MB VRAM (W90Vn)
?ATI CrossFireX technology with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850 graphics, GDDR3 1024MB VRAM (W90V)
Other features include Blu-ray combo or DVD SuperMulti DL burner, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth, a 18.4-inch (W90Vp/W90Vn) or 17-inch (W90V) widescreen LCD display, a 2 Megapixel auto focus webcam, 2nd Dolby Home Theater audio.

Asus? W90 comes with a 8-in-1 card reader and an eSATA connector. It is equipped with the Turbo Gear function allowing users to overclock the system by up to 25%.

http://www.funponsel...w90-laptop.html
Asus presented W90 high-end multimedia laptop during CeBIT 2009 event. Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor, the notebook boasts an 18.4-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200, 16:9 aspect ratio, and support for full HD video playback; two crossfired 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4870 graphics engines, a 6GB of DDR800 main memory, Intel X38 and ICH10R chipsets, 1TB of SATA HDD (2 x 500GB), Blu-ray burner, an integrated 2.0 megapixel AutoFocus webcam, a 5.1-channel Altec Lansing stereo speakers, and Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium (64 bit) operating system. It measures 44.3 x 32.8 x 6.3 cm and weighs 5.7kg (including 12-cell battery).

According to the company, Asus W90 is the world?s first laptop that comes with three memory slots (SO-DIMM) architecture. The company also claims that this notebook has the world?s best graphics perfomance (15,000 3D Mark06?s score). Sounds like an excellent multimedia powerhouse?

http://devoracles.co...k-on-the-planet
Asus manufactures the fastest notebook on the planet
by Gary Illyes

Cebit 2009 ? The Asus W90 notebook, entitled by Asus ?The Ultimate Multimedia Notebook?, achieved broking the 3dmark world record in notebook category, by achieving 20284 3dMark points.

And although discontinued, an associate of mine has one of those. Very nice indeed!
The Dell XPS M2010
>
http://www.notebookr...asp?newsID=3735




Nice handle! Full size wireless bluetooth detachable keyboard and wireless bluetooth mouse. Also a 'superdrive' slot Blu-Ray DVD burner...
http://www.dell.com/...s=22&l=en&s=dfh

And finally, thin is in. The all-aluminum Dell Adamo.
>
http://www.dell.com/...=dhs&redirect=1

PS: Why do our kids get the better stuff?

~~~~~~~~~~
The shoe maker wears the worst shoes...