PDA Buyer's Guide reviews (http://www.pdabuyersguide.com/notebooks/sony_vaio_U50.htm) the Sony VAIO U50/U70, the hybrid PC/PDA that has beaten both the FlipStart and OQO to market.

They like the fact that it has a touch screen that works with any PDA stylus, is incredibly small and portable yet runs Windows XP, has VGA, USB 2.0, Firewire ports, wired Ethernet (802.11g), a Memory Stick slot, and a CF slot.

They don't like the price. $2199 (U50) and $2699 (U70).

Only one question: Why should it be necessary or any beneficial for a small device such as the U50/U70 to run Windows XP? Long-boot times are not very convenient for an "on-the-go" device like this one...

Only one question: Why should it be necessary or any beneficial for a small device such as the U50/U70 to run Windows XP? Long-boot times are not very convenient for an "on-the-go" device like this one...

I completely agree with this point. It's something I've been wondering for a while. Surely there is a better option than a full install of XP. Perhaps MS could at least chop it down.

What are they calling these types of devices now? Do they have a name?

I completely agree with this point. It's something I've been wondering for a while. Surely there is a better option than a full install of XP. Perhaps MS could at least chop it down.

What are they calling these types of devices now? Do they have a name?

To run in some open doors, I'd rather take aqua or even *nix on such a device, than buggy windoze. Depending on what kind of ports and jacks it has, it is at least a full computer in a hard to beat size.
With Nokia anouncing their latest Series 90 Phone to handle DVB-H streams, I would recommend to wait another two years and look what's comming. The industry seams to have recognized what brings us closer to Star Trek-life. ;)

Is it really a full install of XP though? I seem to recall that, at least for the OQO, they had a slimmed down version of the OS.

And yea, that price point is out of control right now... unless you have a rich benefactor or the boss paying for it.

I wonder if this will be a typical Sony device. I always had my quarrels to keep those things running, after the warranty was over and now with winxp on it... uhhhh :(