The Price of Mobility7 July 2002 No matter how you look at it, mobility in computing comes at a price. Is it worth it? I got an interesting questing last week. A reader who recently bought a Jornada for writing (among other uses) asked why a mobile writer would buy a PDA at all. Why not just go with a laptop? To me, it all comes down to mobility. My Jornada 565, with or without a thumbboard or Stowaway as appropriate, goes with me everywhere I go. I've taken it to hockey games, amusement parks, parties, on my bike. I'm typing this sentence on my thumbboard in a local McDonald's. Slipping quickly and easily into the pockets of my cargo shorts or khakis, my Jornada gives me the ability to write and store my work digitally in places even the smallest, lightest laptop would fear to tread. But mobility comes at a price. When I'm out of the office, I very much live the "mobile lifestyle." My only phone is a cell phone, and it and my Jornada at minimum are on me at all times. The world is my office. I pay dearly for this mobility. Even though I have a flat-rate cell plan-- minutes? We don't need no stinkin' minutes-- it costs more per month than a land-line phone with the same options. My Jornada costs as much as a low-end, yet much more powerful, desktop PC, and by the time you add the price of the Stowaway, thumbboard and my big honking stylus, you're talking entry-level laptop range. I normally carry $950 worth of electronic gear with me just walking around for the day. (If you live in Denver, please don't mug me.) Is this going too far? Why bother? Mobility isn't just about doing things you'd normally do at your desk while away from your desk (although that's certainly a part of it). It's more about doing things in new ways, things you might not be able to do at all in the wired world. And with those new capabilities come new price tags. Let me give you an example. On a wired PC, instant messaging is largely free. The messenger apps are free downloads, the networks provide free sign-ups and the network bandwidth cost is negligible (although in some offices, the employee productivity cost can be quite high, but we won't go there). This instant communication is largely taken for granted because it's quick, easy and cheap. But it has a downside. You can only send and respond to messages while you're seated at you desk, looking at your PC. With today's increasingly mobile workforce, if you're in a meeting, at a client's office or stuck in traffic, a desk-bound messaging client doesn't do you any good. Now compare that to SMS messaging on a cell phone. The messages are real-time-- unlike email-- and they're as mobile and accessible as your cell phone itself. You're no longer tied to you desk, but messages cost a dime or so a piece to send. Is it worth the cost? Millions of SMS users seem to think so. Now let's take a closer look at the pricing of palmtops, laptops and desktops, and see if palmtops are really overpriced compared to the alternatives. We're used to thinking of the value of a computer system as being a function of what it can do: processing speed, storage capacity, screen size, etc. When all computers were desk-bound, this made sense. Now I'd like to suggest Kirvin's Law of Mobile Value. (Capability + Mobility) ÷ Price = Value Capability is a function of what the machine can do, to include CPU performance, RAM, storage, video and more. Mobility is a function of where it can go, and for how long. Size and battery life are the most important mobility considerations. Let's suggest a hypothetical scenario in which the capability and mobility of a system are rated on a scale from 1 to 100. A desktop system, including monitor, costs $650. A Pocket PC and Stowaway combo also costs $650. Which is the better value? Conventional wisdom would say the desktop, no question. After all, it can run Windows XP, the full version of MS Office, play Unreal Tournament, etc. But it can't do any of those things if you aren't at your desk. Let's say the desktop ranks a 100 in capability, but only a 10 in mobility. It's value would be 0.169, or 110 ÷ 650. The Pocket PC, on the other hand, would rank a 90 in mobility (100 for the Toshiba e310, maybe a 80 for a brick-like sleeved iPAQ) and 35, maybe 40 for capability. It's value would be 0.192, a bit higher than the desktop. It can't do as much as the desktop, but what it can do it can do anywhere. To revisit my reader's question, a laptop would probably come in with a 60 in mobility and also a 60 in capability, but at a higher price. A laptop that light and that capable would run about $1,600, making its value factor a paltry 0.075, far lower than the desktop or palmtop, since you get less "bang for your buck." Is mobility really worth the extra cost? If you look at the big picture, mobility pays for itself if you need it. If I could have only one computer, I'd rather have a Pocket PC than a laptop or desktop, because it's more useful to me. A graphic artist that needs a large screen and Photoshop would probably choose differently (although it's amazing what people can accomplish with Pocket PC apps like Pocket Artist and Photogenics). Given that this is column for writers, I'd say mobility is a premium, and that palmtops are the best friend of a 21st century writer. Of course, not all palmtops are created equal. Stay tuned to see what would make a palmtop digital nirvana for a mobile writer. Jeff Kirvin
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