It's been an interesting day on the interwebs for ways to experience computing in an every day setting.

First Microsoft officially announced Surface Computing (which I can see being the beginning of something amazing), then Palm announced the Foleo which while it's an interesting idea inspired Wired to detail some very good alternatives that don't cost much more and put a heck of a lot more computing power in your hand.

In the last few days we've also seen a lot of talk about flexible displays and dynamic keyboards.

All in all it adds up to lots of gadgets, lots of creativity and hopefully a bright new computing future.

But it got me thinking... what would my ideal mobile computing solution be, and what's my next laptop going to look like.

The next laptop is probably easier to answer given it's not going to involve any paradigm shifting technology to deliver.

Currently I'm using a Sony Vaio SZ390P. It's the latest in a long line of laptops* that I've lugged around with me. It's not terrible but between Sonys inability to care and Vistas hardware related tantrums it's also far from perfect. Over the years though there have been some neat features that I wish could be combined into one unit that I could be happy with

• Good size/weight ratio. I think 15" is about right. 17" get's to be unusable on a plane, but 12" makes you squint.
• Performance. I don't want to care who makes the chip, or how it's rated, or how many gigabytes of RAM it has. I just want it to work so the operating system and apps are as near to invisible in my perception as possible.
• Battery life. It's a laptop. I should be able to use it on the go, all day (real all day) without having to stop services, shut things down and panic because I didn't bring a whole life support systems of cables and chargers.
• Storage. Give me a big enough hard drive. Doesn't need to be terrabytes (ideally by the time I get this someone will have worked out a decent sync/replication solution so I can use the network at work and home and in the cloud as a virtual hard drive)
• Removable Media. Support lots of them. 95% of the time I don't need to carry around the DVD player but make sure I can boot from flash drives or attach to a DVD drive on the network to install software. I don't know if my next camera will use SD, xD, miniSD, microSD, MemoryStick, MemoryStickDuo, CF (type I or II), something magic using an ExpressCard slot or whatever. Ideally the camera (and every other peripheral) will connect (and recharge) using a standard USB 2.0 mini cable so I won't care... but just in case make sure I can attach a reliable, quick memory reader (though if it's built in and I don't have to carry it around just in case I'll be happier)
• Decent keyboard. Real keys that move properly, and enough of them. Don't make me use obscure arcane Fn/Alt/Shift combos to do something obvious like Delete (Apple BootCamp - I'm looking at you now) and coupled with that a decent tracking device that's not too sensitive that the mouse jumps around all the time but that is responsible enough that when I want to move the mouse or click somewhere it works. If it can avoid giving me carpel tunnel syndrome at the same time (so I don't have to lug around a separate keyboard and mouse) that would be great. Ambient condition aware illumination for the keys would also be very welcome - makes it so much easier to use in a darkened room. A combination of the Apple solution with timeout and the Microsoft proximity sensor would be great.
  
• Media Keys. Play|Pause, Fwd/Rwd, Stop, Vol+/-, Mute, properly mapped so I can use them in Windows Media Player, iTunes, Songbird, Pandora or whatever I want. Reliably. Especially the volume ones. If I can use it as a Zune without having to power the whole machine up that's a real bonus. I really like the idea of the MacbookPro remote control but make sure I can slot it into the case and use it there (while it charges) and use it from across the room.
• Webcam with decent resolution, a driver that can cope with backlight and general poor ambient condition and for video calls ideally some face tracking software to at least try to keep me in frame so I don't have to bolt myself to my chair.
• Secure fingerprint reader and/or other biometrics (face recognition?) - something that IT will be happy to have used, not worried that someone with a jelly bean will be able to break.
• Plugs and connections. I'm usually WiFi connected so make sure it's reliable and works with the full alphabet soup of ABG and N, and Bluetooth 2.0. Of course, every now and then I'll need to connect to a wired ethernet so make sure I don't need a multitool to get the cover off (or back on). I also want decent outputs. VGA (d-sub), DVI, HDMI, S-Video/RCA. It might be mobile but that means I might want to watch a movie from my laptop on a hotel TV rather than squinting at the 15" screen... (referring back to media keys from above... in this scenario hopefully Joost or whatever media app I'm using will support the remote keypress because they're standard and published right...)
• Touchscreen. It's a personal thing but I like being able to reach out and touch some things. Going from my K-Jam to the PC seems retrograde because I can't push on-screen buttons! The problem with most TabletPCs now-a-days is that they're underpowered and overpriced compared to their clamshell cousins (and only the Origami class UMPC machines get to run the Origami experience which IMO is a real shame)
• An Operating System and driver stack that works. 100% reliably. No Blue Screen of Death because of a USB device being plugged in. No problems sleeping, suspending or hibernating - it should be instant and invisible to the user. Vista is really good (ironically the best sleep performance I've seen is on a MacbookPro) and almost at the OSX level of never having to care (and Vista does give me a bit more control). Docking and undocking (I like docking stations. not having to plug/unplug a dozen cables every time I sit down is great) should be totally seamless so I can shut the lid and undock as safely as pressing the undock button, waiting while it does some magic then selecting sleep from a menu. Require no more thought than my phone.
• Indestructible. It doesn't need to survive an explosion but the day to day knocks and drops and spills that a laptop living with someone who's in and out of TSA queues at airports, works in cafes, has a dog and daughter running around at home...
• No flashing lights. When I'm not using the machine I want all the lights to go out. Keyboard, Mouse, Power, whatever. If I'm in a hotel room and can't sleep because the thing keeps winking at me and lighting up the room I'm going to take a roll of duct tape to it. If you're going to have a glowing logo (Apple) or internal lighting (Dell XPS) let me change the color and brightness (including an off option) through a simple software app. The former stops me annoying people, the latter to save some battery ergs.
  

It's a fairly long list but pretty much all these things exist today. It's just getting the combination right that seems to be the challenge. My T27GP had great media keys, the Macs have perfect power management, the Thinkpads were robust. Mac and Asus (and others) have media remotes, there are plenty of docking station solutions... I just want someone to line the pieces up and then work on making sure all their Vista drivers are rock solid.

Then I've just got to work on finding the seamless LAN/Cloud storage solution that's smart enough to make sure I've got what I want where I want when I need it.

Oh, and my perfect mobile solution... pretty much as above but ideally in a smaller form factor for managing email and reading on the bus, but unfolds/unfurls to do real work in a cafe and docks at home/office to a smart base station that gives me all the computing power and screen real-estate I can ask for. Ideally paired with a minimalist clamshell phone handset (and an elegant SPOT watch) working in perfect harmony to give me simple voice calling and messaging everywhere I go.

Vaio SZ390P, 15" and 17" MacBookPros (sadly loaners, gone back to their owner), Vaio T27GP (Still using), 12" RevA Powerbook (on my daughters desk), Vaio C1MT (PictureBook, still using), Compaq E500, Compaq Presario, IBM ThinkPad (about 3 of those), IBM P75 and P70, Toshiba T6400

Well, after an initial good start my iPhone had to go back. It was a good enough phone and most of the time was adequate. But the reliance on the PC was a real problem - if the machine went to sleep or someone else was playing a game then the phone became useless. I suspect a lot of the problems are down to the machine that was used as the host being a multi profile box so someone other than the skype user could be in control.

I did like the charging cradle and volume of the Linksys iPhone though, as well as the fact that managing quality of service (QoS) was as simple as with the standard Skype app.

So on to the next device. A Belkin Skype WiFi phone. This looks and feels like a slightly lighter version of the old Sony T610 and is totally self contained - unlike the iPhone there's no charging cradle (shame as you have to leave it tethered to the USB charger), and no USB dongle to connect back to the PC because it talks directly to your WiFi router.

The quality on this phone has been pretty good, but there are a number of issues - and I'm not sure if they're because we have a Linksys WRT54Gv6 router or if the phone itself just isn't that clever.

Initial setup is rather hard, and they really should include a wizard to help the process. For a start I use MAC filtering on my WiFi router and the only way to find the MAC address for the unit is to connect and then query the settings (Update: I did find it printed under the battery) but the process of entering my WPA2 network key and configuring it for a fixed IP address (so I could tweak QoS) is all a bit tricky on the keypad.

QoS setup was a pain. For some reason it refers to the port it's using as "Skype Port 1" - no indication of what real port it's using so setting up port forwarding or assigning QoS to a port is rather difficult. I picked the same port that Skype had been using on the PC and it seems to work - not sure if it helped though.

The big bug with this phone is that it sometimes falls of the WiFi network for no apparent reason, and then fails to reconnect properly (I've often touched a key to wake it up only to see it saying "Unable to connect to internet on XXXXX" - but clicking proceed and it re-establishes the connection just fine). It means missed calls and frustration in the house.

There are one or two other little niggles:

• The ring tone volume. It's too darn quiet. If the TV is on then forget about hearing it if it's in the kitchen. In-call the volume is okay though.
• I miss the cradle for charging (having to plug in stops it feeling like a "house" phone) - there are two metal bars along the bottom that look like they could be used for charging so maybe there's one in the works
• I'd also love a handsfree/speakerphone mode for those long conference calls.
• It would be nice if the firmware checked itself for the latest version as well as the Skype client version (a "latest version" check said it was up-to-date, but it was running old firmware)

Hopefully, thanks to the fine folks at CruchGear my next experiment in the world of Skype as a home-phone will be more positive. I just won a give-away that means I'll be trying out the SMC Skype phone (looks very similar to the Belkin unit) that comes with it's own FON router... hopefully a more reliable pairing... will know when the package arrives

One thing that bugs me using mobile WiFi hotspots is having to go to the providers initial webpage and enter my details before I can use the service.

On the laptop it's a pain (especially if you close it down while you have a cup of coffee and have to log back in again) but when I'm using my K-Jam it's really annoying as you have to fiddle about with the browser, tap in a username and password and hope that their javascript works right on the phone browser ... just to check email.

It's even funnier in Tullys where all you have to do is agree to the terms and conditions, but have to do it before you can proceed (but it's worth it for the Yerba Mate!)

But my frustration is now ended thanks to Devicescape.

All you have to do is set up your profile on their site and download their app to your PC or device (works for me fine on both Vista and my K-Jam) and then when you encounter a defined hotspot as if by magic it does all the login nonsense for you and you're up and running without having to think about it.

I've only been using it for a couple of weeks, but I was in the UK last week and used a hotspot that I'd not defined (annoyingly it was the UK branded T-mobile who don't seem to roam well with their US compatriots) and I found it quite frustrating to reconnect my phone there.

Places that charge by the hour and give you a code you have to enter to enable access (and keep a "ping" window open to confirm connection) are still a nuisance but as the roaming across hotspots improves I'm hoping one day to be able to go anywhere in the world and not have to think about connecting but just enjoy ubiquitous connectivity with services like Devicescape performing magic in the background.

After reading a bit about the iPhone in the press recently I decided to give one a try. I made a couple of calls  and on Friday night hopped in the car to go and pick one up.

As I'm not into geek box porn I was more interested in getting my hands on the toy, getting it charged (yup, it doesn't ship with a charged battery so 14 hours of toe tapping while you wait for it to juice up) and making my first call.

Saturday morning I grabbed my trusty Windows Mobile K-Jam tapped out the digits and.... success, the iPhone was ringing.

Initially I wasn't that impressed with call quality - there seemed to be a bit of a delay and voice was clipped but after a few seconds it seemed to settle on the network and, while not perfect, wasn't too much of a problem.

The handset feels quite flimsy compared to the K-Jam or the RAZR but very similar to the usual DECT home phones - we'll have to see how well it survives it's first drop!

My only other grip is dialing out requires me to enter the country code and area code, so even when calling locally I have to prefix it with +1 425 which is a bit annoying, and the Skype contacts are not immediately visible unless you copy them to the local contacts list. I know it's only one extra click but seeing as most of the time this is going to be used with Skype it would make sense to make it easier.

Yes, use it with Skype. You look confused. This is the iPhone I'm talking about. No, not the over hyped offering from Apple but the Linksys VoIP iPhone :)

While I'm keen to see the new marvel from Cupertino at home we're trying a pure VoIP solution to see if it's practical and usable, and so far it seems to be. With SkypeIn we have numbers both in the 425 area code and one for folks back in Australia. With SkypeOut we can call anywhere in the world for 2.1c/min and Skype Unlimited gives us unlimited outgoing calls here in the US.

So far it has been fairly trouble free. There are some options you should look at to involve quality of service (QoS) on your network (if possible increase the QoS for the Skype port - randomly assigned when you installed Skype, and set port forwarding to direct Skype TCP and UDP traffic on that port to the specific machine where Skype is installed).

Our Skype PC is connected via WiFi and the DECT handset allows roaming so the experience is pretty good. Of course (just like the cable VoIP offering that costs significantly more) we won't have 9-1-1 coverage but with mobiles I think we're reasonably secure.

I'd like to see the Skype integration become more seamless, and the need to dial the +1 for local calls go away but so far the process has proved to be fairly reliable and painless.

The only major improvement I'd like to see would be one handset that can connect to both Skype and Windows Live Messenger and let me use my preferred VoIP service or talk to users on either service seamlessly

One of the reasons that the Palm PDA was so successful was that 3com (the original developers) actively encouraged an ecosystem of hobbyist and professional developers (one man bands to multinationals) to develop software (and hardware add-ons) for their platform.

Years later part of the reason for the iPods ubiquity is the sheer number of add-ons to connect it to just about everything from your home stereo, your car or your jacket. Sadly they've rather tarnished that with their iPod Tax though in their defense it has added a level of comfort to buying an accessory.

Roll forward a couple more years and Skype are doing just the same in order to help differentiate themselves from the rest of the VoIP pack.

By making an API available to partners, certifying hardware to work with the platform and encouraging retailers to leverage (and promote) their brand they have created an ecosystem around their platform that gives them an advantage that most of the other VoIP players (be the Vonage or GizmoProject) can't compete with (and it helps to offset their slow but eventual move from a free play by giving value add to their users).

Skype can also leverage the reach of both eBay (it's parent) and PayPal (a sibling in the corporate family) to both enhance its own offering but also provide a wider platform for the developers building on top of the ecosystem.

There have been a number of simple add-ons and extras (akin to the desktop Gadgets for Vista and Messenger) but recently more significant products that couldn't cost effectively exist without the Skype infrastructure are starting to appear.

One of the more interesting of these is an on-line voice to voice (or face-to-face if both parties have video) ad hoc consulting system called BitWine.

BitWine allows anyone to register as an advisor - all you need is some free time, a Skype connection and (to be successful) some knowledge of your chosen subject. Once registered clients can visit the site, browse the catalogue and make an appointment for some help. The user pays for the time they've been helped at an agreed rate (If the service is great then you can leave a tip. If it was lousy you can dispute the charge) and then both the client and the advisor leave each other feedback just like on eBay to help maintain a reputation.

Over time as BitWine grows there will probably be some operational hiccups - time wasters and inept advisors but I think as they grow and the ratings start to kick in with some real depth of experience it will be a self policing model.

Sure, BitWine could have existed without Skype and PayPal but without the directory, without the escrow payment system, without the ratings and without the common communications platform it would have been much harder for people to find help.

Looking forward I can't see this solution being limited only to Skype. Windows Live Messenger (WLM) features a plug-in architecture, voice and video calling and a huge established user base (and Yahoo!, AOL and Google have similar propositions)... If they are smart BitWine will evolve their platform out to other transports before someone else takes the idea and opens it up.

Of course in an ideal world Skype, WLM and other IM/VoIP solutions will become interoperable and we could have one app that sits cross platform.... so for now the winners will be the providers who can deliver a thriving ecosystem around their core offerings