5 ms·

Product Review: Siemens' SIMpad SL4 (2003)

17 points by guylhem 14y ago

denzil_correa 14y ago
An iPad - seriously?
headShrinker 14y ago
There seems to be a misunderstanding. When you say iPad you mean a device that looks like a portable EKG from 1996. When I say iPad I mean that device that looks like the tablet "Data" is holding in Star Trek.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- makmanalp 14y ago
  I daresay the power/space ratio of computers increased dramatically from 2000 to 2010 (ipad release), allowing much more elegant designs, not to mention the absolute transformation of computers from a moderately expensive specialty tool with side uses to most definitely being a common household appliance worthy of design. For comparison, here's apple's powerbook g3 from the same era: https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=powerbook+g3&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=K5yWUO7eNIrKrAf444GQCg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1094&bih=685 https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=powerbook+g3&hl=en... (herp derp I R dell computer!) Or how about the disgusting early powerbook g4s? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:15-inch-titanium-powerbook.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:15-inch-titanium-powerbook... Looks just as tacky as apple imitators today. I'm always surprised by the lack of humbleness that apple fanatics display, forgetting apple's own history.
  - guylhem 14y ago
    Indeed, the technical progress allowed a finer device, but besides the thinness (and therefore the weight) it was as similar as possible to an iPad with the constraints of the day.
iuguy 14y ago
I don't understand why this article is on the front page given the headline. This was as much an iPad as a Commodore 64 is a zBox 4 supercomputer. The SIMpad 4 (referenced in the article) was invented by Keith and Koep of Siemens AG, not Microsoft and ran WinCE 3.0 and WinCE 4.0, but could run Linux. It was designed as a portable Internet browser, not as a media consumption device (the StrongARM processor used was the same as that used in the early iPaqs that I used to work on with Familiar Linux and wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to do things like hardcore media playing beyond MP3s and low-res Mpegs). Incidentally, as someone that used OPIE I can tell you it was a sack of the proverbial and nowhere near the experience of the iPad. It was very much experimental in terms of user paradigms that didn't always work and certainly weren't suitable for normal non-techie users. To be fair, much of the same charges could've been made against the appropriately named WinCE at the time.
- edtechdev 14y ago
  I agree, an 11 year old device with 32 MB RAM is nowhere near the experience of the iPad, IMHO
  - guylhem 14y ago
    You have to remember the constraints of the time - just like an early mac offered a windows (as in WIMP) experience compared to the prevalent DOS
    - johncoltrane 14y ago
      The saying goes that the iPad was on the map since a long time but serious work on it kept being pushed back specifically because of hardware limitations. Some go as far as considering the iPhone as a byproduct of the R&D put into the future iPad. I think that it makes quite some sense.
jakejake 14y ago
Microsoft and Apple and many other companies were designing "iPad like" products even in the 90's. The iPad didn't just fall out of the sky as a totally new product. But it did have a bunch of subtle improvements that make it easy to use.
- craigvn 14y ago
  Correct. Tablet computers were nothing new when the iPad was released just as smart phones were nothing new when the iPhone was released. Apple just has the knack of getting them right for consumer adoption.
revelation 14y ago
Siemens is known to the public mostly for the cellular phones it builds Siemens is known to the public for (once upon a time) powering everything from consumer hardware, marine current turbines, to Irans nuclear program. The company is massive. They probably built this more for themselves than anyone else.
guyzero 14y ago
There were windows slates available in the same time period, like the Compaq TC1100. iPad -like in the overall form factor but very far off in terms of price, weight and simplicity.
guylhem 14y ago
I see many comments wondering how this can be compared to an iPad. Given the technology of the time - yes it was as close as possible to an iPad. Microsoft made the OS (a windows CE with minor tweaks) and Siemens made the hardware. A ARM powered tablet, with wireless (DECT), oriented toward consumption of internet content, without any user replaceable part besides a PCMCIA port. It was impressive in 2001 - and still good enough in 2003 to get many followers when it was EOL'ed.

17 points by guylhem 14y ago

An iPad - seriously?

There seems to be a misunderstanding. When you say iPad you mean a device that looks like a portable EKG from 1996. When I say iPad I mean that device that looks like the tablet "Data" is holding in Star Trek.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
makmanalp 14y ago
I daresay the power/space ratio of computers increased dramatically from 2000 to 2010 (ipad release), allowing much more elegant designs, not to mention the absolute transformation of computers from a moderately expensive specialty tool with side uses to most definitely being a common household appliance worthy of design. For comparison, here's apple's powerbook g3 from the same era: https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=powerbook+g3&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=K5yWUO7eNIrKrAf444GQCg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1094&bih=685 https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=powerbook+g3&hl=en... (herp derp I R dell computer!) Or how about the disgusting early powerbook g4s? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:15-inch-titanium-powerbook.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:15-inch-titanium-powerbook... Looks just as tacky as apple imitators today. I'm always surprised by the lack of humbleness that apple fanatics display, forgetting apple's own history.
- guylhem 14y ago
  Indeed, the technical progress allowed a finer device, but besides the thinness (and therefore the weight) it was as similar as possible to an iPad with the constraints of the day.

iuguy 14y ago

I don't understand why this article is on the front page given the headline. This was as much an iPad as a Commodore 64 is a zBox 4 supercomputer. The SIMpad 4 (referenced in the article) was invented by Keith and Koep of Siemens AG, not Microsoft and ran WinCE 3.0 and WinCE 4.0, but could run Linux. It was designed as a portable Internet browser, not as a media consumption device (the StrongARM processor used was the same as that used in the early iPaqs that I used to work on with Familiar Linux and wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to do things like hardcore media playing beyond MP3s and low-res Mpegs). Incidentally, as someone that used OPIE I can tell you it was a sack of the proverbial and nowhere near the experience of the iPad. It was very much experimental in terms of user paradigms that didn't always work and certainly weren't suitable for normal non-techie users. To be fair, much of the same charges could've been made against the appropriately named WinCE at the time.

edtechdev 14y ago
I agree, an 11 year old device with 32 MB RAM is nowhere near the experience of the iPad, IMHO
- guylhem 14y ago
  You have to remember the constraints of the time - just like an early mac offered a windows (as in WIMP) experience compared to the prevalent DOS
  - johncoltrane 14y ago
    The saying goes that the iPad was on the map since a long time but serious work on it kept being pushed back specifically because of hardware limitations. Some go as far as considering the iPhone as a byproduct of the R&D put into the future iPad. I think that it makes quite some sense.

jakejake 14y ago

Microsoft and Apple and many other companies were designing "iPad like" products even in the 90's. The iPad didn't just fall out of the sky as a totally new product. But it did have a bunch of subtle improvements that make it easy to use.

craigvn 14y ago
Correct. Tablet computers were nothing new when the iPad was released just as smart phones were nothing new when the iPhone was released. Apple just has the knack of getting them right for consumer adoption.

revelation 14y ago

Siemens is known to the public mostly for the cellular phones it builds Siemens is known to the public for (once upon a time) powering everything from consumer hardware, marine current turbines, to Irans nuclear program. The company is massive. They probably built this more for themselves than anyone else.

guyzero 14y ago

There were windows slates available in the same time period, like the Compaq TC1100. iPad -like in the overall form factor but very far off in terms of price, weight and simplicity.

guylhem 14y ago

I see many comments wondering how this can be compared to an iPad. Given the technology of the time - yes it was as close as possible to an iPad. Microsoft made the OS (a windows CE with minor tweaks) and Siemens made the hardware. A ARM powered tablet, with wireless (DECT), oriented toward consumption of internet content, without any user replaceable part besides a PCMCIA port. It was impressive in 2001 - and still good enough in 2003 to get many followers when it was EOL'ed.