You're not alone if you've been having a hard time figuring out how the Noahpad's touchpad/keyboard works. Luckily the folks at Ultra Mobile Life put together a little video from the CES floor showing all the details and quirks.

I'm a bit turned off that there's no way to use the mouse and keyboard functions at the same time. You essentially have to hit a button to activate mouse mode every time you want to move the cursor and then hit the button again to start typing. I also think divided keypad will work well for thumb typers, but if you want to touch type it looks kind of disastrous. I can type just about as quickly on my Eee PC as I can with a full sized laptop, but I doubt I could do the same with a Noahpad.

The virtual on-screen keyboard that pops up when the keyboard is flipped around into tablet mode is interesting, but I imagine it'll take a while to get used to typing backwards. And since the keypad is virtual, you won't have the tactile feedback you get with a regular keyboard.

And finally, I'm still confused after watching this video about the screen resolution. He says 1024, but I kind of get the impression that what he means is you'll be able to view windows that take up 1024 x 768 pixels by sliding them around a standard 800 x 480 pixel screen.

[via jkOnTheRun]

So last week we got a first glimpse at a new Eee PC competitor called the Noahpad, but very few details about the actual device. Well, now the Noahpad web site is up and running, and the company behind the tiny computer is sending out press releases and planning to show off the device at CES. And I have to say I'm both impressed and baffled.

On the one hand, the Noahpad looks pretty slick. It's got a 7-inch display like the Eee PC, but you can fold the PC up and use it in tablet mode, which is something you cannot do with the Eee PC. While the display is not a touchscreen, you can still use the device with the keyboard folded under, because the Noahpad doesn't have a regular keyboard. Instead, it combines a keyboard and touchpad, which means you can either type on virtual keys or drag your finger across the touchpad to move your cursor.

The device also tries to make the most of its 7 inch screen by letting you move large windows around on the screen. The web site is a bit unclear in this point, but I believe what this means is that the Noahpad has a standard 800 x 480 pixel display, but can virtually display 1024 x 768 pixel windows by letting you focus on different areas of the screen. This would be similar to the way the Eee PC operates under Windows XP, except the Eee PC utility only lets you display 800 x 600 pixels.

The web page also touts the fact that you'll get extra long battery life if you use an external battery. But curiously absent is any information about the internal battery. There's no word on pricing yet, but according to the press release, the Noahpad will be competitive with the Eee PC.

OK, so far, aside from the weird keyboard and lack of details about the OS, battery life, storage, RAM, or processor, it sounds awesome right? Sure, why not. But then the web site gets all crazy with offbeat suggested uses for the Noahpad:

No, seriously. They supply a shoulder strap for taking your Noahpad on the go. Or they recommend folding it over and putting it on a hanger to avoid getting wet if you use it in the kitchen.





Somehow I'm a bit skeptical that these things are ever actually going to see the light of day. But I'll definitely be looking forward to any hands on reviews people post if they can find a prototype at CES.





[via Engadget]

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• How the Noahpad keyboard works - Video