The Mobile Computing Program is soliciting student input in selecting a vendor for the next three years. In response to RPI’s request for proposals, several companies are making on-campus hour long presentations of their technology and then exhibiting their laptops next Wednesday in the Great Hall for students to try out.
According to Director of Academic and Research Computing Sharon Roy, the program requested proposals from companies because the five year contract with IBM has expired.
Roy said, “We’ve been very happy with IBM. They’ve been very good partners.” She pointed out that during the five years of the program, more than 95 percent of the freshmen class has opted to buy the laptop selected by RPI.
IBM, HP, and Toshiba have already made their presentations. This Friday, Apple will be presenting from 10 am to 11 am and Dell will present from 1 pm to 2 pm. Roy stated that attendance has not been overwhelming, but that’s understandable as the presentations have been during class days. The presentations are being held in CII room 4050.
Next Wednesday, students will be able to try out laptops from the companies in the Great Hall from 4 pm until 7 pm. Faculty are invited to try out the laptops in VCC 301 from 10 am until 2 pm. While the laptops that will be displayed are not the actual model that could be selected in the fall, they are representative of the technology that the companies offer.
According to Myra Williams, manager of the mobile computing program, input from students “is just starting to trickle in.” The time and location for the exhibition next week was selected based on input, but they would like to get much more feedback then they have so far.
Mobile computing wants students to “judge the technology, not the price during this phase” of the selection process, according to Roy. She continued, “Our students have fairly high expectations of the technology” in the equipment that they use. The final selection will be made based on student input, technology, and how well the company can work with RPI to provide the laptops in a timely manner, among other issues.
Roy also pointed out that one of the benefits of working with IBM that was added over the years is the accidental-breakage coverage of the ThinkPad Protection Plan; not all companies offer similar programs.
The selection process has changed greatly since the mobile computing program was started five years ago. According to Myra Williams, “There are fewer players today and the landscape has changed.” She stated that some companies did not reply to the request for proposals and others said that they would not be submitting one. Williams also said, “Technology has changed a great deal in five years.”
Students can voice their opinions by submitting feedback via a webform accessible from http://www.rpi.edu/laptops/. Additionally, input will come from focus groups partly composed of help desk staff. If students are interested in becoming part of a focus group, they should contact mobile-l@rpi.edu.
Each year about 1,500 laptop computers are ordered through the program. According to Williams, the Request for Proposals stated that the program was looking for a “multiple year contract with options to extend.” The final selection of a partner is expected to be made next month.
