Next Saturday, my wife and I will be taking our daughter, Maggie, to St. Louis Children's Hospital for some medical tests.

I'm already in the midst of planning what I'm taking with me, how I'll get work done while away, and the best devices for the job. I've also got a ton of regular work to do between now and next Saturday. Man, it never ends!

One of the challenges with this trip is Internet connectivity.  Because of the type of tests being done, we're not allowed to have cell phones or wwan Internet connectivity in the hospital room. However, I have been known to break that rule on occasion, and ask for forgiveness later . Any cell conversations or wwan Internet access has to be conducted elsewhere in the hospital. In addition, EV-DO coverage in our hotel has typically been very spotty. So, it is a constant connectivity battle communicating with friends and loved ones, staying on top of work, and being available to take care of the occasional emergency from work.

Here is what I'm taking with me and why:

• TC1100 Tablet PC - I want a no-hassle way of taking general notes while the doctors are talking with us, journaling, etc. I've installed Vista on the TC1100 and will be using InkSeine for my note-taking and journaling
• Moleskine - In the event a situation doesn't allow for a slate Tablet PC or I've run out of battery, I always carry a regular paper-based notebook with me. Oftentimes, I'll use the Moleskine when I want to escape from technology. Sometimes, paper is best.
• MacBook - I've got a black MacBook with Vista running through VMWare's Fusion. This is my current powerhouse for getting work done. I could take the X61 with me, but on this trip I'm leaning to the MacBook due to its flexibility in running multiple OS's and the wide range of program selection. In addition, the MacBook has a built-in webcam so I can record some video of Maggie and upload it for her brother and sisters to watch from back home.
• Canon SD600 camera - when Maggie was in the hospital several years ago, I took my Nikon D70. It was too big to be hauling around the hospital, waiting rooms, etc. For this trip, I'm aiming for light-weight and good quality. I'll also be using my iPhone for picture taking.
• Novatel USB727 air card - Since I'll be bringing two computers with me, the flexibility of a USB based EV-DO is important, assuming I can get good coverage in our hotel room. I want to avoid paying our hotel for internet access at $10 - $20 per day.
• HP 310 Travel Companion - Because we're driving to and around St. Louis, I'll be relying a great deal on a GPS solution. I don't have a good sense of direction, so GPS and standard maps are a mainstay for me. HP will be sending me a replacement eval 310 since the one I received prior to CES had problems from the beginning. After working with HP, who have been totally awesome in helping me work through this, we've determined that I likely had a bad unit. The 310 will be put to good use during this trip for sure.
• iPhone - I've gone back and forth between the iPhone and the HTC Tilt. Both are good phones. However, since I'm primarily using a MacBook right now ( coupled with a TC1100 ), the most seamless and trouble-free syncing solution is with an iPhone. In addition, taking pictures and casual web browsing is much better on the iPhone than on a Windows Mobile phone. I'm expecting AT&T coverage to quite spotty between here and St. Louis, with Kansas providing the biggest challenge. Still, with the iPhone coupled with IMAP enabled Gmail, I should be able to stay on top of email while on the road, refilling at gas stations, and stocking up on fast-food.
• Amazon Kindle - there is a lot of down time while these tests are going on, especially during all of the video monitoring. To keep from bringing so many regular books, Kathi and I will be doing most of our reading on the Kindle. That said, I'm sure Kathi will be bringing her fair share of regular books, too.
• Maggie is bringing her Zune to listen to music and watch movies on. The driving time is about 13 hours, so we'll be keeping the Zune charged through an auto power adapter.
• In the car, Kathi and I will be listening to our music on our Zune, which will be plugged in to the stereo through a standard male to male cable. It is mounted in our van using a ProClip mount.
• And of course, all the darn adapters and power cables to keep the above charged and working. Fortunately, most of the smaller gadgets charge through USB, so I can either charge them using my computer or by using a standard USB power adapter.
• Box.net and Zoho? - this trip is showing me the value in keeping documents locally accessible, especially when I need to be able instantly search my notes. With the unpredictable availability of internet access, I need a dependable way to get to my stuff, especially my notebook. So, I won't be relying on Box.net or Zoho during this trip. Using the cloud for storage and document generation is a good solution if you can depend on your connectivity. Once that confidence begins to shed, though, the good-ole standby begins to shine: local storage and client-based apps. Web-based services Office Live look like a good in between solution - access and viewing of documents online, editing offline, and automatic syncing. Look for some coverage on Office Live from Sierra and I over the next 3 - 4 weeks.
• If you are pretty sharp, you'll notice one item missing from my standard kit: The OQO Model 02. Several weeks ago, I let Sierra borrow my Model 02. Big mistake. She has since fallen in love with it. I knew my chances of getting it back where slim to none; so when she offered to buy it from me, I jumped at the opportunity - better to get a little money out of the deal than never get the unit back at all! I'll likely pick up another one on when OQO releases the next version.

For those of you who are interested, you can following our trip from my personal blog, RobBushway.com. I'll mostly be posting stuff there that we are doing on a day to day basis, how Maggie is doing, test results, pictures, video captured in the hospital room, etc. I'll also be twittering, which you can follow here.  Warner, Sierra, Matt, and Terry are going to keep things running on the GBM front while I'm prepping for my trip and also away.

Here comes a crazy mobile week. The big trip this week is to head to Memphis for auditions at the UPTA conference. That’s a 5 day conference where we will audition over 600 actors and then interview about 200 or so for possible jobs in our next season which begins in June. More on that later. (Note some of the links in this post are affiliate.)

In the State Capitol

But before we head off to UPTA, I am spending a day doing some political lobbying on behalf of the Arts in our state (and my theatre in particular.) I, and other members of my team, leave this afternoon to head to Richmond. (We’re leaving early enough so we can get into our hotel and watch the Super Bowl.) Early tomorrow morning, we’re off to the state capitol and a day full of appointments. We’ll be using our mobile phones (both voice and text messaging) to keep in touch throughout the day, as appointments often change due to the legislators’ schedules. I’ve planned out the day in MindManager and will be using my Tablet PC to keep track of our progress throughout the day. It will be a fast moving day and interestingly enough most of the work will come in the follow up that we have to do the next day, so keeping accurate records of conversations is a must.

On to the Auditions

Mid-week we head off to the UPTA conference. For this conference (and another one in March) we basically carry a small office with us. The tools I’ll be using will be the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC, the HTC Mogul, the Canon Pixma i90 Printer, a LogiTech webcam, and, for brief bits of relaxation, the iPod Touch. I’ll also be carrying a video camera to tape some auditions. I primarily use OneNote 2007 in keeping track of interviews and auditions. I’ve chronicled how I do that in the past, but it has been awhile, so I’ll be updating my process some this year. It has been a successful method of keeping track of actors and interviewees.

Twitter: A Different Communication Method?

Not only do we audition and interview at the conference, but I also do much of my ongoing work for the theatre there as well. In essence a big portion of our office moves to Memphis for the week. Communication is the key as we have a number of big pressing issues (we’re in the middle of renovating the theatre) and there are some issues coming up that we know in advance are going to require relatively immediate responses by me. Auditions are like attending a public event. Cell phones are turned off for courtesy (if an auditor’s cell phone goes off during the audition he/she pays the fee for that actor’s audition!) but the WiFi is plentiful. We are going to try something different this trip as far as a communication method. In the past we’ve used SMS messaging at these events when the folks back home have to reach me. But the buzz of a cell phone in stun mode can still distract. So, I’m going to be using the iPod Touch to follow direct messages from the home office on Twitter. I could just as easily use the HTC Mogul for that, but I’m experimenting, and I want to see if the Touch will do the trick here. We’ll see how that works.

It should be an interesting, but exhausting period of time. As a side note, my participation here on GBM will be light during the auditions. I’m also trying out a couple of new (to me) gadgets and accessories and if all goes well, I’ll be reporting about that either from the road, or after I return.

Microsoft Windows Vista is celebrating birthday number one today on the anniversary of the public release. You can certainly say it has been a controversial first year. Vista has taken its knocks from many quarters, certainly from the mobile sector, but it has also continued to grow in terms of sales. If you follow the industry news, it looks like there is a growing trend that is moving beyond the “knocks” into the “Vista isn’t all that bad” column. That said, there is still a large chorus that wants to see Vista branded as a Windows ME type failure and move on. Some even say Vista is the best promotion that Windows XP has ever had. Recent confusing stories of a potential 2009 release of Windows 7 certainly doesn’t help. The final release of SP1 is supposedly just around the corner and there is a lot of emphasis and interest to see how well that changes the matter and the perceptions.

From a Tablet PC perspective, Vista certainly offered some great advances, (check out our GBM InkShows on Tablet PC features in Vista) and in many ways ushered Touch into the picture. Unfortunately, from my perspective, the big hope of making Tablet PC functionality available across the board by rolling it all into Vista (the bits are there, all you need is the hardware) didn’t yield the hoped for increase in interest and development of new Tablet PCs from OEMs. That is a marketing failure as much as it is anything else, as you need to look really closely in any of the hype about Vista to know that improved Tablet PC functionality is a feature.

If it seems that Vista has been around for longer than a year that is because it has. In the roll up to the final release to consumers, the various release candidates, the release to business customers, and of course the delays, were all covered breathlessly, and it seems, endlessly (certainly here on the pages of GBM), and rightly so.

TEO developer Josh Einstein has waged a one man campaign in the GBM Forums and comments throughout the year defending the OS from some of the charges leveled against it, and done so admirably, especially as it relates to issues that might be caused by drivers and hardware from Microsoft hardware and software partners. He’s raised some excellent points along the way and in our small world here, put the focus where it needs to be in some cases. In the final analysis though, the fact that Josh has felt the need to do so, demonstrates that Microsoft missed the boat by not being proactive in discussing and addressing some of the issues that caused concern. But then that seem to be the “accepted way of things” when it comes to talking about issues with operating systems and new releases. I think the large turnover inside Microsoft, shortly after Vista’s release, also had some impact on this as well, and if you ask me the timing of those moves was not only questionable, but in some cases damaging.

So, it has been a bumpy ride in Vista’s first year. In my one man’s opinion, there is still a lot to learn, still room for improvement, and there are still some questions unanswered. While Vista and some of its attendant issues have given me some headaches, I’ve used it almost exclusively since the fall of 2006 and continue to do so. For better or worse. Mostly better.

What are your thoughts?

One of the many common themes coming from the great comments you all are leaving is in the area of broadening the content coverage. I'll address other general themes like usage scenarios with the devices we are using / testing, design layout, etc in future posts.

First area - broadening coverage: some want us to build on the "mobile" aspect of our name and include coverage beyond Tablet PCs, UMPCs, etc. Others were looking for more mobile coverage out of CES than the extensive Tablet and UMPC coverage we brought you.

This is an issue we have been discussing for quite awhile as a team - broadening coverage, defining that coverage, staying true to our original base build on Tablet PC, etc. It is true, the mobile world is much bigger than Tablet PC and natural human interface technologies.

These are some practical questions / thoughts I have in relation to broadening coverage and I'd love your feedback:

• Are you looking for more mobile phone hardware /  software / usage coverage, along the lines of iPhone, Smart phones, Windows Mobile phones, etc? We've touched on those subjects in the past, but they have never been a focus of ours.
• Should we look at covering all mobile computers like the MacBook, Sony Vaio TZ, Dell ultraportables, etc? We've been testing this with the Eee PC, and everyone seems to like that. How do you feel about Apple coverage? I'm a big Apple fan, use MacBook, iPhone, etc. As an example, being able to run Vista and OS X on a MacBook has tremendous mobile benefits, especially when .mac syncing is working behind the scenes to tie back to a iMac. Throw in a Wacom 12WX Digitizer and you have Vista tablet functionality running on a MacBook.
• Define mobile gadgets - what are you really looking for there? To be honest, I don't want GBM to become another gadget site that loses its focus. Embracing all kinds of mobile gadgets scares the heck out of me. However, I am hearing what you are saying.
• By broadening out to more mobile coverage, will our coverage become too watered down and lose the uniqueness that GBM currently brings to the table?
• Our focus to date has been on the intersection between mobile computing and natural interface technologies like ink, touch, handwriting, speech, etc. Can we still do that and broaden in to other mobile areas? Maybe.

Keep talking. This is good stuff.

Based on your feedback, we've already implemented two changes:

• Clicking on the page title now takes you directly to the comments. We are going to watch the performance on the site after implementing this change. If it negatively impacts performance, we'll put it back. dasBlog documentation suggests not implementing that feature on high-traffic blogs. Guess we'll soon see.
• We've added Older / Newer post links to the bottom of the page. Those links will let you page through older posts that don't appear on the homepage. You can also use the calendar option on the right, as well, to navigate to specific days.

Keep it coming - we're listening.

We are on a continuing process of improving what we do on GottaBeMobile in order to bring you the very best in mobile pc coverage. From daily news coverage to InkShows, Podcasts, and forums, we offer a wide range of mediums to bring you the information you are most interested in.

Now, although we love getting kudos and pats on the back , what we really need to know from you guys is how we can improve. Be brutally honest - we've got thick skin. I mean it. If we are doing something that sucks, tell us. If the site loads slow, you hate the layout / design, you wish we would stop writing about certain things and concentrate more in another area, tell us.  I can't promise we will fix all the issues, but I certainly want to know what they are, how we can improve, thus making your experience on GottaBeMobile more enjoyable and productive.

The mic is yours.

James Martin of PC World is focusing on small mobile computers in a recent article, including everything from MIDs to UMPCs, to the new MacBook Air. He certainly covers a range of devices within the portable class and offers some interesting pros and cons. He also poses a number of good questions that users should ask before heading off with a mobile device in hand. But I think he’s missing one key question. What are your connectivity options?

Connectivity is one of the pillars that mobile computing is built on and you don’t see a device these days without some sort of option built in ranging from WiFi to WWAN, to the various ports that allow you to add on a modem of some sort, or BlueTooth that enables you to tether up, depending on your wireless carriers restrictions.

My thinking here is that more and more the assumption is being made that WiFi will be available somewhere, and if not, smart users will have other options at the ready. While both may be true, recent experiences are proving that the promise of being always connected isn’t always something you can rely on. As an example, I’m seeing folks at the current Demo Conference complaining that the WiFi is down. While those that have an EVDO option available are sending some info out of the conference, I look shortly to hear that the EVDO bandwidth is clogged up. In fact, though I would recommend that you not rely on a WiFi only device, and have another method of connecting in your arsenal, even with a second option, you should also know that you can have less than optimal results depending on the circumstances.

My point is simple, while picking the right mobile device is a task that needs to match the needs of the user with the right device, users need to also consider the current state of over the air connectivity, and the options a device offers before making that decision. And the vast majority of those cases, (including WiFi connectivity at hotels and the like) add cost to the user that are not insignificant. In fact, today, I think buying a mobile device without figuring in the costs of connectivity is in some ways comparable to buying a new car without paying attention to the potential fuel consumption.

I’m pleased to say that the devices and gadgets I took to CES 2008 (and the annual family pilgrimage to Chicago and Wisconsin) worked well for the demands (both work and fun) that I placed on them. That said, some things worked better for me than others. For a look at the mobile kit I carried check out this post. (Some links below are affiliate links.)

Successes

Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC: My old standby served me very well during the entire three weeks. Whether I was blogging, doing a little work, answering email, or what have you, it worked like a charm. Producing video on the fly (and we cranked out a lot) was a breeze using the ThinkPad.

The Sprint (HTC) Mogul: In many ways this was my go to device on this trip. Whether checking my feeds using Google Reader, checking email, or tethering it up to the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 for broadband coverage it served well. It also worked well as a phone.  After the recent ROM update the battery life on the Mogul was exceptional. With heavy usage all day, I did not have to pull out the extra battery once.

iPod Touch: This was an early Christmas present and in many ways I was getting to know it during the trip. When WiFi was available and accessible (not always the same thing-more on that later) it was a joy to catch up on feeds and my Gmail using this device. I’ve resisted buying an iPhone simply because the AT&T service is so poor where I live, but I’ve got to say that after using the iPod Touch for a few weeks, I can really see the allure and value that an iPhone has. Sure, I can get most of that functionality with the Mogul, but the Touch/iphone interface is a joy to use. In addition to Internet activity, the iPod Touch performed very well as a media player. I had ripped a few DVDs down and carried them along and was able to watch a move and listen to a few podcasts on the flight from Chicago to Vegas without a hitch.

Thin may be in and beautiful but the compromises one has to make to be ultra-thin and beautiful can lead to some pretty tough and perhaps unhealthy lifestyle choices for fashion models and now mobile users. While the MacBook Air may indeed be the thinnest portable yet and quite pretty to look at, this fashion show stops dead on the runway for me with the the non-user replaceable battery.

I just don’t think the folks in Cupertino really thought this one through. Batteries are the food that nourishes our mobile devices and keeps them running. Call me paranoid and old fashioned, but I travel with an extra battery when I’m on the road. (I travel with extra other things as well, having a backup scenario is a key part of my being mobile.) I know others do as well. While five hours might be enough to get a user through most days, my experience tells me it won’t in my situation. A five hour battery life (and we all know that five hours on announcement day usually translates to something less in the real world) would not have sufficed at CES as an example, and I found myself changing batteries each day while there. The same is true for my other travels and on the road work.

I’m a big believer in the WNewquay school of thought on batteries. We should think of them as consumables that will indeed be consumed and need replacing. No problems there. While the offer of free labor to replace a battery is a nice gesture, that is all it is, if like I, you don’t live within shouting distance of an Apple Store. Do you know anyone who is going to be comfortable shipping their mobile precious off for a battery replacement for a few days? I don’t.

This may be an acceptable, although still not a welcome, scenario and business plan for iPhones and iPods, because the thinking goes most users will opt for the newest device when the battery needs a make over. But I don’t think that logic flows through to a $1700 portable computer purchase.

I’ve got to feel comfortable knowing I can keep my portable devices well fed and juiced up when I need to, otherwise the hunger pangs set in and they faint dead away, just when I need them to strut their stuff. Heck most mobile devices start sounding like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors screaming Feed Me with any real heavy usage.

I applaud the pretty design choices and the desire to get thinner and lighter. But when I look at the pretty pictures, it makes me ask the same questions that I ask when I see razor thin models on a runway. Is what you give up to be that thin and stylish really worth the compromise when it comes to practical living?

Apologies to Nelson Algren for morphing the title.

For what it is worth here are some of my thoughts and impressions on CES 2008. Insane. Fun. Exhilarating. Enlightening. Frustrating. Confusion. Stupid. Big Gambles. In the end not as much substance as I would have liked to see. That’s how I’d quickly characterize this year’s CES 2008 from my perspective. Here are some extensions on those thoughts.

Insane.

The definition of insanity is pursuing the same path hoping for a different result. Lots of that happens at CES no matter your perspective. Everyone is hoping their product catches everyone’s imagination, every writer/podcaster/video blogger hopes they find it first. This year’s CES was largely a rehash of things we already knew about, technologies that we already are working with, and dressing those things up as something new and exciting. When there was something new (MIDs) we got to see prototypes of promises yet to come. When you do get a chance to talk with someone about something that is exciting and still to come, it is so far off that you can’t talk about it. With all of that insanity would I do it again? You bet. Call me insane.

Gizmodo thought they’d be clever in that old hacker prankster way at CES. They took the TV-B-Gone clicker that will allow you to turn off a TV screen and basically shut down any screen they could find at CES. I think the laughs lasted about 10 seconds before the word got out. Can you imagine the folks responsible for those displays and the folks who supervise them trying to deal with the issue? This was decidedly not a cool thing to do, I don’t care who thought of the idea. Wonder what the Gizmodo folks would say if someone had figured out how to pull the plug on their coverage of the event?

The ramifications could ripple far beyond the prank. There are calls to ban Gizmodo from CES, and at the least I imagine they’ll get a chiller reception at a few booths next year if they are allowed in. Here’s hoping this won’t blow back on other bloggers as well, although I fear it might. The lame apology that was issued is just that lame, as they wish they could have shut down the largest screen display on the floor. Classless. Stupid. Not cool.

You’d think Engadget with all their resources would dig just a little deeper, but then, hey, CES can get a bit crazy as we all know. Proclaiming that they “finally bring to rest the following question: what the hell’s the difference between a UMPC and a MID.”, they take their cues from Intel’s Dan Monahan, swallow the company line, and basically wipe out some history and miss the real point of the story. Here’s what Dan (and Engadget) are pumping out.

A UMPC is a business class device for enterprise users. It runs a heavy OS like Vista and is optimized for office-use applications like Excel and Word. (Ok, hold your laughter.)

A MID is a consumer-class lifestyle device. It runs a lightweight OS (like Linux,) and is optimized for things like media playback and web surfing. (And yes, you’re not the only one feeling all deja vu like.)

I guess the Engadget folks never really picked up one of the UMPCs or read any of the press releases on the devices. I’m sure Intel did (they were a part of the development of the dang things) and now they are just looking for some market differentiation. The definition above of a MID is basically identical to the early descriptions of UMPCs, and no one should be surprised there. But things sure seem to be shifting on the UMPC front now don't they?

Let’s get two points clear here, and admittedly, this is all from my perspective. No one has any real idea what the MIDs are going to be. Yet. We can all see the potential. (Can anyone say iPhone?) I buy consumer focused, and media and web centric. That part is a no-brainer. And it was the same no-brainer with the UMPC when it was rolled out. What I’m not buying is the supposed business-class device orientation for UMPCs. Give me a break. Sure maybe some of the TabletKiosk devices and other rugged devices will fit into a vertical market or two. The OQO Model 02 (which interestingly enough doesn’t have a touch screen) is certainly priced at the business class level. If that is what Intel is pointing to with that kind of definition, then Intel has kissed the UMPC as a consumer device goodbye by kicking it into the Enterprise realm.

Here’s point two. Those of us following the UMPC space since its inception have been saying for some time that the current MID promise is what UMPC should have been all along. In fact it was. Engadget should have dug a little deeper before drinking the Kool-Aid on this one. The handwriting has been on the Internet wall for quite some time and in much more depth.

Another point. Someone tell Microsoft. They just announced Origami Experience 2.0. Regardless of the merits of that software navigation overlay, it sure doesn’t strike me as aiming at the Enterprise. For that matter neither does Samsung’s new Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC. Anyone check out that new Asus R50A UMPC at CES? C’mon be honest. Is Asus aiming that cute piece of hardware with all the light up buttons at the Enterprise? Don’t think so.

Microsoft opened the Ultra-Mobile window and goofed by not putting a good window screen on it with a clear definition of what a UMPC is. They are paying the price for that now as Intel sees clearer Vistas ahead with the MIDs. I don’t blame Intel for trying to define things the way they are at this point, because clearly there is confusion out there and a vacuum. Someone needs to fill it. And since Intel is jumping in first, I guess they can do what they want. I do think, however, they’d better serve every one involved by being a bit less disenguous in their description. Intel is betting on the MID in what really isn’t a horse race. They and their partners, don’t have that horse ready to come to the gate yet. (We’re looking from MIDs six months or so in the future.) So they can’t quite put the UMPC out to pasture just yet with products still in the pipeline.

Before reading between the lines, I’m sure anyone who knows anything at all about this space did a spit take when they saw the UMPC definition Engadget swallowed hook, line, and sinker. I’ve been saying all week that with the introduction of the MID, the name UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC), and prehaps the device, as we know it today will be dead and gone in 18 months. Intel just confirmed that is the way they are thinking as well.

Well, I’m not sure if it is an “Ultimate” challenge or not, because I really am only checking out three devices here, but play along.

There are a lot of closet Stall Surfers out there. You know who you are. In fact, it is, in my considered opinion, one of the reasons that folks love mobile devices so much is the opportunity for a bit of Stall Surfing. Forget all the talk about making you more productive at work. It is all about being able to cruise the Internet, read an eBook, or check email in those very private moments. With the advent of touch devices, even those touchy about the subject are coming out of the closet on this issue. And don’t feign modesty here. You know I’m talking to you.

Here goes – my best shot at what 2008 holds for us mobile pc enthusiasts:

• Dell won’t sell many XT Latitude Tablet PCs to the small business sector, and will reevaluate by spring / early summer; just in time for their competitors to one up them on price and features. Dell will finally understand what the community has been saying: multi-touch will be great, but I’m not going to pay $1000 more for it.
• Like James, I don’t believe multi-touch for Tablet PCs will come into its own for several years, but I do see a market, and Dell is smart to be the first on the scene with a solution.
• We’ll see something from Apple in the touch / tablet MacBook line
• The ModBook will finally ship, but considering Apple’s less than spectacular Ink Well support, I don’t expect it to be a huge success.
• The Ultra-Mobile / Ultra-Portable platform will explode. The “touch” differentiator will be moot. Asus Eee PC has changed the game in regards to value vs price. Devices spec’d and priced like the Asus Eee PC will become the Ultra-Mobile PCs of the Year in 2008.
• We’ll be asking in 2008 if 2009 will be the year of the Tablet PC
• The Amazon Kindle will become the gadget to own, and I expect we’ll see an upgrade to those funky buttons. The key to the Kindle’s success is access to content and connectivity.
• Tablet PCs will continue to find success in the vertical space, and consumers will still have trouble finding them in stores. Allegiance Technology Partners to the rescue!
• Connectivity and mobile computing will be the story of 2008, and the MID devices will get a boatload of press and interest – assuming connectivity is seamless with either USB or SIM card. See Amazon Kindle above…
• Devices like the HTC X7501 will steal thunder from Nokia’s Internet Tablet series. I’d expect more from HTC along those lines as they look at the MID platform, too. Seamless connectivty, built-in applications, and syncing are key. Price will need to get more attractive, though.
• No brainer – We’ll see refreshes from all the OEMs, with just a few “finally / wow” releases. Beyond that, though, I’m expecting evolution / refresh only announcements. I know, I’m pessimestic. Prove me wrong, OEMs!
• Convertible Tablet PCs will continue to outsell Slate Tablet PCs
• We’ll still see more folks using MacBooks vs Tablet PCs when we visit the coffee shop
• Developers will continue to churn out great OneNote add-ins, and InkSeine will get released to the public.
• N-Trig will make some major announcements as OEMs look to them as a feasible alternative to Wacom. However, Wacom will continue to dominate the digitizer market.
• Businesses will begin to implement Vista in full force as new PCs get ordered and they try to stay away from mixed environments. SP 1 will play a major role in spurring implementation on.
• Microsoft will fly Warner out and ask for his help in marketing Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs, and OneNote
• Matt will figure out a way to use Vista speech recognition to keep from calling an InkShow a podcast
• Sierra won’t return my Kindle
• Terry Bradley’s home network will get hacked due to all the auto-installing intenet bot’s he’s unknowingly installed
• The GottaBeMobile readers and community will continue to be the best around
• GottaBeMobile.com will continue to dominate the Mobile PC news space, bringing everyone the best in Tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs, Ultra-Portables, mobile software, and mobile connectivity solutions!

Well, I don’t have a typical day, but it is a good way to title an article, huh?

I normally wake up around 5:00, grab my OQO Model 02, and head down to the kitchen to make some coffee from my Senseo machine – best coffee I’ve ever had!

While my wife is watching the weather, I’ll be scanning news feeds in Google Reader and flagging stuff for posting later in the day, hitting FoxNews.com, scanning emails, flagging emails for follow-up, etc. I’ll take some handwritten notes in OneNote of stuff on my mind, things I’m already thinking of, etc. We’ll spend some time talking about the kids, each other, the day ahead, etc.

By 6:00, Kathi and I head down to our workout room. Depending on the day and the rotation, we are either cycling, lifting weights, or doing some other type of circuit routine. I normally have my Zune on listening to some music or audio books. I use my Model 02 and OneNote to take notes on my workout, improvements I made, things to work on, etc. To ensure I get a good workout and not get distracted, I close down email and messenger. When I’m feeling too connected and want to minimize technology in my life, I’ll leave the Model 02 upstairs, and I’ll use a Moleskine instead.

By 8:00, I’ve finished my workout, showered, had a protein shake, and headed out the door to my office. A couple of days during the week, I take my kids to a homeschool study center, so I’ll drop them off before getting to the office. I’m either on my phone or the OQO checking email for client emergencies, breaking news, etc. My day can take a sudden change of direction based upon the freakiness of technology.

That’s where my typical day ends.

I wear a lot of hats during the day, and depending on what fire is brewing, I may find myself taking care of multiple issues either at the office, at home, or at a client site. The beauty of tablet pcs is that I can work from wherever I need to, and I always have my notes with me. Having my notes with me is key to my success for getting things done.

• Managing Editor of GottaBeMobile – Throughout the day, I’m watching Techmeme.com, my Google Reader subscriptions, email, Messenger, etc for news that breaks and needs posting. I normally leave Messenger running throughout the day and will have 2 – 3 conversations with Warner and other staff members of GBM about news that is popping, InkShows in the works, scheduling, etc. Using Windows Live Writer, I’ll post news stories that I flagged earlier that morning. I find that I’m filling that role in multiple locations throughout the day – working from my OQO in the car or library, the X61 at the office, or from either machine at home.
• Programmer – I work on a variety of programming projects, from web based systems, to reporting engines, to custom developed apps. Most of that work is done at the office, but I do have to go offsite frequently to work on specialized reports and custom apps. I typically do that type of work on a more powerful Tablet PC like the X61 or 2710p. Days like today, when we are expecting a major snowstorm, I’ll be at home, working from the  dining room table on those projects, while going back and forth in my GottaBeMobile role.
• Tech  Support – this role is becoming much less frequent for me. As GBM has grown, I’m doing less and less tech support. However, I do maintain a few key clients, and there is no telling when something will break and I’ll need to leave to go take care of it. When I’m on the road, I have the Model 02 sitting in a Pro Clips auto mount, plugged into my Novatel USB727 modem.

I try to be very diligent about getting home by 5:00, so we can all have dinner together, go to TaeKwonDo, go to Scouts, attend church functions, have movie night on Fridays, etc. My computers are normally off from 5:00 until 9:00. Depending on where we are and what is going on, I’m checking email periodically on my phone of the day ( iPhone, HTC Tilt, etc). It is a huge weakness in my life and one that I am constantly struggling with.

By 9:00, the kids are in bed. Kathi and I catch up and just chat about the day. We are both either reading a real book, reading on the Kindle, browsing the web, or just vegging out. I browse my feeds and check my email, making notes of what the next day will hold, drafting some articles, or whatever. I’m a night owl and will typically stay up until 11:30 - 12:00 drifting between work, reading, and instant messenger. Besides working in OneNote, I also find myself in MindManager mapping projects out, to-do lists, etc.

The biggest drains on me are email and instant messenger. At any time during the day, people will chime in and ping me about stuff. I find that I have more control over those interruptions when I leave my messenger status to “Appear Offline”. That way, the virtual door to my office remains closed except when I want to open it. Email is another one of those things that I either live or die by. Most of my communication is by email, but for me to get work done throughout the day, I have to leave Outlook closed and only check it when I want to. I have not been very successful at doing that, but I am making progress.

I’ve found that having access to mobile computers and the ability to work from anywhere can have negative ramifications as well. The mobile phones, tablet pcs, ultra-mobile pcs can be with you always, and so the perceived need to be in touch, available, and constantly checking on things is always nagging. I try to guard my time between 5:00 and 9:00, and the weekends, as unplugged time so that my body and mind are both present with my family, and I have opportunities to be refreshed and renewed.

Successful mobile computing is a balancing act. It provides tremendous freedom and flexibility, but it is a freedom that can be abused if not handled correctly.

I’ve made a lot of technology purchases over the years – some good, some not so good. What about you – have any purchases you wished you could take back or those you would like to brag on

My best technology purchases – the ones I would do all over again if I had to

• OQO Model 02 Tablet PC / Ultra-Mobile PC
• Amazon Kindle
• Lenovo X60 Tablet PC
• Fujitsu P1610
• HP Media Center – it has become the media hub in our home – music, movies, television, etc
• Novatel USB727 Air Card – one of the best WWAN solutions I’ve used to date. I’ll never go back to a PC card or integrated solution again.
• Motion Computing LS800 – an awesome portable slate tablet pc solution
• MacBook – my best Apple / Mac experience to date – great value for the money
• iPhone
• Zune
• iGo Bluetooth Stowaway Keyboard
• HP TC1100 Tablet PC
• SlingBox
• CradlePoint Technology mobile router
• Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones
• LG VX8300 phone – best regular phone I’ve ever used.
• HTC TyTn II – best keyboard and Windows Mobile phone I’ve ever used.
• Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard
• Flip Video Ultra – shoots great video, picks up audio really well, supports camera mounts.
• Logitech Quickcam UltraVision – best webcam I’ve ever used. I’ve shot a lot of GBM Shortcuts using it.
• Sony MDR-J10 Headphones – the only headphones I’ve found that are perfect for exercise and running. I use them everyday
• HP 2710p – My Wow! product of the year ( updated - forgot to add )

My worst technology purchases – They either didn’t fit my work style, the promise didn’t live up to the hype, or I just caved to an impulse buy

• Nokia N800 / N810 Internet Tablets – Yes, I’ve done a complete turn-around on the Nokia Internet Tablet products. I’ll share more on this in the coming weeks. Bottomline: without built-in SIM card support, I would have been better off purchasing and HTC X7501 Advantage. Windows Mobile solutions just have more in the box and offers better connectivity solutions. With no ability to tether to an iPhone or a Windows Mobile phone, the N800 / N810 series is better for those who have a regular phone. If it had SIM card support, I’d feel a little different, otherwise, they just sit in my bag / drawer.
• Macbook Pro – too hot, overpriced for what you get
• Linksys Media Center Extender – can’t stream movies that I’ve ripped from DVD
• Ultimate Ears earphones – no matter what ear adapter I used, I could never get them to stay in and give that snug feeling. The wire needs to wrap around the ear and they just feel uncomfortable. Big disappointment
• Apple Mighty Mouse
• All bluetooth headsets for phones – they all make a person look like a dork, and I have enough trouble looking normal as it is. I don’t need a bluetooth headset to make it harder on me. I’ve got three sitting in my junk drawer right now.
• MacMini – slow, never used it.
• Treo 700W – had problems with it from day one and was a total impulse buy for me.
• Nokia N95 – In my opinion, the N95 has nothing on a Windows mobile solution - from the interface, PIM, etc.
• Any tablet pc / umpcs with integrated WWAN. I go through too many computers to lock my connectivity down to one computer.
• Thinkoutside Stowaway Mouse – too small and uncomfortable.

We hope that your Christmas is one filled with joy, laughter, and relaxation as you spend time with close friends and family. We’ll see everyone on Wednesday.

Until then, enjoy this wonderful rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser.

Time for my annual Christmas Wish List of things I’d like to see for Tablet PC, UMPC, and Mobile PC users. (Here’s a link to last year’s.) These aren’t gadgets I’d like to see under mine or anyone’s tree, nor are they predictions. Instead these are things I’d like to see happen. As always, I’m an impatient old elf, when it comes to these sorts of things.

I’d like to see the many solutions we have floating around for coordinating our life “in the cloud” with our life “on the desktop” advance to a point where we all might feel a little more comfortable.

I’d like to see Intel come up with a better marketing strategy, and clearer communication strategy, for and about its chip speeds. The average user has a hard enough time figuring out what’s what these days. When yesterday’s chip speed compared to today’s is really meaningless, somebody needs to spell it out a bit more clearly.

I’d like to see UMPC makers (and MID makers for that matter) recognize the importance of Inking and come out with a UMPC  (or MID) that allows accurate note taking ability. There is need for a small device that can do more than play media, show pictures, and manipulate icons with a touch interface.

I’d like to see small mobile device makers quit thinking about the stylus as a throw in, and actually design one that is comfortable and efficient to use.

I’d like to see the CEO’s of the companies that keep coming up with these tiny keyboards for mobile devices be forced to use them for at least 90 days before they sign off on the design.

I’d like to see the rush to advertising on everything in order to provide free software and services slow down a little bit. I’m just asking here, but do you know anyone who has ever clicked on an ad? I don’t.

I’d like to see the good folks at Dell who think the pricing of the new Latitude XT is a good bargain reexamine their thoughts on this, and quickly.

I’d like to see Amazon, Apple, and other on-line music vendors who launched DRM free efforts succeed in a big way. DRM is still a curse and slows so much of everything down.

I’d like to see Apple come out with a Tablet this year, sooner rather than later.

I’d like to see Microsoft figure out just how woeful its marketing efforts are and put in a major course correction here. Now, please.

I’d like to see mobile computer OEMs take a lesson from Asus and the Eee PC, (and also jkk’s moding by adding a touch screen to it.) These price points don’t have to be so high.

I’d still like to see more direct Inking in the operating system.

I’d like to see Google’s push to open up in mobile connectivity succeed in a big way.

Oh, and as always, whirled peas.

What’s on your Christmas Wish List?

We posted about the launch of Dell's Latitude XT Tablet PC last night. I've been reading comments here and elsewhere about the launch and I'm not surprised at all with what everyone is saying: heaping praise on the weight and capacitive touch, but unanimously slamming it for a starting price being $800 - $1000 over its competitors. Capacitive touch is a nice feature, but it is not worth that kind of premium.

I have to be honest here and say I was quite surprised when Dell told me the starting price was $2499. I thought I misheard, hoping they had said $1499. After confirming the price, I told myself "this is not going to go over well at all, and it will be the focal point for an otherwise impressive Tablet PC."

I believe Dell is banking on volume orders from their vertically targeted market for the Latitude XT, which will definitely see the price drop significantly. For the rest of us, though, I doubt we'll see a price drop for several months - but the price will drop. It has to.

Meanwhile, Lenovo and Toshiba must be feeling good right now. Suddenly, their offerings look like real bargains, and Toshiba couldn't have come out looking better with their launch yesterday. HP's 2710p, minus the capacitive touch, is on par with a lot of the features of Latitude XT, and it is looking like a real steal. If Dell really wants to compete in this market, they need to listen more closely to what consumers are saying: $2499 just ain't gonna cut it. We are tired of paying premium pricing, and we had all hoped that Dell would set themselves apart differently here. To say we are disappointed is an understatement.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a review unit, and will definitely be bringing a fair and balanced in-depth video review, as well a comparison to its competitors.