I have been to WIPTE the past 2 years and I can say that it's been a great place to hang out and meet other Tablet PC folks focused on education.  This year's event has now been scheduled for October 15-16 and information is up on their site.

WIPTE is open to anyone with an interest in instructional technology. A wide variety of disciplines are embracing Tablet PC's and similar pen-based devices as tools for the radical enhancement of teaching and learning. This conference is intended to leverage this shared passion and to identify best practices in the educational use of pen-based computing so that all educators may benefit from this next generation of technology. Each WIPTE paper presentation includes an assessment component as an important part of the presentation. The WIPTE program also includes keynote talks, poster presentations, vendor booths, panels, and special sessions.  Learn More - (PDF LINK)

If you are interested in Speaking or Writing a paper to be published in their book, check out the information on their site.

Mi-Co, makers of Mi-Forms, one of the most popular form-filling packages that supports ink input, is sponsoring User Days 2008, April 22-23 in Research Triangle Park, NC. If you're in the area and interested in forms input with inking, this should be a great conference to attend. "This conference will be packed with examples of how companies can save time and money in implementing data capture applications using the latest in mobile technology, Digital Ink, and Mi-Co software."

Location: Hilton RTP, Research Triangle Park, NC

Dates: April 22-23

Agenda:

• Mi-Forms Technology updates - Preview of Mi-Forms Version 7
• Presentations, Speakers, and Panels
  • Latest trends & technology in Mobile Forms Solutions
  • Hands on demonstrations of Mi-Forms Solutions in use today
• Hardware - see what's new for mobile data collection
  • Digital Pen
  • Tablet PC
  • Windows Mobile
  • Intel MCA
• Exhibits
• Networking
• Awards and Prizes
• Just plain FUN

Registration information should be posted soon on the Mi-Co homepage.

Mark your calendars now for the 17th of March for this event from ZDNet.  Should be an interesting converstation.  Included in the conversation is Paul Moore, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Fujitsu Computer Systems.

The primary limitations of early pen computing devices, which were the hurdles to early mainstream adoption, were the power limitations of the devices, no stable OS environment for application development, and the lack of a keyboard for traditional input.

Now, with the availability of Windows XP Tablet PC edition and Vista, which are both Pen-enabled operating systems, the flexibility afforded by dual function convertible notebooks and a host of 3rd party applications, Pen Computing has expanded into areas like healthcare, insurance, education, retail, and sales force automation. What used to be strictly vertical has now caught on as a preferred alternative to standard notebooks. Is now the right time for you to consider pen computing?

I'll be on there, it will be an hour worth listening to for sure!!

This week in Washington, DC, many of computer security's best and brightest minds have gathered to present research and to offer training on the latest attack techniques and network defenses. Patterned after the popular Black Hat Briefings held in Las Vegas every summer, Black Hat Federal is gaining popularity--especially with security professionals in and around the DC beltway. But even though GBM readers are probably more interested in CES than the Black Hat conferences, there's a wealth of information for anyone that's even slightly interested in computer security.

CES 2008 has come and gone, the Super Bowl will be over tonight, and now attention turns to what comes next. So, what are you going to watch after the football season comes to a close? How about some GBM InkShow? While some are predicting a lull in mobile tech news for awhile, there is still plenty of GBM InkShow, Shortcut, and Podcast action to keep you going during the winter months.

In addition to checking out the Inkshows, Shortcuts, and Podcasts, make sure you check out the videos we recorded at CES 2008. There’s lots of great stuff there, some wacky stuff, and plenty to enjoy.

 All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows and Podcasts are sponsored by:

CES 2008 is long gone and so is one of my shorter audition trips. I’ve got a longer auditon trip coming up in a few weeks. This year I’m delighted that, so far, my “on the road kit” is performing well. In a previous post I wrote about the hardware that I was using, but in this post I’ll talk about some of the smaller, yet essential, accessories as well as a few essential pieces of software that I go back to time and time again while I’m doing work on the road. I’m not talking about the heavy duty applications (Office 2007, OneNote 2007, etc… ) but the utility applications that make my job a little easier and more productive. (some links below are affiliate)

Essential Accessories

iGo Stowaway BlueTooth Keyboard: I started preparing this post several days ago, but the recent news that iGo was going to discontinue the Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard, moved this one up to the top of the list. I don’t use it often, but when I need it, it is invaluable. The Stowaway works well with any  Bluetooth enabled device that I carry with me, and has been a life saver in a pinch, when I’m working with smaller devices like the OQO Model 02 or a UMPC. It also has served me well on the Sprint (HTC) Mogul. I did an InkShow about this keyboard awhle back, if you’re interested in taking a look, although I find I have less time for that kind of coffee shop activity these days.

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.

In part 3 of our 3-part video series with Motion Computing, we get to learn more about C5 and the man who headed up the product design effort, Michael Johnson. Michael is the VP of Product Development at Motion after spending 17 years at Apple working in product development. Download the high res version here or watch the embedded video below.

Be sure to watch Part 1 and Part 2.

Click To Play

We're back from CES 2008, and it looks like Warner was the only GBM Team member who didn't come down with some kind of illness. Nevertheless, Sierra and Warner spend some time in GBM Podcast #44 covering their experiences and thoughts from the Big Show in Las Vegas. We talk about a wide range of things including Toshiba and HP's new Tablet PCs, (we both walked away liking each of them, but we each prefer a different one), UMPCs, and of course the launch of the Mobile Internet Device (MID). We also talk about some of the crazy times and the parties we attended including the Tablet PC/UMPC Meetup and our experiences at the BlogHaus.

It's a long podcast, weighing in at 53 minutes and change, but there was a lot we got a chance to see and cover. If you've not gotten your fill of CES 2008 GottaBeMobile style, you might want to check out these links to all of our coverage.

• Flickr Feed
• January 9
• January 8
• January 7
• January 6
• January 5

Also make sure you check out our CES video coverage, sponsored by OQO. We're up to 22 and still counting from CES. If you haven't yet, make sure you check out the InkShow where Rob, Warner, and Matt try to destroy the MobileDemand T8700 Tablet PC. Three boys, a casino, and a Tablet PC can cause a lot of trouble. We had fun. We hope you had some fun enjoying the coverage.

• Download GBM Podcast #44 here ( MP3, 53.30 min, 48.9mb )

• Subscribe to our GBM Podcasts via

• iTunes
• Zune
• or your favorite podcatcher.

• Spread the word by voting for us at Podcast Alley

All GBM InkShows and Podcasts are sponsored by TechSmith.

There were many personal highlights for me at CES 2008. One of those was working with mobile tech buddy, Kevin Tofel, on a video produced by PodTech. We were asked by Podtech producer Catherine Girardeau if we would spend some time sharing our respective opinions about MIDs and we did. To be honest, I was flattered to be asked and delighted to participate. It was a blast. You can check out the video and the article accompanying it here.

In part 2 of our 3-part video series with Motion Computing, I spend some time chatting with John Doherty and Scott Eckert, co-founders of Motion Computing. John Doherty personally designed the original Motion slate Tablet PC, the M1200.

John and Scott talk about those early days at Motion, the story behind the design of their original slate, how the name came about, and much more. I think you'll enjoy getting this rare inside look at the people behind the products we have all enjoyed using.

Follow the read more link for the embedded version or download directly here.

Timing is everything and the HTC Shift sure seems to have suffered from bad timing. When the device was announced it caught just about everyone’s imagination. And even with confusion surrounding the specs in the early going it still had quite a few drooling over it. But then delays hit and hit again. Although no one has commented for sure, I’m reasonably convinced that this had something to do with the Qualcomm/Broadcom legal dispute.

At this year’s CES, Shifts were available to be seen and fondled and the word from this HTC rep is that they would be availble for shipping in the US by the end of the first quarter of 2008. Of course this same gentleman was also quick to point out that HTC wasn’t calling the Shift a UMPC anymore. (You can catch that in this video.)

I was actually quite surprised when I got my hands on the Shift. In many ways the size, form factor, and keyboard actually exceeded my expectations. Although a tad heavier than I expected, I really liked how the device fit in my hands. From purely a hardware factor, the Shift still has one big drawback and that is inferior battery life (reports are just over 2 hours.) But that said, the design of this mobile device looked like it could be a real competitor.

Just prior to CES a number of folks, yours truly included, pondered that the HTC Shift’s time might have come and gone with all the delays. The impending introduction of the MID’s was about to change the marketplace When the Shift finally shipped it might find a difficult road ahead in a changed landscape. I still think this is true and in many ways that is a shame really. Aside from the battery life issues, it is a very compelling ultra-mobile device.

So, here’s my question. Is the HTC Shift still on your radar or have you passed it by? Comments, please.

Samsung refreshed its vaunted Ultra-Mobile PC line without much pre-CES hype and the news is that the new Premium also comes with a premium price of $1399. Here is a quick interview with a Samsung rep that covers the new features on the new Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC. Note that they are planning to get this model in some big box stores.

Download the High Res version here.

Click To Play

I got an opportunity to catch up with Motion Computing's CEO and co-founder Scott Eckert at this year's Tablet PC meet-up. We chatted about the issues that were on your mind: the reasons behind the end-of-life LS800 Tablet PC and the announced but now unavailable LE1700 WriteTouch Tablet PC. Scott opened up about the reasons to end-of-life the LS800 and not ship the WriteTouch LE1700, as well as talk about their success with the LE1700 and C5. Scott told us that capacitive touch is definitely in their future, as well as small form factor devices. Towards the close of our chat, Scott told us to watch the C5 space, because there has been a lot of interest in the C5 from other markets.

This is the first in a series of three chats I had with Scott and others within Motion, including one of the other co-founders, John Dohtery. Stay tuned for the other chats over the next couple of days.

Note: You'll need to turn your volume up in this video, as there was a lot going on around us making it difficult to pick up good audio. Download here or watch below.

Click To Play

If you haven’t had enough of CES Coverage there is more to go around. Some sister sites in the mobile space did some great coverage of the comings and goings in Las Vegas. Here’s a quick rundown of some that caught my eye.

The Student Tablet PC. It was great to finally meet Tracy Hooten in person! In addition to some great photos, Tracy also has a short video of the Tablet PC/UMPC meetup.

jkOnTheRun: Kevin Tofel and James Kendrick did some live blogging from the floor with an array of pictures posted straight from vendors booths.

Daniel Gentlemen (aka Thoughtfix) was everywhere at CES as well and posted some great coverage on at least two of his many blogs. Check it out here and here.

Steve “Chippy” Paine and jkkmobile had some great coverage and they weren’t even in Vegas, proving that you can cover CES from afar. Their week of CES podcasts is definitely worth a listen.

In case you missed any of the action, here’s a roundup of the many videos we produced at CES 2008. It was quite a week of video action as we were using our Flip Video cameras to catch what we can. Hope you enjoyed the coverage.

• CES 2008: GBM Hands On With The Asus R50A
• CES 2008: Sierra Drives The Q1 Ultra Premium
• CES 2008: A Look At TabletKiosk's eo i7300 UMPC and Sahara i440D Dock
• CES 2008: Interview with Intel's Pankaj Kedia, Talk About MIDs
• CES 2008: Interview With HP's Stacy Wolff
• CES 2008: GBM Goes Hands On With Surface
• CES 2008: The Intel MIDs on Video
• CES 2008: The Lenovo IdeaPad U110
• CES 2008: The Viable Portable VideoPhone for the Hearing Impaired
• CES 2008: Ergo Demoed on a Dell XT Latitude Tablet PC
• CES 2008: We Don't Need No Stinking Bags
• CES 2008: The HTC Shift Is Not a UMPC Video
• CES 2008: The GBM Team, The HP TX2000 Tablet PC, and the BlogHaus
• CES 2008: The Toshiba M700 Tablet PC
• CES 2008: A Look at the NoahPad Ultra Mobile PC
• CES 2008: The Clarion and the Samsung MIDs
• CES 2008: A Look at USB Duet from PLX Technologies
• CES 2008: Matt Goes Hands On With the HP TX2000 Tablet PC
• CES 2008: Splashtop Demoed

And stay tuned. We’ve got some more video coverage to roll out this week including a wild time with the MobileDemand Rugged Tablet PC and a great 3 part series of interviews with Motion Computing Execs. We’ve also got a few other suprises in store as well. It should be a fun week.

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.

I'm pretty sure you all are tired of reading about everyone's impressions of CES. However, we would be remiss by not offering up our own.

Highlights:

• getting hands-on with Microsoft Surface. That was a total Wow experience and a definite highlight for me.
• meeting Otto Berkes, the man behind the UMPC. What we are seeing today with the MID and more can be traced back to Otto.
• Actually seeing and holding some MID's for the first time
• The Tablet PC / UMPC Meetup. I loved talking one-on-one with readers, and even more than that, I loved seeing readers win Tablet PCs. The guy who won the TX2000 told me he found out about the meetup from our site, came to the meetup, and walked away winning the TX2000 Tablet PC. How cool is that! Major kudo's to Lenovo, HP, Fujitsu, and Motion Computing on sponsoring the meetup with those giveaways.
• spending time with HP's Stacy Wolff
• meeting Microsoft's Jeff Sandquist, the man behind Channel 9 and much more.
• spending time with Motion Computing's Scott Eckert, John Dohtery, and Michael Johnson. Watch for our upcoming 3-part chat series on the LS800, WriteTouch, and some insightful history about Motion.
• Seeing so many bloggers I read everyday at the Bloghaus.
• Having dinner with TechSmith's Betsy Weber.
• Pepcom / Digital Experience. I saw more in less time in a less formal setting than I got during 3 days of CES. For mobile pc coverage, Pepcom / Digital Experience was the event for us.
• The Intel MID area was PACKED. I mean 3 - 5 people deep. There was a lot of interest in MIDs.
• Getting hands-on with the Toshiba M700. This will definitely be my next desktop replacement Tablet PC.
• Getting my Amazon Kindle back from Sierra. She has some serious mobile gadget problems. Don't lend her a gadget unless you are prepared to say good-bye to it. Warner had the same trouble with her on the OQO Model 02.
• Meeting Matt and company from MobileDemand, and roughing up the xTablet T8700.
• My greatest highlight can be seen in the InkShow that we'll post up on Monday.

Disappointments:

• Cellular coverage
• Bill Gates Keynote. I loved the retirement day video, but much of presentation was about what they've done and released the past year. I'm glad I watched it from the Bloghaus and not the Venetian.
• The Luxor and the internet connectivity charges. $12.95 per day per laptop. There is something seriously wrong with that.
• Dell not bringing the XT. They said it was because the XT is an enterprise product and CES is a consumer event. Baloney. The XT was the most anticipated launch of 2007. CES is where Tablet OEMs announce and showcase their tablets. I did get to spend some hands-on with the XT, but it was at another vendor's booth - Ergo
• The lack of any Tablet PC news. I suspect this means we are in for a lot of announcements this coming year.
• CES Unveiled was a let-down. We did see some interesting tablet stuff there, but I expected more " just announced / breakthrough stuff"
• CES is just too darned big.  Seriously, they need to break it up.
• Intel needs to revamp their booth. All the blue lighting is horrible for pictures and video.
• The booths inside CES felt like they were built for an open-invitation general public expo: mock game shows and more. The best booth stuff was found on the outskirts from the little companies who probably spent their entire 2008 advertising for just floor space.
• Much of CES felt like a review of last year's technology. I know there was stuff announced that we don't follow, but for the most part, I didn't walk away with that nagging feeling of "I gotta go buy that - NOW!" - except for maybe that Logitech Mini DiNovo keyboard - that was really sweet.

Every year I attend CES, I learn some things to help in next year's coverage. This year was no different. As a team, we definitely learned some things last year that impacted how we approached CES this year.  On the whole, I believe we were quite successful. There are definite areas for improvement, but I couldn't be happier with what we did, how we did it, and what we did it with.

Here is a list, in no particular, of the successes and challenges I faced. Other GBM staff members will be doing the same, and you can expect their lists to be different from mine. It is worth noting that even though OQO sponsored our CES coverage and provided 2 Model 02's for our team to use during the event, we'll be honest in our use of the devices.

Successes

• The Flip Video Ultra was instrumental in our ability to capture quality video and travel light. Every GBM team member had a Flip, and we were able to import directly to our computers via USB without having to mess with tapes and playback. Couldn't ask for anything better for $249.
• Connectivity - The Bloghaus played a crucial role for our uploading dozens of 50 mb + videos. I don't know how big of a pipe they had, but it had to be at least a 3 mb line. After each day, we would stop by the Bloghaus to pump out content, upload videos, and relax. The Bloghaus has definitely made a way into our CES schedule for next year. As Warner eloquently put it, what can be better than blogging and eating oysters on the half-shell!
• I brought along two extra batteries for the Model 02, but never had to use them, primarily relying on the extended battery. I was on / off throughout the day, but found that I typically didn't have to find a power source until we hit the Bloghaus after 4:00 or 5:00.
• The Model 02 was really good for me. More times than not, I was walking and typing at the same time, getting posts up. On the very first day, I got a call from a client with network issue. I sat down, plugged in my card, and had their problem fixed in no-time. I had a lot of folks stop and ask me what I was using. They were all pretty intrigued with the Model 02, and the mobile possibilities it offered.
• Most of us used Canon SD series still cameras and they took awesome pictures. In previous years, I had taken my Nikon SLR, and while a good camera, it was just too bulky. Going mobile with the SD series was a good move.
• Going light and carrying the Tom Bihn Buzz bag was a really good move for me. My back is much happier! It is amazing how much you really don't need to get a job done effectively.
• I'm surrounded by the best team ever! As the years go on, we are becoming really, really good friends, and as you'll see in the upcoming MobileDemand InkShow, we have a great time just being around each other. They are really good for me.

Challenges

• Connectivity - this was a major area of frustration for everyone involved. Cellular coverage was very spotty and overwhelmed. Cellular coverage in the hotel was horrible, going from 5 bars to 1 bar with no explanation. Our hotel charged $12.95 per day per laptop, and they wouldn't allow mobile routers to be hooked up. Needless to say, uploading video using cellular turned out to be out of the question. We were so thankful for the Bloghaus.
• Producing video on the OQO Model 02 was time consuming and quite taxing. For example, encoding a 5-10 video in Windows Movie Maker 2.6 took about 30 - 40 minutes, compared to about 5 - 10 minutes on an X61. After the first day, we decided to take our video to the Bloghaus and produce on a more powerful Tablet. As it turned out, we were moving so quickly, it was really best to put off our video producing oor later in the day anyway. It helped us get more covered. Next year, we will definitely be bringing one or two more powerful tablets along with us for video encoding, but not concentrated on getting video up during the day time due to the need to cover as much stuff as possible.
• I don't use integrated WWAN on my own OQO Model 02, opting for a USB Novatel USB727 EV-DO modem. Because the Model 02 only has one on-board USB slot, this proved to be quite frustrating in getting pictures posted while connected. It meant I was doing frequent USB connects / disconnects between the modem and the camera in transferring pictures. We didn't have that trouble with the other Model 02's because they were using integrated Sprint WWAN.
• My wrists and thumbs hurt from doing so much thumb typing on the Model 02. I don't recommend thumb keyboards for typing throughout the day like I had to do during CES. In my case, it was worth it, because of how mobile I was. But, they do hurt.
• By the end of the day, the battery on my HTC Tilt was depleted.
• Don't install beta or test apps days before or during CES. I ended up hard-resetting my phone due to instability.
• For taking notes during interviews and booth stops, I found it easier and less hassle to do my note-taking on paper-based notepads rather than bringing a tablet / umpc out of standby and taking notes. The first day, I left my paper-based notepad at the hotel and regretted it. I have found this to be the case every year I've gone to CES. That's right, from the mouth of Tablet PC evangelist - paper, depending on the situation, is oftentimes better.

I'll post more thoughts as the week goes on. Right now,  I'm enjoying being home with my kids, recovering from being sick, and watching Seattle and Green Bay battle it out. Go Favre!

Several days ago, we brought you news of Splashtop, an instant-boot application bringing you internet connectivity. It created quite the stir. A rep from Spashtop happened to be present at the Bloghaus during our live uStream and answered questions from our readers.  Checkout this picture from the Splashtop blog of us in the Splashtop booth.

Watch our video demo of Splashtop below. I can't wait for this to become available on USB!

Click To Play