Recently I posted some tips to get more out of Vista on your Tablet PC.  In that post I mentioned a few tweaks for the Tablet Input Panel (TIP) that I find useful:

• Insert text by pointing at insert.  In the tools menu at the top of the TIP select Options.  On the Settings tab select "Pointing to the Insert Button inserts the text"
• Open the TIP by pointing at it.  Also in the tools menu at the top of the TIP select Options, then the Opening tab.  Select "Point to the Input Panel icon or tab to open the Input Panel.
• Get the input panel tab out of your way when in laptop mode - still on the opening tab clear the "Show the Input Panel tab when the pen is out of range" checkbox.  Note - don't do this on a touch screen!

There is a lot more you can tweak in the TIP options.  In this post I will go into more detail about how you modify the TIP options and a closer look at some other useful options.

First here is how you get into the TIP options.

Open the TIP and click the drop down next to the Tools menu and select options.
 

In the options dialogue there are a number of interesting options.  Lets go through the interface tab by tab.

First up on the Settings tab you will find the option that lets you insert text when you point to the Insert button as described above.

You can also change which side of the TIP the Insert button appears on.  Personally I prefer it on the right, which is the default.  If you prefer you can move it over to the Left.

One setting on this tab that I strongly recommend you do not alter is the Autocomplete option.  Just like the description says this "Suggests matches in Input Panel when possible, such as email addresses, URLs, file names and other previous entries".  I first blogged about this feature during the Vista beta back in April 2006 and it rocks.  It is on by default.  Keep it.

On the Opening tab you can configure the TIP to open when you point at the icon and prevent the TIP icon from appearing when the pen is out of range as described above.  In addition to this can:

• Choose to show the TIP icon in the taskbar ala Windows XP Tablet Edition.
• Turn off the slide out animation for performance
• Choose which side of the screen the TIP tab appears on (though you can also drag the tab from one side of the screen to the other without ever going into the options)

On the Writing Pad tab there are some more useful options.  One of my favourite tricks - especially on a small screen tablet or UMPC - is to reduce the ink thickness.  Thinner ink takes up less room on the line which allows you to fit more words on each line of the TIP. This makes ink entry much more efficient.

You can also choose to insert the text automatically when you pause writing and tweak how close you get to the edge of the line before a new line appears in the Writing Pad.

Similar options exist on the Character Pad tab.  You can also drop the thickness of the ink and choose to insert ink when you pause for the Character Pad.

On the Gestures tab you can select which gestures are supported in the TIP.  By default they all are, so you will probably only need to change this if you find you are triggering gestures unintentionally.

On the Advance tab you can change the settings for Password Security.  I recommend keeping the default - which will automatically show the on screen keyboard whenever you click into a password box.

There is one other critical thing to know - there is a very important button back on the Settings tab that I have not mentioned yet.

There is a "get-out-of-jail-free" button that will reset all the TIP options back to defaults.  This means that you should feel free to experiment with these settings because you can always get back to where you started if you mess things up.

One of the first things I do when setting up a new computer is to set one of my virtual printers (OneNote Send-To, XPS Document Writer, Bluebeam PDF, etc)  as the default printer. By setting one of those as my default printer, any time I press the print button, they are all stored electronically rather than on paper. Paper is still an option, but I have to choose to print to paper, rather than the other way around.

That is one way to 1) save money, 2) save space, and 3) save trees.

I was in Seattle recently for the MVP Summit and I had a little time to look around the city. While I was there one of the sites I visited was the first ever Starbucks, which is located near Pike Place Market.

I took this photo of Starbucks Ground Zero.

Between the Ray Ozzie and Steve Ballmer keynotes I knocked up a new wallpaper with a distinctly Seattle feel to it to commemorate the trip.  I have a little trick for making a wallpaper that works in both portrait and landscape.  This is basically to size the image so that it is smaller than the desktop so that it sits nicely in the middle and does not distort when you rotate into portrait mode.  To make this work you need to ensure that width of the image is less than or equal to the short side of the screen.  For instance on my Lenovo X60 I run at 1440x1050 - so the target size will be such that the top edge of the photo above would be 1050 pixels wide.

This means that, when the image is centered it will be positioned like this on the desktop.

OK, the scale may not be perfect, but you get the idea.  Now if you left it like that it would look a bit lame.  The trick is to blend in with the background.

For this particular wallpaper I though a black and white effect would be good.  My Lenovo is my work provided tablet and it only really has software I use for work installed.  The only decent image editing application I had installed was the SnagIt Editor.  I opened the original image in the SnagIt Editor and converted the image to grayscale. 

Next I selected Edge Effects and selected Fade Edge.  I set the background color to black and then applied the fade effect to all four edges. 

The finished image looks like this (note - you can click the thumbnail to view or download the wallpaper)

As I said before the trick making this work is to blend in with the background.  The desktop background, that is.  So first I set the image as the wallpaper ensuring that it is set to center the image, then I click on the Change background color link and set that to black.

The finished effect looks good in both landscape...

and portrait.

It seems absurd that someone should have to do anything at all to a new computer in order to get the "promised" performance, but it is true. Fortunately, many of us who read GBM and other tech blogs are savvy enough to figure it out. However, most folks are not.

What do you do after freshly unwrapping a new computer? What do you install, wipe, uninstall, update, set up on a schedule, etc?

By the way, on Monday I'll be porting this post, along with all the comments, over to our forum so all the great advice is available there for searching and adding additional comments to.

The replacement screen for my Dell Latitude XT arrived today. I was quite hopeful that it would address the gridding issue I've been talking about.

I am pleased to report that the new screen is quite the success. I do not see near the amount of grid that I previously saw. It is now only visible when the screen is off or very dim. Even when it is off, it is nowhere near as visible as it was before. Under normal brightness and working under fluorescent lighting, it is practically invisible. On the old screen, under the same conditions, all it took was a slight tilt of my head and I could see it.

Needless to say, I'm very, very pleased. So much so, that any thoughts of returning it have vanished.

This was the technician's first time working on a Latitude XT and he remarked at well it was built compared to other notebooks he's worked on. We worked together to figure out how best to take it apart and put it back together.

While the technician was here, I took the liberty of photographing the process. You'll get to see the XT as never seen before. Follow the Read More link for the complete unveiling.

Ever wanted a simple To Do system? Well, look no further than OneNote. Fortunately, OneNote provides some built-in templates and options to effectively manage To Do items.

Use an Existing Template

1. Create a new section called To Do's
2. Set the default template in that section to one of the pre-existing OneNote To Do templates
1. Click the drop down in New Page to More Template Choices
2. Expand the Planners tree
3. Choose one of the three template choices to see what they look like
4. Then set the option at the bottom of the template pane to Set the Default Template For New Pages in the Current Section to the template you like. The planner templates are at the bottom of the list.
3. Get creative and design your own template

Create an On-The-Fly To Do List

1. Start a new note
2. Turn on the Tags Toolbar ( View / Tags toolbar ). A Tag drop down choice is also on the main toolbar to select from.
3. Either click the check marked To Do tag or do a Ctrl 1, then start typing.
4. Press the Enter key, do a Ctrl 1 and type the next To Do item.
5. Check them off as you finish them.
6. The bottom of the toolbar contains some more To Do items, like Discuss, Call Back, etc.
7. To tag some ink as a To Do item, ink your To Do, select it, then click on the corresponding Tag from the tool bar.
8. Experiment with Tags - they are your friend in OneNote.

Since the existing templates and the on-the-fly list uses the To Do tag, you can click on the Show All Tagged Notes from the Tag dropdown menu to see a subset of all your To Do's across all of your notes ( including other Tags), and further filter the list by telling selecting "Show Only Uncheck Items".

We'll tackle synchronizing Outlook Tasks and OneNote To Do items from Outlook in another How-To.

Now that I'm done with this article, I can mark it off my To Do list!

How many external USB drives do you have installed? I had to use both hands to count the ones attached to my server. But what's that got to do with mobility you ask? Well, nothing. However, most of us have at least one USB drive attached to your system for backups, storage of media files, etc. This how-to will show you how to milk every bit of performance out of your external USB attached disk drive.

This weeks how-to is one that falls into the area of interface customization. I have always preferred my time displayed in what most call "military" time. It is more correctly referred to as astronomical time. Call it military, Army, Navy time or 24 hour time, whatever, it is what I prefer. I always show that time format on any clock that will. I have lived for many years settling for the AM/PM display on my task bar in Windows. Not any more. This how-to will show you how to customize your task bar time to indicate a 24-hour clock. Check it out.

Reading the headline of this post you might ask, "Now what has accessibility got to do with mobile or tablet and touch technology?"  Read on and hopefully you will get it. I admit that this is going to be largely an editorial, but hopefully we will learn something along the way and that makes it a how-to right?. Mobility and accessibility go hand in hand; however, for many, both are a great challenge. This "How-To" is dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Colonel Larry "Rodney" Gwaltney, US Army. This will be one of very few "How-To's" where I don't directly tell you well, you know, how to; think of it today as a "where to" find important information and tutorials on this mobility inspired topic.

GBM How-To Series #26 : Using Vista and XP Accessibility Features

This how-to hits close to home. Do you own a UMPC such an my OQO Model-02 that does not have a disk activity LED? If you are like me, occasionally I find myself asking why couldn't manufacturers find a location for and install a 20 cent LED? We all have times when for a variety of reasons we would like that visual queue. It's reassuring sometimes isn't it?  I was recently installing a piece of software for demo on my OQO when I could not tell if the program had locked up, or if I was just impatient. Turned out that several CTL+ALT+Deletes later, I was just being impatient. Today's How-To will walk you through setup of a neat utility (an oldie but it still works in Vista (yea!) , XP, and even W2K). Check this out...

One of the things I had to deal with while using my new OQO Model-02 while on the road is viewing my email through Outlook. Remember the OQO has incredible viewing resolutions and zoom options. However, his was only part on my solutions. In this How-To, I will show you some of the things I have dome to make my Outlook experience on the OQO really great.

GBM How-To Series #24 : Optimize Outlook for mobile UMPC viewing  

 Having the mobility that the OQO Model-02 offers does come at a price for these aging eyes. As excellent as the screen is, I was not satisfied with the experience I was getting with Outlook. My problem was this, if I put the OQO in the highest screen resolution possible ( and thus mimic my desktop experience ) even with my glasses on , it was hard to read not to mention the safety issue of doing so on the road. When I zoomed out to a point where it was, there was the issue of having to constantly use the vertical and horizontal scrollers on the display (which are quite simply the balm!) to read the messages. Again, safety bells start ringing in my head! What I found was a couple of simple features in Outlook to minimize the Navigation Pane, and to turn off the Reading Pane. I also customized the Quick Access Tool Ribbon to show the tools I wanted to utilize, as well as display it above the ribbon. This worked like a charm. Let me share with you how...

For many, handwriting recognition is a thing of joy. If you are like me, one of the most ongoing and frustrating things in my life is my handwriting. It is horrible. Mix in some electrons and no wonder I get such mixed results with handwriting recognition. Wanting to do a better job, here are a few tips that I found that may help make an improvement.

 Last week we cleaned up the screen, this week we finish the job by cleaning the keyboard and chassis. If you own a Tablet PC/UMPC with an attached keyboard, chances are just like the screen, it's gonna get dirty. Well, hopefully not as dirty as the one below :) Today's How-To provides some quick and dirty (pardon the pun) tips for cleaning it up.

Does your tablet screen look like a dog has been trying to lick his way through it to get to the other side? Ever see the screen saver that was floating around from the movie Must Love Dogs? That gives you a mental picture huh? Well, from time to time that's exactly what mine can look like! It's not usually a big problem on laptop and non-touch tablets, but add the touch feature, or use it in a demo where you are constantly pointing to items on the screen, or to show off vacation photos, and you will find that they can get pretty dirty. Having two kids, lots of relatives and friends that like to "play" with them, mine can get really nasty. I took the X60, M200 and OQO Model 02 to the beach a few weeks ago. We had two babies, three or four college attendees, a bunch of parents, and a couple of grandparents (that were also Great Grandparents!)  Needless to say, everybody got time with cool toys. However, the combination of snacks, sun screen and lots of fingers made the keyboards and screens gross when they finally got home.  

Pet peeve time. I know it's for my own good, but I get really annoyed when I am asked to confirm the deletion of a file. I mean, the OS might as well ask me " do you really, really want to delete this"? "Are really sure"? As a matter of routine I suppose it does server the purpose of keeping me out of trouble, but there are many times when I wish to be left alone to cleanup a drive without the nags. This how-to will show you the simple way to turn the confirmation option on and off. Remember, if you use this, do so at your own risk. If you forget to turn it back on, it could get you into trouble... this one's really easy.

GBM How-To Series # 20 : Disabling the Vista Delete Confirmation Nag

Simply Right-Click on your Recycle Bin and select Properties.

In the Trash Properties window that comes up, look at the bottom for the "Display delete confirmation dialog". To turn off the nags, make sure that this option is turned off.

There you have it, my kind of "How-To". Short, simple, easy to remember and when you need it, sweet!

Just remember to turn it back on when you are finished!

There are many useful utilities found in Vista today. You name it, from snipping to syncing to sidebar, they cover all sorts of neat features. Additionally, there are all sorts of system specific utilities that ship with today's mobile PC's.  Today's "How-To" is a bit retro, and I know I'm showing my age here, but remember the "good old days" when GUI navigation was a dream and mice were something that you did not want in your house. You had to remember key assignments to get any functionality from DOS or application software. It's a curse,  but I still remember most of the  key commands for the shareware editor called PC-Write. Pretty old huh? Well not as old as Dennis... ask him about his punch card days... now that's old. Sometimes it's quicker to to fire off a utility with a keystroke rather than navigate the menus with a mouse or pen. Here's your "Retrofied Hot Key How To"...

Let's assign a hot key combination to the Vista Snipping tool. This will work with just about any program in your start menu. Think about the possibilities... say your favorite UMPC / Tablet utility does not have a hot key. Now you can fix that with this how-to!

GBM How-To Series # 19 : Assigning Shortcut Keys in Vista

Step 1 : Navigate to the desired Start menu item.

First, navigate the Start menu to the program/utility you wish to assign. For this example, we will assign a key combo to the Snipping Tool by navigating to Start/All Programs/Accessories/Snipping Tool. Now, Right-Click and select Properties. You will see the program properties window similar to the one here.

Step 2 : Assign a key combination.

Now, select the input box for the shortcut by clicking in the Shortcut Key entry area of the Snipping Tool properties window. You are now ready to assign a keystroke combination to the program you have selected. In this case, again, we are assigning the "Control-Alt-S" combination to the snipping tool. To do this, once the entry box is selected, just press the key combination that you want. Literally enter them by selecting them on the keyboard. If the key combination you select is reserved or already assigned, you will notice that the Shortcut key assignment will return to "None". Click Apply then OK.

Step 3 : All Done!

That's it. Your newly assigned keyboard combination is ready for action.

Today's how-to is one more registry edit that I have used a few times now to change the registered name and registered company name that is stored in Vista. The first time I did this was because I had a typo in my own name. Yea, my own name. Chalk it up to fat fingers and not having my glasses on I suppose. Sure I could have just done a re-install, but that takes time and effort. I like quick and easy. Any way, this will work equally well for other situations where you wish to alter the original registrant info of your install quickly such as when transferring your system to another party, name change, etc. It's a registry edit so you will need to be comfortable using the regedit.exe utility. The last registry how-to for a while. I promise. Really.

GBM How-To Series # 18 : Changing the registered Name and Organization in Vista

Step 1: Start the registry Editor

Start the registry editor by entering regedit.exe into the "start search" bar of the Vista start menu. Sure there are other ways to get to it, but let's keep it simple for now.

Step 2 : Find the correct registry entry

Once in the registry editor, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion key. Highlight the CurrentVersion key and look for the RegisteredOwner and RegisteredOrganization strings in the right window.

Step 3 : Edit the key

Right-Click and select modify on each or either of them to edit (or clear) the registered owner/organization information. Then OK when finished.

Step 4 : All Done

Once you are finished editing them, close the registry editor. No restart of your system is required for this fix.

Tips and Notes:

• If you have any doubts about editing the registry, BACK IT UP WITH THE EXPORT COMMAND!
• The Registry Editor will take you right back to the last place you were editing when you left.

Here is a useful "How-To" that I have missed using for some time. It's an oldie, but a goodie. Surely there are those of us that sometimes brave the innards of Vista's GUI to do a little command line tango. There are times when when you need to issue commands on several folders you find in a search but want to bite a nail in half from having to go back and forth between Explorer windows and the "DOS" command. (Yea, I know it's not called DOS anymore, old habits are hard to break) but sometimes, the command prompt is the best tool for the job. Today's How-To will show you a neat trick for solving this problem.

GBM How-To Series # 17 : Adding a command prompt option on the Vista Right-Click Menu

Here's how...

Step 1 : Load RegEdit.exe

From the Vista Start Search bar, enter "regedit" then Enter to load the registry editor. The Vista UAC may prompt you, so go ahead and let it run.

Step 2 : Locate the registry entry

Navigate your way to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes/Folder/Shell entry. You can do the "Find" thing in RegEdit, but you can likely navigate there a lot faster. The keys are in alphabetical order, so just look carefully and you will be there in no time. One you find this key, you are ready for the next step.

Step 3: Create a new registry key

In the "Shell" folder, create a new registry key called something like "Command Prompt Here" or whatever you would like to see in your windows explorer menu when you right-click. To do this right click on "Shell" and select "New" then "Key". This is where you enter the key label for the right-click menu. Now lets create a sub-key under "Command Prompt Here" called "Command" in the same manner. Got it?! Great. Now for the next step.

Step 4: Edit the values in the new key

We need to enter the command into the newly created sub-key called "Command". To do this, Right-Click on the "(Default)" value of the key and select Modify. Enter the following exactly, but WITHOUT THE QUOTATION MARKS..., "Cmd.exe /k pushd %L" as the value of the key and click OK. The "Cmd.exe" part is the command to load the command prompt, while the "/k" switch makes the prompt wait on you to enter commands rather than just exiting. The "pushd" command is used to store the path to the current Windows Explorer location, the "%L" allows the "Cmd.exe" command to access this path.

Step 5: Exit the registry editor

To exit, simply select "File/Exit" from the main menu. Your newly created registry key is now ready for action. Remember that it ONLY works on folders, NOT files.

Tips and Notes:

• One more time. This ONLY works for FILES FOLDERS!!!! (Oops, fingers ahead of brain...)
• If you have any doubts about editing the registry, BACK IT UP WITH THE EXPORT COMMAND!
• The Registry Editor will take you right back to the last place you were editing when you left.

Let's face it, backups are essential. Most of us don't do them enough. One of the problems we here at GottaBeMobile.com experience is that in testing lots of software, drivers and such, with varying degrees of success and desired results, we have need to be able to quickly restore our systems to a pre-experimental state. Imaging software allows us to do that with a fraction of the time involved to otherwise partition, format, install OS and application software and then restore user data, etc. We, like everyone else, also need to keep current backups for the inevitable failure of a drive. Throw in virus infections, "critical updates" that aren't, etc. Well you get the picture. Imaging utilities are a great time saver. Trying the latest Vista OS tweeker... better back it up!

Check out this How-To for suggestions on how get started creating your backup image. Here's how...

GBM How-To Series #16 : Imaging your Tablet PC/UMPC Hard Drive

So just what is an hard drive image anyway? Well "imaging" is the process of making an EXACT copy of a specified hard drive. Every little bit (no puns intended) is copied to a single file or multiple files if specified. When you elect to restore from an image, you are able to return the drive to the exact state in which you backed it up. Partitions, OS, programs, data, the whole works. Remember that there is a difference between "imaging" and "cloning" a drive. Cloning a drive involves copying the low level information from the source drive to another drive during an upgrade to a larger drive, etc. This is a very useful tool, but one that you don't use often. So before your drive goes down in flames, be sure to back it up.

Step 1 : Choose your software for the job

There are several packages on the market today. Symantec Ghost, and Acronis True Image are a couple that I personally have experience with. For years, I used Symantec/Norton Ghost with great results but I now prefer the Acronis product due to it's reliability, price and ease of use. Install the software on the system you wish to image by following the manufacturers instructions. In my experience, installation of both of these products is flawless and completes as expected. The steps outlined below follow the Acronis software closely.

Step 2 : Prepare your system (and your wallet) for backup

As a matter of practice, I don't trust that one backup is enough, that's why I like to do a couple. Just in case. The down side to doing extra backups is the extra (and sometimes significant) capacity required to perform them. For imaging backups, the only practical way to do them is to mass storage device such as a Zip Drive or USB external HDD. With the prices of mass storage dropping every day, you can pickup external drives that are completely USB powered (such as this Western Digital Passport 160G from Costco) and therefore very mobile for around $120.00. I like to delete any files that I know are not necessary to save disk space and time. You can save a bit more space by deleting temporary Internet files and disabling hibernation if it is turned on. Disabling hibernation will free up the space that your hibernation file would normally occupy and therefore not have to be backed up.

Step 3 : Performing the backup

Performing the backup is generally a painless process that is aided by a wizard in the application. About the most significant decision to be made is the type of backup you are going to do. Complete computer, data only, program settings, email, etc. You get the idea. Next select the drives and/or partitions to include. Select if you will be doing a Complete, Incremental or Differentiation backup. Explanation of each backup type follows..

Complete is as the name implies, complete. Everything is backed up regardless of date or archive bit.

Incremental backups only get changes that occurred since the last backup and you must create a full backup before you can create an incremental. Each incremental backup will record only those changes since your last incremental backup. They require less storage space, but for restoration from the archive, you will be prompted to provide the base full archive and all subsequent incremental backups.

Differential backs only pick up changes that occurred since the last full backup. They require less storage space than a full backup but more space than an incremental one. For restoration from a differential backup, you will be prompted to provide the base full archive and differential backup only.

Select any options that are available such as passwords, priority, compression levels, verification, notification, comments about the backup, etc. Now, proceed with the backup. As you are hopefully backing up to a HDD device, you should be talking about minutes, not hours.

Step 4 : Verify the backup

I am paranoid about backups. I do a couple and then I still have butterflies in my stomach when it's time to rely on them. For that reason, I also do a native OS backup of my data as well. In Windows XP, I use NTBACKUP; in Vista, use Backup and Restore Center. I know, it's most likely not necessary, but it makes me feel better knowing I am not relying on a single technology to ensure my precious data is safe. With both backup techniques, I like to restore a file or two to verify that the backup can be successfully read from. Acronis has a handy feature that allows you to mount the image as if it were a physical drive. If you are successful in restoring from the backup, chances are good that you will be able to when it's really needed.

Tips and Notes:

• Make backing up a part of your normal scheduled daily tasks
• Don't count on anyone else to back your data up for you
• It is a good idea to have at least three different backups of your data and think about where you keep your backup
• Store a full backup at another location to protect against fire, theft, or other disaster
• If your data is critical it may be a good idea to have a quarterly and yearly backup as well so that you can recover files that may have been deleted, but not discovered until months later
  

After two long week's at MCSA/MCSE boot camp, the How-To's continue...

I just love my Verizon EVDO card. I borrowed Dennis's card so much be made me go and get my own. The problem is that as I get to test and own (new OQO-Model 02 in da house!- Yeah!) more systems, I cannot afford to activate the WWAN on each. To compound my misery, I find that for testing units and working mobile, I cannot be without it. I believe I have found a solution. Create a mobile, wireless access point. It's really a lot easier than you might think, works really well, and is affordable. Check this out...

GBM How-To Series #15 : Creating a Mobile WLAN with EVDO

The solution to this problem revolves around a wireless access point that supports EVDO. There are several on the market, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses. I did a bit of research on the available models and decided on the Kyocera KR1 Mobile EVDO WiFi Router from the guys at 3GStore.com. With the KR1, I am able to use my single EVDO card on multiple systems AND it allows me to take my own WiFi network (secured of course) with me everywhere. Simply provide a supported (and activated) EVDO card and you pretty much have instant mobile WiFi access. Think of the possibilities.... anywhere you would have EVDO access for one system, you can have it for multiple systems.

Kyocera KR1 Broadband EVDO Router Features:

On with the How-To:

Step 1: Un-Box the unit

This unit is for the setup challenged. Pretty much all you have to do (aside from taking it out of the box) is to determine if you are going to plug it into the wall or take it out to your vehicle. OK, maybe it is a bit more complex than that. Read on...

Attach the antenna, insert your activated EVDO card (WITH THE POWER OFF), select your power option (WALL or DC), plug the included ethernet patch cable into one of the 4 available ethernet ports.

Step 2: Plug it in

Come on.... Need I say more?

Step 3: Configure your WiFi and router options

Using the included ethernet cable, and perhaps the most difficult for anyone who has not done anything like this, is configuring the options. 1st option to set is the Router password. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS change the default password. I can't  tell you how many times I find un-secured access points with the default password still in place. How do I know, I look. I mean, if the ID of the access point is still "Linksys", then it amuses me that 9 times out of 10, the password is gonna be the default. I mean I have less of a problem with sharing than I do with someone being able to re-tool my router. So, if you do nothing else, please secure your router configuration with a password. Next, setup the SSID of your KR1 if you are going to enable WiFi access. You can also configure the router for advanced features like a virtual server and Dynamic Domain Name Servers like TZO and MyDNS.org. The KR1 includes a comprehensive wizard for guided setup.

Step 4: Connect and enjoy!

Fire up the WiFi on your system(s) and you are off. Remember you are sharing the bandwidth of the EVDO channel, so don't try to over due it. I easily attached my X60, the Samsung Q1 Ultra, a Toshiba M200, and my OQO Model 02 to the KR1 at the same time with no noticeable degradation of my ability to surf and email normally. Admittedly there was a slight lag when I tried to download several files at once which I did expect. However, it was still a great experience considering the KR1 was sitting in the back of my Yukon in my driveway! So think about it, if you need high speed access for multiple users that is as mobile as your EVDO card then this is a great solution. Some of the uses I have discovered are using it for high speed group access for offsite meetings where no traditional service is available, access while on vacation or traveling, backup access for your home systems if your high speed DSL or Cable fail, the list goes on. If you are like me and have a limited budget for cellular based high speed access, the KR1 may be right for you.

Tips and Notes:

• Remember that you are sharing the EVDO access. It's not gonna be like your DSL experience. Shared or not.
• The EVDO card can be removed from the unit quickly and with no loss of setup information
• If installing your KR1 in a vehicle, don't enclose the unit in your trunk
• Mobile EVDO router not enough? Add GPS to your KR1!
• Check out EVDOInfo.com for everything you could want to know about EVDO
• For more information on the mobile EVDO solutions, check out the guys at 3GStore.com
• The KR1 can be purchased for $199.00 from 3GStore.com