Awhile back, good friend Ian Dixon invited me to do a guest spot on his podcast, The Media Center Show, to talk about all things mobile and where we see things going. We covered a range of topics and had a blast, so it might be worth a listen.

Ian does a great job with The DigitalLifestyle.com and is podcasts and coverage, so you should check out not only the recent podcast but all he has to offer.

Here’s the link to the latest podcast.

Do you primarily read paper books, or do you find yourself living between the digital and paper world?

If you read eBooks, what do you use to read them with? an eBook reader, a UMPC, a laptop, a PDA, a Tablet PC, etc? Do you like to mark-up your books with physical or digital highlighters, take notes in the margin, etc? If you primarily read paper books, what is the draw over eBooks?

Talk to us about your book reading experience.

Steve Ballmer had some interesting things to say in this Washington Post interview, echoing outgoing Bill Gates thoughts on print vs digital media: within 10 years, there will be no print based newspapers or magazines. It will be delivered in electronic form.

Is Mr. Ballmer right? Well, I can tell you that I have not subscribed to a newspaper in about 5 years. I read all my news online via the paper's website or RSS feed. My wife, though, still loves reading print magazines. However, that model is changing for her due to the Amazon Kindle, and I expect that, given some time, she would make a switch to digital magazines on the Kindle, too. In my opinion, the death march for newspapers and magazines has already begun.

What do you think?

via SeattlePI.com

We've been talking about the HP HDX Dragon for quite a while on GottaBeMobile.com, so we thought it was time to give a little review of this mobile entertainment powerhouse. Now, we know that a notebook computer this size is normally out of our coverage area and it pushes the envelope with the whole "mobile" idea, but we definitely think you'll be very impressed with it. It is superbly designed, fast, and allows you take your mobile entertainment on the road.

In addition to taking a look at the HDX Dragon, I also review the Waterfield Designs sleeve case especially designed to carry this baby around. Trust me, if you own the HDX Dragon, you are definitely going to want this bag.

Now, if you have not already submitted an entry to win the HP HDX Dragon, you need to do so immediately after watching this video review. It is quick, easy, and free! Who knows, this baby could be yours and you might be watching National Treasure 2 on Blue Ray this time next week.

• Watch the embedded version below
• Download the wmv version ( 130 mb, 17 minutes )
• Visit HP.com and BuzzCorps.com

All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows and Podcasts are sponsored by TechSmith.

(Thanks to GBM Reader Aaron for the tip!) Astak has announced a new line of Mentor e-book readers at the IDPF trade show today. The line will include 5-inch, 6-inch, and 9.7-inch screen models with a variety of configurations. They all include E-Ink displays, 128MB of RAM, SD card slots, and MP3 playback capabilities. The really exciting news is price. Rumor has it that the 5" Mentor will be priced at around $150 and the ProMentor 9.7" is supposed to be around $350. US availability this summer with the 5" shipping first in June.

The features are generally what one would expect: E-Ink display, 128MB of on-board RAM, SD card slot, MP3 playback, and support for TXT, PDF, RTF, HTML/CHM formats are standard on all models.

Beyond that, the 5-inch model runs Linux 2.6 with QT environment and the display is 800 x 600 pixels, 170dpi, B&W, 4 grayscale. Full feature list.

The 6-inch model features Win CE5.0 with a 800 x 600 pixels, 170dpi, B&W, 4 grayscale display. The 6-inch appears to also include WiFi connectivity, which would be very cool. Full feature list.

The 9.7-inch is the high-end model with all the bells and whistles: high-res display with 1200 x 825 pixels, 170dpi, B&W, 4 grayscale, WiFi, and some form of touchscreen. The data here is a little confusing since it says touchscreen and then specifies Stylus Only. Hmm, could it really be an active digitizer?! That would be absolutely amazing. Imagine an active digitizer E-Ink system for around $350. Wow. Full feature list.

I'm trying to get more details on this new unit from Astak, but I'll definitely be following closely to see if we can really get a great little e-book reader at such a fantastic price.

Reader more at: TeleRead, MobileRead Forums

Yesterday Apple surprised no one with their announcement that they would now make new movie releases available on iTunes the same day as the DVD release. That will certainly have an impact on NetFlix and Blockbuster, not to mention the postal service. In the continuing evolution of mobile entertainment we already have witnessed the decline of the local video store. Sooner or later we’ll see DVD releases and digital releases happening the same day as films hit the theatres. I know for some watching movies on a portable device works like a charm (I only do it when I’m traveling) and others despise watching films on a small screen. I know there are quite a few folks that are using Windows Media Center and Apple TV to watch their favorite flicks on their set at home.

So here are some questions for my curious noggin. Where do you prefer to watch your movies? How do you prefer to get your content? Digitally? Physical media? Do you buy or rent? Does having a new title available digitally affect your viewing habits?

Although the Netronix EB-100 E-Book Reader is a similar, if not the exact, design to the Bookeen Cybook V3, I think this is the first E-Ink based book reader we’ve seen with a touch screen. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong.) While I prefer my digital books via audio, I would love to see E-Book readers all have touch screens. It just seems, I don’t know, shall we say a natural.

Via Gizmodo

Steve Van der Hoeven, Fortune Fountain's Product Manager for DialKeys , has written a GottaBeMobile.com guest tutorial on how to take pictures with your UMPC and have them automatically uploaded to Flickr - all using DialKeys Gen 2. Utilizing GPS, the pictures also get geo tagged.

Read the full tutorial here.

Up until now the UMPCs (the ones powered by windows Vista or XP, the origami ones) have always been presented as a miniature notebook: it sends emails, opens documents, displays videos, and browses the internet… These are tasks typically done with a notebook; the only difference is that a UMPC is much easier to carry around.

This direct comparison between UMPCs and notebooks misses the biggest advantage a UMPC has over a notebook: That is, notebooks are very inconvenient to use while standing, while a UMPC can be held naturally while standing/walking/... But what do you do with a UMPC whilst standing or walking? Here is a scenario:

    * take a picture easily in a couple of clicks with a camera attached to the UMPC.
    * if a GPS device is attached, the picture can be automatically geo tagged.
    * the picture is automatically uploaded via 3G/HSDPA to Flickr.com.
    * the images can then be shared online, by having them placed on a map.

This means no more to the slow process of first taking pictures with a camera, then transferring them to your computer, and then uploading them to flicker, and finally giving each picture GPS coordinates by looking at the trail recorded by your GPS.  

This has been rumored, hoped for, and forecast for some time now and it looks like it is going to come to pass. The Financial Times is reporting that Apple is going to start “renting” movies on line through its iTunes store. Apparently an announcement is scheduled for MacWorld in a few weeks, so you never know, it might not happen. But FT.com is reporting that the deal is with 20th Century Fox, and that there is also a component of this that uses Apple’s Fair Play DRM technology to allow consumers to purchase a DVD in a store and then rip it to their computer or iPod. (Like that doesn’t all ready happen.)

So, would you rent movies online?

Newsweek has more details on Amazon's Kindle device and service, which begins shipping tomorrow for $399. Looks very similar to a Tablet PC and UMPC, huh? I doubt it supports ink, but it sure would have been nice. Like Scoble, I wish Microsoft would have gotten their Tablet PC team on to this. It screams tablet. Oh well....

• 30 hours of use per charge
• Weighs 10.3 ounces
• Holds 200 books
• Purchase books via EV-DO through Whispernet - more details to come on price, if any

 I might give this one a try, just for the heck of it.

via Gizmodo

Amazon.com is gearing up to release its Kindle E-Book Reader on Monday. Seiko Epson is readying their E-Book reader and we’ve also heard news recently from CyBook. Of course not a week goes by without hearing about Sony’s reader. There is obviously a market here, but I’m not in it for a couple of reasons. I’d rather read E-Books on mobile devices that can do more than just be a reader (although some of these devices have other functions.) And, I’ve moved away from E-Books just because for one reason or the other I keep falling victim to the DRM schemes that are there to protect copyright. It’s a big turn-off to find myself with time on my hands, wanting to read a chapter or two, and then discovering I’ve got to re-activate, and be on-line, in order to do so.

I still think there is a real market there, but I think there has to be a better way to make the content more easily and readily accessible. Maybe Amazon will change that.

I just got an email notification from the Microsoft Zune team that the updated Zune software will be hitting on November 13th for all of us Zune 1.0 owners. Here are more details

Beginning November 13, Zune® will be providing service and software updates for your device and your PC. The updates will be automatic, but you'll need to accept the terms of service in order to receive the latest features.

• Wireless sync
• Extended wireless sharing
• New innovative touch controls
• A built-in FM tuner
• Recorded television content to go
• And more…

Over at the Origami Project forums Kurt has an interesting blog post on how to use an Ultra Mobile PC to listen to Internet radio. The post covers everything from streaming to Codecs, to how to optimize your UMPC for listening. So if you’re looking to turn your UMPC into a portable radio you might want to check this out.

Via UltraMobile PC Tips

Talk of Mobile media and Mobile entertainment these days on the pages of GottaBeMoible.com (and elsewhere) usually centers around Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, the Zune, and what you can do with media on UMPCs using either the Origami Experience or Windows Media Center. But there are other mobile solutions out there that offer some intriguing alternatives.

I came across this review on ArsGeek yesterday of the Archos 605 WiFi Portable Media Player. The reviewer certainly seems to be in love with this portable media player, and from the review there looks to be good reason. While he takes pains to point out that there are a number of different options that will add even more functionality for more bucks, he also points out that the Archos offers you most of the functionality, if not more in some cases, than the players that get all the attention. And the base price is comes in around the $279 mark depending on which configuration you buy.

Speaking of configurations, the Archos 605 comes in a number of sizes (4GB Flash up to 160GB HD) and has a touch screen, and of course as the name suggests it allows you to connect via WiFi. You can browse the web, albeit with a Opera browser plug-in that costs you extra.

The review points out a lot of pros and cons, but what intrigues me is that these devices seem to be a little bit under the radar compared to the ones we usually hear about that are tied to their respective services.

Check out the review for more.

I must have missed this a week or so ago, but nonetheless, this is good news for digital photo bugs. The latest beta of Windows Live Photo Gallery now includes Flickr integration, allowing you to send your photos to Flickr with one click. The integration allows you to use the same tagging in Windows Live Photo Gallery in Flickr, so you don’t have to do double duty there. I’ve been using Flickr and a variety of uploading tools for some time now, and I’m glad to see this integration roll out.

Via Channel10

I don't know how long this special will last, but Buy.com has the brown 30GB Zune listed for $99. Order today and they will ship around November 19th.

Place-shifting media is becoming quite popular these days with Orb, SlingMedia, and WebGuide. Well, Microsoft just acquired the rights to WebGuide and is integrating it into Windows Vista Media Center, making it available for free.

WebGuide lets Media Center owners watch live TV using a mobile device like a Tablet PC, UMPC, or Windows Mobile Phone over an internet connect, in addition to scheduling recordings, watch previously recorded content, and more - all from Media Center. With it now being an integrated solution within Media Center, it'll be interesting to see what Microsoft does / doesn't do with it.

Look for an InkShow from Eddie on WebGuide, and an InkShow from Matt on SlingBox - these are definitely fun times for mobile users.

Via Engadget

I really enjoy reading about how others weave technology into their work and life. Carnaman has a blog about Indirect Lending. The latest post is titled, Technology is Wonderful, and chronicles the hardware and software that he uses to get through his day and workflow. Notably, he’s using the HPTC1100 Tablet PC with a Cingular Edge modem to stay connnected, as well as MindManager with Results Manager and GyroQ. Thanks, carnaman, for lending this info out directly or indirectly.

Linda Epstein of Tablet PC2.com is checking out Mirage. No, not some silly mirage off in the distance, but Mirage the automation software by Autonomic Controls. The Beta release of Mirage offers up touchscreen remote management of the digital media stored on your PC or network. And I think Linda is right, this is a perfect applciation for a UMPC.

Check out more on TabletPC2.com or register for the beta here.

Now who in their right mind would ever want to get stuck in traffic? Not me! However, I do have to admit that I did take the long way home more than a couple of times while testing StreetDeck. If you are searching for a way to integrate a UMPC into your ride, StreetDeck might be for you. There were some challenges in getting everything to work together, but once setup, it was reliable and functioned well. My major issue with StreetDeck was trying to compare performance on the Q1 running XP with the X60 running Vista Ultimate.  I should have never loaded it onto the X60 as this really un-fairly set my expectations. Oh well. Now I'm going to have to figure out how to mount the X60 in the Yukon. In the words of Jimmy Buffett, "Ain't Life Grand!"

The mounting system is key for any successful UMPC integration. Mounting the unit with suction mounts off the windshield just is not for me. I wanted a more "factory" install for both stability and looks. Enter ProClipUSA to the rescue. I can't say enough about how their mount system was just what I was looking for. The guys at ProClipUSA did everything possible to help make this install everything I had hoped for. Honestly, they made the difference for me as to making this a temporary install or a permanent one. Needless to say, stay tuned for an InkShow on the mount options they have.

Final note: Whenever incorporating ANY type of technology into an automobile, you must keep safety at the forefront of your conciseness. With a system like StreetDeck, it becomes very, VERY easy to become distracted and cause a serious accident. So please, please, please Be safe. Always! There are far to few geek's in the world. We can't afford to lose a one!

StreetDeck-Mobile Electronics Software

INKSHOW SUMMARY:

Likes: User interface is well designed and works well while driving. The Gesture system was an excellent way to control StreetDeck without really looking down at the unit. My only problem was memorizing them. The software was feature rich but had a few that I thought could be omitted.  Price; at $199 StreetDeck is priced just about right considering it's feature set. I would like however to see Vista supported. Navigation performed generally well with only a couple of lockups during testing on XP. I liked the NAV interface very much and the display options were unique and helpful.

Dislikes: Performance of some features such as the Internet Radio was a bit sluggish on the Q1 even with EVDO access. Compatible hardware such as the Parrot Bluetooth hands-free was limited and not well pointed out.

Issues: A few lock-ups related to the Microsoft MapPoint engine. GPS connection with Vista was problematic. Audio connection will me a major issue for most DIY'ers. No easy way to have system wake and hibernate when ignition was turned off. Trust me, watch this; it will eat a battery. Running in Vista was problematic with there being an unacceptable level of BSD's and lockups.

Equipment used for testing: GMC '05 Yukon Denali-XL, Samsung Q1-P running XP. GlobalSAT Bluetooth GPS. ProClipUSA mounting solutions. (4 Stars! watch for Future InkShow!). Verizon EVDO AirCard. Kyocera KR-1 EVDO Wireless Router.

STREETDECK FEATURE DETAILS:

View a video demo of StreetDeck (by StreetDeck)

Watch/download the High Res GBM InkShow

(29 minutes, 16mb, Windows Media streaming or direct download)

Features:

Internet Enhanced Navigation

• Internet Connected Navigation
  • Internet assisted point of interest search
    • Data available by Google or Microsoft Live Local
    • Real time location updates
    • Allows for word search such as sushi, Thai, laundry, car wash
  • Internet provided satellite routing photos

• Navigation (no Internet required)
  • Navigation for non-connected use
  • Supports 2D and simulated 3D view
  • Will use cached satellite imagery if available
  • Gesture based address entry

Internet Enhanced Mobile Entertainment

• Internet Entertainment
  • Yahoo! LAUNCHcast provides hundreds of Internet radio stations
• Multiple Media Sources
  • Gesture and voice controlled IPOD Integration
  • UPNP device compatible
  • CD-ROM, USB, removable media auto detection
• Games and External Applications
• StreetDeck Media Sync for Internet and Wi-Fi Networks

Gesture, Touch, and Voice Control

• Gesture support for eyes on the road use

  

   

• Touch and Gesture Controlled PodCast Delivery

   

• Touch and Gesture Controlled Media and Entertainment
  • Touch screen and gestures control media
  • Supports additional monitors for automotive environments

And many more...

Check out StreetDeck's website or Order StreetDeck software and accessories from MP3Car.com

Check out Pro Clip USA for all your in-vehicle mounting needs

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