- Matthew Dillon

The past week I had the opportunity to test the Soldius1 mp3 player and cell phone solar charger from mysoldius.  This device sells for 89.95 at mysoldius.com and is available in a variety of colors.  They have an excellent frequently asked questions section that might dispel some misconceptions about charging devices with the sun's power.  With the new trends to go green, I wanted to see if this device lives up to the hype of a green-tech lifestyle.

- Rob Bushway

UltraMobileLife is begun a new weekly video recap of ultra-mobile news. In this first edition, they point to my InkShow video review of the Amtek T770 UMPC.

Subscribe here and watch the first edition below:

- Hugo Ortega

Earlier this week I asked "What do Hugo Ortega and Steve Ballmer have in common?" and today I share with you the answer - The HTC Shift! I must admit that I have been blessed many times over in the last few years with the devices that have crossed my path. I still remember being the first to showcase the Raon Digital Vega; and first with the Fujitsu P1610. On this occasion however I have yet to feel more honored than by being given the opportunity to look at what is billed as one of the most anticipated releases this year, i.e. The HTC Shift.

Hit the Read More link for the download and embedded video review from Blip.tv.

- Dennis Rice

Well, the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet PC InkShows just keep on coming!

In this installment, Dennis Rice takes a look at the MultiTouch XGA / Outdoor screen option, and also the Ultrabase mobile docking solution.  The X60 Tablet PC is very much a unique device, and these two options are a couple of very strong points to consider.

It was a real challenge for me to do a good representation of how the touch screen functionality works, so please bear with the quality on this one a bit, but I think you will get a good idea of how well this works if this is an option you are considering for your next Tablet PC purchase.  What you see on camera and what you see in realtime are a bit different (with things like screen brightness and outdoor viewing, probably due to camera angle), but I think you will get the idea.  I also really like the mobile docking solution “Ultrabase”, and go over it in pretty good detail as well.  I imagine most of the GottaBeMobile crew will own one soon.

Lenovo has put a great deal of effort into these options, so I hope this will enlighten you on their functionality!

To get the full specs, prices, options, etc., head over to ThinkPad.com. 

• Watch the MultiTouch / Ultrabase InkShow here
  (33:26 minutes, 159mb, Windows Media streaming or direct download)
• Visit the Lenovo ThinkPad Accessory Website
• Check out the GBM Interview with Lenovo’s Mike Hagerty
• Watch Warner Crocker’s full X60 review video here

Once again our special thanks to the team at Lenovo for providing equipment, and a really great product!

All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:

- Dennis Rice

Well, we are pretty excited at GottaBeMobile, and we have got some great exclusive video for you!  If you have been following our site for the last week or so, you may have seen several references to a secret mission we have been mentioning, and we can now bring you information on what the big mission is all about.  Well, the mission is officially over, and it was a raging success! Here’s the scoop on what all the fuss is about.

A few weeks ago, we posted some early information on a as of yet unreleased Tablet PC from Lenovo.   Dennis and Warner put on their best sleuthing outfits, geared up with cameras and a a GPS (another story, we won’t go there), and took off to Lenovo Corporation headquarters in Research Triangle Park, NC.  We were on the trail in search of X60 ThinkPad Tablet PC information and video, and boy did we ever get some great stuff for you guys!  We went hunting, and Lenovo coughed up the scoop for us.  Drumroll, please!

Today Lenovo is introducing the new X60 Series ThinkPad Tablet PC, and it has been well worth the wait!  We are very excited to be helping Lenovo Corporation today to announce this awesome piece of hardware, and in the process have managed to produce some great videos for you, our GottaBeMobile readers and viewers.  To get us started, the first one up today is a great video of an interview we did at Lenovo headquarters.  We spent time talking with Mr. Mike Hagerty (our special thanks to Mike!), who is the WorldWide Segment Manager for the ThinkPad X series at Lenovo.  In this video Mike will introduce you to lots of new features, specs, options, etc of this great new product in the highly successful line of ThinkPad computers, plus give you the heads up on official launch and delivery dates and how to get your order in at ThinkPad.com!  If I were you, I would order early (and often ).

As an added bonus, Lenovo also supplied us with a couple of different configurations of units of the X60 ThinkPad Tablet PC to try out and bang on for ourselves.  Warner has a Hi-Res version, Dennis has a touchscreen/outdoor model!  In the hands of a couple of inquiring tablet PC users like Dennis Rice and Warner Crocker, these things have been going through the wringer for the past week or so, and I gotta tell you, we are LOVING them (no Rob, I am not sending you mine yet!).  Be sure and check out the interview video with Mike, but also be ready for a couple more videos here very shortly.  Warner will be doing a very comprehensive review (and I mean very — I have seen it!) of most anything you want to know about this machine, and Dennis will very shortly follow that up with a video of a some special features of his configured unit, namely the “Multi-Touch” touchscreen and Outdoor viewing screen, plus the great new “X6 Tablet Ultrabase” mobile docking solution (yes I said “mobile” docking solution) that makes this tablet PC very special.  Here is a quick list of some of the general specs just to whet your appetite:

Base Unit Price	$1,699.00
Processor	Up to 1.83GHz Core Duo L2500
Memory	Up to 4gb PC2-5300 / 667MHz or higher RAM
Hard drive	Up to 100GB 7200rpm or 120GB 5400rpm drives (2.5” SATA)
Platform / Chipset	Napa / 945GM
Display / Screen (all 12.1”)	·         XGA (1024x768) ·         XGA(1024x768)  MultiTouch/Outdoor Option ·         SXGA+ (1400x1050)
Graphics	Intel GMA 950 with up to 128MB of shared memory
Batteries	·         X60 Tablet 4 Cell Li-Ion Battery ·         X60 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery ·         Advanced Ultrabay Battery (for use in ThinkPad X6 Tablet UltraBase)
Battery Life	Up to 9+ hours!
Options	X6 Tablet Ultrabase $199: ·         Ultrabay Slim port for Optical drive/ extra battery ·         4 USB 2.0 ports ·         VGA ·         Microphone in ·         Headphone out ·         Speakers ·         RJ-11 modem ·         RJ-45 Ethernet ·         Parallel, serial ·         Cable lock slot ·         Key lock security   ThinkPad X60 Tablet Sleeve $49   ThinkPad X60 Tablet Digitizer Pen $49   X60 Tablet Digitizer Pen    21” Tether – Straight w/Standard Loop $10

To get the full specs, prices, options, etc. on this model, head over to ThinkPad.com. 

So if you are of the “inquiring mind” type, then you will not want to miss any of these extensive reviews we are doing.  Just to get us started, here is the interview with Mike Hagerty:

• Watch the Interview with Mike Hagerty ( 44:19 minutes, 245mb, Windows Media streaming or direct download)
• Visit the Lenovo ThinkPad Website

Once again our special thanks to the team at Lenovo for their invitation, hospitality, and really great product!

And be sure and stay tuned for MORE InkShows on the Lenovo X60 Tablet PC coming VERY soon!

All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:

- Warner Crocker

I know in the mobile tech world one of the big attractions and big keys to achieving Zen in a Mobile Tech lifestyle is becoming un-tethered and cable-lite. But we still need more cables than I think any of us what like to admit or carry with us. So, where to you go when you need to pick up that cable? The local big-box? Radio Shack? On-line? Well, via Zatz Not Funny, I discovered this link to MonoPrice.com this morning. They seem to have some great prices on that extra USB cable, as well as quite a few other accessories. Anyone else got a good source with good prices for these kind of mobile tech purchases?

 

- Warner Crocker

Lots of good discussion in the Tabletscape about working with a small screen, led by Craig Pringle’s excellent series revealing some neat tips to maximize screen real estate when you’re working with minimum screen real estate. One item Craig mentioned and Josh Einstein also pointed me to today, is the Minimized Ribbon feature in Office 2007. Josh pointed me to Jensen Harris’s article on the Office User Interface Blog, (more info than you could ever want to digest on the new Office UI) where there are a couple of videos of the Minimized Ribbon and Menu Tabs in action. All good info worth checking out and hanging onto as a reference.

Links from Jensen Harris

• Nice for Mice: Menu Tabs
• Menu Tabs video: Hi Res,  Low Res
• Taking The Minimized Ribbon to the Max
• Minimzied Ribbon video

Links from Craig Pringle

• The OS
• Mindmanager
• Office, IE et al
• ActiveWords
• TEO
• More Space Saving Tips 

 

- Warner Crocker

I’ve been trumpeting the newly released and eagerly anticipated Tablet Enhancements for Outlook 3.0 (TEO 3.0) as if I owned stock in Einstein Technologies. (I don’t.) The reason for my cheerleading: this Tablet PC application is more than worth talking about and demoing. It is essential for you to add it to your Tablet PC toolbox if you use Microsoft Outlook.

This InkShow takes a look at the UI and a number of features in TEO 3.0. I take a brief walk through of creating Ink Contacts, Appointments, and Tasks. I also take a look at the very powerful note-taking abilities now added to TEO 3.0, as well as Mappoint Integraton. I think you’ll discover why I say this must have application for The Tablet PC has moved into Killer App status. But don’t take my word for it. Watch the Inkshow and download and try TEO 3.0 yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

• Watch the InkShow  (21:44 minutes, 69mb, .wmv streaming or direct download.)
• Visit Einstein Technologies and purchase TEO 3.0
• Download 15 Day Free Trial of TEO 3.0
• Check out the Exclusive GBM Audio InkShow Interview with developer Josh Einstein.

Let us know what you think and watch for a contest to be posted shortly where you can win a free license to TEO 3.0!

All GottaBeMobile.com InkShows are sponsored by:

 

- Dennis Rice

We only had a couple of guesses to the most popular shows, but here they are:

# 1 Video Review – TabletKiosk eo Video Review @ 2,132 viewings

# 1 InkShow – MindManager InkShow @ 1,115 viewings

 

 

 

- Rob Bushway

-

Stéphane TORRES published an article and video Monday on the french Tablet PC site TabletPCCorner.net about Windows Vista 5308 and tablet PC functionality. Once again, the site is in French, but still most definitely worth checking out! Here is the info he sent to us:

"I published on Monday an article about Windows Vista 5308 and the integrated tablet PC functions at:

There is also a screencast Video (14 min, 22 MB) link to investigate Windows Vista 5308 with tablet PC functions”

Grab your favorite language translation tool, and see what he has to say!

- Dennis Rice

Since I’m receiving the eo Origami / UMPC today, I need to get that review posted first. I have to return it by Thursday of next week. I’m planning to install GoBinder, OneNote 2007, and Outlook 2003. I’m also going to try to get Camtasia installed so I can do some actual InkShow stuff featuring the TouchPack and how the above apps run on the eo. I’ll do some comparisons between it and the LS800, as well as the all important inking functionality. I’ll give my honest opinions regarding potential use as a companion device for business notetaking purposes. I’ll be using it through the weekend,  installing software, etc and plan on getting the video posted by Tuesday.

After the eo gets done, I’ll do a video review of the X41 tablet pc and post that by Friday of next week. I’ve heard from many of you that you are waiting to make a decision on whether to purchase the X41 until I do that review.

So – that is the schedule and what I plan on doing.

Dennis is wrapping up a video review of the Acer C200 Tablet PC ( generously loaned to us by Allegiance Technology Partners ) and should have that posted soon.